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Farm crisis not forgotten during shutdown
The farm crisis remains top of mind during the government shutdown and some lawmakers are sounding the alarm. That’s Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith who says this is not a regional or political issue but one that affects all Americans. She adds that the situation for farmers is a food security and economic issue for everyone. As the wait for federal action continues, the former state ag commissioner joins a growing number of Senators in sounding the alarm. The government shutdown has...
EPA changes some dicamba cutoff dates for this spring
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed new restrictions on using over-the-top dicamba herbicides in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and South Dakota. The label changes say no spraying on dicamba-tolerant soybeans in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana after June 12 or the V4...
Melting snow provides much-needed moisture, but we still need more
Not much has changed recently in the U.S. Drought Monitor. It?s great that it?s not getting worse, but we need to start to make progress on those moisture deficits. Thankfully, Iowa State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan said that the warmer temperatures we?ve seen...
National Pork Board working to expand export opportunities
The National Pork Board is always looking for ways to expand export opportunities for U.S. Pork.One of the ways in which the NPB learns about international trade markets is by taking trips to those countries to try and find ways to differentiate U.S. Pork from...
U.S. and UK discuss trade as Mexico issues new decree
The United States and the United Kingdom continue to explore the path towards a trade agreement, though there are still several obstacles that need to be addressed. Dave Salmonsen, American Farm Bureau Federation Senior Government Affairs Director, the countries have...
Iowa Ag Secretary Naig talks Farm Bill
With the Farm Bill up for renewal, Congress is hearing from stakeholders all around the country. It is the largest piece of farm and food legislation, and all corners are weighing in. It isn?t just farmers and farm organizations, but also state governments that are...
Partnership to protect the U.S. from African Swine Fever
A new partnership was put in place at the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Winter Policy Conference. NASDA, the USDA, the National Pork Board, and the National Pork Producers Council are working together to enhance coordination and preparedness...
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More Ag News
Drought intensifies in weekly drought monitor
The weekly Drought Monitor showed drought getting worse across areas in the Midwest, South, Southwest, and the Pacific Northwest. In the Midwest, extreme heat impacted areas like Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Record high temps were set in cities...
USDA releases updated 2023 farm income forecast
The updated farm income forecast for 2023 is out from USDA and as you might imagine it’s predicting a drop. The new forecast includes information that wasn’t available during their last forecast in February according to Carrie Litowski, senior economist for the USDA,...
Grains & markets both challenged as harvest approaches
If you are holding onto grain to sell before harvest, you may have checked cash bids or listened to the Basis Matters program this morning and got a big surprise. The basis level has dropped like a stone overnight. I have seen drops as small as a nickel to a buck and...
Heat hits cattle, USDA updates LIP payments
The extreme heat is taking its toll not just on crops, but also cattle says United States Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack as USDA is updating its payment rates for cattle losses. So, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says the department will update Livestock Indemnity...
Ethanol production hits three-month low
The Energy Information Administration says ethanol output dropped to a three-month low while inventories hit the lowest point since November. Ethanol production dropped to an average of 1.007 million barrels a day during the week ending on August 25. The EIA report...
