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PFI hosts 2nd Annual Midwest Meat Summit
Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) hosted the 2nd Annual Midwest Meat Summit at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, Iowa, earlier this week. The two-day event brought together all members of the meat industry, including producers, processors, and distributors. Amos Johnson, livestock education coordinator with PFI, said the event started off with a small tour across central Iowa. After the COVID-19 pandemic, people started to notice certain weaknesses of the meat supply chain. Johnson said the...
Balancing trying to save money without impacting yields
Producers are always looking for ways to farm as efficiently and economically as possible, but in a time of depressed commodity prices that becomes an even bigger priority. Isaac Anderson is a market development agronomist with Winfield United and he says that while...
Trump announces blanket tariff plans, neighboring countries respond
President-elect Donald Trump has laid out his vision for blanket tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Trump announced on his social media platform that one of his first executive orders will be to slap an immediate 25 percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican...
Succession planning can make passing the farm down easier
Farming is full of investments, but those investments aren’t in traditional things like stocks and bonds- they’re in things like land and machinery. Matt Roberts, chief planning officer of the West Des Moines-based Syverson Strege, said that’s why it’s even more...
Menke makes trade visit to Taiwan
Last week Iowa Deputy Agriculture Secretary Grant Menke had the chance to lead a trade mission, with the Iowa Economic Development Council to the countries of Japan and Taiwan. Today we will focus on the Taiwan portion of the trip. While Taiwan isn’t as large of a...
Details of the screwworm detection in southern Mexico
The United States-Mexico border was closed for the importation of Mexican cattle after a cow was detected with screwworm in southern Mexico on November 22nd. However, a USDA veterinary official says the situation has not worsened and the U.S. and Mexico are continuing...
Trump selects nominee for U.S. Trade Representative
Jamieson Greer is President-elect Trump’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative. Greer was an aide in the office during Trump’s first term and will help steer the incoming president’s trade agenda. A graduate of the University of Virginia’s Law School, Greer was chief...
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EPA working towards providing more clarity on WOTUS
The Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule could become clearer soon, as the EPA is now taking steps towards clarifying the WOTUS guidelines by listening to public comments. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall said farmers and ranchers are very...
USMEF producer team explores Mexico market
A team of livestock and grain producers recently traveled with the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) to Monterrey, Mexico, to participate in the Expo Carnes trade show and for a firsthand look at market conditions. Held every other year in Monterrey, Expo Carnes is...
Cattle inventory breakdown from March Cattle on Feed report
The March Cattle on Feed report from USDA shows another year-over-year decrease in cattle inventory in feedlots in the United States. USDA livestock analyst Michael McConnell says that the number of placements for the month of February was 18% lower than last year....
USDA updates public on avian flu strategy
Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins hosted a stakeholder update to provide a progress report on USDA’s five-pronged strategy to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and lower egg prices. Less than a month after the plan’s rollout, USDA reports significant advancements...
So where CAN we find savings on inputs?
Last week, we talked with Gail Stratman from FMC about the importance of not cutting corners on weed control—because skimping there can cost you more in the long run. But while weed management needs to stay a top priority, there are other areas in the field where...
