Top Stories
Breaking down the Prospective Plantings and Quarterly Grain Stocks reports
The USDA released both the Prospective Plantings and Quarterly Grain Stocks reports on March 31st. Heading into the day, the markets were anticipating big news from the planting acres, but it seems that there was more to react to in the grain stocks report. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the Prospective Plantings report had a smaller adjustment to the corn acres than most analysts anticipated. McBride said the soybean acres saw a similar adjustment in the opposite direction. Both...
Many farmers have already signed up for Farmer Bridge Assistance Program
Several overdue changes are now happening for antiquated systems that farmers have relied on for many years. USDA Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Programs Richard Fordyce talked about a new “One Farmer, One File” initiative at the agency. The USDA...
Iran conflict strengthens ethanol industry case for year-round E15 legislation
The ethanol industry now has another argument for Congress to enact legislation for year-round E15 sales as the Iran-Middle East conflict erupted last weekend. Troy Bredenkamp of the Renewable Fuels Association says that with oil and gas prices on the rise due to the...
HPAI detected in a multi-species backyard flock in Washington County
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) have detected a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1 HPAI) in a multi-species backyard flock in...
Iowa Corn’s Mueller: Agriculture Faces Rough Road
While policy debates and committee votes dominated much of the agenda at the National Corn Growers Association Corn Congress, Mark Mueller says the tone inside the room told a deeper story about the current state of agriculture. The Iowa Corn Growers Association...
House Ag Committee beginning farm bill markup this week
After another delay- this time due to the weather- the House Ag Committee will begin the markup process for the next farm bill. With so much outdated legislation, Congress has their work cut out for them to modernize the top ag policy. Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra...
USMEF thanks corn and soybean farmers at Commodity Classic
Commodity Classic saw record attendance in San Antonio last week with more than 12,000 attendees representing the agriculture industry. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has been a longtime participant in the event’s trade show and had an expanded presence in...
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More Ag News
House Ag Committee approves Farm Bill 2.0 with bipartisan support
Last week, the House Ag Committee passed Farm Bill 2.0, which means that the legislation will now be up to the full House of Representatives for consideration. This is great news for the ag industry, as much of the legislation from the 2018 farm bill is far outdated....
U.S. beef regaining market share in Colombia
U.S. beef exports to Colombia rebounded last year, climbing 23% in volume (4,232 metric tons) and 77% in value ($40.8 million) compared to 2024 – when the Colombian government-imposed restrictions on U.S. beef due to avian influenza detected in some U.S. dairy herds....
New seed delivery system designed to deliver more even emergence
Agriculture technology is always striving to make improvements to equipment that can enhance a farmer’s ability to optimize performance. ArrowTube is the latest piece of ag technology from Precision Planting and was on display at the PTx booth at this year’s Commodity...
Pesticide liability debate intensifies in farm bill fight
A growing dispute over pesticide regulations has emerged as a key flashpoint in negotiations over the next federal farm bill. Lawmakers debated provisions that would limit state authority over pesticide labeling and protect manufacturers from certain lawsuits if...
Celebration of Ag event returns to Cedar Rapids
Agriculture’s role in eastern Iowa will be recognized later this month as the annual Celebration of Ag event returns to Cedar Rapids. The event brings together farmers, agribusiness leaders, community members, and local officials to highlight agriculture’s importance...
