Iowa farmers made headway planting corn, soybeans and oats early last week, but were slowed by storms that caused destruction in southwest Iowa, according to the Iowa crop progress and condition report. The report, covering April 14 through April 20, shows Iowa has 68% of oats planted, 18% of corn and 11% of soybeans. Planting […]
Iowa State University has been awarded more than $2 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to carry out six research projects that will help prevent and combat animal disease outbreaks. The Iowa awards were part of an announcement from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, or APHIS, of $15.3 million for research […]
COLFAX– As U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins toured Iowa agricultural facilities Monday, she said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is prepared to support farmers while tariffs go into place. President Donald Trump announced plans Sunday to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on countries that have their own tariffs set on U.S. products, set to officially roll […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund research projects that explore the highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry, as well as novel vaccines and therapeutics to treat the bird flu, according to a Thursday announcement. The $100 million investment is part U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ $1 billion plan to combat avian influenza and inflated […]
Iowa farmers and institutions lost an estimated $11.3 million in federal funding to support the purchase of locally raised foods, following the recent termination of two U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship notified partners Monday afternoon that agreements made under the Local Food for Schools, or LFS, program […]
Iowa’s federal delegation is calling for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide financial relief for turkey farmers impacted by the spread of avian metapneumovirus. In a letter to USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Farm Service Agency Acting Administrator Kimberly Graham Tuesday, Iowa’s U.S. senators and representatives asked for avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), also known as […]
Congress has failed to reauthorize the massive piece of bipartisan legislation, known as the Farm Bill, the past two sessions. The House committee tasked with drafting the legislation began the process anew this week, with members citing a “crisis” in the farm economy that could be alleviated with swift action. “America’s producers are the ones […]
Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Randy Feenstra, both Republicans from Iowa, introduced matching bills aimed at reducing overpayments made to recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, but Iowa advocates say the bills won’t be effective at reducing payment errors. The bills, titled Snap Back Inaccurate SNAP Payments Act, state they would “improve […]
Poultry producers who have previously had flocks infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza would have to pass a biosecurity audit to be eligible for future indemnity payments under a new rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service amended the conditions to ensure commercial poultry producers are making […]
A new law will help protect U.S. livestock from foreign animal diseases, by reinforcing a program that trains beagles and other dogs to sniff out prohibited agricultural items before they enter the country. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, co-sponsored the Beagle Brigade Act, which was introduced in 2023. Ernst said in a statement Tuesday she was […]