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Naig: Pork remains safe after pseudorabies case
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says consumers should remain confident in the safety of pork products after Iowa confirmed a rare case of pseudorabies tied to pigs brought into the state from Texas. Naig said the detection marked the first confirmed case in a commercial swine herd since the disease was officially eradicated from U.S. commercial production in 2004. Naig explained that pseudorabies is not the same rabies virus commonly associated with pets or human exposure concerns....
Food Bank of Iowa receives donation of almost 240,000 eggs
Today, the Iowa Egg Council, Rose Acre Farms, and Hatch partnered together to make a generous donation of almost 240,000 eggs to the Food Bank of Iowa. This comes at a time when food donations are critical, as communities like Greenfield and Spencer are still...
Beef exports climb even higher while pork sits below last year’s pace
The value of U.S. beef exports topped $900 million in May, the highest since June 2023, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said exports trended higher year-over-year to...
Vilsack says clock is ticking on passage of new farm bill
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that everyone is on the same page with the goal of getting a new five-year farm bill done. However, he also says that time is getting tight for the completion of a new farm bill and is calling for all sides to...
Thirty million farm acres abandoned since 1986
In 2022, a University of Wisconsin study claimed that U.S. farmers had converted several million acres of pristine grassland and other “semi-natural areas” to cropland. Researcher Tyler Lark said that was in response to the Renewable Fuel Standard and ethanol...
High-tech equipment increasing demand for larger farm sheds
We talk at length about the changes we see in technology and the larger equipment we are seeing in the fields. While we focus so much on how the technology is changing the face of farming and how it makes us more efficient with our resources and inputs, we tend to...
Abnormally wet weather creates difficult nitrogen decisions
The excessive rainfall in the Midwest, which is on top of an already mild winter, is increasing the risk of nitrogen and other nutrients leaching through the soil before the crops- specifically corn- can use them. As such, farmers must decide if they need to stick...
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Food fight: US dietary guidelines could cut meat and potatoes
Beef groups slammed recommendations for consumers to increase their protein intake via beans, peas and lentils, calling the proposal “unhinged.” A major battle is brewing over how much red meat Americans should consume — and it has the beef industry seeing red. The...
“Culture Celebrators” have a particular affinity for pork
The Culture Celebrator is one of seven consumer segments identified in an in-depth consumer segmentation study completed by the National Pork Board. Sarah Showalter, manager of business and consumer insights at NPB, said the Culture Celebrator segment shows an...
Gaining an understanding of SCN biology
We talk extensively about Soybean Cyst Nematodes, and there is a good reason. They are a fast-moving pest located in all 99 counties in Iowa. Iowa is one of only two states in the U.S. with populations in every county. The other is Illinois. So, what else can we learn...
Cold air blasts across the state
After some warmer temperatures, a blast of cold wind hit the state. It seems that the switch to winter may be upon us already, as those cold temperatures are projected to stick around for a while. Fortunately, it looks like the precipitation will stick around as well....
U.S. Export Sales Report (11-21-24)
While global demand looks like it might start to shift soon, the USDA released another positive export sales report this week. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest numbers. Flash sales were predicted to potentially fall off, but McBride...
