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End of harvest season defined by plentiful rain
Rainy weather has defined the end of harvest season across the state. Northeast Iowa Beck’s Agronomist Lee Koenigsfeld said he’s been getting very consistent rains in his area. Koenigsfeld said beans are fully harvested in his neck of the woods, while corn is nearly completed. Tilling has started as well, which can be complicated given the amount of recent rain. Even with that rain, it’s not quite the time to apply anhydrous yet, as the soil temps are still slightly too high. Koenigsfeld did...
Secretary Naig announces availability of crop insurance discount program
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will once again offer its Crop Insurance Discount Program for acres that are planted with cover crops. Farmers and landowners who plant cover crops...
Grassley sees lame duck farm bill as unlikely
Prospects for a lame duck farm bill don’t look much better than those before the November elections, according to ag lawmakers and lobbyists. September will be full of debate over simply keeping the government funded. Congress returns after the elections for two weeks...
Ag groups urging Congress to pass new farm bill
As the U.S. ag economy continues to spiral downward, over 300 food and farm groups sent a letter to Senate and House leadership asking Congress to pass a new farm bill that would help to slow it. Joe Gilson, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau,...
More dairy included in school nutrition campaign
Making sure that our children have access to healthy food at lunch is something that everyone agrees on. However, that’s about where the agreement ends. How nutrition is provided has become a heated and increasingly political debate over the past decade or more. Many...
La Nina likely to return this fall
The weather has been on the drier side in some parts of the state recently, as regions like western Iowa have seen the return of abnormally dry conditions on the drought monitor. However, this isn’t as big of a problem right now, as the crops are very close to full...
July was a strong month for beef and pork exports
Exports of U.S. beef continued to build momentum in July, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said July beef exports totaled 110,419 metric tons (mt), up 7% from a year ago-...
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NK Soybeans looks forward to 2025 growing season
As we see more combines hitting the fields to start the 2024 harvest season, we know it is not unreasonable to be thinking about the seeds we will be planting in 2025. This is especially true if this year’s hybrids aren’t meeting your expectations. NK Soybeans is...
Enrollment open for 10th year of PFI’s cover crop cost-share program
Enrollment is currently open for the Practical Farmers of Iowa’s cover crop cost-share program. Morgan Jennings, PFI’s field crops viability coordinator, said the program is now in its tenth year. Jennings said the program is uniquely flexible, as farmers seeding fall...
House passes resolution to disapprove EPA tailpipe rule
The US House passed on a near party-line vote to disapprove EPA’s controversial tailpipe emissions rule opposed by the biofuels industry and top farm group. However, the House 215-191 resolution vote is likely going nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate....
Tough times for turkey producers
The nation’s turkey producers are facing tough times in the current agriculture environment. Which goes against the rules of supply and demand economics. That was USDA Outlook Board Chairman Mark Jekanowski, who says that producers have been attempting to keep...
Ethanol depends on reliable rail service
Growth Energy highlighted many issues currently plaguing the nation’s rail service that has resulted in delayed shipments, longer wait times, and higher costs for American ethanol producers. The group’s Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Chris Bliley,...