Top Stories
Iowa FFA will be well represented at National Ag Day
Iowa FFA President Chloe Zittergruen will be one of four National FFA members who will be representing agricultural youth across the country in Washington, D.C., for National Ag Day on Tuesday, March 24th. This year’s event theme, “Together We Grow,” honors 250 years of agricultural progress since the inception of the United States. Zittergruen said she is honored to be attending an event of this scale. Zittergruen will represent National FFA as a student panelist during the Ag Day at USDA...
Ground pork gaining traction as a great option for daily meals
As the new year gets underway, there’s growing excitement around adding more protein to the plate. Momentum is building with the “Taste What Pork Can Do®” consumer brand campaign. José de Jesús, assistant vice president of consumer marketing with the National Pork...
Employment data in rural America
USDA’s "Rural America at a Glance" report gives insight into employment trends in rural areas of the United States. USDA research economist Tracey Farrigan says from 2023-2024 employment in rural areas grew at a rate of about .6%. She says this was a continuation of a...
Rural Energy Council is a “disgrace”
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, was very unhappy after it was announced that a legislative fix for year-round E15 was dropped from the January government funding bill. It was further incensed that Congress would instead form a “rural...
Iowa ag efforts meet setbacks as policy debates continue
Iowa agriculture continues to face pressure from growing production and slower demand growth, a dynamic that has weighed on commodity prices and raised broader questions about market access for farmers. Those issues were discussed earlier this week during a...
Potential ag impacts from significant winter system
A winter storm is set to move across the country this week and could have adverse effects for agriculture. The storm is unique in that it is tracking farther south than would be expected at this time of the year says USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. Southern states are...
Trump’s tariffs make a tough economy even tougher
As President Trump continues with his trade policies, farmers in Iowa are feeling the squeeze economically. It’s going to take much more than a bridge payment to make sure that family farms in Iowa are able to keep operating in the future. Iowa Farmers Union President...
Video
More Ag News
As Iowa farmers hold grain, crop protection continues
With grain prices under pressure and supplies heavy, many Iowa farmers are making the decision to hold grain in storage longer while waiting for better marketing opportunities. According to the USDA, ample production combined with softer demand has kept prices below...
Fareway donates nearly $300,000 of ham to Iowa food banks
Earlier this week, Fareway Stores made a donation of approximately 69,000 pounds of variety hams to the Food Bank of Iowa. The full retail value of this donation is $297,961.61, and that donation will quickly make it to food-insecure Iowans across the state. Annette...
Farmers play a key role in producing Super Bowl snacks
Super Bowl Sunday is consistently one of the highest demand days for food across the U.S., supporting the farm economy. Faith Parum, an economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, said Super Bowl Sunday can really reflect the abundance of American agriculture....
Saving time on your cattle operation through data and analytics
Time is money for farmers and producers and products that can help simplify data and analytics can save producers time and allow them to keep their operation running smoothly. Dustin Balsley is founder and Chief Operating Officer of Performance Livestock Analytics and...
Iowa farms are re-evaluating how they use John Deere Operations Center
John Deere Operations Center is already part of many farming operations today, but how it is being used varies widely depending on equipment, connectivity, and how far a farm has gone down the precision ag path. As automation and advanced application technologies...
