Top Stories
When fertilizer prices climb, efficiency is the key
As fertilizer prices skyrocket, farmers are researching all opportunities to apply fertilizer as efficiently as possible and receive the most bang for their buck. Dan Schulz is a vice president of sales with Ostara and provides some background of the company and products that they offer. Schulz says that CG P2X granular phosphate fertilizer solves a lot of issues with timing and delivers peak efficiency. In addition to less leaching and runoff, Schulz says Ostara CG P2X is available at a price...
Land values hitting plateau, but still remain high
For the past couple of years, we have seen land values increase in Iowa and across the corn belt. Land values are up in a range of 20% - 34% in this time period. Of course, most of these land values have been attained through land auctions. This allows for bidding...
New Iowa State Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons excited to take on first fair
The best time of the year. The greatest summertime event. Or, as it?s referred to as this year, the best days ever. No matter what you call it, nothing compares to the Iowa State Fair. At this point, we are less than a month away from the start of the state fair, and...
AFBF promoting the importance of the farm bill
The American Farm Bureau Federation led the creation of Farm Bill for America?s Families, a campaign to highlight the broad reach of the farm bill. AFBF President Zippy Duvall says the high-level campaign includes several messages to Congress.?We want to see a 2023...
Labor issues remain prevalent in animal agriculture
Between Prop 12 compliance requirements, labor issues, and the constant threat of foreign animal disease there is a lot weighing on the minds of Iowa?s hog producers.Terry Wolters is a former president and current board member of the National Pork Producers Council....
Legislation would lower the cost of biofuel-blending compliance
A bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to lower the cost of complying with biofuel-blending mandates. Reuters says legislation was introduced that would direct the White House to let oil refiners purchase compliance credits (RINs) for biofuel blending laws at a lower...
Fungicide applications still necessary despite dry start in Iowa
This year, like many years prior, has been throwing curveballs. We are seeing dry conditions suddenly becoming wet, and crops that were under stress now suddenly growing to their potential. It has got farmers scratching their heads and thinking about if they need to...
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More Ag News
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-1-24)
This week’s export sales were very mixed. Corn saw another good week, but soybean numbers were well below expectations. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest numbers. McBride said the flash sale of soybeans to Mexico was nice, but we...
U.S. cattle herd smallest since 1951
Before the release of Wednesday’s semi-annual cattle inventory report, various trade estimates called for a reduction in overall herd size. The USDA’s report confirmed those estimates with a herd size of 87.2 million head of cattle as of January 1st, 2024. That is a...
Secretary Naig welcomes applications for specialty crop block grants
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is now accepting applications for the 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program through March 1, 2024. The grant program, which is designed to support...
Fertilizer is impacted by numerous global conflicts
As we enter year three of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and as tensions are boiling over in the Middle East, we can’t help but realize the impact these events are going to continue to have on our farms. While disputes throw off demand and shipping, especially in...
South American Weather and Crop Update (1-31-24)
Brazil’s weather is status quo, but Argentina is dealing with a heat wave, which could have an impact on the recently planted crop. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest weather conditions in South America. The cooperative weather in...
