A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
New Report Highlights the Impact a Loss of Glyphosate Could Have on Farm Bill Programs | |
A new report, Farm Bill Programs and the Role of Crop Protection Tools, identifies significant impacts on the farm bill and federal agricultural policy if U.S. farmers lost access to glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide. The commodities, conservation, nutrition, and crop insurance titles are among the key farm bill provisions potentially affected. Using open-source research and economic modeling, the analysis shows that disruptions to glyphosate availability would have costly consequences for farmers, consumers, and the environment.
Key takeaways from the report include:
- Food inflation could surge by 2.4 times based on 2025 forecasts.
- Farmers could lose $2.89 billion in annual net farm income.
- Nutrition program outlays for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could increase by $7.1 billion over the life of a 2025-2029 Farm Bill.
- Crop insurance costs may increase by $2.946 billion over the life of a 2025-2029 Farm Bill.
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CO2 emissions would likely rise by 33.72 million additional tons every year.
- The 2018 Farm Bill’s $632 million investment in cover cropping would be undermined, reversing two decades of conservation gains in carbon capture, sediment loss, and nutrient runoff reduction.
Talking points, the full report, and additional resources are available at https://report-directionsgroup.com/.
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Election Results Set Stage for 2025 Legislative Session | |
Last week’s election showed strong results for candidates who received support from the Agribusiness Political Action Committee (PAC):
- 61 of 63 candidates won
- 38 of 38 House candidates won
- 23 of 25 Senate candidates won
In total, Republicans expanded their majorities and are set to enter the 2025 legislative session with a 67-33 majority in the Iowa House and a 35-15 advantage in the Iowa Senate. Jack Whitver will continue to serve as Senate Majority Leader and Pat Grassley will continue to serve as Speaker of the House.
The AAI legislative committee will meet on Dec. 4 to finalize legislative priorities for the 2025 legislative session.
Thanks to everyone who made personal investments in the Agribusiness PAC. You can help replenish the Agribusiness PAC by making a contribution online.
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Governor Extends Harvest Proclamation | |
On Nov. 8, Governor Kim Reynolds signed an extension of the proclamation relating to the weight limits and transportation of grain, animal feedstocks, fertilizer, and manure.
The proclamation is effective immediately and continues through December 8, 2024. The proclamation allows vehicles transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit for the duration of this proclamation.
This proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code § 321.463 (6) (b), by more than 12.5 percent, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.
Full Harvest Proclamation
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EARLY REGISTRATION - SAVE $75 | |
Register for Two Days Of Insightful Speakers, Industry Leaders, and In-Person Interactions With Hundreds Of Agribusiness Professionals | |
All attendee, exhibitor, and sponsor information can be found at
AgribizShowcase.com
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Questions?
If you have any questions or need any additional information, email agribizshowcase@agribiz.org, or call the AAI Main Office - 515.262.8323.
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Thank You For Your Membership! | |
As a member of AAI, you support the industry that is Creating Opportunities In Ag. Thank you for your membership and your commitment to the success of agribusiness in Iowa.
The following companies have recently joined or renewed their membership for the 2025 Membership Year.
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- Amvac Chemical
- Bunkers Feed & Supply
- Cogdill Farm Supply
- Radcliffe Coop
- FAC - Farmers Cooperative Elevator Company
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- Helena Agri-Enterprises LLC
- Interstate Grain Service
- Premier Crop Systems LLC
- Quad Commodities Marketing
- Stueve Construction LLC
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Not currently a member? Send us an email so we can follow up with your company and help you get connected to AAI. | |
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Member and Industry Visits
Visit by: Julie Kenney, AAI CEO
Visit by: Julie Kenney, AAI CEO
- Iowa State University Research Park
Visit by: Julie Kenney, AAI CEO & Heath DeYoung, AAI Membership Director
- United Services Association
Visit by: Julie Kenney, AAI CEO & Heath DeYoung, AAI Membership Director
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November 28-29
AAI Main Office Closed
Thanksgiving Holiday
December 4
AAI Legislative Committee Meeting
10:00 AM - AAI Main Office Board Room
December 12
AAI Board of Directors Meeting
10:00 AM - AAI Main Office Board Room
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New Pesticide Mitigations, Labels, and Bulletins (Oh My!) - North Central IPM Center Pests and Progress Webinar | |
New Pesticide Mitigations, Labels, and Bulletins (Oh My!)
