Pivotal Issues Blog

The USDA has launched a new website to centralize information about New World Screwworm. The website serves as a landing page for the latest USDA-verified information on cases and response activities. Targeted resources for a range of stakeholders — including livestock producers, veterinarians, researchers, and more — is also available. Livestock producers can find information […]

A farm outside Orange City, Iowa sold for a record $32,000 per acre at an in-person auction to start the month of December. This broke the previous record of $30,000 an acre set in November 2022, also in Sioux County. The recently sold 35.51 acre tract had a CSR2 soil rating of 94.5. The county’s […]

According to the USDA’s most recent Crop Progress report released on May 12, Illinois corn planting is running 6 percentage points behind the five-year average. Soybean planting is running 3 percentage points ahead of the five-year average, according to the report. Take a closer look at the numbers and get some first-hand perspective from agronomists […]

Wheat variety selection sets the stage for the entire crop, but there is no single “silver bullet” variety, explained Dennis Pennington, wheat specialist with Michigan State University Extension. Instead, choosing the right wheat is about balancing yield potential, disease resistance, and agronomic fit for the farm. “Yield is the number one thing to look at,” […]

Nufarm Americas Inc. has secured EPA registration for two formulations of their chlorantraniliprole insecticide products, Naxypro and Naxypro Plus, now that the active ingredient has come off patent. Chlorantraniliprole is widely known for effective, long-lasting control of lepidopteran pests, the company said in a press statement. European corn borer, armyworms, cutworms, codling moth, and pink […]

While harvesting a field of irrigated corn, Quentin Connealy noticed something unusual: The dryland corners were outyielding the acres under the pivot. “That’s where it red-flagged for me that something had happened,” said Connealy, who raises corn and soybeans in eastern Nebraska. That field, like so many others, had hidden challenges that didn’t become obvious […]

By Cami Koons U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley called for the end of countervailing duties on phosphate fertilizer during a Senate committee hearing Tuesday on competition in fertilizer and seed industries. Farmers, retailers and politicians from both sides of the aisle agreed that consolidation in the agricultural industry is making it more difficult for farmers to […]

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this week reflected improvements and deteriorations, continuing the season’s mixed pattern but ultimately showing a slight decline in overall coverage across the country. Abnormally dry or worse conditions covered 72% of the country, down from 74% last week. However, about 21% of the country was experiencing severe drought or […]

By Cami Koons Cattle at a nature preserve in eastern Iowa appear to roam the land freely — no fences or cowboys on horseback patrol their movement. Instead, these cows wear special collars that keep them from grazing beyond the boundaries their owners designate via a phone or computer. The Nature Conservancy has studied this […]