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Practice food safety during Independence Day celebrations
The Fourth of July weekend means a lot of grills firing up for holiday meals. Don’t forget the importance of food safety when cooking on a grill. Meredith Carrothers, technical information specialist with the Food Safety and Inspection Service, talked about the importance of a food thermometer in making sure meat is properly cooked. Carothers said to utilize coolers and a lot of cold sources if you’re outdoors and away from a refrigerator to keep raw meat at a proper temperature before...
Dairy checkoff highlights work in 2024
The dairy checkoff continues to find ways to grow sales and build trust in dairy. Dairy Management Inc. President and CEO Barbara O’Brien said one of the key areas of focus is growing the checkoff’s longtime commitment to research and science and working with...
Record NRCS program acreage enrollment
2024 was a record year for acreage enrollment in USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service programs. In fiscal year 2024, 11 million acres were enrolled in the programs says NRCS Chief Terry Cosby. He says the increase in conservation program investments along with...
USDA invests in domestic fertilizer production
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack says his agency is making domestic fertilizer production investments in nine states to increase competition, lower fertilizer costs for American farmers, and lower food costs for U.S. consumers. “When we invest in domestic supply chains, we...
Continuing resolution called “dead”. Government shutdown looms
Earlier this week we heard from Representative Zach Nunn from Iowa’s 3rd District, and he talked about important Ag measures that were going to be included in the proposed Continuing Resolution to fund the government. It was going to include another one-year extension...
Protecting small businesses from the CTA
Recently, enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was put on hold. In theory, the CTA is designed to weed out any money laundering schemes, terrorism financing, and tax fraud. In practice, however, Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn says the CTA places an...
U.S. Export Sales Report (12-19-24)
After getting quite a jump on the marketing year, export sales have been fairly disappointing over the last month. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride gave an update on the latest numbers from the USDA. As for the flash sales, McBride said they’ve been mostly...
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More Ag News
Murphy Foundation and Fareway donate springtime meals to Food Bank of Iowa
After the end of the main holiday season, many food banks see a drop in donations. But in a time when many of those food banks are in limbo due to a lack of USDA funding, donations need to keep coming in. It was great to see an annual donation continue its tradition,...
Gas prices experiencing momentary relief
Oil prices have dropped roughly $10 a barrel in the past week, which was tumultuous to say the least. Patrick DeHaan with Gasbuddy.com said a lot of this turbulence and unease is happening because of President Trump's tariffs coming in more significant than expected,...
Making a list and checking it twice before planting season
Preparing for the growing season means a lot of maintenance and check lists for growers. Some of the items on the check list are obvious, seed selection, planter maintenance and optimization, and field work. However, there are several factors that might not be top of...
Trump tariff pause appreciated by farmers
Farmers across the U.S. were pleased to hear most countries will get a 90-day reprieve from the new individualized tariffs announced April 2—an opportunity for negotiations with our trading partners that could lead to consensus and potentially avoid permanent tariffs,...
Crop nutrition is more important than ever
With the ag economy facing mounting pressure from rising input costs, unpredictable weather, and tightening margins, this season is shaping up to be one of the most challenging in recent memory. Farmers are feeling the weight of uncertainty, and every decision carries...
