Author: staff

Iowa Senator Mike Bousselot wants to “Make Minnesota Iowa again” by buying the bottom edge of his home state’s northern neighbor. At the Land Investment Expo on Tuesday, Bousselot, R-Ankeny, announced he will introduce a bill in the Iowa legislature to purchase the lower nine counties of Minnesota. The specific language of the bill has not been made public yet.  The counties included in the proposal are Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston, all of which border Iowa at the southern edge of Minnesota. According to Bousselot, “When the Iowa Territory originally existed, we went further…

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has announced a presumptive positive case of H5N1 Avian Influenza in a commercial broiler flock in Accomack County. Testing was conducted at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Laboratory in Salisbury, Maryland, with further confirmation pending from the U.S. Department of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. “In addition to working closely with USDA APHIS, VDACS is collaborating with the Maryland Department of Agriculture and the Delaware Department of Agriculture in a unified command structure to respond to all avian influenza incidents on the Delmarva peninsula,” wrote the department.…

Using lower air pressure creates a larger footprint, which can help reduce soil compaction and in turn, improve yields. David Graden, Michelin, said he likes to begin with the “why” when recommending single digit tire pressures to producers. “An overall improvement in efficiency and added money to your bottom line are the end result with improved traction due to a larger footprint and more lugs on the ground. This significantly improves flotation, reducing soil compaction and leading to better crop yield and improved fuel economy.” Ag Tire Talk How Do I Safely Run These Lower Air Pressures? There are two…

Fighting disinformation around agriculture can be frustrating. Just like a hydra, whenever you manage to slay (er, discredit) one influencer, three more pop up in his or her place. Because deceitful statements boiled down to “common sense” is easier to understand than a lot of science. But things are about to get really interesting now that media outlets are more aggressively sidestepping honesty while powerful (yet divisive) figures such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are getting their claws into the D.C. policymakers. Will someone else rise to take his place on the outside? Will these steps invite his like-minded financiers…

By Leah Douglas Jan 17 (Reuters) – Immigrant farmworkers are preparing for incoming U.S. president Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations, including by assigning guardians for their children if they are detained, according to groups providing them legal support. Rising demand for such legal services reflects anxiety that Trump will follow through on a campaign vow to deport millions of undocumented immigrants once he is sworn in to office Jan. 20, something that could have an outsized impact on the country’s agricultural sector, which heavily relies on their labor. About half of hired farmworkers nationwide lack legal immigration status, according…

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The first day of Congress is often considered the “first day of school” for those who work to advocate and lobby on Capitol Hill. The vice president swears in new senators, while the Speaker of the House welcomes both new and returning members of Congress. Once sworn in, newly minted offices welcome members’ families, local leaders, and a long line of interest groups eager to greet the new faces of Congress. The hallways bustle with activity, doors open and lines stretch down corridors for brief, 30-second introductions to new members of Congress. Among these, a handshake with…

By Makenzie Huber  SIOUX FALLS — Hundreds of people, many of them opponents of a carbon dioxide pipeline, filled the Southeast Technical College auditorium Wednesday evening for a state Public Utilities Commission hearing regarding a second attempt by Summit Carbon Solutions to gain a permit for the project.  “We know this is an incredibly important issue to you,” said Commissioner Gary Hanson at the start of the three-hour meeting. “We are here today to learn and listen, and we appreciate each of you being with us today to give us your input.” The Iowa-based company plans a 2,500-mile, $9 billion pipeline to…

Take look at these seven farmland transactions that transpired in fall 2024. 77.5 acres in Washington County, Iowa Date: Sept.27, 2024 Price: $19,200 CSR2: 83.2 Four miles northeast of Keota, Iowa, 77.5 acres sold via public auction. This highly productive southeast Iowa farm was nearly 100% tillable. The primary soil types were Mahaska, Nira, and Taintor silty clay loams. The sale price of $19,200 per acre reflected this farm’s productivity. 114.55 acres in Lyon County, Iowa Date: Sept. 6, 2024 Price: $17,600 per acre Corn Suitability Rating Index (CSR2): 94.2 A total of 114.55 acres located near Rock Rapids, Iowa,…

By P.J. Huffstutter and Heather Schlitz CHICAGO, Jan 16 (Reuters) – Iowa farmer Caleb Hamer grabbed his phone and dialed a local corn buyer this week, eager to sell his grain as prices climbed to their highest level in more than a year. Farmers across the Midwest have boosted crop sales as corn Cv1 and soybean Sv1 futures spiked after the U.S. Department of Agriculture slashed its 2024 harvest estimates on Friday, grain dealers in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska said. Corn prices are now up about 10% over the past month. The surge came after prices hit 2020 lows…

By Maximilian Heath BUENOS AIRES, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Argentina’s Rosario grains exchange trimmed its 2024/25 corn harvest forecast on Wednesday due to a drought gripping the country. The exchange cut its corn estimate to 48 million metric tons from a prior forecast of between 50 million and 51 million tons. The exchange pointed to extreme temperatures, low relative humidity and high levels of solar radiation as the main reasons behind its sharp forecast reduction. These factors “have aligned negatively at the most critical moment for early corn,” it added. Argentina is the third largest global supplier of corn and…