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Farm bill talks gain momentum amid pressure from farm groups
Congressional leaders are signaling renewed momentum on a long-delayed farm bill as pressure builds from agricultural groups ahead of the 2026 planting season. Lawmakers from both parties said negotiations have accelerated, though disagreements remain overspending levels, conservation programs and nutrition policy. Congress continues to operate under an extension of the previous law, leaving farmers uncertain about long-term support. According to Reuters, lawmakers are working through budget...
Iowa business among semi-finalists for AFBF Ag Innovation Challenge
Farm Bureau this week named the ten semi-finalists that will compete in the Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge. Among the finalists is Appanoose Manufactured Products, which is based in Moulton, Iowa. American Farm Bureau Director of Industry Relations, Chase...
Beef industry is in an interesting position
Perhaps the best sector right now in terms of profitability is the cattle business. At an ag roundtable in Muscatine, Iowa, Dr. Brandon Koch of Kent Feeds said it’s a fascinating time to be involved in the beef industry from a pure numbers standpoint and an animal...
Utilizing all tools to protect yields
Heads Up Plant Protectants manufactures biological seed treatments to help farmers prevent fungal and bacterial diseases. Heads Up® seed treatment can be a cost-efficient way to help protect against yield loss by optimizing and fine tuning the plant and has shown the...
Secretary Naig announces grant opportunity for the development of livestock vaccines
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced the formation of the Livestock Protection Innovation Grant Program. The program will provide grant funding to assist Iowa-based companies in the development of safe and effective vaccines that may help protect...
Legal options all but exhausted against Prop 12
When the Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that there was no legal reason for them to overturn California’s Proposition 12 ballot measure, at least not based on the arguments raised, it was obvious that Congress was going to be the best way forward. The Supreme...
John Deere Foundation donates $2 million to Food Bank of Iowa
Last week, the John Deere Foundation announced a $2 million gift to fund the vital expansion of the Food Bank of Iowa’s Des Moines distribution center and support its “Building Healthy Futures” capital campaign. This is on top of the nearly $270,000 in unrestricted...
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AFBF members talking labor challenges on Capitol Hill
Iowa farmers are no stranger to labor challenges. Every year, it seems like the pool of laborers to hire for on-farm jobs gets smaller and smaller. On top of that, the H-2A program that farmers have come to rely on can be complicated and expensive to use. Farm Bureau...
Ag industry needs certainty on sustainable aviation fuel
A multi-state coalition of biofuel and farm advocates asked the Treasury Department to swiftly resolve any questions standing in the way of scaling up U.S. production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel. More specifically, they urged the administration to quickly adopt the...
Growing world record soybeans
Farmers start every growing season to grow the best crop they can and improve their yields year after year. Certainly, we can grow high-yielding crops, and in soybeans we turn heads the closer we get to those triple-digit yields. But what if you could grow over 200...
USDA’s ACEP gets a funding boost, keeps farmers farming
Another revenue source to keep farmers farming is getting a boost from the USDA. Under Secretary Robert Bonnie says the new funds will help conserve farmlands and wetlands. The program continues a strategy by Secretary Tom Vilsack to use the Inflation Reduction Act...
U.S. Export Sales Report (3-21-24)
Another status quo report for export sales this week, and seeing a neutral report was nice in the face of some heightened volatility throughout the day of its release. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave a breakdown of the numbers. Soybeans in particular were...
