Author: staff

Crop intelligence company Taranis likens its new program to working with an accountant on your taxes.  “You could do taxes yourself, just like you could apply for this yourself,” said Sarah Rang, director of marketing at Taranis. “But you may not get the maximum benefit that’s available to you when you’re not working with experts. So we brought in the experts.” Taranis launched Taranis Conservation to help farmers apply for grants through the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).  Taranis’ business primarily centers on Taranis Intelligence, which utilizes drone scouting and artificial intelligence to identify…

By Galen Bacharier USDA has just one staffer providing guidance for farmers’ disaster loans across 23 North Carolina counties, a state official said Monday. USDA’s Farm Service Agency is charged with distributing aid after storms like Hurricane Helene wipe out crops. But Emily Gangi, chief deputy for the governor’s Helene recovery office, said they now had a threadbare presence in the region after the White House made cuts. “You heard me right,” Gangi said. “One loan officer for 23 counties.” The agency has closed two local offices, according to Gangi, and cut five staff. And there’s currently a hiring freeze in…

By Cami Koons Iowa senators voted 27-22 late Monday to pass a bill to limit the ability of carbon sequestration pipelines to use eminent domain, sending it to the governor’s desk after a drawn-out debate. The decision follows four years of Iowans and House lawmakers urging for eminent domain reform in response to the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. House File 639 comprised a number of bills passed by the House aimed at eminent domain. Senators tried repeatedly to change the scope of the bill with various amendments, none of which were adopted.  Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R- Fort Dodge, said amid…

By Cami Koons State representatives approved a budget from the Senate on Tuesday that would increase funding for agriculture and natural resources departments by $682,000 compared to the current fiscal year. The budget for the upcoming 2025/2026 fiscal year prioritizes funding to prevent the spread of foreign animal disease, supports state park maintenance, and continues the Choose Iowa program, along with operations for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Senate File 646 would appropriate $46.6 million from the general fund and appropriate an additional $99.4 million from other funds for fiscal year…

The sky is the limit when it comes to the utility of drones on the farm, and their popularity is soaring. Uses range from crop scouting and fungicide application to seeding cover crops. Over the past decade, the use of spray drones has been doubling year-over-year, said Arthur Erickson, CEO at Hylio. “Drones have a lot of benefits when it comes to deposition and efficacy of the application of fungicides,” he said. Even with reduced carrier rates, you’re still getting equal if not better control of the fungus compared to a ground sprayer.”  Prices range from a few thousand dollars for smaller drones with…

Two North Dakota judges have ruled that lawsuits filed by landowners against carbon pipeline company Summit Carbon Solutions can proceed over objections about court procedures. Several landowners are suing Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions, which is attempting to build a network of pipelines across five states. The pipelines would take carbon dioxide emissions captured at ethanol plants to sites in western North Dakota for permanent underground storage.  Attorneys for Summit had filed motions to dismiss the lawsuits, arguing that not all parties involved were properly notified and that the cases were not filed in the proper court.  South Central Judicial District Court Judge…

By Leah Douglas WASHINGTON, May 14 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday canceled existing grants under its Food for Progress food aid program, according to an email seen by Reuters and two sources familiar with the situation. The Food for Progress program sends U.S. commodities abroad for agricultural and economic development projects, providing an important foreign market for farmers and enhancing food security in poorer countries. The program had been briefly paused in February under a review of federal spending by the administration of President Donald Trump, but quickly resumed. Food for Progress grantees were notified by the USDA on Wednesday that their…

By Maximilian Heath SAN ANDRES DE GILES, Argentina, May 15 (Reuters) – On Cristian Giacobone’s farm in the heart of Argentina’s Pampas plains, workers in the soy fields have been up since dawn, racing to harvest the rain-delayed crop before the arrival of new storms that will make threshing more difficult. The soy crop, the main export of the South American country’s embattled economy, has been delayed by unusually strong rains, weighing on sales of the oilseed that are running at the slowest pace in some 11 years. Now, with a window of dry weather — but with more rains forecast — farmers are…

Soybean planting is surging across the U.S., with 11 out of the 18 key producing states outpacing their five-year averages by double digits, according to the latest USDA crop progress report. Together, these states account for 96% of the nation’s soybean production. Here’s how those 11 states stack up — and how far ahead they are this season compared to the five-year planting averages. Forecast According to the Midwest Climate Hub, much of the Midwest — excluding Ohio — received below-average precipitation in early May. The dry start has helped accelerate fieldwork across key growing regions. Looking ahead, the Midwest…

By Jacob Fischler Lawmakers and advocates on the right and left are raising questions about a provision in legislation a powerful U.S. House committee approved Wednesday, with critics arguing it would allow federal regulators to approve natural gas and carbon dioxide pipelines over prohibitions in state law. Two sections in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s reconciliation instructions, which the Republican-led panel passed along party lines, would allow pipeline operators to pay $10 million to participate in an expedited federal permitting process that critics say would override state laws. The potentially intensely controversial provision would give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission exclusive…