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Midwest set up for beneficial growing conditions
Last week the Midwest and the Corn Belt experienced widespread severe weather with storms, damaging winds, and heavy rains. This week the weather pattern should be more tame but with adequate rainfall still helping crops through critical growth stages says USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. Rippey says the Midwest is in line for beneficial rainfall for pastures and crops as pollination draws near. Rippey adds that with critical growth stages approaching for U.S. crops, rainfall will be welcome...
Rural America can be tough for allergy sufferers
Approximately 81 million Americans are diagnosed with seasonal allergies or hay fever, which affects 26 percent of adults and 19 percent of children. In many rural areas across America, there are three waves of pollen allergy triggers throughout the growing season....
Liver flukes becoming a bigger problem in cattle
Previously an issue only cattle producers in the wet regions of the Gulf and Pacific Coasts had to deal with, liver flukes have become a worsening problem for beef herds across the country. Dr. Jody Wade, professional services veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim,...
Farm land values up five percent
USDA says the value of all farm real estate increased five percent compared to last year. The average price is $4,170 per acre, and that includes buildings and other facilities. Cropland values increased to $5,570 per acre from last year. That’s a jump of $350 per...
National FFA membership reaches a significant milestone
The National FFA Organization has reached a record-breaking milestone of more than one million members. The current membership number is 1,027,273, up 8.6 percent from last year. National FFA, a nationally recognized school-based student leadership development...
NPB bringing back a familiar face to increase pork demand
Patrick Fleming returned for his second tenure with the National Pork Board, where he now serves as the vice president of demand development. Fleming shared his goals for the first 90 days in his new role. He discusses the potential of pork in relation to consumer...
Sam’s Club buyers from China learn about merchandising U.S. pork
In China, Sam’s Club is one of the leading retail outlets for high quality beef and pork. With support from the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board, the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) recently brought a team of Sam’s Club buyers from China to South...
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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...
Congress leaving town with no Prop 12 fix
The National Pork Producers Council is deeply disappointed in Congress’ decision to relinquish its responsibility to produce a five-year farm bill and an overdue federal solution to California’s Proposition 12. The organization says pork producers don’t have the...
The Meat Demand Monitor and consumption trends
Kansas State University publishes the publicly available Meat Demand Monitor. Glynn Tonsor, a Kansas State professor and economist, says the monitor follows consumption trends and price expectations. He says pork consumers are a diverse group, and the Meat Demand...
Adding value with regenerative ag
As more farmers adopt regenerative and conservation ag practices, the operation’s bottom line will receive a higher return on investment. Ag companies are working with farmers to be even better stewards of the land. They are supporting and sometimes incentivizing...
