Iowa

Record-Breaking Sale: Iowa Farmland Sets New High for State at $32,000 Per Acre

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:18:23 GMT

An Iowa farmland auction in Sioux County, just outside Orange City, is resetting the top of the market. A 35.5-acre tract sold on Dec. 1 for $32,000 per acre, and Jim Rothermich of Iowa Appraisal says it’s the highest auction price he has recorded in the state.

“It is a 35-and-a-half-acre tract that goes for $32,000 an acre,” Rothermich says. “As far as my data goes, I keep track of all the land auctions in Iowa, that’s the highest. It set a new record yesterday in Iowa.”

He says the previous record was $30,000 per acre, also in Sioux County, set in November 2022, and he’s quick to point out that while Sioux County regularly posts some of Iowa’s biggest numbers, this one still stands apart.

“ The last record is $30,000 an acre , and that is in Sioux County also back in Nov. 11, 2022,” Rothermich says. “So it’s not unusual to see those huge prices in Sioux County. It’s a heavy livestock and dairy county. They need those acres to apply animal waste, and they need the corn production to feed those animals. So it’s not unusual to see that, but that is definitely a high price — no doubt about it.”

A Farmer Bought the Land, Not an Investor

At a time when producers are watching margins and questioning who is really driving top-end land prices, Rothermich says this record isn’t attributed to a Wall Street fund or an out-of-state investor. According to the auctioneer, the winning bidder is a farmer, and the land is positioned to fit directly into an existing local operation.

“According to the auctioneer, it is a farmer buyer,” Rothermich says. “And the highest and best use of this farm is to raise corn and soybeans. I understand it is an adjoining landowner, and there again, it’s a heavy livestock area and dairy area. There’s some large dairies just right around there, and they’re going to use that land.”

No Comment......SOLD! SOLD! SOLD! $1.13+ million or $32,000/acre; purchased by local farmer to produce corn/soybeans. pic.twitter.com/hMeCFJjvjx
— Jim Rothermich, MAI, ARA, ALC (@theLandTalker) December 1, 2025

That adjoining landowner angle matters in competitive auctions, where neighbor value — operational fit, access and scale — can turn into aggressive bidding when a tract comes up for sale.

According to a local source, that dynamic played out in this sale and helped drive the final price higher. The source told Farm Journal the winning bidder operates a large Holstein dairy heifer replacement business, and the tract for sale was located near their existing operation. But competition for the land, and the reason the price went so high, is there was a bidding war with another farmer whose property borders the 35.5-acre parcel, pushing the price well above expectations.

Investor Pressure is Still Real, Amplifying the Top End of Farmland Prices

Rothermich says he can’t say for certain whether investor bids help push the Dec. 1 price to a record. But across Iowa, he says auctioneers describe a consistent trend: Investors, often with local ties, are showing up and competing hard, sometimes forcing farmers to dig deeper for high-quality acres.

“I don’t know if that is the case [in this auction],” he says. “But just visiting with different auctioneers across the state, they’re telling me these investors with local ties, they’re in the market, and they’re pushing these farmers to buy land. Some of those investors are getting them bought, but those local farmers on high-quality land are competing with those guys, and it’s making a difference on high quality.”

In other words, even when a farmer has the winning bid, the bidding atmosphere can still be shaped by investor presence particularly on ground that fits the region’s strongest operations.

Not many $30,000+ sales, but Plenty of Big Numbers in Iowa and Surrounding States

Rothermich says he doesn’t see other Iowa auction results above $30,000 per acre so far this year, but he does track multiple sales above $20,000, including county records.

“I haven’t seen anything over $30,000 this year,” he says. “Now we have several over $20,000 an acre. As a matter of fact, in Mitchell County on Sept. 10 of this year, there is a short 80-acre tract that brings $24,400 an acre, and that is a new price record for that county.”

And Iowa isn’t alone. Rothermich says he’s collecting late-year auction results around the region that show strength continuing across multiple Corn Belt states.

“It’s not just Iowa; we’re seeing these strong prices,” he says. “South Dakota has one farm sell for $18,200 an acre. One in Illinois is $20,150 an acre; I’ve seen several over $20,000 in Illinois. Missouri: $20,000 an acre. Minnesota: a couple tracts bring $17,000 an acre. So it’s not just an Iowa thing; it’s around the surrounding states of Iowa.”

Tight Margins, Strong Land Values Comes as a Surprise

Even with improved commodity prices compared to last year, many producers still describe the current environment as belt-tightening territory: Inputs remain high, and margins are pressured.

That’s why Rothermich says the late-year auction strength, especially the steady stream of standout sales, is catching his attention.

“It does surprise me,” he says. “I am very surprised at the volume. November is typically our busiest month for land auctions, and I’ve been surprised every week in the month of November — some of the strong prices coming out.”

Key Divergence Between High Quality and Lower Quality Farmland

Rothermich says there’s no clearer evidence of a two-speed land market than what’s happening on the lower-quality end, where more auctions are failing to meet seller expectations.

He says he tallies 10 no-sales in Iowa in November, which he calls a high number for the month that typically dominates the auction calendar.

“One area where we are seeing some weakness is the lower quality farms,” he says. “Those are being affected; there’s no doubt about that. And as I say, I keep track of all the land auctions in Iowa; there are 10 no-sales in November. That’s a high number for no sales in a month. So there’s no doubt lower quality farms are being affected.”

When asked directly whether the Dec. 1 record sale signals a widening gap between premium and marginal ground, Rothermich says absolutely.

“The people that have the money to buy that high-quality ground, they’re going after it. There’s no doubt about it,” he adds.

And when it comes to why lower quality farms are more likely to stall at auction, he says the buyer pool changes, especially the presence (or absence) of investors.

“They’re on those lower quality farms,” he says. “You don’t have those local investors competing with the local farmers on that. So those local farmers are kind of driving that market on that, and they’re definitely pulling back. There’s no doubt about it.”

He ties that pullback directly to economic pressure with the weaker performance in some land values a sign of current economic stress.

What to Watch Over the Next Six Months

Rothermich describes today’s auction environment as a market with two tails: a premium segment with strong competition and a lower-quality segment facing resistance. That split makes the overall market feel uneven, even when the headlines are bullish.

“It’s kind of got two tails right now,” he says. “The high quality is selling very good, and the low quality is being affected by the current economy. So it’s kind of a choppy market. That’s how I’d describe it right now.”

Still, he says two fundamentals support stability over the next six months: lower auction volume, which tends to firm prices, and grain prices higher than last year.

“Looking at the number of auctions for November, December, we’re going to be down for the year,” he says. “And that’s been a three-year trend. Lower auction volume is supportive to prices. So as I look at current grain prices, we’re higher than we were last year. So with those two fundamentals, it’s signaling we’re probably going to have a stable market the next six months.”

