CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
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Patty Judge, the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, says it’s time for “serious” attention to water quality concerns. And she says that means agreeing to federal regulations that would restrict farm chemical run-off if nearby water is polluted.”I believe we are at a place where we are going to have to look at standards and accept that,” Judge says. Judge and her family run a cow-calf operation near Albia. She was also elected Iowa’s secretary of agriculture in 1998 and served eight years in that position. Judge says “sensible” regulations are possible to “leave cleaner water for the next generation.”
“We can write standards so that they work for family farmers, but we are going to have to be serious about cleaning up the water,” Judge says. Judge says that does not mean federal limits for EVERY farm that would limit the amount of manure, fertilizer and insecticide that can be applied. But she says it does mean allowing regulations if nearby lakes, rivers and streams have badly elevated levels of run-off.
“I think the days of looking at voluntary compliance are probably very short now and we are at a point where we will have to have some standards and regulations,” Judge says. “Our job as legislators is to make sure those are realistic, are something that farms can comply with and still farm and I believe we can do that.” Judge made her comments today (Friday) during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight on Iowa Public Television.
(Radio Iowa)
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Friends of an Iowa farmer who died in July have come together to help with his final harvest. The Daily Nonpareil reports 59-year-old LaVerne Burck died after being diagnosed with lung cancer, leaving his daughter Jessica about 1,300 acres in Pottawattamie County.
About 30 of LaVerne’s friends and members of the farming community teamed up to harvest the field, and some donated equipment for the job. A few area businesses provided fuel for equipment.
The group started their work on Sept. 8 harvesting corn and soybeans on the farm, which has been in the family since the 1870s, and the harvest is nearly complete.
The grassland/field fire Danger rating will remain HIGH in Shelby County, until further notice. Emergency Management Coordindator Bob Seivert said Thursday (today), while some rain has fallen and more is likely, the amount of crops and vegetation in the fields is significant, and those elements can dry out in a matter of hours, creating a potential fast burning situation.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Agriculture cooperatives posted record profits last year highlighting the business model the U.S. Department of Agriculture says provides more than 2 million jobs. The USDA says in a report Tuesday net income for the nation’s 29,000 cooperatives rose in 2015 by 14 percent to a record $7 billion.
Cooperatives have been set up by dairy farmers, fruit and vegetable growers and livestock producers among others. They’re often designed to allow farmers to own and control product marketing and share in the profits.
Iowa is first with 15 of the top 100 cooperatives ranked by revenue followed by Minnesota and Nebraska. The three largest cooperatives are CHS Inc., a Minnesota-based fuel, grain and food cooperative; Missouri-based Dairy Farmers of America and Minnesota-based Land O’Lakes, a dairy foods and farm supply co-op.
U.S. Republican Senator Joni Ernst will be in Atlantic Wednesday afternoon for a roundtable discussion with cattle producers about the issues affecting cattle feeders, and the agriculture industry as a whole. The event takes place at the Rock Island Depot (102 Chestnut Street), beginning at 12:30-p.m., and is open to the public.
Sen. Ernst says “Our Iowa cattle producers play a vital role in our state economy and help to feed the world. This roundtable provides a great opportunity to discuss the many issues facing our cattle producers, and the ways in which we can ensure continued growth, stable markets and expanded trade opportunities for the industry.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Harvest is underway with 21 percent of soybeans and 10 percent of the corn crop already completed in Iowa. That’s a day behind last year’s progress at this time. Rain likely has something to do with it.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop status report released Monday indicates weather was favorable for farmers but there were reports of muddy conditions and standing water in some fields from earlier storms. Iowa Corn and soybeans are rated at 81 percent good to excellent.
It was nearly ideal for harvest in Nebraska where farmers reported 15 percent of corn harvested, behind the five-year average and 27 percent of soybeans in bins, right at average. The USDA reports 73 percent of Nebraska corn and 78 percent of soybeans are rated good to excellent.
Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert said today (Monday), the Fire Danger Index in the County will be “High” this week (10/3-6), due to the dry harvest conditions. Seivert says that means extra precautions should be taken when planning an open burn.
The next update on the County Fire Danger Index will be on Thursday. 
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