A new Iowa State University scholarship honors the legacy of a long-time faculty member. The family of Dr. Neil E. Harl has gifted $2 million to establish the endowed Dr. Neil Harl Opportunity Scholarship for students of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Dr. Harl was a faculty member at Iowa State for more than 50 years with a wide range of expertise including legal and economic aspects of […]
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of below-normal temperatures across the northern and central Plains and the Midwest, while hotter-than-normal conditions will cover the Deep South and much of the West. Meanwhile, near- or below-normal rainfall in the north-central U.S. and most of the West should contrast with wetter-than-normal weather in Washington State and a broad area from the central and southern Plains to the […]
The American Farm Bureau Federation is urging farmers to talk more about mental health wellness. During a recent webinar hosted by Farm Bureau, licensed professional clinical counselor Cynthie Christensen said speaking with a therapist is a big first step to combat mental health issues. “There is nothing more important to your farm operation than you,” Christensen said. “I would really encourage you to value yourself.” Arkansas farmer James Dixon says […]
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has lifted its order cancelling live bird exhibitions because of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Ag Secretary Mike Naig calls the announcement a welcome sign of continued progress in the state’s efforts to effectively manage the avian flu outbreak and protect Iowa’s poultry flocks. It has been 30 days since USDA confirmed a new infection in domestic poultry in the state. High-path AI […]
A farmer in northwest Iowa is pleased with how his crops look. Brent Johnson grows corn and soybeans in Calhoun County and says after some delays, planting went smoothly. “We were getting a little late (and) some of those areas within fields (presented) a couple challenges here and there, but overall emergence is looking really good.” He says conditions are conducive to rapid crop development. “We just ended up with […]
WASHINGTON, June 3, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Department has provided $700 million to help lower costs and support biofuel producers who faced unexpected market losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds are being made available through the Biofuel Producer Program, which was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).
WASHINGTON, June 3, 2022 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made significant advancements in food purchasing efforts through new programs administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFS) fund purchasing programs that aim to strengthen local and regional food systems, improve agricultural supply-chain resiliency, and support underserved producers.
The USDA says export sales of several major commodities declined during the week ending May 26th. That’s due to several factors including relative strength in the U.S. dollar against some other major currencies, global supply chain issues, and competition from other exporters. Old crop soybean, soybean oil, wheat, sorghum, and rice sales were all down on the week and pork and beef also fell back from the previous week’s levels, […]
The US and Japan have signed the agreement to revise the beef safeguard under the US-Japan Trade Agreement. Kent Bacus with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association says this provides greater certainty for US beef in one of its best export markets. “If you look at Japan overall, just the first quarter this year we’re close to 600 million in sales,” he said. “Sales are up over 20 percent. They are […]
