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Callahan is the new chief agricultural negotiator
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative welcomed Julie Callahan as its new Chief Agricultural Negotiator. The U.S. Grains and BioProducts Council applauded the news, saying, “She’s a seasoned professional with years of experience in sensitive trade negotiations and will continue to be a great advocate for U.S. agriculture.” Other agricultural groups like the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association reacted positively to the announcement. “President Trump has made it a priority to sign new...
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...
South American Weather and Crop Update (5-7-24)
Much like it is up here, rain is causing issues down in South America. Southern Brazil is getting especially heavy rains, which could start damaging the crops. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest weather. McBride said planting progress...
Rainfall slowing planting progress across the Corn Belt
Rainfall and wet conditions are slowing planting progress in the Midwest. Betty Resnick, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said a lot of the slowdown is taking place in the Corn Belt. Resnick said we’re still early in the planting season for major...
Innovation and technology helping farmers reach sustainability goals
The mission of the U.S. Grains Council is to develop markets, enable trade, and improve lives. Carlos Suarez is the manager of sustainability, policy, and innovation for the U.S. Grains Council and says that sustainability is becoming more of a central focus across...
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...
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More Ag News
SW Iowa crops still looking great heading into harvest
There’s not much time left until harvest season will be upon us in Iowa, and the crops in the southwest part of the state are still looking great. SW Iowa Beck’s Agronomist Nate Meyer said he’s expecting a bumper crop for both corn and soybeans this year. Meyer said...
Financial benefits of climate-smart commodities
Approximately 13,000 American farms participate in the climate-smart commodity initiative, which covers about eight million acres of land. Ag Secretary Tom talked about the appeal of the initiative and said he expects those participation numbers to continue growing....
A drop in soybean condition ratings
USDA is reporting a drop in condition ratings for soybeans and a possible frost in parts of the Upper Midwest. That is USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. There was no change to the corn condition rating this week with the number remaining at 65% good to excellent....
Koch completes $3.6 billion purchase of Iowa Fertilizer Co.
Koch Ag & Energy Solutions successfully purchased OCI Global’s fertilizer plant in Wever, Iowa, for $3.6 billion. After announcing the pending sale last year, the finished transaction gives Koch access to a state-of-the-art facility and its related businesses. The...
Keeping new dairy calves healthy from respiratory diseases
While we have talked at length about what H5N1 or bird flu looks like for dairy herds, we have to remember that this isn’t the only health concern we face. There are still the old standards we have to guard against, and at this time of year, we see more calves moving...
