Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley continues to push for reinstatement of the biodiesel tax credit. But Grassley complains that House Democrats are using the tax credit and other expired tax incentives as leverage on other tax issues, which he says is frustrating. “Tax extenders have always been bipartisan. They always proceed on a bipartisan basis,” Grassley …
Category: Ag News
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Feb 20
Listening session set for Farm Bill implementation
Farmers have an opportunity to tell USDA what is important to them when implementing the 2018 Farm Bill. The agency is holding a listening session February 26th in Washington D.C., and is also accepting written comments online. USDA is encouraging everyone to submit written comments by Friday, which is also the deadline to register to …
Feb 20
Beauty & Beast of winter
Commentary. Like many of you, I live in a centuries-old farmhouse with poorly insulated floors. We are vigilant in checking water flow from all the faucets and the bathroom stool throughout the day and night as the temperature hovers in the 5 to 10 below zero region on the thermometer. If the wind blows and …
Feb 19
Wisconsin FFA chapters use FFA Week to help an advisor
FFA chapters from northwestern Wisconsin are using National FFA Week to help one of their own. When Bloomer High School advisor DeWayne Fossum lost his home to fire last week, the schools in Wisconsin Section One started a challenge to raise money to help the family. Bloomer agriculture educator Darren Swartz tells Brownfield FFA Advisor …
Feb 19
Corn could be big winner in China trade deal
An ag economist sees corn as a big winner if the U.S. and China negotiate a new trade deal. Todd Hubbs with the University of Illinois tells Brownfield Chinese clean air policies will require huge amounts of ethanol, and the U.S. boasts the capacity to serve that market. “Even corn for grain, (China) has run …
Feb 19
CME dairy & Global Dairy Trade index up Tuesday
Milk futures were higher and cash dairy prices were mixed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Tuesday. February Class Three milk was up $.01 at $14.00. March was up $.17 at $14.71. April was up $.12 to $14.55. May was up $.07 to $14.88. The milk futures from June through next January ranged from zero to …
Feb 19
Maple takes over as president of Indiana Pork
Nick Maple is the new president of the Indiana Pork Producers Association. Maple, who is part of a family farrow-to-finish operation in Miami County, says he is looking forward to following in the footsteps of previous leaders of Indiana pork. “I’ve had great teachers to get me to this point and I want to …
Feb 19
U.S. Senate attempt to de-list gray wolves fails
Wisconsin U.S. Senators made another attempt to have the gray wolf removed from the Endangered Species List, but failed. Republican Ron Johnson and Democrat Tammy Baldwin proposed an amendment to the Natural Resources Management Act, but the amendment was defeated. The final legislation passed the U.S. Senate, but without the support of Johnson, who said …
Feb 19
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association celebrates 40th anniversary
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Lauren Ketcham, communications coordinator with OEFFA, says the organization has covered a lot of ground over the past four decades. “We really were part of the movement to create an organic label and a federal organic program,” she says. “We started with just …
Feb 19
Correlation between dairy testing and farm income
A Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) manager in southeast Minnesota sees a correlation between on-farm research and income. Murl Niebuhr is based at the Zumbrota DHIA laboratory. “It’s interesting, sometimes when the farm economy starts to go south, dairymen tend to test more to get rid of those cows.” DHIA labs take milk samples, test …