IARN — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig reminds farmers and landowners who plant cover crops to apply for the state’s cover crop crop insurance discount program by Jan. 15, 2021. Applicants may be eligible for a $5 per acre discount on their spring crop insurance premiums. Farmers can sign up now for the cover crop insurance premium reduction program at apply.cleanwateriowa.org. To qualify, the cover crop acres cannot be enrolled in other state or federal cost share programs. Read more
Department of Agriculture offering Quality Loss Assistance
IARN — Agricultural producers who suffered losses, as the result of natural disasters in 2018 and 2019, may be eligible for compensation through a new federal program. Read more
NBB raises biodiesel awareness
IARN — The National Biodiesel Board continues to laud the benefits of biodiesel and renewable diesel. Read more
Farmers to Families Food Box Program renewed
IARN — The Department of Agriculture this week announced the continuation of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says USDA will purchase an additional $1.5 billion worth of food nationwide through the fifth round of the program. Set to expire at the end of 2020, the recent coronavirus aid package provided more funding for the program. In total, USDA has distributed more than 132 million food boxes in support of American farmers and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Dairy groups welcome new dietary guidelines
IARN — Newly released federal dietary guidelines will benefit dairy, even as work remains to be done, according to the National Milk Producers Federation. Miquela Hanselman, NMPF’s regulatory affairs manager, says, “Dairy is in a good place.” Read more
NFU supports higher-level ethanol blends
IARN — The National Farmers Union has several goals on the ethanol front in 2021. Read more