He adds that good yields, though not necessarily record yield, also help underpin buyer confidence in the near term.

“The lower volume of sales, good harvest … yields are good but not as good as last year,” he says. “Grain prices are higher than they were last year, and we still have buyers out there wanting to get their hands on some high-quality farm ground.”

The $32,000-per-acre Sioux County auction isn’t just a number; it’s a marker of how aggressively buyers are pursuing top-end Iowa farmland, particularly in regions where acres fit into livestock- and dairy-driven demand. The fact Rothermich says the buyer is a farmer adjoining the tract reinforces that operational value is still a powerful force.

At the same time, the record sale lands in a market that’s increasingly divided: Premium farms draw competition while lower-quality farms see more no-sales, signaling that economic pressure is shaping buyer behavior — just not evenly across all acres.

Southern Rust Set To Take Big Bite Out Of Midwest Corn Crop?

Thu, 28 Aug 2025 14:17:28 GMT

If one picture is worth a thousand words, then the video Iowa farmer Dan Striegel shot last week must be worth thousands more. In the video, Striegel is shown harvesting a field of emerald-green corn enveloped in a cloud of orangish-red southern rust.

“We were just getting that field opened up, and I looked over and saw that dust boiling up out of the chopper, so I shot the video,” Striegel says.

Southern Rust? Never heard of her.
What Cheer, Iowa. USA. #pftour25 #harvest25 pic.twitter.com/tiIsUc2CHl
— Dan Striegel (@djsinseia) August 21, 2025

To date, Striegel’s video has garnered more than 48,000 views on X, formerly Twitter.

“We’re in southeast Iowa, Keokuk County, and I think the southern rust is as bad here as it is anywhere,” Striegel adds. “Every field you walk in, if you’re wearing a white T-shirt, you’ll come out of there red.”

A Red Path Of Disease Mars The Midwest

Expect to see more red T-shirt-clad farmers walking out of cornfields across the upper Midwest, based on what the Crop Protection Network (CPN) southern rust map is showing.

The CPN continually updates its online, interactive map showing the counties by state where southern rust infections are confirmed. Now, in late August, the counties look like red steppingstones. They form a checkered path from southwest Michigan through northern Illinois and Indiana, into southern Wisconsin, across all of Iowa and nearly two-thirds of the way across Nebraska. Eastern South Dakota is also lit up with a string of red counties, as are parts of southern to central Minnesota.

The amount of southern rust present in the upper Midwest is worrisome to Ken Ferrie, Farm Journal Field Agronomist. In severe cases, the disease can wipe out 45% of the yield potential in a field, according to the CPN.

“At most, one in 10 growers in northern Iowa and Minnesota have seen the kind of southern rust some of them are seeing this year,” says Ferrie, who was working last week with corn growers in both states.

“It was a problem in probably eight out of every 10 fields I was in, and they’d all been sprayed at least once,” he says. “Minnesota has a corn crop that’ll knock your socks off – yield potential of 250, 270. I encouraged every grower to spray their field a second time except for two fields. One had been knocked down by hail, and the other had a hybrid that was clean.”

I spoke with a good friend of mine from Iowa yesterday that is an agronomist and farmer. He said the southern rust in corn across Iowa and much of the Midwest will take 9 to 12 bushel/acre off corn yields on average from what his team and himself are seeing. pic.twitter.com/Ad1VJ9oQBg
— Captain Cornelius1 (@ISU145) August 26, 2025

Hybrids Have Little To No Resistance To Southern Rust

A combination of early-season moisture, heat and wind formed the perfect storm for southern rust this season, allowing the disease-causing fungal spores (Puccinia polysora) to move from southern climes up to the Midwest, according to Kurt Maertens, BASF technical service representative for eastern Iowa and western Illinois.

“We’ve seen it all – southern rust, tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, gray leaf spot. Our corn has been inundated with all these fungal diseases, and we started seeing them early,” says Maertens.

If there’s a silver lining to southern rust, it’s that it does not overwinter in corn residue like tar spot does. But like tar spot, southern rust takes advantage of hybrids that have no built-in resistance. For many growers, that was an Achilles heel this season.

“When you’re dealing with a 117-day hybrid like they grow in southern Illinois, Tennessee, and Kentucky, you don’t grow corn that doesn’t have good southern rust resistance, because they deal with it every year,” Ferrie notes. “When you move to Minnesota, and you’re planting 102- to 95-day corn, you’re probably not going to find hybrids with southern rust resistance.”

Striegel says that was true for his neighbor’s cornfield, which he custom chopped for silage. “That field had two hybrids in it, one was worse than the other, and the field had been sprayed with a fungicide,” he says.

He adds that he also sprayed his own cornfields with fungicide, but they are still inundated with southern rust.

“We’ve had southern rust before, and it’s not usually something we have to worry about, but this is really bad,” Striegel says. “I’m standing on my deck looking at the cornfield next to my house, and you know, all of the leaves from the ears down in that field are covered with it.”

Southern rust is real in eastern Nebraska. Fungicide 3 weeks ago, 2nd app today with some potassium acetate pic.twitter.com/WZubU6IBwz
— Trent Mastny (@TrentMastny) August 21, 2025

How Late Is A Fungicide Application Still Worthwhile?

Ferrie says the fields he scouted last week were at late R3 to early R4 and had already been sprayed with fungicide at least once, but the disease was rebuilding.

“Any field where farmers had sprayed two weeks previously, the southern rust and northern corn leaf blight, to a lesser degree, were coming back, especially the southern rust. It was resporating,” he says.

The intense disease pressure from southern rust, tar spot and others have kept fungicide use at high levels this season, despite poor commodity prices.

“Because of that [amount of disease pressure], we have seen increased demand for our fungicides this year,” says Maertens, who encouraged customers to get applications made at the beginning of tassel.

Maertens says he has fielded a lot of questions this summer from farmers, asking how late they could go with a fungicide application and still benefit.

“Our recommendation is to get in front of disease,” he says. “Generally, we stop applications before we get to dent (R5). That’s not to say a later application can’t have some benefit, but our best results have been before infection was able to take place.”

Southern rust is a yield enemy farmers routinely face in the Southeast, reports corn yield champion Randy Dowdy, Valdosta, Ga. He participated in the Pro Farmer Crop Tour last week and said on U.S. Farm Report he believes many Midwest farmers still have time to address disease.

“We need to implore the fungicides, the technologies out there and get after it and protect this crop, especially that crop that still has not reached dent,” he says.

