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House Ag Chair wants farm bill 2.0 in February
GT Thompson, the chair of the House Agriculture Committee, has tentatively set a farm bill markup for the week of February 23. Politico said that’s according to three sources familiar with Thompson’s plans. While the formal text of his farm bill has yet to be introduced, it will likely have the same priorities as the version that advanced out of committee in 2024 but never became law. “Committee staff is still waiting for the cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, which could...
Hong Kong foodservice industry recovering as ASF concerns grow
U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom just completed a market visit to Hong Kong for the first time since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. Halstrom said that Hong Kong’s foodservice sector- which was decimated by limitations on...
AFBF announces new mental health resource for farming families
Mental health is not something that should be taken lightly. It's okay to not feel okay, but it's also important to make sure that you and your loved ones are doing what you can to develop and promote positive mental health. This past Sunday, the American Farm Bureau...
Budget disputes leading to farm bill frustrations
Congress has voted to extend temporary funding again to keep the government open, but in the process has likely produced more delays in writing a farm bill. That has led to frustration among members of Congress hoping to complete work on the farm bill early in 2024....
Fed’s January 2024 beige book on ag economy
The Federal Reserve Board released its January 2024 Beige Book, a summary of its commentary on the current economic conditions in each Federal Reserve District. In the sixth district around Atlanta, Low cattle supply led to higher cattle prices, but consumers are...
Will the grains continue to pull back on price levels?
We are almost one month into the new year, and we have been seeing a lot of red splotches on the grain markets. That’s not to say there has been a general slide, but it feels like there have been more low days than highs. The markets seem to keep retreating from the...
How to adjust your planter for no-till fields
When using no-till practices, the soil is obviously not as soft at the surface due to the residue from the previous crop. If you don’t adjust your planting practices to go along with your no-till practices, then your yields will take a hit. Roger Wilcox, one of the...
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More Ag News
South American Weather and Crop Update (6-18-24)
Contrary to the ever-changing weather we’ve seen here in Iowa, the weather has remained status quo in South America. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest conditions. Fortunately, that weather hasn’t impacted the safrinha harvest in...
Ethanol on display at Iowa Corn Ethanol 350
Supporting Iowa’s World Class Corn Producers at the Iowa Corn Ethanol 350 this past weekend were our friends at the Iowa Corn Growers Association. Iowa corn farmers are among the most productive in the world and continue to get better, believe it or not, which...
New year farm bill funding boost not a given
Increased funding for the farm bill next year is not guaranteed. There is also no certainty that increased funding can be counted on for political support for a new five-year farm and nutrition bill. A streamlined budget process known as “reconciliation” allows the...
Iowa crop progress and condition report
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and...
USDA continues to learn about H5N1 vs HPAI
It feels like we have had a broken record going around and around during the spring and fall of the past few years. We have talked at length about High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The main difference between the two is that when the virus jumped the species...
