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Demand for soy oil driving price to the upside
When petroleum diesel prices rise, renewable diesel and biodiesel become more competitive. As the crude oil price has climbed in the weeks since the beginning of the war in Iran, soy oil prices have followed suit. However, it’s not just the war that is causing price movement to the upside. In March, the EPA finalized its RFS rule, mandating the highest biodiesel and renewable diesel blending volumes in history for 2026–27. This has led to another boost in demand for domestically produced...
Cattle prices affecting land prices
Agriculture is very land intensive. We need space to be able to produce what we need to feed the world. Whether it is row crops, small grains, hog barns or cattle pastures; all of them take up space and that means that competition is going to arise for farmland across...
NFU among several groups supporting AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act
Recently, a group of ag organizations, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), wrote a letter to lawmakers to voice support for the AM Radio in Every Vehicle Act. NFU President Rob Larew said AM radio is too important to rural America for it to be abandoned. “This...
A new threat to soybeans in the Midwest
A soybean disease that is new to farmers in the central corn belt has been causing issues in soybean fields this growing season. Red crown rot is a fungal disease in soybeans that has attacked southern soybean fields for decades. Unfortunately for midwestern farmers,...
Determining the optimal soybean seeding rate
Honing in on the proper seeding rate for soybeans, according to new numbers and new analysis from our friends at the Iowa Soybean Association. Always helping to improve, that's the goal of Iowa Soybean Association checkoff funded research. Joe McClure, ISA director of...
Secretary Naig raises concerns with Endangered Species Act herbicide strategy
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig submitted comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raising serious concerns about its draft Endangered Species Act draft herbicide strategy. Given Iowa’s national leadership in crop production and the...
Wet weather slowing harvest all over
If you recall, we have basically been dealing with drought for the past two years here in Iowa. It seems now that our state may have been suffering longer than others. That doesn't mean we aren’t getting our rain at all, it’s just that harvest isn’t the most...
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More Ag News
South American Weather and Crop Update (4-24-24)
Variable amounts of rain can be seen across South America currently. This is good news for Argentina, as they have been worried about getting too much rain. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest weather conditions. McBride said harvest...
USTR Tai insists efforts underway to ease Brazil ethanol tariffs
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai insists that U.S. efforts to get Brazil to ease its protectionist tariffs on American ethanol are being taken seriously. However, United States congress members have pushed back pointing out that Brazil increased its duties on...
Farmers oppose sale of Iowa fertilizer plant
The University of Illinois Farm Policy News says Iowa farmers told officials that they should block the sale of the Iowa Fertilizer Company to Koch Industries. The sale is worth 3.6 billion dollars. Farmers attending the Iowa Farmers Union’s listening session told...
Secretary Naig recaps legislative session for agriculture
Now that the state legislature has wrapped up their session, it’s time to look back at a few things that were of concern to agriculture. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig had a few policies he was most concerned about, and those were foreign land ownership and Meat...
Recent rains are quenching one of Iowa’s longest droughts
Over the past few months, the weather has largely been characterized by warmer-than-normal temperatures. Since the ground didn’t freeze as hard, that means the recent storms have been able to get moisture deeper into the soil. Iowa State Climatologist Dr. Justin...
