Top Stories
Healthy Milk Act could create $2 billion boon for dairy producers
Last week’s signing by President Trump of the Healthy Milk for Kids Act marked a major victory for kids as well as dairy farmers. Gregg Doud, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, says he couldn’t have been more pleased with the support the bill received in Washington. Doud says new data indicates it’s also a big deal for embattled dairy farmers. At the end of the day, he says it really is all about the kids. For more information, visit nmpf.org.
How Southern Rust changed Iowa corn plans
Just ahead of the 2025 growing season, many in the crop protection industry expected tar spot to be the primary disease concern in corn. Instead, southern rust emerged as the dominant threat across much of Iowa, forcing growers to quickly evaluate their management...
Uncertainty grows over future of U.S. farm bill legislation
Agriculture policy analysts say 2026 could mark the end of the traditional five-year U.S. farm bill era, as lawmakers struggle to produce comprehensive legislation. The most recent farm bill provisions expired in 2023 and Congress has extended them annually since,...
PFI accepting applications for another year of the Cover Crop Business Accelerator
Enrollment is open now for the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) Cover Crop Business Accelerator program, with applications being accepted on a rolling basis. The program, which started in 2020, offers tailored business coaching, technical guidance, and financial...
New dietary guidelines unveiled by HHS and USDA
Trump administration cabinet members this week introduced the newest edition of federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans covering the years 2025 through 2030. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins summed up the guidelines succinctly with the phrase, “eat real food.”...
Economists predict the farm economy will stabilize in 2026
Agricultural economists are predicting that the slide in the U.S. farm economy will stop in the new year. However, an AgWeb report said that doesn’t mean the ag economy will be whole again. The December Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor showed monthly sentiment is...
Iowa Cattlemen’s Association welcomes new leadership to board of directors
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA), the leading grassroots organization supporting Iowa’s beef cattle industry, recently elected new leadership to its Board of Directors, with the Executive Committee being announced at the annual meeting held at the 2025 Iowa...
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The many benefits of prairie strips
It may sound counterintuitive, but setting aside just 10 percent of a field for wildlife habitat can benefit both the environment and that field’s productivity in the long run. Prairie strips allow farmers to keep their soil in place, filter water runoff, and add some...
FarmMind is this year’s AFBF Ag Innovation Challenge winner
Innovation is at the heart of everything farmers and ranchers do, and this year’s Ag Innovation Challenge winner is the first to bring AI, or artificial intelligence, to the fields. FarmMind, winner of the 12th annual American Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge, was...
Update to FSA County Committee election schedule
USDA Farm Service Agency County Committee elections were delayed in the fall by the federal government shutdown. However, FSA Administrator Bill Beam says that the voting period will begin again soon. Candidates have already been nominated and are on the ballots that...
ARC/PLC enrollment delayed until after planting
Enrollment for the USDA’s ARC and PLC Programs will not open until after the 2026 planting season. AgroLatam said the announcement comes as USDA readies a 61-page final rule implementing updates required by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. Key changes include...
Behind the disease insects crept through Iowa corn
Southern rust dominated the conversation during the 2025 growing season in Iowa, forcing growers to react quickly to unexpected disease pressure. But while disease grabbed most of the attention, other problems were quietly developing in the field. Insects and weeds...
