Author: staff

The 11th annual Farm Bureau Ag Innovation Challenge crowned Indiana-based Gripp as the 2025 winner during the American Farm Bureau Convention in San Antonio. This competition, a partnership between the American Farm Bureau Federation and Farm Credit, showcases business innovations that address pressing challenges in agriculture. Gripp, led by Indiana Farm Bureau member Tracey Wiedmeyer, took home the grand prize of $100,000. The company’s operator-centric platform integrates asset tracking with communication tools, streamlining farm management and connectivity. Labby, a New York-based startup led by Julia Somerdin, was named runner-up and received $25,000. Labby develops advanced, real-time milk testing solutions powered…

By Allison Kite Aquifer levels in parts of western Kansas that rely on groundwater for everything from drinking to irrigation fell more than a foot last year, Kansas Geological Survey scientists said Tuesday.  The Kansas Geological Survey earlier this month completed its annual campaign to measure the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies the western one-third of the state with water. The Ogallala, the largest underground store of freshwater in the nation, has been declining for decades because of overuse to irrigate crops in otherwise arid parts of the state.  According to preliminary data presented to the Kansas House Water Committee, aquifer…

With National Reading Month taking place in March and Read Across America Day quickly approaching on March 3, Discover Dairy has a new book available, titled Curious Clover, to help bring dairy farming to life for elementary and middle school students. The book is available in both English and Spanish and includes accompanying interactive resources to encourage literacy, creativity, and farm-to-table connections. The Discover Dairy program is managed through the Dairy Excellence Foundation. With a $15 donation to the foundation, individuals can receive a printed copy of the book to share with students and families. “Every time someone turns the…

Todd Western III’s ancestors were born into slavery in Virginia, bought their freedom, then settled on a farm in Mahaska County, Iowa. His father expanded the operation, buying another farm near Waterloo, Iowa. Today, Western farms with his family and is the co-founder of Iowa Farmers of Color. 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 Todd Western III Western splits his time between his home in Minnesota and the family farm in Iowa, and also actively volunteers with many non-profits,…

FMC has introduced two new herbicides, Keenali Complete and Keenali GR herbicide powered by Dodylex active, pending EPA decision. They are scheduled to launch for rice growers in 2027 and 2028, respectively. This is the first new herbicide mode of action in the industry for nearly 40 years.  Dodhylex active is the FMC product for the active ingredient tetflupyrolimet, which has been classified as a Group 28 herbicide by the Herbicide Resistance Action Committee and the Weed Science Society of America.  “It’s been more than 35 years since a new mode of action came into the marketplace,” said Lawson Priess, a…

Our agricultural industry has found itself in the crosshairs of a national debate, and the outcome will drive the livelihoods of all United States citizens for years to come. The U.S. agricultural industry has been heavily dependent on immigrant labor; any shifts in this workforce would ripple through the economy in ways that affect both workers and employers. In spite of this, the new U.S. administration took a firm stance on mass deportations, and these policies have significant implications for the agricultural industry, particularly its workers. What will happen to these people, their families, the U.S. agriculturalists they work for,…

Tom Vilsack, who served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during the Obama and Biden administrations, has been selected by the World Food Prize Foundation as its next CEO. Vilsack will take the reins of this organization known its prestigious international food award on March 1. Vilsack’s appointment builds on his longstanding relationship with the foundation, where he served on the Council of Advisors and Board of Directors, helping to shape its mission and initiatives. In addition to his tenures with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Vilsack served two terms as governor of Iowa and has been involved with several organizations…

Shortly after the market opened at 8:30 a.m. CT, March corn was up 3¾¢. March soybeans were up 4¢. March wheat contracts were also higher. CBOT wheat was up 4¾¢. KC wheat was up 2¾¢. Minneapolis wheat was up 4¼¢. “The stock market was hit with heavy selling pressure yesterday,” said Bob Linneman, commodities broker at Kluis Commodity Advisors, during the overnight session. “If that continues, will we see more money flow to the grain market? The funds are already holding a rather large net-long position in the grains for this time of year.”  This morning, USDA announced South Korea…

By: Lauren Cross | Investigate Midwest The latest data from the CDC and USDA shows the continued devastating effects of bird flu outbreaks across the United States — with Iowa, the nation’s leading egg producer, suffering substantial losses. Since November 2023, more than 12.1 million poultry birds have been affected in Sioux County, Iowa. On Jan. 17, health officials in Georgia, the nation’s leading state for chicken production, announced it was suspending poultry sales after detecting bird flu, for the first time, in flocks designated for commercial sale. This recent development is not yet reflected in the CDC and USDA databases used…

By AJ Dome GARDEN CITY — Kansas mental health experts want rural residents to be aware of available resources as they work to enhance mental health services across more of the state. NAMI Kansas executive director Sherrie Vaughn said she and her staff are preparing for a rural mental health summit on April 9 in Kiowa, a community of about 900 people in south-central Kansas, to bring the conversation about mental health care to more rural and frontier areas. The summit is a continuation of the nonprofit agency’s Standing in the Gap series that began in 2023 in Dodge City. NAMI…