Farm Journal Field Agronomist Missy Bauer likes to see farmers complete their fungicide applications on the front side of dough (early R4). “Once we get to early dent, I think it’s a little more challenging to get the payback consistently, though we’ve applied at early dent (R5), and seen a nice response,” says Bauer, who is based in south-central Michigan.

Under the tough disease pressure farmers are facing this year, Bauer is telling growers to scout fields and evaluate what growth stage their crop is in before they walk away or pull the fungicide trigger one last time.

She adds that farmers need to check the label to make sure the product used is able to address southern rust effectively. She describes these as “Cadillac” products containing the newest chemistry.

“When it comes to some of these diseases, especially southern rust and tar spot, I do believe a little bit of a Hail Mary pass can be effective,” she says. “Will it be as effective as an application you could have made on a more timely basis? Well, no, you could have made more money doing it timely, but you’re still protecting bushels and gaining ROI at the end.”

Ferrie adds that farmers might want to do the late-season fungicide application to keep their corn crop standing until they can put their harvest plan in place.

“Be doing the push test to check stalk quality,” he advises.

Southern Rust/Silage Alert!!

Southern Rust has been aggressively advancing in many fields, especially those without a fungicide treatment. In some situations the plants are shutting down prematurely and plant material is senescing rapidly.

While we typically want to get down… pic.twitter.com/aK3hGgZE19
— Pioneer Troy (@deutmeyer_troy) August 26, 2025

Striegel says some of the farmers around him are heading to fields to harvest their silage corn sooner than later, because of standability concerns. “Some of this corn got planted early, and we had a lot of heat. The crop matured quickly, and the diseases are kind of shutting it down. It’s just dying out, and guys are going to go get it,” he explains.

That’s the strategy Ferrie encourages farmers to use in regular production corn, too.

“Harvest the fields most at risk first. But if a field of corn goes down, go combine the fields where the corn is still standing and come back to that one later,” he recommends.

The reasoning is you don’t want to risk more corn going down while you’re harvesting the field of corn that already has.

“While I was driving through Iowa last week, I kept thinking that if I built corn reels to pick up down corn I’d bulk up my inventory, because I know where they’re going to get used,” Ferrie says, only half joking. “Yes, harvesting corn at 25% moisture is expensive, but down corn will kick your butt.”

Your next read: Revenge Applications: Why They Don’t Work, Cost You Money and Bushels, and Are Frankly Illegal

Harvesting Legacy: The Inspiring Story of Iowa's Heinrich Family

Thu, 14 Aug 2025 12:54:38 GMT

In the heart of Maquoketa, Iowa, farm families uphold the rich traditions of their agricultural heritage while embracing innovation and community. Among them stands the Heinrich family, recipients of the esteemed Way We Live Award, sponsored by Iowa Farmer Today and WHO Radio, The Big Show. This accolade honors Iowa farm families who exemplify dedication to agriculture and embody the state’s core farm values.

A Farm Rooted in Passion and Tradition
The Heinrich family, represented by Joe and Shelley Heinrich; their daughter, Amber Selman, and her husband, Ben; as well as nephew, Troy Petersen, and his wife, Anessa, manage the robust farming operations at Peterson Cattle and Grate View Farm. On these farms, they raise beef cow/calf pairs, milk 60 Holstein and Jersey dairy cattle and cultivate corn, soybeans, alfalfa and oats.

Selman and her husband have breathed new life into the family’s dairy operation since 2019, ushering in a modernization of practices and nearly doubling milk production.

Shelley instills passion within the family, with each member playing a pivotal role in the success and growth of the farm, supported by their community. Whether managing the day-to-day operations of the dairy, overseeing crops and livestock or raising pork, beef, and lamb on ancestral land, the Heinrich family continues to embody a balance of tradition and progress.

(Heinrich Family)

Sharing Stories and Engaging Communities
The Heinrichs value sharing their stories within their community. Actively involved, they engage in everything from opening their farm for educational visits to participating in various agricultural programs. Selman’s involvement in Midwest Dairy’s DEAL program exemplifies their commitment to advocating for the industry they love.

Having left for Iowa State University, Selman did not initially envision returning to the family farm. Yet, as fate would have it, she rejoined in 2016, embracing her role with enthusiasm.

“God and fate stepped in,” she shares.

Humorously referring to herself as the “third-string quarterback” for milking, Selman primarily focuses on calf care, simultaneously managing the farm’s website and social media. Through these platforms, she educates others on their dedication to land and livestock care.
The Selman children, Ellie, Anna and Weston, also partake in farm life, growing up with their grandparents nearby — a privilege the family treasures.

“We wanted the farming goodness for our family,” Selman explains, recalling the closeness she valued growing up.

Being honored with the Way We Live Award is a humbling acknowledgment for the Heinrich family, who stand among six distinguished families awarded in 2025. The nomination —initially a surprise to Joe — reinforces their role as stewards of Iowa’s agricultural heritage. It signifies a deep-rooted connection to the community and a recognition of their continued contribution to farming excellence and education.

“We are so honored and appreciate all of the support from Midwest Dairy,” Selman says.

(Heinrich Family)

Generational Continuity and Challenges
Like any generational farm, the Heinrich family faces the challenges of ensuring a seamless transition to the next generation. As an entirely family-run operation, they are forward-thinking, ensuring opportunities in farming are available to those interested while encouraging passions outside of agriculture when desired.

“How do you continue the family farm for the next generation?” Selman ponders.

The answer lies in forward-thinking strategies, ensuring those eager to farm can do so. Despite challenges, their commitment to innovation and stewardship remains strong. As Selman notes, there’s excitement in both farming evolution and processing innovations.

“There is not only a lot of evolution and innovation on the farm with robotics and all of that. But there’s also innovation on the processor side,” she shares. “It all excites us.”

The Heinrich family’s story is not just one of farming success but of cultivating a community connection deeply embedded in agriculture, family, and faith. As they look forward to the future, they continue to inspire and be inspired by the evolving landscape of the dairy industry and the enduring spirit of farming in Iowa.

Your Next Read:
From Farm to Fame: How Iowa’s Dairy Princesses Transform Passion Into Advocacy

Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:23 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

Be Aware: Dangerous Asian Longhorned Tick Continues Migrating West

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 14:42:45 GMT

The Asian Longhorned Tick (ALHT) poses a serious threat to cattle health. ALHTs carry Theileria, which is a protozoan parasite that infects red and white blood cells. It can lead to anemia and, in some cases, death.

ALHTs are native to eastern Asia, eastern China, Japan, the Russian Far East and Korea but were introduced to Australia, New Zealand and western Pacific Islands. In other countries, it can also be called a bush tick, cattle tick or scrub tick.

In the U.S., ALHT was first detected in New Jersey in 2017. Since then, it has spread to more than 20 states with recent confirmations in Illinois , Michigan and Iowa .

