Biobased products are already a big part of agriculture, but they figure to play an even more prominent role in the future as more oil-based products are produced from plants. That was the message from a panel of experts at Agri-Pulse’s Ag and Food Policy summit....
5 Ag Stories
Latter half of 2024 could hold optimism for dairy prices
Dairy prices have been low for some time, but there may be reasons for optimism during the second half of 2024. Lucas Fuess, the senior dairy analyst for Rabo AgriFinance, says the industry needs to get through the next few months first. Looking ahead to the second...
USDA Angola trade mission successful for U.S. red meat
The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently led an agribusiness trade mission to Angola from Feb. 26-29. U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Africa Representative Matt Copeland, who participated through support from the Beef Checkoff Program, said having key...
Secretary Naig to announce 26 Choose Iowa grants on March 20th
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will announce the recipients of 26 Choose Iowa Value-Added Grants during an event at Cortum Farm and Co. near Indianola on Wednesday, March 20. The announcement event, which is part of Iowa Ag Week, will begin at 2:30 p.m. The...
Bayer agronomist talks about strategies for 2024 growing season
The weather has been throwing us for a loop in agriculture. Whether you are an advocate of permanent climate change, climate cycles, or just luck of the draw; you know that something is going on. No matter what is causing it, we have to be prepared to navigate it to...
Expiration of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act would hurt family farms
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is a comprehensive tax cut package enacted in 2017. Dustin Sherer, director of government affairs for the American Farm Bureau, says it’s important legislation for farmers and ranchers. A new Economic Research Service report shows that if the...
Effects of the Tyson plant closure on the hog industry
It was announced this week that Tyson plans to shut down another food production facility—this time, a pork production plant in Perry, Iowa. That plant has nearly 1,300 employees and kills about 8,000 head a day. Karl Setzer with Consus Ag Consulting said that, while...
What would return of La Niña weather pattern mean for growers?
The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center this week announced that it foresees a transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral by April-June 2024 (83% chance), with the odds of La Niña developing by June-August 2024 (62% chance). Typically, the La Niña pattern...
Secretary Naig encourages Iowans to celebrate Iowa ag week
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged all Iowans to celebrate Iowa Ag Week from Sunday, March 17 through Saturday, March 23. The weeklong statewide celebration, which includes National Ag Day on March 19, will highlight the immense importance of...
Some lawmakers believe a Farm Bill is still possible
The Farm Bill question is a hot topic as we have discussed in the past few months. There is a lot of worry and concern that the clock is ticking and both sides of the political spectrum have dug their feet in so hard, that politics is going to affect the biggest piece...