Top Stories
Grassley sees several Senate pathways for year-round E15
United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) says there are several avenues for year-round E15 to pass in the Senate. Grassley says the freestanding House-passed E15 bill needs to be attached to another piece of legislation to make its way through the Senate. Senator Grassley offers several paths forward for year-round E15. Separately, Grassley says he disagrees with Ag Chair John Boozman’s decision to pull reforms to California’s Prop 12 animal confinement standards from the Senate version of...
NASDA Members make trade trip to Cuba
As we look to open up new trade options around the globe, we are also looking at opening doors with former trade partners that have been estranged for political reasons for some time. Recently a delegation from the National Association of State Departments of...
EPA’s E15 final decision welcome, but some questions remain
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted the request from eight Midwestern states, including Iowa, to sell year-round E15 beginning in 2025. The EPA approved the long-delayed petitions from eight Midwest governors to allow summertime sales of E15 in these...
U.S. Export Sales Report (2-23-24)
This week was not a good one for the grain markets, and that could be seen in this week’s export sales as well. Corn is still looking fine, but soybeans posted the lowest numbers for this week in over thirty years. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an...
U.S. milk production to grow slower in 2024
The good news is U.S. milk production is expected to grow in 2024. Michael McConnel of the USDA’s Chief Economist Office says the bad news is the growth rate will slow compared to last year. The good news for U.S. dairy farmers is it will cost less to feed their...
Brazil soybean exports double U.S. shipments
Brazil’s 2023 soybean exports reached a record 3.74 billion bushels, 29 percent higher than the previous year as Brazilian production hit record levels. Meanwhile, U.S. shipments dropped 14 percent to 1.78 billion bushels in the same period. The two countries are...
Farm loan repayments are beginning to slip
After a couple of years of great prices and good profit margins, we have seen the ag profit forecasts start to dip lower year by year. However, we had been consistently reassured that the ag economy was holding its own. Several indicators are considered when these...
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More Ag News
Helping young people entering the beef industry
The 2024 Cattle Industry Summer Business Meeting was held in San Diego, California. Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, observed several new attendees this year. NCBA can take steps to assist younger individuals in entering the industry....
Lawmakers won’t compromise despite outcry for new farm bill
The huge outcry for a new farm bill from hundreds of Ag stakeholder groups last month seems to have prompted little movement from either side in Congress. That’s not a surprise to United States Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA). Over 500 Ag-related groups led by the...
Secretary Naig welcomes pesticide petition by Attorneys General Bird, Hilgers
Following the announcement today in Omaha by Attorneys General Brenna Bird of Iowa and Mike Hilgers of Nebraska that the states will jointly file a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the regulation of pesticides, Iowa Secretary of...
Ag Bio act will keep U.S. Biobased production at home
The Plant-Based Products Council and its supporters in Congress are hopeful that legislation aimed at expanding the agricultural bioeconomy will significantly impact the upcoming Farm Bill. The proposed Ag BIO Act seeks to increase the manufacturing of plant-based...
Small businesses seeing excellent growth across the country
Small businesses are the backbone of agriculture and local rural economies, as they create jobs and keep money local while adapting to the needs of consumers. Over the past several years, there’s been an even greater shift towards supporting small businesses over...