According to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) ALHTs are known to carry pathogens, which can cause disease and may also cause distress to the host from their feeding in large numbers. For example, a dairy cow may have a 25% decrease in milk production after becoming a host.

A female can reproduce without a mate and lay up to 2,000 eggs at a time. This can cause great stress on a heavily infested animal and result in reduced growth and production. A severe infestation can kill the animal from excessive blood loss.

Asian longhorned tick life stages and relative actual size.

(Photos of unfed ticks by Centers for Disease Control. Photos of engorged ticks by Jim Occi, Rutgers, Center for Vector Biology.)

What does it look like?

Unfed ALHTs range from a light reddish-tan to a dark red with brown, dark markings. While the adult female grows to the size of a pea when full of blood, other stages of the tick are very small — about the size of a sesame seed.

Adult females are a grey-green with yellowish markings. Male ticks are rare.

APHIS reports it only takes a single tick to create a population in a new location.

The above photos are of a AHLT engorged (on the left) and an adult AHLT not engorged.

(New Jersey Department of Agriculture)

ALHTs need warm-blooded hosts to feed and survive. They have been found on various species of domestic animals — such as sheep, goats, dogs, cats, horses, cattle and chickens — and wildlife. The tick has also been found on people.

What are the health risks?

APHIS says ALHTs are not known to carry Lyme disease, but they can cause tickborne diseases affecting humans and animals such as:

Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Heartland virus
Powassan virus

APHIS says those diseases have not been confirmed outside of a laboratory setting in the U.S. In addition, U.S. ALHT populations can transmit U.S. Theileria orientalis Ikeda strain (Cattle theileriosis) in the laboratory.

In an Iowa State University release , Grant Dewell, Extension beef veterinarian and associate professor, says cattle affected by Theileriosis will show signs of lethargy, anemia and difficulty breathing. They may develop ventral edema, exercise intolerance, jaundice and abortions.

“Although signs of Theileriosis are similar to anaplasmosis, younger animals and calves often display more severe signs compared to mature cows and bulls,” he says. “Due to anemia from both tick infestation and Theileria, the risk of death can be elevated. If cattle producers suspect either Theileria or ALHT, have a veterinarian collect appropriate samples and submit them to a veterinary diagnostic lab.”

According to an Oklahoma State University press release , under laboratory conditions ALHT is a competent vector of numerous pathogens that can cause disease in humans, including Rickettsia rickettsii (Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever), Heartland Virus and Powassan Virus.

In “ Clinical Infectious Diseases, ” Bobbi Pritt, MD, MSC, with the division of clinical microbiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., reported a human bite that occurred in New York in 2019. She says though the report of a human bite isn’t surprising, it proves the invasive longhorned tick continues to bite hosts in its newest location.

“This is extremely worrisome for several reasons,” she writes. “One reason is Asian longhorned ticks can carry several important human pathogens, including the potentially fatal severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus and Rickettsia japonica, which cases Japanese spotted fever. While these pathogens have yet to be found in the United States, there is a risk of their future introduction.”

Also, Pritt says several other human pathogens have been detected in the ticks, but it’s not clear if the ALHT species are able to transmit them to humans. They include Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, Rickettsia, and Borrelia species. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria.

She warns the organisms are present in states where ALHTs have been found and that it’s possible the tick — known to be an aggressive biter— might be able to transmit Heartland virus given its close relationship to SFTS virus.

How to Tackle Ticks

According to APHIS, various strategies effectively mitigate tick populations on hosts and in the environment.

Regular tick treatments should be effective against ALHTs. Consult your veterinarian or agriculture extension agent about which products to use.
Check your livestock for ticks regularly.
Safely remove ticks from people and pets as quickly as possible. If you think you’ve found an ALHT, seal it in a zip-top bag and give it to your veterinarian for identification.
Habitat modifications can help prevent ticks on feedlots and pastures. This may include mowing grass, removing trees, reducing shade by thinning trees, understory removal and placing mulch barriers.
Apply acaricide using label instructions to tick habitats, such as woodland edges and grassy patches, during times when ticks are most actively seeking hosts. Although it varies by year, ALHTs are generally active from March to November. Consult your state and local regulations for approved acaricides.

“Cattle producers should aggressively control external parasites this summer,” Dewell summarizes. “Insecticide ear tags alone are not enough to control ticks. Consider incorporating a back rubber or regularly applying a pour-on during the summer. Pyrethroid-based products are also available that include a tick control label. If an increase in tick infestations is observed, an avermectin pour-on may be the best intervention.”

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No, John Deere is Not Freezing Production or Stepping Away From its U.S. Factories

Mon, 09 Jun 2025 16:48:44 GMT

An online report last week claimed John Deere is shutting down ALL manufacturing in response to the ongoing tariff situation in the U.S.

But we looked into it, and we’re here to tell you: don’t take the bait — or, as the kids say, feed the trolls — because it’s simply not true.

An article authored by Kieran Schalkwyk and titled “John Deere Freezes U.S. Manufacturing in Unprecedented Shutdown” appeared on MSN.com and was aggregated by Google News feeds last week, claiming the manufacturer is “making a radical move that some might think is ‘un-American.’”

John Deere shared the following LinkedIn post Friday afternoon. You can also visit Deere.com for more information on the company’s U.S. manufacturing presence.

The MSN.com post has since been taken down and brings up an error page:

MSN.com screenshot

(MSN.com)

It’s somewhat bewildering timing for this particular misinformation ploy.

John Deere recently put out a blog post outlining its commitment to U.S. manufacturing. The statement says John Deere will invest $20 billion into its U.S. footprint over the next decade, which includes major expansion projects in Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Today, the company has 60 manufacturing facilities in more than 16 U.S. states and employs over 30,000 American workers.

What is true is over the past 18 months, the company has been forced to lay off some employees , and it strategically slowed manufacturing at some production facilities in Iowa in response to depressed farmer demand for new tractors and combines.

Of course, John Deere is not alone navigating a treacherous global farm economy. Machinery rivals AGCO and CNH also made the tough choice to layoff factory workers over the past 12 months. CNH even completely shutdown its overseas machinery imports during the first few days of the tariff policy rollout, although that pause was only temporary.

In February, we updated our popular “Who Makes What Where” feature showing where major farm equipment is manufactured around the world.

Our analysis of John Deere’s global factory network shows that of the 60 John Deere machines relevant to U.S. farmers, 50 of them (83%) are manufactured here in North America. Of all the major farm equipment manufacturers we polled, John Deere has the largest U.S.-based manufacturing footprint other than Canadian-based Buhler Industries, which is 100% North America based.

So, it feels safe to say we can put this rumor to bed once and for all: No, John Deere is not shutting down its factories. Myth Busted. Shutdown the rumor mill.

