News Archives
Dairy producers can enroll for 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage beginning Feb. 28
Starting next Wednesday, dairy producers will be able to enroll for 2024 Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC), an important safety net program offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. This year’s DMC signup begins Feb. 28, 2024, and ends April 29, 2024. For those who sign up for 2024 DMC coverage, payments may begin as soon as March 4, 2024, for any payments that triggered in January 2024.

Wyffels Hybrids levels up on quality assurance
Wyffels Hybrids completed their Atkinson Production Facility expansion and modernization project with a new Quality Assurance (QA) Lab. After ten years of consecutive sales growth, Wyffels Hybrids is expanding capabilities and increasing efficiencies for everything from production to distribution. The new QA Lab is a key part of the process.

How low will January placements go in Feb. 1 USDA Cattle on Feed Report?
Friday's Feb. 1 Cattle on Feed report is going to be one that the industry quickly searches for, as everyone wants to know just how low the placements were in January.

Biden admin approves year-round E15 with 2025 start date
The U.S. EPA has finalized a rule allowing the year-round sale of E15 fuel blends in eight Midwestern states.

USDA Equity Commission report calls for farm program reforms
USDA's Equity Commission issued a final report Thursday that includes a recommendation for reforms to commodity programs to address “historical inequities and discrimination” in the way farm subsidies are distributed.

ASA survey paints harsh reality of ESA herbicide strategy on soy farmers
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed pesticide registration plans to meet its Endangered Species Act obligations that could significantly affect farmers’ livelihoods.

Farmers ask for stability in milk prices
The American Farm Bureau Federation and National Farmers Union sent a letter today requesting that USDA bring stability to Class I milk prices.

Ag trade leader says reducing biofuel tariffs a challenge
The chief ag negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says there have been some challenges reducing tariffs as work continues to improve global market access for U.S. biofuels.

States gear up to push out historic infusion of broadband funding
Internet service providers will soon be competing to provide high-speed, broadband internet service to the most remote and hard-to-reach areas in the country.

El Nino winter ending like it began -- warm
Cold air has been hard to come by for the U.S. this winter. Thanks to a very strong El Nino that has had a persistent influence on our winter pattern, temperatures have been record breaking in many ways.

Grassley, Tester urge fellow senators to stand up for family farmers & ranchers in FY24 appropriations
U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.), both farmers and members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, sent a letter to colleagues urging them to oppose efforts to weaken the Packers and Stockyards Act in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

Growth Energy: Proposed California LCFS updates leave biofuels behind
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, submitted comments today to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) regarding the board’s proposed changes to California’s low-carbon fuel standard (LCFS).

Vilsack: year-round E15 expected in 2025
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s confident year-round E15 is coming in 2025 and waivers should be granted to allow E15 for the upcoming summer driving season.

Biden-Harris Administration announces $500 million to confront the wildfire crisis
On Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Biden-Harris Administration is investing nearly $500 million from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to expand work on the USDA Forest Service’s Wildfire Crisis Strategy to reduce risk to communities, critical infrastructure and natural resources from the nation’s ongoing wildfire crisis, which is exacerbated by climate change.

Ag Outlook 2024: Protests by 'fed up' EU farmers put focus on regs
A European policymaker and senior congressman debated ag policy during USDA's Ag Outlook Forum, and a top ag economist opined that farmers are in position to handle the downturn in commodity prices, for this year at least.

Most fertilizer prices now higher
For the first time in several months, more retail fertilizer prices were higher than lower than the previous month, according to sellers surveyed by DTN.

Life cycle assessment shows U.S. soy's carbon footprint has considerably decreased
A newly released Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) found the U.S. soybean industry’s global warming potential (GWP) profile decreased considerably in 2021 for whole soybeans, soybean meal, and soy oil compared to previously reported findings in 2015 and 2010.

Meyer: Consumer demand could swing economic projections
USDA Chief Economist Seth Meyer says farmers face uncertainty about demand from both U.S. consumers and China as they head into planting season.

Nebraska Congressman frustrated by length of Mexico GM corn dispute
The chair of the U.S. House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade is frustrated by how long the dispute process over Mexico’s GM corn ban is taking.

Climate change study calls for more variety in Kansas crop mix
Future crops in Kansas will have to include more drought-tolerant grains like those of sub-Saharan Africa to adapt to climate change. That's the bottom line of a recent study done by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Pivot Bio growers receive $6M+ since FY2022 for improved nitrogen management
Pivot Bio, a leading sustainable agriculture company, today announced that its sustainability program, N-OVATOR™, has paid over $6 million to growers for implementing better nitrogen management practices since its launch in 2022. N-OVATOR™ provides prompt, annual payments to growers and is the first insetting program to focus on nitrous oxide emissions.

4 Ways to Celebrate FFA Week
Every February, we're encouraged to come together to celebrate and support our local FFA chapters during National FFA Week. This year, from February 17th-24th, you can join in on the fun and help make a difference!

Vilsack asks pointed questions in face of farm decline
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack challenged attendees of this morning’s USDA Ag Outlook Forum to consider the consequences of fewer U.S. farms.

Mahindra launches new compact, subcompact tractors at National Farm Machinery
Mahindra introduced a pair of new tractors this week at the National Farm Machinery Show -- subcompact, 1100 models with 20- to 26-horsepower engines and compact, 2100 models, mounting 23-26 hp engines.

USDA projects lower crop prices as input costs remain 'sticky'
USDA is forecasting lower prices for most major crops this year as input costs remain elevated and farmers face growing export competition.

Growth Energy applauds lawmakers for supporting GREET model in latest letter to administration
Growth Energy, the nation’s largest biofuel trade association, commended a large bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers today for urging the Biden administration to finalize its revisions to the Department of Energy’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Technologies (GREET) model.

Ernst fights for farm families cut out of college aid
Considering the Department of Education’s (Ed) failure to provide farm families with transparency surrounding Ed’s botched rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is leading 13 colleagues in demanding answers for agricultural communities.

USDA sees growing supplies, lower prices in first look at 2024-25 crops
USDA sees farmers planting 91 million acres (ma) of corn, 87.5 ma of soybeans and 47 ma of wheat in 2024, according to a Commodity Outlook report released in conjunction with the USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum.


