Top Stories
TQA certification promotes efficient and safe animal handling
Transport Quality Assurance®, or TQA, focuses on practical, real-world skills that help handlers and drivers move pigs humanely and efficiently. Stephanie Wetter with the National Pork Board says the program is updated every three years to ensure continuous improvement and maintain accountability for science-based practices and emergency planning. TQA joined Pork Quality Assurance’s certification program 25 years ago and has grown to more than 27,000 individuals certified. Wetter added that...
Top ag legal issues to monitor in 2024
2023 was a year of significant developments and changes on the legal front of agriculture. Harrison Pittman, director of the Ag Law Center, says 2024 could be more of the same with issues such as the endangered species act taking center stage. The Waters of the U.S....
Farmland market is “resilient”
The Farmers National Company says the farmland market seems to be moving into the new year maintaining the value increases it’s built during the last three years. That stability is in place despite increasing pressure from declining commodity markets, rising interest...
Governor Reynolds sees a bright future in biofuels for Iowa
Last Thursday, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association held its annual Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit in Altoona. There was a great turnout to hear the latest in the policy, technology, and progress of biofuels. One of the highlight addresses was from Iowa Governor Kim...
Lack of cuts in January WASDE disappoints grain markets
With the cuts the USDA made in last month’s WASDE, analysts were expecting a few more in the January report. However, the grain markets were very disappointed when the report came out and showed very few changes. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride broke down the...
Potential end of controversial doctrine spells good news for agriculture
A controversial legal doctrine with wide-ranging impacts may come to an end soon. Travis Cushman, deputy general counsel for litigation and public policy with the American Farm Bureau, explained the premise of the Chevron Deference doctrine. “What it does is it...
49 of 50 states now allow sale of E15
Of the 50 states in the union, 49 now allow the sale of E15 or 15 percent corn ethanol blended gasoline. Montana is the latest state to allow the sale of the blend but one state, and it’s a big one, remains the lone holdout. The biggest state and the nation’s...
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More Ag News
Rain continues as floods tear through the state
The wet weather trend has persisted, as the weekly drought monitor is containing less and less dryness with every release. Iowa State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan said that wetter weather pattern is likely to continue for a while as well. Northwest Iowa has seen...
AFBF says Congress must make clearer laws after Chevron ruling
The American Farm Bureau says it’s now up to Congress to write clearer laws in the wake of the Supreme Court’s historic Friday ruling overturning legal precedent favoring federal bureaucrats over judges. AFB Deputy General Counsel Travis Cushman says the ruling...
Conditions are ideal for tar spot to thrive this growing season
Fortunately for Iowa growers, mother nature has delivered some much-needed rainfall to the state this spring and summer while eliminating all areas of drought in Iowa. Unfortunately for Iowa growers, wet conditions also provide the ideal environment for fungal...
Weekly Iowa crop progress and condition report
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and...
Food safety important for July 4th cookout
As we get ready to celebrate our independence this Thursday, there will be lots of fun activities. We think of the fireworks displays and the safety required to take care of those involved, but what about something as simple as the July 4th cookout? Have you thought...
