Top Stories
Examining the factors currently influencing the grain markets
Geopolitics, trade, and weather are all making an impact on the grain markets in recent weeks and that trend looks to continue as the calendar turns to May. Commodity broker Greg McBride of Allendale says that the upcoming meeting between President Trump and Xi Jinping the President of China, will be closely watched. Weather is also a major factor in the marketplace with dryness in the wheat growing regions of the U.S. offering support to wheat prices in recent weeks. However, McBride says...
USDA wants to “level playing field”
There is an ongoing message coming from farmers across the country. They want the same opportunities to sell their products as other farmers enjoy. Many times it is seen as a battle between large and small farms. Whatever the motivation is behind it, all farmers want...
PFI looking to help farmers seed cover crops this fall
Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is looking to financially support farmers who are seeding cover crops this fall. In 2022 alone, PFI paid over 1,100 farmers over $3.1 million total to seed cover crops. Morgan Jennings, PFI’s field crops viability coordinator, said the...
Propane supply in good shape heading into winter
Dan Pannier, propane operations manager with GROWMARK, tells the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network that the propane industry has been able to rebuild its national inventory in 2023. In just the past week, however, Pannier says demand has started to increase. Pannier...
HPAI case confirmed in Kossuth County
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have confirmed a positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Kossuth County. The affected...
Unveiling the “Blue Taps = Blue Water” program to improve water quality
A big announcement providing more funding to help improve Iowa's water quality out in the countryside. It's partnership between the Iowa Agricultural Water Alliance and West Okoboji brewing, one of the most popular craft breweries in the state. Called the Blue Taps...
Could we see a reduction in pork production?
Pork producers have had a very tough year when it comes to the prices they've been getting paid for their products. The oversupply issue we saw come out of the 2020 pandemic really hasn't settled down too much. Recently, Rabobank looked at some data that shows we...
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More Ag News
Slow start to planting could make for an interesting May WASDE
Friday’s upcoming WASDE report is an important one, as it is the first report after the start of planting season. While the beginning of planting season has been slow, analysts are unsure of whether or not any changes will be made by the USDA. Ross Baldwin of...
Interest rates and low prices are still squeezing farmers
Rabobank’s RaboResearch team released its bimonthly North American Agribusiness Review. The report analyzes market conditions and trends in North American agriculture. Roland Fumasi, North American Regional Head of RaboResearch, said interest rates are still squeezing...
Grassley says Congress still not close to agreeing on farm bill framework
Despite apparent progress towards continuing work on the farm bill, United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) does not think that Congress is any closer to finding agreement on the framework of a new bill. Instead, both sides appear still entrenched in their...
Secretary Naig announces increased cover crop cost-share incentives
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is offering increased cost-share incentives for cover crop planting through the state’s Water Quality Initiative (WQI). The popular annual cost-share...
National Milk Producers Federation talks H5N1 security
Whether you call it H5N1, HPAI, or Bird Flu; the fact of the matter remains that we have an issue on our hands that is testing the resolve of our animal disease contingency plans on a minor level. We talked for years about “what if?”, and we were presented with that...
