Top Stories
Greater consistency and quality for consumers and retailers
Familiar USDA grading systems, such as those for beef at your local store, are becoming more technologically advanced to ensure greater consistency and quality for consumers and retailers alike. Robert Eaton at the Agricultural Marketing Service explains how artificial intelligence is being used as a time- and cost-saving tool for meat grading. The use of this technology for grading is not limited to beef; as Eaton’s colleague Charles Parr puts it, weeks of development have made it an...
World Pork Expo panel discusses pork industry’s policy goals
At the 2025 World Pork Expo, leaders from the National Pork Producers Council delivered a clear message: the pork industry’s future will be strengthened by a united, proactive approach to advocacy. NPPC leaders outlined how a comprehensive, coordinated strategy is...
NPPC criticizes activist tone in MAHA
The reaction to the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) report has been mixed, largely depending on which side of the debate you're on. For the ag industry, though, it raises fresh concerns, especially regarding how Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F....
Swine producers feeling cautiously optimistic for 2025
Following a historic downturn in the swine industry in 2024, producers are feeling more optimistic about what 2025 will bring. So far, the first half of the year has been good to producers across Iowa. Chris Ford, vice president of swine agribusiness with Farm Credit...
Taste What Pork Can Do™ campaign is built for the modern consumer
Taste What Pork Can Do is the new industry wide campaign from the National Pork Board that primarily uses digital media to connect with younger consumers. The campaign has been active for about a month, and the Iowa Ag Radio Network got an update on the campaign from...
Addressing the increasing age of farmers and ranchers
Data shows that the average age of American farmers and ranchers is getting higher. This is a major concern in farm country because it means that newer generations aren’t returning to the farm. American Farm Bureau (AFBF) President Zippy Duvall testified on this...
Researchers develop a new avian influenza test
Purdue University researchers have developed an innovative, paper-based diagnostic test for rapidly detecting avian influenza. The novel test addresses the urgent need for an efficient and cost-effective surveillance tool to combat the global threat posed by avian...
Video
More Ag News
Modern Ag Alliance advocates for farmers from coast to coast
Even though the Modern Ag Alliance is only just over one year old, its impact in that short amount of time has been far-reaching. At this point, the coalition now contains over 100 ag organizations. At this year’s Farm Progress Show, Elizabeth Burns-Thompson,...
Consumers shrug off high beef prices
When retail prices for any product reach record-high levels, the demand usually plummets quickly. U.S. beef appears to be the exception to the basic rule of economics. Retail grocery store prices for beef skyrocketed and show no signs of descending. But demand hasn’t...
Wyffels Hybrids providing independent seed solutions for Iowa’s growers
The spring and summer seasons have delivered significant rainfall and warm weather to the state of Iowa and set the table for disease pressure. Mitch Heisler is product and agronomy manager at Wyffels Hybrids and he says the corn in Iowa has had everything thrown at...
Soybean leaders warn of growing tariff consequences
China has effectively shut U.S. soybeans out of its market, instead relying on Brazil to meet its massive demand. The real blow has come from retaliatory tariffs, which have priced American soybeans out and stripped farmers of access to their top export customer. To...
Cattle industry monitoring human screwworm case
A human case of New World screwworm was reported by the Centers for Disease Control after being discovered earlier this month. Colin Woodall, CEO of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said the cattle industry will monitor the situation, but this isn’t a risk...
