Author: staff

By Cami Koons A bill advanced from the Iowa House Thursday that would regulate anaerobic digesters, or systems that break down organic material in an oxygen-deprived system to produce usable biogas and fertilizer, at animal feeding operations.  House File 989 would task the Iowa Department of Natural Resources with regulating the construction, expansion, placement and operation of anaerobic digesters and associated structures that hold manure feedstocks at animal feeding operations.  The bill describes anaerobic digestion in three steps. First the feedstock, both liquid and dry animal waste, is stored. Next, the feedstock is “digested” in a structure specifically designed for anaerobic…

1. Wheat Futures Higher in Overnight Trading Wheat futures were higher in overnight trading amid unfavorable weather in several growing areas globally.  Extremely dry weather is expected in the U.S. southern Plains through the rest of the week.  Red flag warnings, an indicator of extremely dry weather, have been issued for parts of Kansas and the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles where hard red winter wheat is growing.  Little precipitation has fallen in the southern Plains in the past month, leaving fields of recently emerged winter wheat without water.  About 47% of the U.S. winter crop was in good or excellent…

Early season weed control sets the tone for the rest of the growing season.  Delayed herbicide applications allow weeds to grow larger and harder to manage, ultimately reducing yield. “The only way to maximize your corn yield is to stay clean the entire season,” said Shawn Hock, U.S. corn herbicide brand manager for Syngenta. “Two- to 4-inch waterhemp can consume 13.4 pounds of nitrogen, costing up to $24 an acre.” Winter annual and early summer annual weeds compete with crops for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. They can also interfere with planting and serve as hosts for harmful insects. “We need…

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture and several other federal agencies to release billions of dollars in funding tied to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, halting the Biden administration’s freeze on these allocations. The preliminary injunction, issued earlier this week by U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Rhode Island, prevents the USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the departments of Energy, Interior, and Housing and Urban Development from suspending or delaying funds that were already awarded under the two laws. U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan had extended the temporary order…

Following the issuance of its fourth carbon crop, Indigo Ag reports their carbon program has sequestered or abated 927,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents since 2018. In addition to carbon sequestration, the program claims to have reduced surface water runoff by 64 billion gallons.  “Indigo continues to prove that soil carbon is a real, scalable, and direct investment in economic and natural resilience,” said Dean Banks, Indigo Ag CEO, in a news release. “It’s bigger than agriculture, the environmental outcomes impact people’s lives, health, and productivity, from small towns to big tech companies. With this issuance, we’ve reached a…

By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON, April 17 (Reuters) – The Food and Drug Administration is suspending a quality control program for its food testing laboratories as a result of staff cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services, according to an internal email seen by Reuters. The proficiency testing program of the FDA’s Food Emergency Response Network is designed to ensure consistency and accuracy across the agency’s network of about 170 labs that test food for pathogens and contaminants to prevent food-borne illness. The firing and departure of as many as 20,000 HHS employees have upended public health research and disrupted the agency’s work…

Braswell Family Farms, a founding member of Eggland’s Best, got its start more than 80 years ago when two brothers bought a grist mill in Nashville, NC. Today, the company is one of the largest specialty egg producers and organic feed mills on the East Coast and has under the leadership of fourth-generation producer Trey Braswell. Listen to the Podcast Subscribe to 15 Minutes With a Farmer on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Please rate and review us! Meet Trey Braswell For nearly 150 years, children have been rolling eggs down the hill on the South…

Tractor Supply Company and 4-H are ready to kick off the spring Paper Clover fundraiser, a biannual event that has generated millions of dollars in scholarships for 4-H youth. From April 18 through May 5, customers can purchase a paper clover at checkout in Tractor Supply stores nationwide or online. Together, Tractor Supply and 4-H have raised more than $24 million for the nation’s youth. The fundraiser, now in its 15th year, strengthens educational programs for 4-H members to engage in hands-on career and life skill projects, participate in leadership and public speaking training, learn from industry leaders and develop…

The Angus Foundation and Angus Genetics Inc. (AGI) are set to join a global effort to improve livestock efficiency following the receipt of a $4.85 million research grant. The grant is part of a $27.4 million global initiative, backed by the Bezos Earth Fund and Global Methane Hub, to reduce energy waste within livestock by targeting methane emissions. AGI intends to build upon a 2023 study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, which found a portion of animals naturally emit less methane than others in the herd. The group hopes to better understand the genetic differences of more efficient…

A new study by Texas A&M shows chicken fertility rates in U.S. broiler eggs could decline to approximately 60 percent by 2050. That decline could lead to chicken production issues and higher costs for consumers. The study, published in Poultry Science by Cara Cash, a graduate student in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Poultry Science. Graduate student Kolton Witherspoon also contributed to the research. To assess fertility trends, researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service from 2013 to 2022. Their analysis revealed significant declines in essential production metrics,…