Author: staff

The U.S. Drought Monitor released its latest update on Thursday, June 19, showing widespread drought improvement across the northern and central Plains and the upper Midwest. Thanks to recent rainfall, drought-free conditions now stretch from the southern Plains to the Atlantic Coast. Map of U.S. showing drought intensity. Midwest Going in to this week’s report, drought covered less than 9% of the Midwest. Rainfall helped reduce areas of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate to severe drought (D1 to D2), although not all locations saw meaningful relief. The most notable improvements were in the upper Great Lakes and western Corn Belt.…

Entries are being accepted for the World Forage Analysis Superbowl, open to all forage producers across North America. The 2025 contest, held in conjunction with World Dairy Expo, is set to award over $26,000 in cash prizes, made possible by generous award sponsors. The deadline to submit corn silage samples is July 10, while all other entries must be submitted by August 21. The $40 entry fee provides entry into the contest along with a detailed sample analysis that is sent to entrants after judging is complete. Entry forms are available at www.foragesuperbowl.org or by contacting any of the following sponsors.…

It has been just over two months since the Trump Administration put a 90-day pause on the  “Liberation Day” reciprocal tariffs that were set to be imposed on every U.S. trade partner. Since the pause in early April, there have been trade deals officially announced by the administration with just two trade partners — the United Kingdom and China — despite reports of discussions with a number of nations.  Less than a month remains until the 90-day pause is slated to end on July 8. Iowa State University economist Chad Hart provided insight on how the uncertainty ahead is impacting…

AGDAILY Reporters · June 20, 2025 Recognizing the hardships many communities are facing, Illinois Milk Producers Association donated 24,000 pounds of milk, including lactose-free, to three local food banks. “Many families continue to struggle with food insecurity amid high prices at the grocery store,” said Don Mackinson, IMPA president. “Everyone deserves access to fresh, nutritious food, which is why Illinois dairy farmers have come together to once again donate milk to local food banks supporting our communities.” IMPA donated a combined 48,250 servings to River Bend Food Bank in Galesburg, Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva, Central Illinois Foodbank in…

By Cami Koons The Iowa House of Representatives Tuesday secured the necessary two-thirds majority on a petition calling for a special session to override the governor’s veto of a bill pertaining to eminent domain and carbon sequestration pipelines.  Seventy representatives signed the petition in favor of returning to the state Capitol to override the veto on House File 639, but two-thirds of the Senate will also have to sign on for a special session to be called.  House Speaker Pat Grassley called for the petition immediately following Gov. Kim Reynolds’ veto of HF 639, which would have restricted the use of eminent…

IHC engineers had been laboring to create a dependable hydraulic hydrostatic (hydrostat) transmission since the mid-1950s. And for a short time, they even tried out a General Motors heavy-duty, 4-speed Hydramatic transmission that combined the hydraulic operation of a planetary gearbox (allowing much of the shifting to be automated) with a fluid coupling instead of a friction clutch. But those experiments proved fruitless. IHC’s devotion to the concept began when it was employed in the space-age experimental model HT-340, a gas-turbine powered tractor with a hydrostatic drive. While that tractor dazzled crowds at farm shows, it never went into production.…

Terry Kelley has been with North Carolina’s Henderson County Cooperative Extension for eight years. As the director and tree fruit and beekeeping agent, he interacts with farmers frequently. Lately, the conversations have all carried the same theme: frustration. That’s because Henderson County farmers are still facing negative repercussions from 2024’s Hurricane Helene — eight months later. Kelley said the Henderson County Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff have been overwhelmed and understaffed. “They’re getting tons and tons of requests for disaster relief,” he said. According to the Office of State Budget and Management, Helene caused an estimated $59.6 billion in damages…

U.S. sales of tractors in all classes dropped 11.9% in May 2025 compared to May 2024, according to numbers from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM). “This continued slump of U.S. tractor and combine sales reflects broader challenges in the ag economy,” said Curt Blades, senior vice president of AEM. “High interest rates, global trade uncertainty, and increased input prices are causing farmers to delay major equipment purchases. At the same time, we’re encouraged by the strong performance in the Canadian market and remain hopeful that overall conditions will improve as the planting season progresses.” U.S. sales declined in all…

1. Grain, Soybean Trading Closed Thursday Grain and soybean trading is closed Thursday for the Juneteenth holiday.  Trading is scheduled to resume for the overnight session.  2. Ethanol Production Drops From Record High Ethanol output fell from a record high while inventories of the biofuel increased week to week, the Energy Information Administration said in a report.  Production fell to an average of 1.109 million barrels a day in the week that ended on June 13, the agency said.  That’s down from a record 1.12 million barrels a day, the highest weekly average on record, the previous week.  In the…

USDA released the latest Crop Progress report on Monday, June 16. Here’s a closer look at recent weather and the status of Iowa’s most important crops halfway through June. Weather “Strong storms swept through parts of northern Iowa last week, bringing hail that damaged some corn and soybean fields. Despite that unwelcomed severe weather, most of the state experienced a good mix of rain and seasonal temperatures that helped the crops progress,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “As summer officially arrives this week, forecasts are showing warmer-than-normal temperatures and continued chances of storms and widespread showers.” Iowa State…