Pivotal Issues Blog

By: Lisa Foust Prater Wayne County, Iowa, rests on the Missouri border in the south-central part of the state. It is the sixth-least populous county in Iowa, and 85% of its acres are farmland. Visitors find the lush rolling hills and friendly residents they’d expect, but they may be surprised by its rich history and […]

By: Laurie Bedord Much fanfare accompanies programs that pay farmers to sequester green-house gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in their soils. Yet, questions linger as research casts doubt on whether the promise equals reality. “Just about everywhere we look, there are claims about carbon sequestration being akin to the holy grail […]

By: Jennifer Carrico The Beagle Brigade has been protecting American agriculture at ports of entry since 1984. Led by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agricultural specialists (USCBPAS), these dogs help detect harmful plants, pests and foreign animal diseases in luggage, carry-ons and cargo from other countries. USCBPAS’ Scheele said the dogs are selected based on […]

By: Chris Clayton Rural America is learning the hard way that more investment is needed to protect rural infrastructure from catastrophic storms. That includes Iowa, which is now coping with catastrophic damage in the northwestern part of the state following two April tornadoes that also ripped through communities. At least 28 counties have state disaster […]

By: Courtney Leeper Girgis Adam Grady was not a stranger to no-till and cover crops when he met consultant Allen Williams in the spring of 2016. He was skeptical, however. Grady, whose family has farmed on the coastal plains of eastern North Carolina since the late 1700s, had seen his father, Clegg Grady, turn to […]

By: Jennifer Carrico All that’s left of the original 1930s Queck family farmstead is a lilac bush. An EF-4 tornado destroyed the farm west of Orient on May 21. Paul and Abbey Queck had moved to the farm six years ago to continue the legacy which had been started by his parents, Steve and Dara […]

By: Alex Brown In the 1800s, the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa joined other tribes in signing a pair of treaties with the federal government, giving up massive swaths of land in return for the creation of a reservation in eastern Minnesota. The treaties included a guarantee: Tribal members would be able […]

By: Russ Quinn The hot weather is only beginning this summer in some areas, and farmers should make sure they are safe in high temperatures. Wearing lightweight clothing, taking frequent breaks in the shade and drinking plenty of water are keys to avoiding heat illnesses. Failure to heed these warnings could lead to heat stress […]

By: Natalina Sents Bausch As drought continues to intensify in North Carolina, the corn crop is shriveling up. More than 90% of the state’s crop is in fair condition, or worse, according to USDA’s Crop Progress report published July 15. Jeremy Petree has been in the crop insurance business for 15 years. “There will be […]

By: Alex Gray With autonomous tractor retrofit kits set for commercial availability in 2025, AGCO is preparing to make the next leap to the future of farming. AGCO demonstrated a number of its new and upcoming agriculture technologies at its 2024 Tech Day, including autonomous tractor upgrade kits for tillage and grain handling. The autonomous […]