Author: staff

Christmas shopping can be laborious when you don’t know what to buy for the farmer on your gift list. To help, I’ve done some preseason shopping, identifying innovative new tools that are sure to please any mechanically minded man or woman on your list. Welding level has magnet with an on-off switch Strong Hands Tools Here is the ideal level for any welding center. Turn the level’s magnet on and you get 70 pounds of pull force, which means this tool won’t come off any vertical or overhead metal surface. The 16-inch-long level has three vials to provide 45°, 90°,…

The Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of agricultural stakeholders that advocates for U.S. farmers’ access to the crop protection tools, has appointed Elizabeth Burns-Thompson as its first executive director.  Burns-Thompson — who has Juris Doctorate in Agricultural Law from Drake University and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from Iowa State University — joins the the alliance having long championed farmers’ interests across law, policy, and public affairs advocacy. She most recently led government relations and policy efforts for Landus Ag Cooperative and has previously held roles with the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and Iowa Corn Growers Association. Her…

2025 Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit    Tax Credit Amount  Maximum Tax Credit  Application Due Date  Cash Rentals 10% of annual rental income  $7,000 July 17, 2025  Share Crop Rentals  15% of annual rental income  $10,000 July 17, 2025  Sales  8% of sale price (12% if the buyer is an emerging farmer)  $50,000 November 1, 2025  Beginning Farmer Farm Business Management Tuition Reimbursement  Equal to tuition paid out of pocket  $1,500 for 3 years  November 1, 2025 Funds Limited, Early Application Encouraged $4 million in funding has been made available for the 2025 Beginning Farmer Tax Credit program. Credits are…

By Ryan Hanrahan Reuters Lisa Baertlein reported Wednesday that “the union representing 45,000 dock workers on the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts and their employers on Wednesday said they reached a tentative deal on a new six-year contract, averting further strikes that could have snarled supply chains and taken a toll on the U.S. economy.” “The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) employer group, in a joint statement, called the agreement a ‘win-win.’ The deal includes a resolution in automation, which had been the thorniest issue on the table,” Baertlein reported. “‘This agreement protects current…

Syngenta is combining its knowledge of crop biology with the proprietary artificial intelligence methods of Britain-based TraitSeq to identify highly specific indicators of a plant’s cellular state called biomarkers and ultimately development innovative, high-performance biostimulants. When activated, these biomarkers can indicate how well a plant is responding to efforts to boost its health or to block the effects of external, abiotic stressors. Biostimulants are products applied to plants, seeds, or the root environment that enhance natural plant processes, leading to an improved nutrient use efficiency, increased tolerance to abiotic stress or better crop quality. Biostimulants are a vital and growing…

Iowa farmland values fell an average of 3.1% in 2024, according to the 2024 Iowa State University (ISU) Land Value Survey. A separate report from Peoples Co. suggests the factors influencing farmland values in Iowa are also impacting other Corn Belt states. ISU’s survey found the statewide average value for farmland was $11,467 per acre as of Nov. 1, 2024. This was a decrease of $369 per acre from a year prior. When split into high, medium, and low quality farmland, the state average for all three categories also experienced a drop year-over-year. Influencing Factors ISU’s report said survey respondents…

DAILY Bites USDA and ISU scientists used AI to find safer alternatives to bromoform for reducing cow methane emissions. AI models identified 15 promising molecules in the rumen with methane-reducing potential. The study shows AI can speed methane research and support sustainable solutions. DAILY Discussion A new study from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service and Iowa State University reveals that generative artificial intelligence can help expedite the search for solutions to reduce enteric methane emissions caused by cows in animal agriculture. “Developing solutions to address methane emissions from animal agriculture is a critical priority. Our scientists continue to…

March corn is up a penny this morning while March soybeans are down less than a penny. March wheat contracts are lower this morning. CBOT wheat is down 5¢. KC wheat is down 3¢. Minneapolis wheat is down 3¼¢. “Moderate pressure is being seen in the market this morning, which is not surprising given the lack of interest we are seeing from traders,” said Karl Setzer, partner at Consus Ag Consulting. “Several markets are closed today for a National Day of Mourning for former President Carter. The ag sector will have an early close today at 1:15 p.m. ET. Given…

Recently, I went on a cross country (more like cross county, I suppose) tractor drive to pick up a new-to-us drill. I think I crossed three counties. It only took about an hour and half to get there. Then pulled the drill back home. I traveled a lot of roads I had never been on before. It’s surprising to me how similar everywhere is. Not the land or the operations, but the evidence of time gone by. People and companies sell us on the idea that we need more to be successful or happy. Build the bigger house, buy the…

By Jennifer Shutt WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats raised concerns Wednesday that Republicans have scheduled a hearing for one of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees before he completed the necessary paperwork and an FBI background check. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Energy and Natural Resources Committee ranking member Martin Heinrich separately criticized the decision, saying it sets a troubling precedent. “Yesterday, the Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources noticed a hearing for Governor Doug Burgum to serve as the next secretary of the Interior, without minority consent, as has long been standard practice,” Schumer said during a…