Your Next Read - All The Details: Inside John Deere’s New F8 and F9 Forage Harvesters

Daisy Brand Breaks Ground on New $676M Iowa Facility

Fri, 23 May 2025 16:48:27 GMT

Daisy Brand has officially broken ground on a new $676 million dairy processing facility in Boone, Iowa, marking the company’s largest expansion to date. The 750,000 sq. ft. plant will focus on producing sour cream and cottage cheese, aiming to meet growing consumer demand for these products.

The facility is expected to create 255 jobs and will source milk from 43,000 cows daily, according to a local news station. State and local incentives totaling over $67 million have been awarded to support the project.

Iowa governor Kim Reynolds highlights the project’s significance locally.

“This nearly $700 million investment isn’t just a number. It represents real opportunity. It means hundreds of new jobs. It means an expanded tax base. It means new momentum for local businesses, schools and family farms,” she said.

Daisy Brand currently operates facilities in Texas, Arizona and Ohio. The Boone plant will enhance the company’s ability to serve customers in the Midwest with locally sourced milk.

“This will be our fourth manufacturing plant across the country, and it represents growth for the Daisy Brand. We’re excited to be part of the community,” said Ben Sokolosky, president of Daisy Brand.

Construction is expected to be completed by 2027, with the facility becoming fully operational by the fourth quarter of 2028.

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New Trends Are Emerging In The Farmland Market

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 22:32:57 GMT

It’s been an interesting few years for the farmland market, with inflation and interest rates largely driving trends. But this year is different as new trends are emerging in the farmland market, including lower farm income and uncertainty surrounding tariffs and trade , the farm bill and renewable fuels/energy .

“Two years ago, we really focused on interest rates. That was a pretty easy conversation. And then last year we focused on inflation, and frankly, that was a pretty easy conversation too. We knew that things would somehow eventually calm down a bit,” says Bruce Sherrick, professor and director of the TIAA Center for Farmland Research. “This year, we focused a little bit more on income. To be honest, that’s a lot tougher to predict.”

People’s Company 2024 Land Values

(Peoples Company)

Considering the combination of lower commodity prices and farm income, it makes sense that land values have softened in 2024. What might be more surprising, however, is that they haven’t declined more.

“When you look at just commodity prices alone and interest rates alone, I think a lot of folks would have anticipated that land values would probably soften more so than what a lot of the survey data and the USDA numbers are showing,” says Steve Bruere, president of Peoples Company. “So, why aren’t land values declining to the degree that maybe your spreadsheet might show that they would? The are themes such as ecosystem services, natural capital, wind and solar, carbon.”

Iowa State University’s (ISU) recent land value survey found farmland values in the state decreased 3.1%, or $369, to $11,467 per acre, and 75 of Iowa’s 99 counties showed a decrease in land values. Bruere believes the decline of land values in the state might be closer to 10% to 15%, based on transactions he’s seen, and there’s likely still farther to go.

“The markets have probably softened more than what the Iowa state survey would reflect,” he says. “I think everybody is incredibly bullish about where the land markets headed over the long haul, but in the short term, there’s some adjustments happening around commodity prices and interest rates.

This sentiment is echoed by respondents to ISU’s survey, as 58% expect a decline in values over the next year while 80% believe land values will increase over the next five years.

“This long-term confidence aligns with expectations of more stable or slightly rising corn and soybean prices, suggesting that while the short-term outlook may be challenging, the market’s foundation remains strong,” says ISU survey author Rabail Chandio.

A Regional Look

Peoples Company 2024 Returns by Region

(Peoples Company)

Looking at the farmland trends by region reveals a few interesting connections.

“When you start to look at some of the stability of returns, you can start to call out those regions where you have more diversity in crop production. The Pacific Northwest jumps out, whereas in the corn belt, you can see a bit of a tracking along some of those commodity cycles,” says Dave Muth, Peoples Company’s director of capital markets. “In 2025, you can plan on farmland across different regions and different systems needing to be looked at more independently.”

Livestock’s role in a region’s income also becomes clearer.

“In 2024, animals and livestock products exceeded, in terms of receipts, crops for the first time. This is a major change because when commodity prices go down, feed prices for livestock also go down,” Sherrick says. “This is having differential effects in supporting farmland values moving forward again.”

3 Takeaways For The Future
The Peoples Company team gives the following predictions for what to expect in the farmland market moving forward.

Land values are increasing long term, but the next year could be more unpredictable.
Record-breaking sales will likely be a bidding war between neighbors who wanted the land instead of a new trend.
Voluntarily bringing land to market just because a neighbor had a huge sale seems to be over - at least for now.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see a little bit of a pullback, but I think the pullback will still need to be precipitated by some policy or world event that is not present now,” Sherrick says. “Otherwise, I would expect it to be essentially flat. There’s a lot of folks who would like to own farmland still, so I’m not expecting a huge correction.”

Beef-on-Dairy: This Iowa Dairy's Strategic Approach for Success

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 15:00:00 GMT

The beef-on-dairy sector is booming – and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. What started as a trend more than a decade ago has quickly grown into a steady and reliable profit stream for dairy farmers across the country. Just ask Ted and Megan McAllister, part owners of McAllister Family Dairy, LLC., in New Vienna, Iowa.

Roughly six years ago, Ted and his brother, Rob, who co-owns the operation, decided to make a strategic investment in their herd’s reproductive program. Before this shift, the operation still relied heavily on herd bulls. Today, the farm utilizes 100% artificial insemination and has implemented genomic testing and Allflex activity monitors onto their 280-head herd of Holsteins and Jerseys. This significant shift in their breeding approach not only elevated their herd’s genetic potential, but also opened the door to using beef semen on some of their lower-performing cows

Betting on Beef-on-Dairy

With dairy bull calves fetching too little money to justify raising them, the McAllister’s saw using beef semen as a logical step to improve their operation’s profitability. By incorporating beef genetics, they could enhance the value of their bull calves, tapping into a more profitable beef market.

McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.

(McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.)

“But what really drove our decision to start incorporating beef semen into our breeding program was genomic testing,” Megan says. “We wanted to fully take advantage of that technology and create the best replacements possible. That meant managing our heifer inventory and not raising anything extra.”

With guidance from Dave Erf, a reproductive consultant from Zoetis, a genomic based breeding plan was put in place and today the McAllister’s use beef semen on 60% of their lactating animals and 25-30% of their heifers. This shift in their breeding strategy has made up the foundation of the farm’s current reproductive program.

Knowing Their Numbers

When the McAllister’s went all-in on beef-on-dairy, they recognized the importance of precisely managing their herd numbers. This required them to pinpoint exactly how many replacement calves were needed, determining how many first-calf heifers should join the milking herd, and calculating the ideal monthly cull rate.

