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TQA certification promotes efficient and safe animal handling
Transport Quality Assurance®, or TQA, focuses on practical, real-world skills that help handlers and drivers move pigs humanely and efficiently. Stephanie Wetter with the National Pork Board says the program is updated every three years to ensure continuous improvement and maintain accountability for science-based practices and emergency planning. TQA joined Pork Quality Assurance’s certification program 25 years ago and has grown to more than 27,000 individuals certified. Wetter added that...
Ethanol powering America and helping to save farms
The National Ethanol Conference was held in San Diego last week and it provided a morale boost to the ethanol industry. That’s Renewable Fuels Association Chair Erik Huschitt who wasn’t alone in praising the corn powered fuel’s achievements since the 1980s and those...
Waste in EPA environmental justice grant spending
Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says millions of taxpayer dollars funneled through the Environmental Protection Agency’s grant programs weren’t used correctly. While the funds were used to cover recipient organizations’ overhead costs and operating expenses,...
NASDA Members make trade trip to Cuba
As we look to open up new trade options around the globe, we are also looking at opening doors with former trade partners that have been estranged for political reasons for some time. Recently a delegation from the National Association of State Departments of...
EPA’s E15 final decision welcome, but some questions remain
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted the request from eight Midwestern states, including Iowa, to sell year-round E15 beginning in 2025. The EPA approved the long-delayed petitions from eight Midwest governors to allow summertime sales of E15 in these...
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-23-24)
This week was not a good one for the grain markets, and that could be seen in this week’s export sales as well. Corn is still looking fine, but soybeans posted the lowest numbers for this week in over thirty years. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an...
U.S. milk production to grow slower in 2024
The good news is U.S. milk production is expected to grow in 2024. Michael McConnel of the USDA’s Chief Economist Office says the bad news is the growth rate will slow compared to last year. The good news for U.S. dairy farmers is it will cost less to feed their...
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National FFA membership reaches a significant milestone
The National FFA Organization has reached a record-breaking milestone of more than one million members. The current membership number is 1,027,273, up 8.6 percent from last year. National FFA, a nationally recognized school-based student leadership development...
NPB bringing back a familiar face to increase pork demand
Patrick Fleming returned for his second tenure with the National Pork Board, where he now serves as the vice president of demand development. Fleming shared his goals for the first 90 days in his new role. He discusses the potential of pork in relation to consumer...
Sam’s Club buyers from China learn about merchandising U.S. pork
In China, Sam’s Club is one of the leading retail outlets for high quality beef and pork. With support from the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently brought a team of Sam’s Club buyers from China to South...
July rains benefitting most major crop areas
The United States primary growing regions for corn and soybeans have been receiving beneficial rainfall during the crucial stretch of the growing season. For corn and soybean production areas of the United States, USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says drought levels are...
Ag history and modern technology on display at the Smithsonian
When you think of museums, you may think of old artifacts and history, but museum curators are also watching modern-day technology and how it tells the story of changing times. Abeer Saha, curator of the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington, D.C., said...
