Ag News

ReConnecting America Through Rural Broadband

IARN — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to provide citizens access to rural broadband. The coronavirus pandemic, however, further highlights the need for greater connection.

Senator Joni Ernst says, “What I have seen through the COVID-19 pandemic is a great awakening of the United States to the needs of those living in our most rural communities.”

“There are all sorts of activities taking place online right now, even more so than what we saw before the pandemic,” Ernst said. “Whether it is connecting to classes virtually or online, our kiddos still have (an) opportunity as long as they are connected. There’s telehealth opportunities. We are seeing more, not only seniors, but everyone, engaging in telehealth, whether it’s mental health support or monthly checkups with their physician or provider.” Read more

Iowa Poultry Industry Appreciates “Consumer’s Passion For Eggs”

IARN — United State livestock producers have experienced significant losses due to backlogs in processing and restaurant closures. Unsurprisingly, poultry producers have fallen victim to such challenges.

Kevin Stiles, chief executive officer and executive director of the Iowa Poultry Association, says, “Like many in agriculture, particularly livestock agriculture, it’s a challenging time.”

“As food service shut down, that created many challenges for our Iowa egg producers. Markets went away and they were unable, in most cases, to pivot to a retail market,” Stile said. “They didn’t have the equipment, packaging, relationships, customers, and their product was not produced in a form that allowed it to be sold at retail.” Read more

Farmers Need A Base Of Support In Stressful Times

IARN — We are seeing the strains on farmers over the past few years. Sure, it seems like we talk about it enough, but it is because we cannot ignore each other’s well-being. We are not here to rehash the stressors plaguing the agriculture industry over the past few years. We are here to talk about how these stresses can be dealt with. An Iowa psychologist and farmer talks about some of the signs we can be looking for in ourselves and each other. Read more

AMS & FSA Lay Out Details Of CFAP Program

IARN — Just a few weeks ago President Trump and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced the $19 billion dollar Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). Everybody has been wondering when the $16 billion in direct aid payments were coming to farmers. Yesterday the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) held a webinar explaining what farmers will need to do. Read more

VR Technology Used To Educate Customers Of U.S. Meat Products

IARN — We have been saying for years that the world continues to get smaller. Technology is letting us connect in different ways and allows us to get our message out to a wider audience. If it was not already being more widely adopted, the pandemic has forced us to find virtual ways to connect. The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) has been using this technology even before COVID-19 to educate our customers around the globe. Read more

New Seed Brand To Replace Mycogen

IARN — The world’s largest agriculture chemical and seed company is making big changes ahead of the 2021 crop season.

Corteva Agriscience on Tuesday announced plans to retire its Mycogen brand after this year’s crop season. The company’s decision stems from conversations with farmers and retailers.

The brand will be no more, and a new brand, Brevant, will take its place. “With Brevant, the company plans to expand retailer access to Corteva’s genetic traits and technology,” according to Mike Lozier, Brevant brand marketing leader. Read more