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Farmers applaud court decision on H-2A costs
Farms across America face razor-thin margins and rising input costs, especially when relying on seasonal labor. Family-run operations often struggle to hire and retain enough workers during peak seasons to get crops planted, tended, and harvested. Under the H-2A visa program, employers must meet wage requirements that can dramatically increase labor costs, disproportionately burdening small farms. In this strained environment, any change to labor requirements can offer vital relief to farming...
U.S. Export Sales Report (5-26-22)
This week?s report was very mild and, frankly, quite boring. Soybeans sales came withing expectations, and new crop corn did as well. Old crop corn sales are becoming, well, old at this point, as evidenced by the fact that they set a marketing year low this past week....
U.S. Dairy supports U.S. Government?s pursuit of full Canadian USMCA compliance
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) today applauded the Biden administration for its initiation of a second U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) dispute panel concerning Canada?s ongoing refusal to meet its USMCA dairy...
Input prices, drought impacting cattle markets
The landscape of the 2022 cattle market is changing, and there are several issues with it. Bernt Nelson, American Farm Bureau Federation Economist, says the biggest factors in the cattle market are inventory, drought, and input costs.?USDA?s Annual Cattle Inventory...
High gas prices have Washington full of ?answers?
You don?t have to go far to see what oil companies hope you will accept as the new normal. Gas prices are up around $4 a gallon in Iowa, and higher on the coasts. It is hitting everyone in the wallets. It affects all of our budgets in different ways, but mostly...
Farmers need to scout for armyworm in corn and wheat
If it isn?t one thing, it is another. In a year where we must get every bushel squeezed from our fields, we don?t have any room for error. One cornbelt entomologist is seeing signs and conditions that point to some armyworm infestations possibly springing up in...
IDALS working to better water quality in Iowa
When we discuss water quality, we talk about all the efforts it takes to make improvements. However, these improvements aren?t cheap, and they have to be profitable for producers and cities to survive. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) is...
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Beef provides high quality nutrition and versatility
Yesterday, we talked about how the beef industry always has to fight misinformation, especially when it comes to questions about sustainability. However, some groups also target another aspect: nutrition. But this is just another one of those baseless claims that has...
A wealth of options from AMVAC with Impact? Herbicide
The Impact? Herbicide brand has built a diverse portfolio of specific products to take out different weed species at different times during the growing season.Mark Foster, marketing manager Midwest with AMVAC, says that there are four specific products in the Impact?...
Combine sales up in 2022 while tractor sales decline
The number of combines sold went up while the number of tractors sold declined in 2022. Curt Blades, AEM senior vice president - industry sectors and product leadership, says the decline largely reflects the robust sales in 2020 and 2021.Combine sales saw continued...
AFBF files challenge to new WOTUS rule
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and 17 other organizations are challenging the new Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule in a lawsuit. AFBF Deputy General Counsel Travis Cushman said the new WOTUS rule once again gives the federal government sweeping authority...
Emerald Ash Borer confirmed in Monona, Osceola, and Woodbury counties
Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Monona, Osceola, and Woodbury CountiesAsh tree-killing insect now confirmed in all but three of Iowa?s 99 countiesDES MOINES, Iowa (Jan. 19, 2023) ? Emerald ash borer (EAB) has been discovered in Monona, Osceola, and Woodbury Counties...
