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Fertilizer price probe opens as farm margins tighten
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an industrywide investigation into fertilizer prices after sharp increases during spring planting. Reuters reported that FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said the agency is using civil investigative demands to gather documents and testimony. The probe comes as growers face higher fertilizer and fuel costs, drought in parts of the Plains and another year of narrow margins. Reuters said urea prices have climbed 55% since shipping through the Strait of Hormuz...
Producers “egg”cited about the this year’s Easter egg consumption
With the easter holiday now past us, you have probably sworn off ham for at least six months even though you know it won't be the case because Iowa's pork farmers do such a great job producing delicious pork. You are also probably still eating the discount candy you...
Smallest drought area since 2020
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported a sizable drop in drought areas around the U.S. “After wet weather and an early spring across much of the country, drought has decreased to around 18 percent of the U.S. by the end of March, down from 20...
FBN hits major milestone in operating lines financed
Dan English, the general manager of FBN finance, tells the IARN that Farmers Business Network recently eclipsed the $1 billion dollar mark in operating lines financed. English says the $1 billion dollar figure shows a level of trust and confidence between farmers and...
Landus bringing modern data management solutions to farmers
From its beginnings in a basement in Ralston to its current home in downtown Des Moines with the Innovation Connector, Landus has seen a lot of change over the past few years. This coincides with the changes that we’ve seen in the ag industry too, and one of those big...
AFBF collaborates with Farmers Union on FMMO modernization
April 1 was the post-hearing deadline for interested parties to submit briefs to the USDA on Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO) modernization. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, gave an update on where the modernization process...
FMC biologics give you year-long nematode protection
Getting off on the right foot is essential in everything that we do. This is no different in the planting season, and it certainly is true in the crop protection arena. We need to make sure that we are starting immediately because those weeds and pests are already...
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More Ag News
La Nina likely to return this fall
The weather has been on the drier side in some parts of the state recently, as regions like western Iowa have seen the return of abnormally dry conditions on the drought monitor. However, this isn’t as big of a problem right now, as the crops are very close to full...
July was a strong month for beef and pork exports
Exports of U.S. beef continued to build momentum in July, according to data released by USDA and compiled by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF). USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom said July beef exports totaled 110,419 metric tons (mt), up 7% from a year ago-...
Farming efficiently and improving yields with PTx
In the spring of 2024 AGCO announced the launch of PTx bringing two of its precision ag entities, Precision Planting and PTx Trimble, together under one umbrella. Seth Crawford is the general manager of PTx and he says that with AGCO’s precision ag offerings from...
SAF coalition submits comments on energy credits and incentives
The Sustainable Aviation Fuel Coalition submitted comments responding to request for stakeholder comments on energy credits and incentives from the House Ways and Means Committee. In its comments, the Coalition underscored the economic benefits associated with SAF...
Hoegemeyer pleased with 24 performance and looks forward to 25
Record yields are being predicted once again in 2024. Now, we may wonder where those yields are coming from. However, what we have heard mostly around the state is that crops look good. People are saying that except for some drowned-out spots, the plants look strong...
