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The challenges of a budget year in the General Assembly

District 16 State Representative Kendell Culp says 2025 is a budget year and Indiana agriculture will have to compete for limited resources and funding.  He tells Brownfield, “Coming from local government myself, with my background as a county commissioner in Jasper County, I think...

Cash dairy prices steady to lower Thursday

Cash dairy prices were steady to lower Thursday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.  Dry whey remains unchanged at $0.74.  No sales were recorded.  Forty-pound cheese blocks were down $0.0175 at $1.8975. Three sales were recorded at that price.  Cheese barrels were unchanged at $1.87.  No...

Midwest Meat Summit kicks off in Des Moines

The inaugural Midwest Meat Summit is underway in Des Moines. Margaret Chamas with Practical Farmers of Iowa says the event is all about making connections across the entire value chain. “People producing the live animals on the ground, all the way through the people...

Missouri invests in biofuels

A loan officer with the Missouri Agricultural and Small Business Development Authority (MASBDA) says the state is investing $3.4 million into the biofuels industry. Jacob Stoehr says it’s aimed at projects that increase the distribution and use of higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel....

Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner

Brownfield’s Mark Dorenkamp attends the Iowa Ag Leaders Dinner The post

Grassley critical of EPA over used cooking oil imports

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley is criticizing the EPA for how it verifies the integrity of used cooking oil imports. The Iowa Republican says the agency recently revealed it relies on foreign records to prove the product meets Renewable Fuel Standard requirements. “However, EPA can...

U.S. east coast, gulf port strike averted

A U.S. Meat Export Federation official says Wednesday’s tentative agreement on a new longshoreman’s contract is tremendous news for all of agriculture. Joe Schuele tells Brownfield the unions representing the dock workers agreed on a wage increase in October and worked out their other...

Agriculture is a continued bright spot for Missouri

Missouri’s Director of Agriculture says rural communities have benefited from the significant growth in the state’s agriculture business sector. Chris Chinn says she expects that to continue under Governor-elect Mike Kehoe’s administration. “But I think we’re also going to be going at a faster...

Food costs of HPAI likely underestimated

A livestock economist says the ripple effects of highly pathogenic avian influenza are just beginning to move through the food supply chain. Michigan State University’s Bill Knudson tells Brownfield, “My gut feeling is that the USDA probably is underestimating the impact of avian influenza,...

Port strike averted, but economist says automation should be embraced

A second U.S. port strike has been averted after the union representing 45,000 dockworkers on the east and Gulf Coasts struck a tentative deal Wednesday on a new six-year contract. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the key issue has been port workers fighting...

Most of Arkansas has adequate soil moisture

Arkansas started 2025 with good soil moisture levels. The USDA says recent rainfall in the state did saturate the ground and cause some flooding, but 95% of subsoil and topsoil have adequate to surplus soil moisture, most of that in the adequate category, which...