“We ship our milk to Prairie Farms and operate within their base system,” Ted notes. “So, we are kind of capped on the amount of milk we can produce. That means we only need to create a few replacements each month for the herd to remain at its current size.”

Knowing they were limited on the amount of milk they could produce, the McAllister’s worked alongside Dave to create a yearly genetic audit to help give them a better snapshot of their genetic progress. Through this audit, they set targets to produce about 12 heifer calves monthly while maintaining a 30% cull rate and keeping 30% of the herd as first-calf heifers.

“We really look forward to that audit each year because it allows us to see if we are hitting our benchmarks,” Megan says. “It’s fascinating seeing those numbers and it allows us to be really picky with which animals we are choosing to make replacements from.”

In addition to tracking genetic progress, the audit and genomic results enable the team to make more precise breeding decisions. Using these insights, the McAllister’s select replacements who are expected to be the most profitable in the lactating herd. This strategy allows them to prioritize cows with strong longevity and productivity, while reserving beef semen for animals less likely to stay in the herd long-term.

“When we know an animal is going to get bred to beef, we try to pick angus beef sires that have higher fertility and better calving ease traits,” Ted adds. “We have a steady flow of elite replacements being born each month, and the beef-on-dairy calves make up the rest.”

Megan notes that no matter if the calf is a crossbred or a future replacement, every calf gets treated the same.

McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.

(McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.)

“Everything gets two feedings of colostrum before being switched to milk replacer,” she says. “We raise these calves for about 1-2 weeks then sell them at our local sale barn. We’ve been really happy with how these calves have turned out and what they are selling for.”

Adding Another Profit Line

For the McAllister’s, incorporating beef-on-dairy has been a financial game-changer for their operation. This has especially held true over the past 12-24 months as beef prices have seen a significant increase.

McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.

(McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.)

“We wouldn’t be where we are at today without these beef-on-dairy calves,” Megan says. “They’re easily our third largest source of income behind milk and cull cows. From our perspective, we have to breed cows anyway, so you might as well make more profitable calves – and it’s certainly working for us.”

Labor savings has also been a significant benefit. Raising fewer replacement heifers has reduced labor demands in the calf barn and has freed up pen space for older heifers animals.

“We only rely on a few outside people for help,” Ted notes. “Otherwise, it’s just the three of us running the ship. Having fewer calves to take care of and less overcrowded pens to manage has really helped us from a labor standpoint.”

This shift in management has allowed the McAllister’s to concentrate more on raising high-quality replacements for their future milking herd while also saving some time.

“Our time is our most valuable asset,” Megan adds. “Spending less time caring for calves has freed up some hours for other parts of our life – whether it’s focusing on a different area of the farm or having a little extra time for ourselves. That time saved is invaluable.”

A Look at the Market Ahead

McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.

(McAllister Family Dairy, LLC.)

From coast-to-coast, dairy producers like the McAllister’s have capitalized on the high prices beef-on-dairy calves have provided. And according to Dr. Woerner, animal and food science professor at Texas Tech University, these prices are likely to remain elevated for the foreseeable future.

“Beef-on-dairy calves have contributed tremendously to the bottom lines of the dairies producing them. And the good news is that the forecast looks really good for that trend to continue,” Woerner explains. “This is primarily because of the shortage in traditional beef cattle numbers. But beyond that, beef-on-dairy cattle have carved out a stable, respected place in the market, proving their value to both buyers and packers.”

With ongoing extreme drought conditions and feed shortages affecting various parts of the country, Woerner notes that the native cattle herd is unlikely to rebound any time soon.

“Most models suggest we’re looking at a minimum of three years before a significant rebuild begins, with some projections extending up to five years,” Woerner adds. “For dairy farmers, this means that every straw of beef semen used on a dairy cow today will likely yield calves that continue to bring premium prices over the next few years.”

Woerner also highlights that the demand for beef-on-dairy calves isn’t solely due to the shortage in traditional beef cattle. Some of their popularity also stems from their carcass quality and sustainability impacts.

“These animals are entering the market steadily and have become highly efficient in the feedlot, with nearly all grading choice or higher,” Woerner says. “Packers are paying attention to that. Additionally, the beef-on-dairy crossbred offers a unique advantage for companies committed to reducing their carbon footprint, as these animals are among the easiest options for carbon accounting and securing carbon credits. This sustainability factor is significant; in fact, it may be the very reason these cattle continue to command high prices, even as the beef cattle supply eventually rebounds.”

While it’s clear that beef-on-dairy crossbreds offer substantial benefits to both packers and dairy producers alike, Woerner points out one notable drawback: a higher incidence of liver abscesses.

“The one major downside to these crossbred cattle is still the liver abscess issue,” Woerner says. “They are a costing packers time and money for them to deal with. But there is so much research being done, so the presence of liver abscesses in these cattle should improve as time goes on. And if we’re able to get the level of liver abscesses down to that of the conventional population, then I truly believe these cattle could be in higher demand than native beef.”

A Lasting Strategy

For the McAllister’s, incorporating a beef-on-dairy into their breeding program has been a transformative aspect to their operation. From increasing profitability to cutting down on labor needs, the benefits of crossbreds have been plentiful. And when asked if they would consider discontinuing it, their answer was a definitive “no.”

“It fits into our plan so perfectly,” Megan says. “I couldn’t imagine dairy farming today without it.”

Woerner believes this sentiment rings true for dairies across the nation, as beef-on-dairy continues to prove its value in both the beef and dairy industries.

“It’s proving to be more than just a trend—it’s becoming an essential part of the model for dairies and a critical piece of the future for both sectors,” Woerner says. “I’m confident that beef-on-dairy is here to stay.”

Social

Follow the McAllister family’s journey by connecting with Megan on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok at @Megan_DairyGirl

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Daisy Brand Makes Plans to Build New Facility in Iowa

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 16:49:08 GMT

Daisy Brand, a well-known sour cream and cottage cheese manufacture based out of Dallas, Texas, has announced its plans to build a new processing facility in Boone, Iowa .

The Boone City Council unanimously approved the request on Monday for the company to seek to seek state funding as part of a $708-million investment that will bring 255 jobs to the community.

“This project will be immensely beneficial to not only the city of Boone, but also Boone County and the entire central Iowa region,” Mayor Elijah Stines said in a city press release. “I am incredibly excited for the positive economic impact this project will bring and the continued success of Daisy Brands and their impeccable line of dairy products.”

According to a statement released by the city of Boone, the town will also make several infrastructure upgrades to support the project, including making improvements to wastewater facilities, upgrading the lift station, creating an additional water reservoir and more.

