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Getting the most out of reciprocal trade agreements
Recently, the USDA hosted a trade mission to Argentina and Ecuador. While the two markets are distinct from each other, they also have many similarities. USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg led the mission and said he was impressed by the opportunities in both countries. Lindberg said the goal of the mission was to help convert some of the recent reciprocal trade agreements into lasting economic benefits for the U.S. ag industry. For more information,...
Milk production down from May 23-May 24
The dairy industry has had more than its fair share of challenges in the past months and years. We have discussed low prices, trade issues, access to foreign markets, H5N1 disease, and more. The American dairy industry also feels the effects of contracted farms and...
Food Bank of Iowa receives donation of almost 240,000 eggs
Today, the Iowa Egg Council, Rose Acre Farms, and Hatch partnered together to make a generous donation of almost 240,000 eggs to the Food Bank of Iowa. This comes at a time when food donations are critical, as communities like Greenfield and Spencer are still...
Beef exports climb even higher while pork sits below last year’s pace
The value of U.S. beef exports topped $900 million in May, the highest since June 2023, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said exports trended higher year-over-year to...
Vilsack says clock is ticking on passage of new farm bill
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says that everyone is on the same page with the goal of getting a new five-year farm bill done. However, he also says that time is getting tight for the completion of a new farm bill and is calling for all sides to...
Thirty million farm acres abandoned since 1986
In 2022, a University of Wisconsin study claimed that U.S. farmers had converted several million acres of pristine grassland and other “semi-natural areas” to cropland. Researcher Tyler Lark said that was in response to the Renewable Fuel Standard and ethanol...
High-tech equipment increasing demand for larger farm sheds
We talk at length about the changes we see in technology and the larger equipment we are seeing in the fields. While we focus so much on how the technology is changing the face of farming and how it makes us more efficient with our resources and inputs, we tend to...
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More Ag News
Conduit offering holiday promotion through e-commerce website
The purchasing habits of today’s farmers have changed along with the evolution of the agriculture industry. To kick off the inaugural sales season, Conduit is offering a farmer-first holiday promotion on its official crop input e-commerce website, Conduit.Ag, which...
Grassley discusses Secretary of Agriculture nominee Brooke Rollins
President-elect Donald Trump has announced Brooke Rollins as his pick for ag secretary when the new administration takes office in January. Rollins is a former White House aide that served with President Trump during his first term in office. Rollins is the current...
Secretary Naig announces investments in Iowa’s food supply chains
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is investing more than $5.2 million in 24 Iowa projects and other supply chain improvement initiatives through the United States Department of...
November Farm Labor Survey shows wages rising in 2025
The November Farm Labor Survey shows farmworker wages are heading up in 2025. The cost of farm labor is yet another rising supply cost for farmers and ranchers, particularly for farmworkers hired through the H-2A visa program. Samantha Ayoub, an economist for the...
Secretary Naig talks the end of Harvest 2024
As the combines are put away, the tillage is finished, and the fertilizers are being applied, we see the 2024 harvest ending in Iowa. On my travels to Kansas City, I only passed one cornfield still standing. It marks a harvest in which Mother Nature had a rare moment...
