Top Stories
President Trump announces framework for China trade deal
The trade meeting between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping resulted in an agreement of a framework for a trade deal. While the news is reassuring, there is still a lot of information that we don’t know about this potential deal yet. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the initial market reaction was negative. McBride said there still needs to be caution with this framework, as no trade deals have been officially signed yet. McBride said the details that we do know as...
Utilizing all tools to protect yields
Heads Up Plant Protectants manufactures biological seed treatments to help farmers prevent fungal and bacterial diseases. Heads Up® seed treatment can be a cost-efficient way to help protect against yield loss by optimizing and fine tuning the plant and has shown the...
Secretary Naig announces grant opportunity for the development of livestock vaccines
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the formation of the Livestock Protection Innovation Grant Program. The program will provide grant funding to assist Iowa-based companies in the development of safe and effective vaccines that may help protect...
Legal options all but exhausted against Prop 12
When the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that there was no legal reason for them to overturn California’s Proposition 12 ballot measure, at least not based on the arguments raised, it was obvious that Congress was going to be the best way forward. The Supreme...
John Deere Foundation donates $2 million to Food Bank of Iowa
Last week, the John Deere Foundation announced a $2 million gift to fund the vital expansion of the Food Bank of Iowa’s Des Moines distribution center and support its “Building Healthy Futures” capital campaign. This is on top of the nearly $270,000 in unrestricted...
Earning extra premiums and extra revenue per acre
Benson Hill has invested in growth in the state of Iowa by expanding its infrastructure in the state. With a soybean crush facility in Creston, a warehouse and seed treatment location in Bondurant, and facilities for high oleic soybeans for specialty use, Iowa growers...
Ethanol and the Grain Indemnity Fund remain top issues for Iowa corn growers
Discussing the issues surrounding crop production with Logan Lyon, District Director for the Iowa Corn Growers Association, including ethanol demand and carbon pipelines. There are always a lot of outside influences in regard to crop production far beyond what happens...
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More Ag News
Competition in overseas markets increasing during 2024
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer talked about the state of the ag economy and the headwinds it faces in 2024. During his speech at the 100th Annual Ag Outlook Meeting, he said there are challenges ahead. “We've seen a lot of growth in trade for agricultural...
2022 Census Of Agriculture indicates loss of farms and farmland
The USDA released the 2022 Census of Agriculture this week. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says some of the results were concerning, especially the number of farms and total amount of farmland across America. While those numbers sound large, Secretary Vilsack was able to...
Crop insurance costs to jump 29 percent
The federally-subsidized crop insurance program will cost an additional $27.7 billion over the next decade. A Congressional Budget Office report says the government pays roughly 62 cents of each dollar in premiums, and sales of livestock and forage policies are...
Could whole & 2% milk be returning to schools?
During the Obama Administration, then-First Lady Michelle Obama spearheaded changes to the school lunch program for Public Schools across the country. The effort was presented to the American people as a chance to bring kids healthier lunches. Much debate has ensued...
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-15-24)
Export sales are continuing their recent trends. Corn sales are looking good, while the same certainly cannot be said for the soybeans. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest export sales report. U.S. soybean prices are still far from...
