Top Stories
Food and ag groups call for USMCA renewal
The future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is drawing attention from agricultural groups across North America as the trade pact approaches its required six-year review this summer. Nearly 160 organizations representing the U.S., Canadian, and Mexican food and agriculture sectors recently sent a joint letter to trade officials in all three countries urging them to renew and strengthen the agreement. The Agricultural Coalition for USMCA, launched by the National Corn Growers Association,...
School breakfast programs start to incorporate meat again
When it comes to creating a marketplace for our products, we tend to put a lot of focus on developing international markets. That is good because we produce far more food than we hope to consume. However, we cannot afford to overlook the demand we can create here at...
Grassley wary of Chinese response to increased tariffs
On Tuesday President Biden announced a surge of increased tariffs on imported Chinese products under Section 301 of 1974’s Trade Act. The tariff hikes will be applied to $18 billion worth of imports from China including electric vehicle batteries and computer chips....
Hog prices much more stable now than a year ago
After soaring to yearly highs recently, the hog prices, along with the rest of the livestock, have come back down to earth. While we would’ve liked to maintain those higher levels, it’s important to remember that hog prices were considerably worse just a year ago....
Deadline approaching for century and heritage farm applications
The June 1 deadline for eligible Iowa farm owners to apply for Century or Heritage Farm recognition is quickly approaching, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is encouraging farm families to apply today. The program, which was created in...
Spring warmup can be dangerous for stored grain
Spring warmup can be hard on stored grain, as the sun can cause bins to heat up very quickly. GSI District Manager Dave Ellis said it’s important to properly manage grain bins. Eilis said temperature management is key to proper grain storage. Ellis added that remote...
Ag loan interest payments are starting to soar
The economy is in a tough spot across the board, no matter how government officials want to try and spin it. Interest rates are climbing higher and that is causing problems for borrowers, especially in the agriculture sector. Agricultural operating loans, land loans,...
Video
More Ag News
Scientists examining corporate influence over food and farm bill
The Union of Concerned Scientists recently released a report analyzing the influence of lobbying on food and agriculture systems. The report finds that agribusinesses, industry associations, and other interest groups have spent more than US$500 million to influence...
Crop protection doesn’t end in the field
We talk about what we need to do to protect our crops in the fields. We use various tools meant to protect our hard work from weeds, disease, and insects. We invest a lot of money into the plants we grow in the field and don’t want to see that investment endangered....
Small changes make the October WASDE report “neutral”
USDA published the October WASDE report at 11am on Friday morning and made slight changes to the numbers that can cause a reaction in the ag markets. Allendale commodity broker Greg McBride says the report was not far off from industry expectations going into Friday,...
Seasonal farm-to-table dinner series to highlight Iowa agriculture
The Iowa Tourism Office and Choose Iowa have partnered with the Iowa Restaurant Association to launch a seasonal farm-to-table dinner series, celebrating the connection between Iowa’s agricultural diversity and its culinary talent. The first dinner will take place on...
August red meat exports show mixed results
Fueled by another outstanding performance from Mexico, August exports of U.S. pork increased year-over-year, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). On the other hand, U.S. beef exports were below year-ago levels in...
