Top Stories
Leveraging genetic diversity to combat annual crop issues
Farmers have to deal with unique combinations of diseases, weather events, and pests each crop season. Fortunately, there are things they can do to mitigate the risks of these annual problems. LG Seeds Agronomist Dave Hoy said genetic diversity is one of the main tools farmers can leverage. Each farm has different needs when it comes to seed genetics, and Hoy said that the agronomy team at LG Seeds is more than willing to help farmers find out what hybrids they need. Hoy also highlighted some...
2024 farm equipment sales are looking to be a mixed bag
Combine sales closed out the year ahead of 2022 levels, while almost all tractor segments saw declines in both the United States and Canada. The latest data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers shows total U.S. farm tractor sales fell 5.1 percent in...
USDA: Large family farms account for bulk of commodity production
Large-scale family farms accounted for a majority of the value of commodity production in 2022, according to a new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service. Specifically, these farms accounted for 51 percent of cash grains and soybeans, 56 percent of hog...
Looking at your farm budget with a different perspective
We know the story. It’s been the top of mind subject in farming for the past few years. Grain prices are slowly declining and crop inputs are slowly rising. That intersection is different as each farm has a different break-even level. As we enter this year, that...
Mom’s Meals continues to help Food Bank of Iowa fight food insecurity
Today, Mom’s Meals donated 4,000 shelf-stable meals to the Food Bank of Iowa to support its school pantry program. 2023 was a year of unprecedented demand for nutritious meals- in fact, 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 8 children face hunger in Iowa. Chris Choi, CEO of Mom’s...
El Nino and its effect on global weather patterns
If you’ve been keeping up with the weather reports lately, then you’ve probably heard a lot about El Nino and its impact on the current weather. Shane Hubbard, research scientist at the Space Science and Engineering Center at University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that...
NCBA policy chair lays out farm bill priorities
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Policy Division Chair Gene Copenhaver recently met with House Speaker Mike Johnson to discuss the farm bill. Copenhaver says Johnson was hopeful on the prospects for a new farm bill after the old bill expired last September...
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More Ag News
This May will be remembered for severe weather
Before this month, we were all worried about the drought conditions in Iowa as it continued for over 200 weeks. However, we’re now completely on the other end of the spectrum, as there is no longer any drought listed in Iowa. Iowa State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan...
U.S. Export Sales Report (5-31-24)
Corn markets continued their trend of decent sales numbers, while soybeans continued their much less favorable trend. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest export sales. At this time of year, McBride said the export numbers generally...
Is the Senate any closer to a compromise on the farm bill?
After the release of the House version of the farm bill two weeks ago, eyes in Washington D.C. turned towards the Senate chamber and whether the two sides of the aisle are any closer to coming to agreement on the Senate's version of the farm bill. United States...
U.S. ag trade deficit widens
The U.S. agricultural trade deficit is projected to increase again to $32 billion in fiscal year 2024, a $1.5 billion increase from the February projection. Those numbers come from the USDA Economic Research Service’s quarterly May 2024 Outlook for U.S. Agricultural...
Livestock groups pushing for more traceability options
As we face threats from foreign animal diseases worldwide, livestock groups are working hard to improve the traceability of where animals have been moving around the country. This information helps detect disease origins and helps us to contain problem areas quickly....
