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Ag and biofuel groups step up call for year-round E15 sales
More than 70 biofuel and ag groups have joined together to renew the call for Congress to pass year-round E15 legislation. The renewed push for legislation comes as Congress reconvenes and is powered by the legislation nearly being passed in Congress last year. Renewable Fuels Association Chief Economist Scott Richman says air restrictions block E15 summertime sales in most of the country. RFA, Growth Energy, and a host of farm groups argue in a letter to lawmakers that permanent year-round...
U.S. hog inventory up slightly
The U.S. inventory of hogs and pigs on September 1, 2024, totaled 76.5 million head, up slightly from September 1, 2023, and two percent higher than June 1, 2024. Breeding inventory, at 6.04 million head, was down two percent from last year, but up one percent from...
Rural North Carolina reeling after Hurricane Helene
We are no stranger to storm damage in the Midwest. Hail, tornados, and derechos can wreak havoc on our acres. But for everything we deal with, except for the 2020 derecho, it is nothing compared to the strength of a hurricane. The Southeastern part of the country is...
Quarterly Grain Stocks report didn’t make much of an impact
The grain markets were positioned for an impactful Quarterly Grain Stocks report, but what we got today was simply a neutral and slightly positive report. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said the corn numbers were friendly to the marketplace. McBride said the...
Partisan gridlock and the election could again delay farm, ag spending bills
Partisan gridlock and fallout from the November election could again force Congress to postpone key decisions for agriculture into 2025. It’s not just the farm bill, but USDA and other spending bills are also stuck in months of political gridlock in a narrowly divided...
Coastal port strike will have a big impact on meat and livestock industries
Longshoremen at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts are set to strike when their current labor contract expires at midnight tonight. U.S. Meat Export Federation Vice President for Economic Analysis Erin Borror said a shutdown will have a significant economic impact...
Veterinarian shortage reaching crisis level
Veterinarian shortages are not new. Anyone who ever needed a vet in the middle of the night will tell you that. And any rural vet called in the middle of the night will agree. What is new is the realization that it is about to get worse. “If our veterinary workforce...
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New leadership in D.C. has work to do for agriculture
Election 2024 is behind us, and some new faces are taking over leadership on the House and Senate Ag Committees. Sam Kieffer, Vice President of Public Policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the four leaders of the committees have a wealth of experience....
Iowa Cattlemen’s Association talks policy priorities for 2025
As we kick off 2025, the ag industry is still waiting for an updated farm bill. Following the results of the last election, especially with some agriculture-friendly faces in D.C., there is hope that something can get done this time around. The Iowa Cattlemen’s...
2024 A year of warm weather
A USDA meteorologist's list of top weather events in our nation this year includes what appears to be one of the warmest years on record. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says widespread warm temperatures across the country top the list for 2024. USDA meteorologist Brad...
Ten things that may affect ag in 2025
The majority of agricultural economists in the latest Monthly Monitor say U.S. ag ended 2024 in a recession. Farm Journal’s AgWeb.com says 56 percent of ag economists responded “yes” to the question of a recession. The newest Monthly Monitor asked economists what...
Upgrade your precision tools for 2025 with John Deere
Accuracy is everything in agriculture. The right rates, the right times, the right products, the right vaccines, and the list goes on and on. You have to be precise with what you do and how you are doing it, especially at a time when we are facing higher input costs...
