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Pro Farmer Crop Tour concludes, projects lower corn, higher soybean yields vs. 2025
Pro Farmer is projecting a smaller U.S. corn crop in 2026 after its annual Crop Tour found lower yield potential across much of the Corn Belt. The organization estimates the national corn yield at 173.2 bushels per acre, with production totaling 15.344 billion bushels. The yield forecast is about 5% below 2025 levels and marks the first time in three growing seasons that Pro Farmer has not projected a record yield. Pro Farmer economist and Eastern Crop Tour lead Lane Akre said samples showed...
Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards presented to 33 farm families at the 2026 ISF
Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon today recognized 33 Iowa farm families with Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards during a ceremony at the 2026 Iowa State Fair. The Iowa Farm...
Thompson says SAWA could help Iowa livestock farms
Finding enough workers remains a challenge across agriculture. Still, House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson says the federal guest worker program has not kept pace with the changing needs of farms and livestock operations. Thompson is pushing the Securing...
Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest brings farmers and fairgoers together
The annual Iowa Farm Bureau Cookout Contest is one of the most delicious and best-smelling contests of each Iowa State Fair. While the focus is certainly on the food, it also serves as a great opportunity to connect fairgoers with the farming families that raise the...
Big Bad Joe shatters previous record to win 2026 ISF Big Ram Competition
"Big Bad Joe," the Suffolk ram shown by Jim Fisher of Mercer, MO, is the 2026 Iowa State Fair Big Ram Competition winner weighing in at 568 pounds. Big Bad Joe shattered the previous Iowa State Fair record of 507.5 pounds which was set in 2014. Owner Jim Fisher says...
Major expansion of Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program underway
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, alongside Bryan Whaley, CEO of the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, announced the second phase of the Cattle and Conservation Working Lands program, which debuted in 2016. This second phase expands to 22 counties within the...
Fertilizer prices expected to stay elevated through 2028
Fertilizer prices are expected to remain above pre-Iran war levels through 2028, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange. Farmers and agricultural retailers continue to face higher costs as conflicts and supply disruptions affect global fertilizer...
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Connecting fairgoers with farmers and learning how food is produced
The Iowa Food & Family Project is an education and outreach initiative that connects consumers with farmers and provides information about how food is grown and raised in Iowa. The Iowa Food & Family Project features prominently at the Iowa State Fair inside...
U.S. approaching tariff deadline with Canada
It's Wednesday, August 19th, and we're just a few hours away from the deadline for negotiations between the U.S and Canada to avoid a 50 percent tariff on several Canadian imports into the U.S. Cameron Castillo, an associate economist for the American Farm Bureau...
Timely rains continue to benefit Iowa crops
The luck of Iowa’s farmers continues as timely rains have cycled through much of the state. As the Pro Farmer Crop Tour goes across the state, many analysts are predicting a hefty crop. Landus Cooperative Technical Agronomist Dan Bjorklund said the rain has been...
Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards presented to 33 farm families at the 2026 ISF
Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Kayla Lyon today recognized 33 Iowa farm families with Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards during a ceremony at the 2026 Iowa State Fair. The Iowa Farm...
Thompson says SAWA could help Iowa livestock farms
Finding enough workers remains a challenge across agriculture. Still, House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson says the federal guest worker program has not kept pace with the changing needs of farms and livestock operations. Thompson is pushing the Securing...
