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South American Weather and Crop Update (5-6-26)
Dry weather is still causing concerns for some of the crops down in South America. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest conditions for Brazil and Argentina. At the very least, the dry weather is allowing for harvest to continue at a good pace in Argentina. McBride said they are making good progress on harvest in Brazil as well. That dry weather could cause ending stocks in Brazil to get lowered a little bit, which can turn around and be a benefit for the markets...
Clean fuels industry contributes over $40 billion to U.S. economy
A new study commissioned by Clean Fuels Alliance America shows the U.S. biomass-based diesel industry generated $42.4 billion in economic activity in 2024, supported 107,400 jobs and paid $6 billion in annual wages. According to the report, nearly half of the total...
April rainfall delivers drought relief
April delivered on its promise of April showers and helped to shrink drought coverage across the nation with much needed rainfall. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the latest U.S. Drought Monitor looks much improved to begin May. Rippey says that last fall’s peak...
Iowa Corn, Hy-Vee, Growth Energy partner on Unleaded 88 branding
On Monday, Iowa Corn and Growth Energy announced that they have partnered with Hy-Vee to update the branding for Unleaded 88 at Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience stores across the Midwest. Unleaded 88 is a fuel blend with 15% ethanol, usable in 96% of today’s cars...
Secretary Rollins sends letter about screwworm spread to Mexican government
The threat of New World screwworm is looming, but not enough progress has been made towards containing it. Recently, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote a letter to Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Julio Berdegué Sacristán, urging the Mexican government to...
Japan ramen chain now using underutilized U.S. pork cuts
Two national ramen noodle chains in Japan are now using underutilized U.S. pork cuts in popular dishes, thanks to product development efforts led by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) and funded through support from the National Pork Board and USDA. USMEF...
USDA trade nominee Lindberg cites litany of ag trade barriers
USDA Undersecretary for Trade nominee Luke Lindberg says the United States ag sector is facing too many unfair trade barriers in world trade. Lindberg told Senate Ag lawmakers at his recent confirmation hearing that the U.S. for too long has let other nations “rig”...
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More Ag News
Corn exports set marketing-year low in latest report
After many weeks of outstanding corn export sales, the numbers this week came in well below expectations and led to a negative close in the corn marketplace. Sam Trainor, AgMarket.Net hedging strategist, the corn exports set a marketing-year low. However, Trainor said...
Iowa farmers are still waiting for a new farm bill
While Congress’s One Big Beautiful Bill budget package included approximately $66 billion investment in key farm programs, there’s still work to be done. Brian Glenn, director of government affairs with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said a key focus was on...
Grassley cites Brazil tariff threat as probably the most important
Brazil is one of the United States’ biggest competitors in agricultural trade. The nation of Brazil has surpassed the United States as the world’s largest soybean exporter and is also one of the top exporters of beef, often competing with U.S. producers. Therefore,...
Two webinars will examine impact of excessive farm heat on people and produce
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Farm, Food and Enterprise Development team is holding two webinars in August that will explore the role of intense heat on farmers and growers, as well as their crops. “Heat exposure is an increasing problem for...
New capital gains updates may help Iowa succession
The capital gains provisions in the Reconciliation Bill have become a hot topic, in part because they paint with a broad brush. While critics argue that the changes are a tax break for billionaires, the reality is more nuanced, especially for the agricultural sector....
