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AFBF highlights gaps in Dairy Margin Coverage Program
The Dairy Margin Coverage Program is a farm safety net program that helps U.S. dairy farmers manage risk when the gap between milk prices and feed costs shrinks. Danny Munch, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, said the program has been a big help to dairy farmers. However, Munch said that recent years have highlighted limits in the program’s effectiveness because it only covers milk prices against feed costs, which doesn’t account for other input costs. Munch said Congress...
Iowa Corn Growers highlight the benefits of your checkoff dollars
In a time when we are all having to tighten our belts again, it is not out of the question to take stock of monies being spent and make sure that you are getting the most out of each dollar. After all, any dollar not being spent wisely should be reallocated. This is...
Number of U.S. farms falls below two million
The USDA says the number of U.S. farms has fallen under two million for the first time since before the Civil War. The numbers come from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. In 2022, there were 1,900,487 farms in the country, a seven percent decline from the level in the...
Farm Bill differences continue to hinder legislation progress
United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack quoted USDA’s founder, President Abraham Lincoln at a USDA oversight hearing with Senate Ag Leaders this week. With the President Lincoln quote he made the unspoken point, that stubborn partisan differences...
Zalo herbicide available for farmers this spring
With how long the development process can take, it’s not every day that you see new herbicide products on the marketplace. However, this is one of those years at AMVAC, as they have announced the brand new Zalo herbicide. Mark Foster of AMVAC said that Zalo has been...
Nominations open for Iowa’s Pulled Pork Madness bracket
March Madness is almost here for college basketball fans, and that means it’s time for Pulled Pork Madness for Iowans who love delicious pulled pork sandwiches. The Iowa Pork Producers Association is accepting nominations for the restaurant that serves up Iowa’s best...
NCBA confident in ability to handle anti-animal ag groups
The livestock industry constantly faces attacks form anti-animal agriculture groups. However, Colin Woodall, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association CEO said he is confident in NCBA’s strength of handling these organizations. Using the “one bite at a time” strategy,...
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60th annual Cookout Contest highlights Farm Bureau Day at the fair
Today, August 13th, is Farm Bureau Day at the Iowa State Fair, and it’s a beautiful day to stop by Farm Bureau Park. It wasn’t hard to find the park today either, because the Iowa Farm Bureau hosted its 60th annual Cookout Contest, and the smells were carried on the...
U.S. pork preferred by Mexican consumers
Mexico is a leading market for U.S. pork exports. According to Courtney Knupp, Vice President of International Market Development for the National Pork Board, the cultural connection to pork in Mexico is deeply rooted in family gatherings, which often revolve around...
A Teddy Bear of a Super Bull
Teddy Bear is the big bull of the 2024 Iowa State Fair, weighing in at 3,064 pounds and earning the win in the Super Bull Contest. The purebred Simmental bull was the heaviest of the three bulls competing and is now on display at the entrance to the Cattle Barn for...
Weekly crop progress and condition report
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and...
Iowa Turkey celebrating new look and new menu items
The Iowa Turkey Federation Grill has been a go-to destination for hungry fairgoers for over four decades. They have been offering their traditional staples of a smoked turkey leg and a turkey tenderloin sandwich plus mixing in some new foods here and there. This year...
