Statewide Iowa — (RI) — A ten-year study documents the conservation benefits of cover crops on farm fields and shows they’re a long-term tool for soil health. Read more
Agricultural Drones Could Be Grounded By Proposed FAA Rule
IABRN — We have become much more high-tech in our ability to look at our crops. Thanks to drones, we no longer have to walk all the fields. We can fly a camera over the trouble spots and get a bird’s eyes view of the field after canopy occurs. However, a proposed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule could bring many ag-use drones to the ground. Read more
New House Republican Bill Focuses On Ag Labor
IABRN — Republican lawmakers presented an agricultural guest worker bill. Read more
Weeds Present Challenge For 2020 Crop Season
IABRN — “Painful: An eloquent way to say how 2019 was perceived by farmers,” states Whitney Monin, technical agronomist with Channel Seed. Read more
Missouri River Management Bill Introduced As Runoff Forecasts Increase
(IARN) — Midwest lawmakers Thursday introduced legislation to overhaul the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ process for managing water resource projects along the lower Missouri River system. Senators from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska introduced the bill to establish a new program that would require the Corps of Engineers to implement a system-wide approach to water development projects to reduce flood risk and improve flood protection along the lower Missouri River. Read more
Senator Ernst Urges Farmers Not To Panic Over EU Trade
(IARN) — It’s the latest topic on a trade carousel that seems to keep going around in circles. First, it was our withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that left our trade future with Japan in question. Next, it was time to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and renegotiate with our neighbors to the north and south. Finally, the first shots were fired in a trade war with China. Now, we are looking at the future of trade with both the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) in a post-Brexit world. Some farmers have already told this reporter that they are watching this with a stronger microscope and a fresh memory, but one Iowa Senator is urging farmers not to worry. Read more