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Missouri River runoff remains well below average
Runoff into the Missouri River Basin remains well below normal, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to shorten this year's navigation season. June runoff above Sioux City, Iowa, totaled 2.9 million acre-feet, just 52 percent of average. The Corps now forecasts 2026 runoff at 15.5 million acre-feet, or 60 percent of normal, as dry conditions and below-average mountain snowpack continue across the basin. "Mountain snowpack peaked much earlier than normal this year and completely melted by...
Dairy starts 2025 on shakier ground
In the last couple of months, we have seen some solid footing return to the dairy markets. After years of nothing going their way, losses of dairy farms, and a market that was allowing producers to barely survive at best, it was nice to see good fortune return to...
Long-term contract reached for East and Gulf Coast ports
On Wednesday night, the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) announced that they reached a tentative agreement on all items for a new six-year master labor contract covering ports on the East and Gulf Coasts. The...
Farmers may shift grain acreage in 2025
Early indications are that U.S. farmers will increase planted grain acres this year despite continuing low prices. That’s according to a survey done by Farm Futures magazine. In the survey conducted in December, farmers in major corn-producing states seem swayed by an...
America’s farms and ranches at a glance
USDA’s “America’s Farms and Ranches at a Glance” report studies many categories of the American farm. One of those categories is farm income. One of the report’s authors, Katherine Lim, discusses some of the 2023 farm income trends. She expands on the negative farm...
USDA FAS leads successful trade mission to Morocco
The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service led a trade mission to Morocco on the African continent in early December. FAS Administrator Daniel Whitely says the mission was a big success. Morocco has a large livestock industry, so they need a lot of feed for their...
National Pork Board marketing to a new brand of customer (Pt2)
Yesterday, we discussed the work being done by the National Pork Board (NPB) to change its marketing approach as we work to inform a new generation of consumers. The goal is to work closely with dieticians and medical professionals to highlight how pork is part of a...
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More Ag News
South American Weather and Crop Update (4-29-25)
Drier conditions are returning to South America, which is typical at this time of year. However, Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride said there is some light rain in the forecast for Brazil. Argentina is more definitively dry, which is good for harvest and...
NCBA provides update on status of New World screwworm
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was notified late last fall about the detection of New World screwworm in Mexico. Since then, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) has worked closely with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)...
NRCS celebrates 90 years of service
The 90th anniversary of the Natural Resources Conservation Service was recognized Friday in ceremonies at USDA headquarters in Washington DC. NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt says the NRCS has played a large role in conservation efforts nationwide, but that work was also...
Off-farm income keeping some operations afloat
For most U.S. farm households, income from off-farm jobs like teaching, driving a bus, or managing a bank branch helps keep an operation running. In 2023, an AFBF Market Intel Report says 23 percent of farm household income for farm families comes from farming itself,...
IDALS supports urban & rural initiatives for clean water
As we kick off National Soil and Water Conservation Week, we realize that water quality has long been a hot-button issue in Iowa, drawing attention from communities across the state. While much of the spotlight has been on how farmers are working to protect and...