Currently, Daisy Brand has plants in Garland, Texas; Casa Grande, Arizona; and Wooster, Ohio.

For more industry news, read:

Flavored Milk Promotes Successful Sale Results at Kwik Trip

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:00:00 GMT

When you think of flavored milk, chances are your mind will immediately turn to the classics – chocolate and strawberry. And while those are two great options, Kwik Trip, one of America’s fastest growing convenience stores, has found success offering up unique flavored milk options to their customers.

In 2023, Midwest Dairy partnered with Kwik Trip (also known as Kwik Star in Iowa) to promote their limited-time offer of milk flavors. According to the checkoff company, this partnership aimed to encourage innovation in the dairy industry and well as drive incremental sales through a consumer awareness campaign. Kwik Trip/Kwik Star has over 800 stores in Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.

The company kicked off the campaign in July with their signature root beer flavored milk. As the season changed to Fall, Kwik Trip began offering pumpkin spice flavored milk from September through October. Finally, the egg nog flavored milk campaign began in November and ran through the end of 2023.

According to Midwest Dairy, these three campaigns drove over 800,000 incremental pounds of milk. The programming included a 15-second in-store television advertising, cooler clings, and online advertising of the milk flavors, which can be viewed here.

For more industry news, read:

Organic Valley Added 84 Farms to its Membership in 2023

Fri, 29 Dec 2023 21:22:45 GMT

During a year full of farm consolidation, Organic Valley, the largest dairy cooperative of organic farmers in the nation, added an additional 84 farms to its membership in 2023.

“This is who we are,” says Shawna Nelson, Organic Valley executive vice president of membership. “Last year, we brought in farms that were abruptly dropped by their milk buyers, and this year, we’ve welcomed 84 more into our organic dairy community. Our commitment to organic family farmers is unwavering, and we aim to be the go-to option for those seeking a stable future in farming.”

According to the company, the cooperative welcomed:

26 farms from Pennsylvania
22 farms from New York
12 farms from Wisconsin
6 farms from Ohio

Several other farms from Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Vermont were welcomed as well.

“We can’t do this alone,” says Jaclyn Cardin, Organic Valley chief brand officer. “If you care about how your food is produced and who is producing it, we think we offer a lot. We want consumers to buy with both heart and head, knowing that Organic Valley products come from a place of integrity. Because we’re a farmer-owned cooperative, when you purchase our products, the farmers who dedicate themselves to caring for the land, the animals and their communities receive stable and farmer-determined compensation. We believe good food comes from good, small family farms.”

Looking ahead, Organic Valley plans to continue supporting small organic family farms in 2024.

For more industry news, read:

This Iowa Farm Family is More than Just a ‘Good Neighbor’

Tue, 27 Sep 2022 13:44:16 GMT

Sixteen years ago, Lance and Jonna Schutte started something special in the rural Iowa hills of Clayton County. In addition to getting married, the young dairy couple began Jo-Lane Dairy, which is now home to 140 Holstein and Brown Swiss cows.

Their sweet story continues with the birth of each one of their four children -- Blake, Briella, Breklyn and Brayton. As a family tradition, Jonna’s parents, Dennis and Joan Worden, made the decision to help purchase a Brown Swiss calf for each one of their grandchildren to serve as the foundation for each child’s herd.

“All the bloodlines trace back to my parent’s farm,” Jonna says. “They started the tradition that each grandchild receives a heifer. The heifer born closest to the grandchild’s day of birth is the one they get.”

Earlier this month, the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig, presented the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award to the Schutte family. This award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment, their livestock, and being good neighbors.

“Given all the time and hard work that goes into operating a farm, raising a busy family, and engaging with industry activities, Lance and Jonna continue to find many ways to also make a positive impact within their community,” Naig says. “The Schutte’s have demonstrated a high caliber of animal care, are good stewards of the land, and are dedicated to connecting students to agriculture and I am pleased to present Jo-Lane Dairy with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award.”

In addition to milking cows, the Schutte’s raise replacement heifers, dairy steers and sell a few breeding bulls to bull studs. Jo-Lane Dairy also grows corn for grain and silage in addition to alfalfa, oats and rye.

Quality animal care is also a top priority for Jo-Lane Dairy. The family wanted to increase milkings to three times a day, but due to their inability to find help to make this happen, the Schutte’s leaned onto new technology to help manage their farm by adding Lely robots and a Juno feed pusher in 2013.

Since switching to robots, the Schutte’s not only have been able to increase the number of times the cows get milk per day, but they have also been able to increase production.

“We are now up to three milkings per day, with an average of 102 pounds per day,” Lance says.

The Schutte family can be found beyond their dairy barn, as they are active in their community. Jonna’s involvement is not an easy task, but she manages to be a 4-H leader, Sunday school teacher, Midwest Dairy Iowa Division Secretary, Iowa Dairy princess Advisory Council member, as well as serves on the Iowa State Holstein State and District Youth Committees. Furthermore, both Lance and Jonna volunteer as coaches for youth sports. The Schutte family also hosts an annual preschool farm tour each year.

In the past sixteen years, the landscape of this Clayton County Iowa farm has changed tremendously. From wedding bells, to milking robots, to an active family involved throughout the Clayton County community – the Schutte family is proud of the life they have built.

Clean Water Act Violation: $50,000 Fine for Iowa Farm's Manure Runoff

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 05:22:25 GMT

A livestock farm in southeastern Iowa has been fined $50,000 after the owner and an employee plead guilty to charges of violating the Clean Water Act while discharging manure.

In a press release from the Department of Justice , it is outlined that Scott Allen Etcher, age 55, and Benjamin Allen McFarland, age 29, from Etcher Family Farms of New London, Iowa, were sentenced following guilty pleas to Discharge of a Pollutant. The sentencing occurred on Feb. 26, after both Etcher and McFarland had pleaded guilty on Oct. 25, 2018 , to criminal violations of the Clean Water Act.

The guilty plea determined that on or around July 22, 2015, agricultural waste pollutants were negligently discharged. Benjamin McFarland, an employee of the farm, had knowingly applied liquid manure from the concentration animal feeding operation industry (CAFO) via an umbilical discharge hose onto nearby farm land. The liquid manure then runoff directly into an unnamed tributary to Big Creek. The application of the manure, which was deemed as a “pollutant” by the court, was an unpermitted discharge and had been done under the supervision of the owner and operator of Etcher Family Farms, Scott Etcher.

In an email to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Farm Journal was told that court filings by the Iowa Secretary of State indicated that the CAFO was a dairy farm.

