A special investigation by the state auditor’s office has identified conflicts of interest and a lack of documentation for how the City of Hamburg spent some of its flood recovery money. State Auditor Rob Sand said the investigation found family members of a Hamburg City Council member and a city employee may have unfairly benefitted […] View Full Story
A specialist who covers farmland values across the U.S. suggests there are several unsteady states in an otherwise steady market. Ronnie Richardson with National Land Realty tells Brownfield one outlier is California. “People talk about leaving California, well that’s not going to affect the agriculture prices in California just because people are moving out. But […] The post Farmland value outliers appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story
University of Iowa Health Care is looking for volunteers to take part in a national study of a drug that shows promise in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Del Miller, the UI’s principal investigator for the study, says they’re looking for people between the ages of 50 and 89 who are just starting to […] View Full Story
Directors of state departments of agriculture are working to ensure policies are beneficial to America’s farmers and ranchers. Current NASDA president, Oklahoma Ag Secretary Blayne Arthur, says getting a farm bill completed is at the top of the association’s list. “NASDA has certainly engaged over really the last couple of years with our priorities,” she […] The post State ag directors share policy priorities appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story
Former President Donald Trump says John Deere will face steep tariffs on machinery made in Mexico if he’s reelected. “Just notifying John Deere right now, if you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on anything you want to sell into the United States,” Trump said during a campaign event in Pennsylvania. In June, Deere […] View Full Story
A technical services representative with BASF says farmers that dealt with winter annual weed challenges this spring should consider a burndown this fall. Mike Probst, who covers the southern half of Illinois, tells Brownfield… “The folks that used a fall burned down last year, boy, you could really tell the difference.” He says, “Those fields […] The post Time for post-harvest burndown plans appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story
The federal Small Business Deduction will expire at the end of next year, and unless Congress acts, small businesses in Iowa and elsewhere will no longer be able to deduct up to 20% of what’s considered qualified income. Jeff Brabant, with the National Federation of Independent Businesses, says that deduction is a big deal, benefitting […] View Full Story
Across the Corn Belt, scattered showers and thunderstorms are causing temporary fieldwork delays but boosting soil moisture. On September 22, topsoil moisture was rated 95% very short to short in Ohio, with values of 50% or higher being reported on that date in Indiana (79%), Nebraska (61%), Illinois (56%), Michigan (55%), and Iowa (50%). On […] The post Scattered, late-season rains for the Midwest Corn Belt; fair & mild on much of the Plains appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story
A seventh generation Iowan who’s an agricultural and anti-trust research fellow at Yale University is back in Iowa this week talking about his book that’s focused on monopolies and tycoons in the food industry. Austin Frerick zeroes in on seven corporate giants which he says are “cartoonishly criminal,” raking in billions of dollars disguised as […] View Full Story
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- or above-normal temperatures nationwide, with the Southwest and the Great Lakes region having the greatest likelihood of experiencing warm weather. Meanwhile, near- or above-normal rainfall in most areas from the Mississippi River eastward should contrast with drier-than-normal conditions in northern New England and from the […] The post A gradual return ahead to mild to warm, largely drier weather for much of the Heartland appeared first on Brownfield Ag News. View Full Story
