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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...
Balancing trying to save money without impacting yields
Producers are always looking for ways to farm as efficiently and economically as possible, but in a time of depressed commodity prices that becomes an even bigger priority. Isaac Anderson is a market development agronomist with Winfield United and he says that while...
Trump announces blanket tariff plans, neighboring countries respond
President-elect Donald Trump has laid out his vision for blanket tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. Trump announced on his social media platform that one of his first executive orders will be to slap an immediate 25 percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican...
Succession planning can make passing the farm down easier
Farming is full of investments, but those investments aren’t in traditional things like stocks and bonds- they’re in things like land and machinery. Matt Roberts, chief planning officer of the West Des Moines-based Syverson Strege, said that’s why it’s even more...
Menke makes trade visit to Taiwan
Last week Iowa Deputy Agriculture Secretary Grant Menke had the chance to lead a trade mission, with the Iowa Economic Development Council to the countries of Japan and Taiwan. Today we will focus on the Taiwan portion of the trip. While Taiwan isn’t as large of a...
Details of the screwworm detection in southern Mexico
The United States-Mexico border was closed for the importation of Mexican cattle after a cow was detected with screwworm in southern Mexico on November 22nd. However, a USDA veterinary official says the situation has not worsened and the U.S. and Mexico are continuing...
Trump selects nominee for U.S. Trade Representative
Jamieson Greer is President-elect Trump’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative. Greer was an aide in the office during Trump’s first term and will help steer the incoming president’s trade agenda. A graduate of the University of Virginia’s Law School, Greer was chief...
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More Ag News
Bayer announces new Vyconic™ soybean platform
It’s not every day that we get to talk about a groundbreaking hybrid that can redefine crop protection, but Bayer has done just that with the release of its latest soybean brand. This new innovation offers farmers protection with up to five different modes of action,...
Food banks facing uncertainty as USDA suspends funding
Recently, the USDA announced that it is suspending $500 million in funding for food banks across America, saying that the previous administration “created unsustainable expectations for the Emergency Food Assistance program” and pointing to spending authority under...
Signup deadline approaching for Dairy Margin Coverage program
There’s a lot of volatility in the ag marketplace right now, and the dairy industry is no different. Fortunately, there are programs that can help to manage some of these risks. The signup deadline for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program is rapidly approaching....
Senator Grassley discusses tax policy
During his weekly ag conference call with broadcasters and reporters, United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Tuesday was asked for an update on Senate work regarding tax policy. Senator Grassley provided an update on the Senate Finance Committee’s latest...
President Signs EO to increase potash, other mineral production
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to increase domestic production of critical minerals, including potash. The president directed federal agencies to compile lists of pending mineral projects and expedite their review in coordination with the National...
