IARN — When Congress passed the latest infusion of money into COVID-19 relief, they made sure that farmers were included as small businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through the Small Business Administration. However, that added more stress to the program as it meant more people applying for aid that already had a waiting list from the first round of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, & Economic Security (CARES) Act. Read more
ASA, USB Offering #SoyHelp To Overcome Farm Stress
IARN — The American Soybean Association’s (ASA) COVID-19 Task Force conducted a survey to find out the effects of COVID-19 on soy growers, their operations, employees, and families. It is probably no surprise that stress in soy-producing states is high. ASA, their state soybean affiliates, and the United Soybean Board (USB) want to help. Read more
April: “It’s Been A Brutal Month For American Agriculture”
IARN — Another month has come and gone.
Before we head into May, we reflect on April.
“It’s been a brutal month for American agriculture,” shares Jim McCormick, branch manager of Ag Market Net. It did, however, end on a positive note, with green across the board.
“We’re seeing a nice little bounce across the board. I think a lot of it is end of the month short covering. For the month, corn lost 31-cents, beans were down 41-cents, meal was down 29-dollars, and the crush margins were down almost 29-cents,” McCormick said. Read more
Midwest Dairy Donated $500,000 To Food Banks
IARN — Midwest Dairy this week announced a $500,000 donation to food banks in the Midwest to purchase dairy products for those in need. The contributions will be spread across the ten states Midwest Dairy represents to help meet the increased demand for dairy products during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
Pork Checkoff Sending Text Alerts, Providing COVID-19 Updates
IARN — The coronavirus pandemic has evolved rapidly.
Keeping up-to-date on the latest developments is key, especially as it pertains to your farming operation.
The National Pork Board is providing text message alerts, which in turn offer producers the latest information on coronavirus. Cindy Cunningham, National Pork Board assistant vice president of communications, tells us more about this service. Read more
U.S. Livestock Sector Demands Consistency
IARN — Early signs of disruption to meat processing facilities appeared a couple weeks ago.
Only a couple plants shuttered their doors, and “the number of packing plants that had closed were relative to the number of plants,” according to Dermot Hayes, economist at Iowa State University.
The situation has since worsened, and rather quickly. Read more