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Farmers must have a voice in upcoming USMCA review
With the U.S.–Mexico–Canada trade deal facing a 2026 review, ag leaders say farmers must have a strong voice. Nebraska Congressman Adrian Smith recently hosted USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg to hear from producers. Lindberg addressed the top concern for corn growers which is the dispute with Mexico rejecting genetically modified white corn from the United States. Lindberg says the North American trade deal has been a success and that the...
Annual dairy discussions seminar to focus on cybersecurity for farmers
ORANGE CITY, Iowa - The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Discussions Seminar on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County Office in Orange City.This year?s focus is on...
Supply and demand driving gas and diesel price differences
The price difference between diesel and gas has many scratching their heads. On October 31, the average diesel price was $5.32 per gallon, while the average gas price was $3.86. American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Economist Veronica Nigh sums it up as an issue of...
Markets still walking a steep ledge in a strong wind
Looking at the market screen during the writing of this article, I am seeing a lot of red in the grain markets. Lower prices are nothing new in the marketplace. We all know that what goes up usually comes down. However, in the current economic climate, the trip down...
Precision Agriculture Loan Program Act aims to get new technology out to farmers
In September, we had the Farm Progress Show in Boone. The event was a great showcase of the advancing technologies in the ag industry, but even with all of that new equipment, one issue remains: how do we get it into the hands of farmers? Iowa 4th District Congressman...
USDA investing in strengthening supply chain and improving processing capacity
Agriculture is built upon our rural communities. As such, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is aiming to increase business opportunities in those communities by leveling out the playing field for producers. U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA...
Ag economy barometer declines again
Farmer sentiment weakened again in October as the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer fell to a reading of 102, down ten points compared to a month earlier. Both of the barometer?s sub-indices, the Index of Current Conditions and the Index of Future...
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More Ag News
Bird Flu break doesn?t mean we can relax our vigilance
It?s nice to be thinking of High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) as an afterthought right now. It has been almost three months since our last confirmed case. We all know that this outbreak lasted longer than the previous outbreak in 2015. There were also more...
Eastern Iowa and Corn Belt seeing increased drought risk
Timely rains have been popping up around the state, but there?s still some drought creeping in. Iowa State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan provided an update on the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.The recent storms and showers have been nice, but you have to be lucky to...
South American Weather and Crop Update (6-6-23)
Clear skies continue to be the story for the weather in South America. This is great news for Brazilian farmers who have just started harvesting second crop corn. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride provided an update on the latest weather conditions.McBride said...
MOUs with equipment manufacturers will reduce downtime
The American Farm Bureau Federation recently signed two more right to repair MOUs, this time with AGCO and Kubota. Emily Buckman, AFBF Government Affairs Director, says combined with MOUs from John Deere and CNH Industrial, the four agreements cover roughly 70 percent...
Iowa planting all but wrapped up, but moisture is in short supply
We are now in the first full week of June, and from the looks of things, planting is all but wrapped up in the state of Iowa. The latest weekly crop progress report had this to say.?Farmers were still planting some corn and soybeans this week, however nearly all...
