Top Stories
Promoting swine herd health with feed additives
As always, swine herd health is a top priority for Iowa producers. Producers who are looking for ways to mitigate the effects of endemic diseases and guard against potential foreign animal disease outbreaks may want to consider using feed additives. Rob Patterson, vice president of innovation and commercialization at CBS Bio Platforms, said their feed additives can help enhance efficiency, optimize gut health, and boost overall pig performance. Patterson said their innovative approach to...
U.S. Soy announces national NEXTILE design challenge winners
What’s the next wave of sustainable fashion? The answer...soy-based textiles which are on the rise. To spur innovation in this space, U.S. Soy announces Clara Padgham from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the national winner of the NEXTILE: The Soy in Textile...
Conservation ag funding is stuck in Farm Bill fiasco
The failure to pass a new farm bill has left critical agricultural programs in limbo, creating uncertainty for farmers and rural communities nationwide. Among the many casualties of this legislative gridlock is funding for climate-smart agriculture, which helps...
Feenstra supporting legislation to exempt farm assets from FAFSA
For years, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has not been kind to college students in farming families. Due to some flaws in the program, farmers must label their machinery, land, and small businesses as liquid assets, even though they are not...
Management strategies are vital to controlling resistant weeds
The Agribusiness Association of Iowa held its annual Agribusiness Showcase & Conference last week in Altoona. The event brings together professionals in agriculture to discuss the latest trends and technologies. The showcase also features educational sessions and...
Demand for U.S. beef is very strong in Mexico’s foodservice sector
U.S. beef is thriving in Mexico’s foodservice and hospitality sectors, but each major destination in Mexico has specific product needs. Gerardo Rodriguez, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) regional director for Mexico, Central America, and the Dominican Republic,...
Brazil says U.S. ethanol tariff would be unreasonable
Brazil’s Energy and Mining Minister Alexandre Silveira said on Thursday that a potential U.S. tariff on Brazilian ethanol would be unreasonable, emphasizing that the two countries have historically negotiated ethanol and sugar trade together. His remarks came after...
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Insecticide-resistant soybean aphids pose a challenge to Iowa farmers
For a few years, soybean aphids weren’t too much of a problem in Iowa. However, last year was a wake-up call for farmers in Northern Iowa especially. Kurt Maertens, BASF technical services representative for Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois, said that soybean aphids...
Mental Health Awareness Month is especially important for agriculture
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Farmers and ranchers experience higher rates of mental health issues compared to the general population. This is due to many factors, including financial strain and weather-related stress. Dr. Larry Tranel, a dairy field...
Farmland prices began to soften in 2024
2024 was the cooling period for farmland prices after several years of quickly rising farmland values. Randy Dickhut, farmland sales expert with Agricultural Economic Insights, says fluctuating farmland prices are a typical pattern over a multi-year period. According...
Iowa cash rents drop in 2025
The 2025 annual survey of cash rental rates for Iowa farmland shows that rates decreased, on average, by 2.9 percent in 2025 to $271 per acre. It’s the first decline in cash rents since 2019, after a peak of $279 per acre during the previous two years of the survey....
Congress yet to deliver on E15 promise
E15 fuel will be available again this summer thanks to another temporary waiver from the Trump Administration. While Iowa is one of eight Midwestern states already allowing year-round E15 sales, this fix remains only partial. Iowa lawmakers are still in the fight,...
