Iowa

Farm country nationwide continues to share the story of rising input costs creating burdens for producers, and perhaps lawmakers are taking notice.

Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Senate introduced legislation last week that would strike down California's animal-welfare law created as a result of Proposition 12.  The Food Security and Farm Protection Act introduced by Iowa’s senators Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst,  as well as Roger Marshall from Kansas, would prevent any state or local government from passing laws that interfere with commerce a

Senators Chuck Grassley and Deb Fischer, both from Iowa, and both Senate Ag Committee members, reintroduced the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025.  The legislation is currently the only permanent, nationwide solution to unleash the power of E15, which would fulfill the White House mandate for energy independence.  Th...

The nation's largest meatpacking company, JBS USA Food Company, will pay $4 million as part of a settlement with the U.S. Department of Labor, in connection with the company's use of child labor at meatpacking plants across the country.  DOL said last week the funds would be used to "prevent illegal child labor" and support victims of child labor nationwide while prioritizing those effor

U.S. global food aid is stalled as the Trump Administration and government efficiency chief Elon Musk look to dismantle or combine parts of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department.  And House Ag Democrats contend that roughly $340 million dollars in U.S. food a...

John Deer has laid off 75 workers at a manufacturing facility in Iowa.  The job cuts are some of the first in 2025 after the company reduced its workforce by the thousands last year in response to slowing demand.  Deere & Co. is laying off dozens of workers at a production plant in Ottumwa, IA, after struggling with tractor and equipment sales in recent months. Approximatel...

When it comes to addressing and removing weeds, growers across the Northwest and across the county could soon get some much-needed help.  Solinftec, an ag company that focused on artificial intelligence and robotics for agribusiness, is offering a new tool for farmers wanting to control weeds.  At the ...

Congress may take the only Farm Bill action politically possible this month, which is to extend the old Farm Bill yet again.   “In the Senate, we can’t reach an agreement that reflects what the House has done in a bipartisan way to make sure the next five-year farm bill reflects the inflation in agriculture that has been obvious since 2018," noted Senate Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa.   I

Earlier this week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack updated farm country in ongoing efforts to develop an H5N1 vaccine for dairy cattle.   “We have a number of companies that have been working on vaccine and one company has now presented sufficient information to the USDA to allow me to authorize what they did this week," Vilsack said.  "The fir...

A coalition of attorneys general is urging the Environmental Protection Agency to implement a new rule that would create uniform labeling requirements on pesticide products across the country. By streamlining the process and preempting misbranding in states like California, the rule would lift the burdens currently placed on farmers across the country...