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Practice food safety during Independence Day celebrations
The Fourth of July weekend means a lot of grills firing up for holiday meals. Don’t forget the importance of food safety when cooking on a grill. Meredith Carrothers, technical information specialist with the Food Safety and Inspection Service, talked about the importance of a food thermometer in making sure meat is properly cooked. Carothers said to utilize coolers and a lot of cold sources if you’re outdoors and away from a refrigerator to keep raw meat at a proper temperature before...
PFI sees promising growth at annual conference
As they continue to grow across Iowa, the Practical Farmers of Iowa are hosting a record number of attendees at their annual conference. Liz Kolbe, farmer-led education director with the Practical Farmers of Iowa, said this year’s event is packed with information for...
New technologies increasing the effectiveness of seed treatments
The value of seed treatments is very apparent to soybean growers. Additional protection from diseases is welcomed by producers who are planting earlier and encountering wet and cool conditions, says Dair McDuffee of Valent. McDuffee says that seed treatments are...
Growth Energy statement on 45Z guidance
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Growth Energy—the nation’s largest biofuel trade association—issued the following statement after the U.S. Treasury released its long-awaited guidance for the Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit. “This long-overdue guidance is far from...
Dairy starts 2025 on shakier ground
In the last couple of months, we have seen some solid footing return to the dairy markets. After years of nothing going their way, losses of dairy farms, and a market that was allowing producers to barely survive at best, it was nice to see good fortune return to...
Long-term contract reached for East and Gulf Coast ports
On Wednesday night, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced that they reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year master labor contract covering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. The...
Farmers may shift grain acreage in 2025
Early indications are that U.S. farmers will increase planted grain acres this year despite continuing low prices. That’s according to a survey done by Farm Futures magazine. In the survey conducted in December, farmers in major corn-producing states seem swayed by an...
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More Ag News
South American Weather and Crop Update (4-29-25)
Drier conditions are returning to South America, which is typical at this time of year. However, Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said there is some light rain in the forecast for Brazil. Argentina is more definitively dry, which is good for harvest and...
NCBA provides update on status of New World screwworm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was notified late last fall about the detection of New World screwworm in Mexico. Since then, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has worked closely with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)...
NRCS celebrates 90 years of service
The 90th anniversary of the Natural Resources Conservation Service was recognized Friday in ceremonies at USDA headquarters in Washington DC. NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt says the NRCS has played a large role in conservation efforts nationwide, but that work was also...
Off-farm income keeping some operations afloat
For most U.S. farm households, income from off-farm jobs like teaching, driving a bus, or managing a bank branch helps keep an operation running. In 2023, an AFBF Market Intel Report says 23 percent of farm household income for farm families comes from farming itself,...
IDALS supports urban & rural initiatives for clean water
As we kick off National Soil and Water Conservation Week, we realize that water quality has long been a hot-button issue in Iowa, drawing attention from communities across the state. While much of the spotlight has been on how farmers are working to protect and...
