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Ecuador agrees to reciprocal trade agreement with U.S.
On March 13, Ecuador became the ninth country to sign an Agreement on Reciprocal Trade with the United States. The agreement will take some time to implement, but once in place it will remove both tariff and non-tariff barriers for U.S. beef and pork exports. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Vice President for Economic Analysis Erin Borror has the details. The agreement also calls for recognition of all USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspected facilities as eligible for...
Weather and labor continue to challenge railways
One of the main metrics for railway service quality is unfilled grain car orders, the number of cars a shipper ordered but didn?t receive. Danny Munch, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist, said the data shows shippers are waiting a long time to get the grain...
Fertilizer prices look to be coming down for now
Farmers have been dealing with higher input costs not long after the market for their grains got better. Fertilizer was the main concern as it jumped over 300% at one time. The essential nutrients were causing economic hardships to producers who claimed that too much...
World Pork Expo set for milestone 35th anniversary celebration
The 2023 World Pork Expo returns to the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, from June 7 through 9. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the annual event focusing on education, innovation and networking within the pork industry. National Pork Producers...
Hinson talks foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
A recent issue that has been making its way through the House and the Senate is the foreign ownership of U.S. land, specifically when it comes to farmland. The Chinese Communist Party in particular has been bold with its purchases of U.S. farmland. Iowa 2nd District...
Iowa officials react to E15 rule delay
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will propose a rule authorizing the year-round sale of gasoline blends containing 15 percent ethanol in several midwestern states. However, the rule would delay action and not take effect until 2024. While this...
Senator Grassley optimistic about 2023 farm bill deadline
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa holds a weekly conference call with ag broadcasters and reporters. This week Senator Grassley was asked if he thinks a farm bill can be completed and agreed upon by September of 2023 or whether the deadline will have to be...
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More Ag News
US ag exports, imports slowing
U.S. farm exports and imports are slowing based on USDA’s latest projections. The final figures aren’t in yet for the fiscal year that ended last month, but USDA Economist Bart Kenner says farm exports will likely be down. Kenner says U.S. exports have some ground to...
Iowa corn collegiate advisory team students selected
Iowa Corn is proud to announce the students selected to participate in the 2023 - 2024 school year’s Collegiate Advisory Team (CAT) program, which focuses on increasing college students’ understanding of the corn industry. During the one-year program, students will...
Low river levels taking a toll on Iowa cash crop prices
A prolonged impact from low river levels is being felt by Iowa farmers as it related to lower cash basis levels. Certainly seeing rainfall which will help but it’s going to take a lot as most is currently sinking in. Matt Miles is a fourth-generation row-crop farmer...
The Drought Monitor isn’t a yield predicting tool
If you have read this headline, and are wondering if I am going to be bashing the Weekly Drought Monitor, that answer is a resounding no. The drought monitor is still very accurate information that gives a snapshot of how we are doing with ground moisture and weighing...
October WASDE brings friendly surprises
Going into this month’s WASDE report, there wasn’t a lot of volatility in the grain markets. However, after today’s friendly numbers came in, the markets reacted accordingly, with soybeans leading the way up. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said it’s nice to...
