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Tracking fertilizer costs since the beginning of the conflict in Iran
Fertilizer prices have climbed sharply following the outbreak of conflict involving Iran, raising concerns about higher production costs for U.S. farmers in the years ahead. Analysts say nitrogen fertilizers have seen the largest increases due to disruptions tied to the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route for global fertilizer supplies. According to recent University of Illinois production cost data, anhydrous ammonia prices jumped from an average of $828 per ton before the conflict to...
NPPC: Line speed rise won’t hurt safety
It takes tremendous effort and coordination to move our agricultural products from the farm gate to the grocery store shelves. Every step of the supply chain relies on effort and efficiency to keep food flowing to consumers. One of the most critical links in that...
Be early and active when managing post-emergence weeds
With most of the crops planted at this point, it’s time to be thinking about post-emergence weed management already. Northeast Iowa Beck’s Agronomist Lee Koenigsfeld said it’s important to take care of weeds while they are small and easy to kill. When it comes to...
U.S. cattle herd may be rebuilding due to strong demand
Signs are pointing to a rebuilding of the cattle herd in response to continued strong consumer demand driven by increasing quality. That was the message from CattleFax CEO Randy Blach to attendees of the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Spring Conference as it got...
GT Thompson stresses farm safety net as tax bill heads to Senate
House Ag Chair GT Thompson says the Trump Tax Bill, which is now headed to the Senate, will improve the farm safety net. While most of last week’s House debate on the president’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” focused on SNAP and Medicaid savings opposed by Democrats, Ag...
Ethanol industry urges Reynolds to veto eminent domain bill
Iowa ethanol advocates and farmers are urging Gov. Kim Reynolds to veto a bill restricting carbon sequestration pipelines. The advocates said in a press conference Thursday the bill is “extremely problematic” to biofuels, farming, energy and Iowa economies. The bill,...
Butterfield’s lullaby: 24 simple notes that carry a lot of weight
If you slept through history class, you did not miss anything about General Daniel Butterfield. Nobody really talks about him. However, there is not an American who does not know at least something about him, even if they do not realize it. AUDIO: Profit Matters...
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July 2025 brought historic rainfall to Iowa
After experiencing an already wet month in June, history would suggest that July would back off on the faucets a little bit. That was not the case this year, though, as Iowa experienced the second wettest July on record. Dr. Justin Glisan, state climatologist for...
USMEF applauds confirmation of new USDA Undersecretary for Trade
On Saturday evening, the U.S. Senate confirmed Luke Lindberg as USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs on a vote of 77-18. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) President and CEO Dan Halstrom said there was strong bipartisan support in the...
USDA says farmland values up, cash rents stable
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer says that USDA’s annual snapshot of farmland value and cash rents shows a slowdown in year over year growth. He expands on land values when breaking down the numbers for cropland and pasture values. Farm real estate value by state...
Secretary Naig announces start of construction on Middle Cedar watershed project
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that construction is starting on a “batch and build” water quality project in Tama and Grundy Counties. This project, led by Heartland Co-op, will include the installation of 14 saturated buffers and four...
Precision spraying expands on Iowa farm acres
Farmers and custom applicators are finding that using a mix of equipment is key to keeping up with the demands of modern crop management. For operations across Iowa, combining Hagie’s front-mounted boom sprayers with John Deere machines outfitted with See & Spray...
