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Planted acres projections reflect cautious farm economy
USDA economists predict some shifting crop acres as farmers continue to face a difficult economy. As crop farmers prepare to plant their corn, soybeans, or wheat in 2026, many are making decisions with the current farm economy in mind. Faith Parum, an economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says USDA economists revealed some key insights during the Annual Ag Outlook Forum. USDA said planting decisions are being driven by commodity prices, input costs, and expected returns. Parum...
USDA expanding access to high-speed internet for rural Americans
Access to high-speed internet is not as much of a certainty for rural Americans as it is for those in urban areas. The United States Department of Agriculture is continuing its push to make high speed internet more readily available for those in areas outside of urban...
Learn how to identify plant and insect issues found in Iowa crops
Identifying what type of insect or plant disease is affecting your crops is a critical part in forming a response. Making the wrong decision can be costly and may have little to no effect on the issue at hand.To help growers improve their identification skills, plant...
Farm Bureau encourages farmers to advocate during August recess
The House of Representatives has already adjourned for the August recess and the Senate will do the same starting next week. Even though the August recess was started for meteorological reasons, it is still observed in Washington. Many lawmakers use it as a time to be...
Senators discuss Inflation Reduction Act
Inflation is one of the biggest current issues for the U.S. economy and the agriculture sector is feeling the effects of higher prices. With the Iowa State fair quickly approaching and county fairs around the state of Iowa currently underway, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst...
U.S. Export Sales Report (8-4-22)
No surprises here- this week?s report was mediocre once again. This continues the trend we?ve seen from the past couple months of disappointing old crop export sales. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided a breakdown of this week?s report.Apart from the...
There are better alternatives to removing dams in agricultural states
When it comes to dams in rivers, it?s a pretty fishy situation. Ag states with dams in their rivers are continuously hearing conversations about the problems the dams cause for migrating fish, but the proposed solutions aren?t typically good for agriculture. So how...
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More Ag News
Census of Ag data not available for Farm Bill talks
It is one of those busy years for the agriculture industry regarding government reports. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is looking to have farmers finish up their 2022 Census of Agriculture forms and have them sent back. Congress is debating the...
Turning natural wet spots into water quality wetlands
With Earth Day coming up tomorrow and next month marking the 10-year anniversary of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS), there?s no better time to talk about soil and water conservation in Iowa. We use several different conservation tactics across the state,...
Proposed SEC rule won?t work for family farms
A proposed rule from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would require public companies to report on Scope 3 emissions, which are the result of activities the companies don?t own or control. Public companies producing goods from agricultural products would...
Fighting SDS and white mold with a biological seed treatment
Sudden death syndrome and white mold are two of the biggest problems for soybean growers in the upper Midwest and the state of Iowa. These yield robbers must be dealt with if a farmer has any hopes of a good growing season and high yields.Colin Dutcheshen president of...
NPPC wants producers to have the freedom to operate
While in Washington during the better part of the week, I had a chance to talk with many folks in the ag industry, including NPPC President Scott Hayes, we talked about a number of things including the farm bill and also having the freedom to operate their farms. We...
