Top Stories
Boozman defends excluding Prop 12 from farm bill
Senate Ag Chair John Boozman shares reasons for his decision not to limit the out-of-state reach of California’s Prop 12 restriction on extreme animal confinement in his farm bill draft. Boozman says although Republicans are ready to vote to restrict California’s animal confinement standards, the same can’t be said about Democrats. For Bozeman, without Democrats' votes, there is not much that can be done. He concludes with what is needed for something concrete to happen. California represents...
Governor Reynolds signs pair of ag bills, including Iowa Farm Act
On Monday Governor Kim Reynolds signed Iowa House File 2771, featuring the Farm to Faucet Water Quality package, and Senate File 2465, also known as the Iowa Farm Act, at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. House File 2771 is primarily the state’s fiscal year 2027...
Fertilizer price probe opens as farm margins tighten
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an industrywide investigation into fertilizer prices after sharp increases during spring planting. Reuters reported that FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said the agency is using civil investigative demands to gather documents and...
USMEF says African Growth and Opportunity Act could help create trade access
The Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA), which was created to incentivize two-way trade between the U.S. and sub-Saharan African countries, allows the president to offer duty-free access to certain nations. However, some of the countries benefitting from AGOA...
Interior official highlights ranchers’ stewardship role
When I was in Washington, D.C. recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Karen Budd-Falen, Associate Deputy Secretary at the Department of the Interior, about several issues affecting western livestock producers. One topic that generated significant discussion was...
Grain markets could see another price rally in June
After making recent highs, the corn and soybeans prices have been somewhat in the red, leading some farmers to wonder if they missed out on potential profits. However, they may have another chance to take advantage of a price rally. Micheal Weidner, director of grain...
U.S. Export Sales Report (5-29-26)
This week’s export sales were on the lower end for both corn and soybeans. However, Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn sales are still at elevated levels. McBride said that the soybean sales, on the other hand, are still lagging behind. McBride said...
Video
More Ag News
Swine industry remains cautious about NWS
Earlier this week, the USDA announced that there was an official detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the U.S. The pest was found in a three-week-old calf in South Texas. Since NWS is an indiscriminate parasite, all warm-blooded mammals are at risk of infestation...
Ag economy barometer drops in May
The Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer dropped in May. Michael Langemeier, director of Purdue University’s Center for Commercial Agriculture, talked about the decline. Farmers appeared to be deeply concerned about current conditions. Langemeier said...
Recapping a disappointing week in the grain market trade
It has been a difficult week of trade in the grains and oilseeds markets to say the least. Corn and soybeans grinded lower to begin the week and then saw significant losses on Thursday and Friday. Matt Bennett is the CEO and co-founder of AgMarket.Net and he tells the...
Livestock groups react to NWS confirmation
U.S. livestock groups reacted to the USDA’s confirmation of the New World Screwworm in South Texas. “The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and our state partner organizations have been working for more than a year to combat the incursion of the New World...
NASDA prioritizes animal disease preparedness
When I visited Washington, D.C. recently, I had the opportunity to speak with RJ Kearney of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture about the issues state agriculture leaders are watching most closely. While topics like trade and the Farm Bill...
