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Mexico’s restrictions on pork offal remain costly for U.S. industry
As a result of a recent pseudorabies detection in Iowa, Mexico closed its border to U.S. pork offal products for more than a month. According to U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) estimates, since its implementation, the closure has cost U.S. exporters roughly $7 million per week. Although some offal shipments to Mexico have resumed, restrictions on products from Iowa and Texas remain in place. USMEF Mexico Trade Manager Rigoberto Treviño highlighted the importance of pork offal and variety...
Farm Bill progress: optimism meets legislative realities
With a new Congress in place and fresh leadership in the Senate, the timetable for the next Farm Bill is taking shape amid shifting political priorities. Lawmakers face the challenge of crafting bipartisan legislation that addresses agriculture, nutrition, and rural...
U.S. agriculture directly in the bullseye
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said she doesn’t believe the U.S. will impose tariffs on Saturday, February 1, as President Donald Trump had pledged. Reuters says her administration has already put a response plan in place if it becomes needed. The report says...
Ethanol industry confident in new EPA head Lee Zeldin
The ethanol industry is confident that newly confirmed EPA chief Lee Zeldin will be supportive of its top issues. Zeldin, a former New York Representative, has been critical of ethanol in the past, but the industry is confident that will change now that the...
Weak La Nina will continue into February
In December, the weather officially entered into a weak La Nina phase once again. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for Iowa, said there are plenty of recent data points to compare this winter to, as we saw a “triple dip” La Nina from 2020-2022. Glisan said a weak La...
U.S. Export Sales Report (1-30-25)
The export sales took a back seat this week after the great numbers we saw in the last report. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest U.S. export sales report. McBride said there were only flash sales for corn this week. McBride said the...
Meat Institute strategies to reduce meat prices
The Meat Institute sent a letter to President Donald Trump to provide strategies to reduce burdensome regulations and address meat prices for consumers. The letter included a list of recommended actions for the administration to take, including rescinding the final...
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Map the Meal Gap study shows that food insecurity continues to increase
Many people underestimate the prevalence of food insecurity. Feeding America’s annual Map the Meal Gap study shows that food insecurity has increased in every county in Iowa and impacts 385,130 Iowans- over 120,000 of which are children. That’s 12% of Iowans and 16.6%...
Planting window has been wide open in Southwest Iowa
Aside from a few storms earlier this spring, the weather has been mostly wide open for planting season. With most of the crops planted at this point, farmers are now waiting for some timely rains. Southwest Iowa Beck’s Agronomist Nate Meyer said the planting window...
Outlook for summer and fall weather
The past week of weather in Iowa has felt more like July than May. The warm and dry conditions have allowed farmers to move quickly with planting, but the heat has some questioning if it is still spring. With abnormal warmth in mid-May, what do the summer and fall...
SAF Coalition commends House Ways and Means Committee for advancing 45Z extension
Today, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Coalition’s Executive Director, Alison Graab, issued the following statement in response to the House Ways and Means Committee’s inclusion of a 45Z extension in its budget reconciliation markup. “Sustainable aviation fuel...
Ernst: keep food policy off Rodeo Drive
It’s been more than two years since California’s Proposition 12 took effect, and pork producers across the country are still grappling with its consequences. The law has done little to improve animal welfare, critics say, but has created significant financial strain,...
