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NASA technology helping farmers from space
Interest in NASA and America’s return to the Moon has surged again following the Artemis missions and the growing focus on deep space exploration. But while much of the public attention is focused on rockets and astronauts, NASA says some of its most important work is helping farmers right here on Earth. During Washington Watch 2026, the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network spoke with NASA Director of Earth Science Karen St. Germain about how satellites, crop modeling, and advanced monitoring...
SAF powers first trans-Atlantic flight
It was a first for sustainable aviation fuel this week as a 100 percent SAF trans-Atlantic test flight flew from London to New York. Virgin Atlantic says its flight to New York’s JFK International Airport was powered by fuel from plant sugars and waste fats and...
A bright spot for 2023 Iowa farm incomes
Finding some optimism on 2023 farm incomes as USDA has revised upwards their most recent estimates. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau, says the picture is a little brighter than the August predictions: “In the August reports, USDA forecasted...
Court filing on year-round E15 in the Midwest
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird filed a motion for summary judgment regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s failure to respond to a request to sell year-round E15 in Midwest states. Iowa and six other states filed an opt-out request that would allow them to...
Farm stability a factor as we enter 2024
In 2023 we saw a little more of a bumpy ride than we have had in the few years prior. By no means are we in any kind of trouble, but profit margins were a little tighter. That means it is going to take even more careful planning to grow a crop in conditions that may...
U.S. Export Sales Report (11-30-23)
The new marketing year has been slowly improving, and that continues with this week’s export sales. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn sales in particular caused a bit of a stir in the grain markets. McBride said the persistent soybean flash sales...
Fungal disease pressure still prevalent with hot and dry conditions
With harvest 2023 complete and the cold winter months just around the corner, now is a great time to study the ’23 growing season and lessons learned. Kim Tutor is a technical marketing manager with BASF and she says that despite the widespread hot and dry conditions...
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More Ag News
Determining the profitability of cover crops on livestock operations
A recent report by the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service studied whether incorporating cover crops into livestock systems is more profitable than livestock operations that do not use cover crops. Maria Bowman, research ag economist with...
Looking at the volatility in cattle
Last week the U.S. Meat Export Federation held their annual meeting in Kansas City, MO. It came when livestock markets were in a state of heavy fluctuations. The Cattle market is seeing a little more of the volatility than the hogs are. There have been some erratic...
Livestock groups welcome farm bill markup
Livestock groups welcomed the House Agriculture Committee's action to markup the Farm Bill. The National Pork Producers Council says the bill supports all pork producer's farm bill requests, including a federal fix to the host of Prop. 12 issues plaguing producers and...
Red meat industry holds optimistic outlook for 2024
The U.S. red meat industry gathered in Kansas City last week for the annual U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Spring Conference. USMEF Chair Randy Spronk sensed optimism among attendees for the remainder of 2024. Spronk stressed the need for an equal playing field...
Biosecurity vital for protecting livestock and farmhands from H5N1
The need for robust biosecurity measures for all species is greater than ever after the recent detections of H5N1 in dairy herds. Dr. Marisa Rotolo, National Pork Board’s Director of Swine Health, emphasized the importance of on-farm measures to keep it that way....
