AAI Staff and Board of Directors would like to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving! In observance of the holiday, the office will be closed on Thursday, Nov. 23 and Friday, Nov. 24. We will resume normal business hours on Monday, Nov. 27. 

Have a safe and happy holiday!

AAI Staff

Janurary 8 - 12, 2018 | Ames, IA

The new Advanced Grain Elevator Operations Management Short Course offered by AAI and the ISU Grain Quality Initiative is full! 

With the completion of a series of acquisitions, WinField United reports progress with its plan to offer a "total agronomy solution."  WinField United, the crop inputs and insights business of Land O'Lakes, Inc., expanded its offerings in soil and tissue analysis, crop nutrients, seed, and insights capabilities. 

Back in 2012, Iowa, like other states, had a major drought. The drought resulted in lower-than-normal crop yields and a large amount of unused N in the soil. The tile lines remained dry until heavy spring rains caused leaching of nitrates in 2013, says Matt Helmers, Iowa State University professor.  

"What could farmers do to reduce the peak we saw in nitrate concentration with in-field N management? Not as much as we would like," says Helmers. Read More

by: Osceola Sentinel Tribune 

Iowa Select Farms and the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation announced the expansion of a program aimed at reducing childhood hunger in Iowa by providing access to nutritious food at home. The Power Snack program, organized and funded by both organizations, will provide thousands of families in need with $5 coupons for sliced or shaved ham and $3 coupons for a loaf of whole wheat bread.

Now in its fifth year, the Power Snack™ program will offer these coupons four times throughout the 2017-2018 school year to more than 18,000 children identified by their schools as food insecure. School-based food-assistance programs for children from low-income families greatly aid the learning process, but those same children may still suffer from food insecurity issues on weekends and holiday breaks.  Read More  

by: Marketplace

Thanksgiving dinner is cheaper this year - but you might not be feeling it.

The  American Farm Bureau Federation pegs the average cost of a Thanksgiving feast at $49.12, a five-year low. The Federation has been doing price surveys on the same list of groceries for 32 years now, tracking the average cost of a modest, traditional meal for 10. Read More