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 | 12:30 PM CST
Speaker: Dr. Gretchen Paluch, Pesticide Bureau Chief at Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
Webinar Registration
Dr. Paluch will share the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) goals and progress related to protecting ESA-listed species, including the EPA’s workplan, Herbicide Strategy, and Vulnerable Species Plan. The EPA is also working on additional strategies for insecticides and rodenticides. All of these documents have come about very quickly, and it’s helpful to understand how they relate to and support the new rules related to pesticide applications.
In addition, Dr. Paluch will also talk about changes that landowners can make so that pesticides can continue being used to manage pests. She will talk about the Mitigation Menu that is available from the EPA, the importance of making use of the Bulletins Live! Two website, and how to keep up on continuing changes. Landowners are likely going to need support interpreting the new practices and mitigations. This webinar will help you prepare to answer their questions.
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The paraquat training module is now live on Syngenta’s website. It is available at:
Paraquat Training
Links from Gramoxone 2.0 and 3.0 pages have been updated along with the EPA paraquat page.
- There is no charge for the training and is open to everyone.
- There is an English and Spanish version for the training.
- There is a one time registration form requiring name, email address, state, and pesticide application license number.
- An automatic renewal email will be sent out to remind users when their three (3) year recertification renewal is due.
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Source: Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Results from the annual Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council crop survey show Iowa farmers planted more than 3.8 million acres of cover crops in the 2023 crop year.
INREC initiated the yearly survey in 2017 as part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy to track tillage practices, crop rotations and nitrogen, phosphorus and manure fertilizer applications. These practices can reduce the amount of nutrients, notably nitrogen and phosphorus, that run off cropland and into waterways.
Ben Gleason, the council’s executive director, said the use of cover crops has increased significantly since the non-profit started the survey.
In 2017, just 1.6 million acres of Iowa’s approximately 23 million acres of corn and soybean cropland had a cover crop planted. That amount has more than doubled in the past seven years, bringing the percentage of cropland with a cover crop to nearly 17% in 2023, according to the most recent survey results.
“That’s not a small amount,” Gleason said.
Cover cropping is a practice of seeding a crop such as cereal rye, oats, wheat, radishes or turnips into the soil between cash crop (corn and soybean) rotations to improve soil health, minimize soil erosion and in some operations, create pasture for cattle.
[...] Read Full Story
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Changing consumer preferences suggest that whole turkeys may be losing their grip as the dominant center-of-plate choice for Thanksgiving dinner. While ample turkey supplies and favorable prices leading into the holiday season indicate turkey will retain its position as the traditional protein of choice this Thanksgiving, consumer trends are making the future less certain, according to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange.
Growing demand for convenience, longer-term pressure on turkey supplies and increasing competition from beef and pork marketers may all impact the longevity of the holiday turkey.
According to the report, titled “Turkey is the Price-Savvy Protein for Thanksgiving,” a downward trend in U.S. turkey supplies, coupled with changing traditions and consumer openness to other animal protein options, could trigger a longer-term decline in holiday turkey sales.
[...] Read Full Story
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Source: Iowa Public Radio
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Farmers are increasingly relying on off-farm jobs to supplement their farm income.
Only 37% of farmers held a primary job off the farm in 1974. Today, roughly 84% of family farmers rely on other jobs to support their livelihoods, according to a 2023 USDA study.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has said the increasing dependence on off-farm income is causing more small farms to sell, and the trend contributes to further farm consolidation.
Between 2017 and 2022, more than 140,000 farms closed down — most of which were from the smallest income category.
“The question I think we ask ourselves is simply, why is it that the farm family has to work multiple jobs?” Vilsack said at an August press conference. “Why can't the farm work harder and generate more farm income?”
[...] Read Full Story
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With global temperatures on the rise, agricultural practices must adapt to new challenges. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of droughts, and some land may no longer be arable. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly difficult to feed an ever-growing population without expanding the production of fertilizer and other agrochemicals, which have a large carbon footprint that is contributing to global warming.
Now, scientists across MIT are tackling these issues from a variety of angles, including the development of plants that sound an alarm when they’re under stress and making seeds more resilient to drought. These technologies, and more yet to be devised, will be essential to feed the world’s population as the climate changes.
“After water, the first thing we need is food. In terms of priority, there is water, food, and then everything else. As we are trying to find new strategies to support a world of 10 billion people, it will require us to invent new ways of making food,” says Benedetto Marelli, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at MIT.
[...] Read Full Story
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