Author: staff

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…

Image by Andrea Izzotti, Shutterstock The National Association of Wheat Growers awarded House Committee on Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) with its 2024 Wheat Leader of the Year Award for getting a long-term bipartisan farm bill passed out of the committee, which, if enacted, would have made significant improvements and investments in the farm safety net. NAWG President Keeff Felty presented the award to Thompson during the National Wheat Foundation’s annual Wheat 101 reception in Washington, D.C. “Chairman Thompson has been a champion for wheat growers, and we appreciate his efforts to advance the bipartisan Farm, Food, and National…

By Cami Koons The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA, announced Wednesday a notice of proposed rule making to strengthen guidelines for carbon dioxide pipelines.  The proposed rule would apply to carbon dioxide transported in a supercritical liquid state through pipelines and establishes, for the first time, guidelines for pipelines transporting gaseous CO2. PHMSA, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, said in a press release the proposed rules are the result of “PHMSA’s largest public outreach campaign on record.”  The proposed rule, if adopted as is, would require CO2 pipeline operators to train emergency responders and ensure local…

DAILY Bites AgAmerica’s 2025 report highlights agriculture’s resilience and future challenges. Key issues: declining income, rising debt, and policy uncertainty. Farmers are advised to cut costs, manage debt, and diversify income. DAILY Discussion AgAmerica’s annual agricultural economic report, established in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, has become a resource for understanding the U.S. agricultural landscape. The 2025 report highlights both retrospective trends and prospective challenges, providing valuable insights to guide farmers, ranchers, and agricultural stakeholders in navigating the evolving industry. The U.S. agricultural sector demonstrated remarkable resilience over the past five years despite significant challenges. The pandemic disrupted supply chains,…

AMES, Iowa — Longer, more diverse rotations of crops fertilized with livestock manure have many environmental benefits, but carbon sequestration isn’t one of them, according to a new study led by Iowa State University researchers. The findings, published this month in Nature Sustainability, counter long-standing assumptions and could have implications for various carbon-market initiatives designed to help mitigate climate change, said Wenjuan Huang, assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology. “In a diversified cropping system, there’s more carbon input. So we have figured there would be more carbon stored in the soil. But actually, carbon levels in the soil…

March corn ended the day down 4¼¢ at $4.74½ per bushel. March soybeans closed down 23¾¢ at $10.19 per bushel. March wheat contracts also closed lower. CBOT wheat was down 9½¢ at $5.37½ per bushel. KC wheat was down 9¼¢ at $5.48¼ per bushel. Minneapolis wheat was down 6¢ at $5.81½ per bushel. The Grain Market Insider newsletter by Stewart-Peterson Inc. said corn was pressured today by improved South American weather and Canada’s counter-tariffs plan, in preparation for the possibility of new U.S. tariffs under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. “The Canadian government proposed a counter-tariff plan on U.S. imports totaling…

As the only FFA member to become a president of the United States, Jimmy Carter’s legacy extends far beyond his political career into the world of agriculture education and leadership. America remembers him for not only his international work for human rights and peacekeeping, but also as an advocate for farmers and rural communities across the nation. As an FFA alumnus, Carter continually supported the National FFA Organization and agricultural education as a whole, leaving a lasting mark on the FFA and the future of farming in America. Agriculture was a part of Carter’s life from the very beginning, as…