Under the sentencing, Etcher Family Farms will serve a five years of organizational probation, pay a $50,000 fine and a $400 special assessment payable to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

Terms of the probation include:

The prohibition from discharging any pollutants to a water of a the United States except in compliance with a permit from the approved authority
Etcher Family Farms will establish, implement, and enforce an Environmental Compliance Plan and the organization will not seek early termination from probation until all obligations of the plea agreement are satisfied and the Environmental Compliance Plan has been fully implemented for two years
Etcher Family Farm should pay for independent laboratory analysis of samples collected by either the Iowa Department of Natural Resources or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Etcher Family Farms will publish a public notice of the agreement and underlying facts in a national trade publication serving the CAFO

In addition, Scott Allen Etcher, owner of the farm, will also serve a five year probation and is to pay a $25 special assessment to the Crime Victims’ Fund. Benjamin Allen McFarland, employee on the farm, was sentenced to two years of probation and a $25 special assessment payable to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

The case was investigated by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Environmental Protection Agency. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

4th Generation to New Generation

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:56:58 GMT

Going from milking 80 cows to 1,200 has been a fulfilling experience, with quite a bit of wisdom picked up along the way for Indiana dairy farmer Brian Rexing.

Rexing is a fourth-generation farmer and grew up on his family’s dairy and row-crop farm located just a few miles away from what is now New Generation Dairy near Owensville. The plan was for Rexing and his older brother to farm separately when the time was right.

“Luckily my dad got me into buying land as soon as I graduated high school. I bought my first farm about a week out of high school,” Rexing says of getting started in farming in 1991.

The ball kept rolling and Rexing began adding to his land base in an area where grain production reigns supreme and not many livestock operations can be found. The nearest dairy comparable in size is 60 miles away.

In 2006, Rexing was participating in Dairy Farmers of America’s Young Cooperator and Emerging Leader program and began exploring the idea of venturing out from the family dairy. He looked at facilities in Michigan, Illinois and Kentucky to determine what farm design would work best for him.

“When you’re starting out from scratch, there are a whole lot of things to wrap your head around,” Rexing says.

Land was purchased that worked logistically for a dairy with access to water, electricity and the Interstate highway. The sandy soil profile was also a nice fit for raising livestock. New Generation Dairy began construction in February of 2008 and milking cows on July 29, 2008.

“I grew up milking 60 to 80 cows on the home farm. On the first night [at the new dairy], we milked 119 in 4.5 hours,” Rexing says.

Within a few months, the first calf heifers Rexing had bought were almost all calved and the dairy was milking 500 head. By the end of a full year, there were nearly 800 head being milked and then the dairy crunch in 2009 hit.

“Luckily I had everything in place and I was stable enough that we were going to expand in 2010,” Rexing says. Cattle prices sank, the construction crew wasn’t busy and it worked out better finically to do the expansion 10 months in advance.

A budget was initially set to buy springer heifers at $1,700 and fortunately the price dropped to $1,350. The previous plan had been to grow from within via home-raised genetics, but with those types of prices and the advantage of not waiting, Rexing couldn’t pass up the opportunity. “The only way I could get my cost per cow down was to expand. It was the only way I was going to make it work was to expand,” Rexing adds.

Rexing was optimistic the dairy market would bounce back, but he did have his worries when milk prices were $10-11 cwt. Prices were better in 2010 and 2011, and the built-up land base of owned and rented ground helped generate additional revenue.

Approximately 3,000 acres of owned and rented ground is farmed by New Generation Dairy. Some of that acreage is farmed in partnership by Rexing with his father and brother, while his brother still runs the home dairy.

Rexing didn’t go to college but he says he gained his education dealing with the dairy crash in 2009. “We had to squeeze everything out that we could squeeze.”

He now feels more prepared for that type of market situation and has bright hopes for what the future can bring.

Rexing and his wife Ranell have four children, ranging in age from 2 to 13. With the dairy and grain growing operation multiple siblings could come back and focus on their own interest.

“I’m thinking someday down the road, there will be an opportunity for the next generation,” Rexing says.

Iowa State Fair will Pair Butter Cow with Monopoly Game

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:54:32 GMT

Organizers of the Iowa State Fair are pairing the event’s famous butter cow sculpture with another butter piece celebrating the Monopoly board game.

Officials say the accompanying piece, which changes every year, will this summer celebrate the game’s 80th anniversary.

Sarah Pratt designs the butter cow each year as well as a second piece. She is expected to feature some famous Monopoly pieces alongside the game’s main character, Rich Uncle Pennybags.

Monopoly was first commercially sold in the 1930s. The property trading game has been printed in more than 37 languages.

The Iowa Star Fair is scheduled Aug. 13-23 in Des Moines.

Purdue Extension to Co-sponsor Six Regional Dairy Meetings

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:51:07 GMT

Purdue Extension is partnering with Indiana Dairy Producers and the Indiana Forage Council to offer the annual Indiana Regional Dairy Meetings at six locations.

The meetings will be primarily educational, with speakers presenting information on the business, health management and technological aspects of the dairy industry. Each meeting will include an Indiana Dairy Producers strategic plan update presented by Steve Obert, IDP president, and Doug Leman, IDP executive director.

All meetings, with the exception of the one in Middlebury, will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Middlebury meeting will begin at 10 a.m. All meeting times are EST, except for the Evansville meeting, which will be at 9 a.m. CST:

* Jan. 27: Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds, Family Arts Building, 750 W. 200 S., Columbus. Speaker: Dave Hickman of Avancos Global, “Team-building and Employer-Employee Relations.” Contact: 812-379-1665.

* Jan. 28: Hornville Tavern, 2607 W. Baseline Road, Evansville. Speaker: Dave Hickman, Avancos Global, “Team-building and Employer-Employee Relations.” Contact: 812-963-0967.

* Jan. 29: Byron Seeds headquarters, 775 N. 350 E, Rockville. Speaker: Bethany Funnell, DVM; “Reproductive Technologies and Bull Management,” and Jon Townsend, DVM; “Preventing Environmental Mastitis.” Contact: 317-695-8228.

* Feb. 4: Essenhaus Conference Center, 240 U.S. 20, Middlebury. Speaker: Tom Fuhrmann, DVM, DairyWorks Management, “Managing Employees for Productivity and Efficiency.” Contact: 574-825-9447.

* Feb. 5: The Farmstead Inn, 370 S. Van Buren St., Shipshewana. Speaker: Tom Fuhrmann, DVM, DairyWorks Management, “Managing Employees for Productivity and Efficiency.” Contact: 260-768-4595.

* Feb. 6: Back 40 Junction Restaurant, 1011 N. 13th St., Decatur. Speaker: Tom Fuhrmann, DVM, DairyWorks Management, “Managing Employees for Productivity and Efficiency.” Contact: 260-724-3355.

Registration is due Jan. 23 for the first three conferences, and Jan. 30 for the last three. Participants may register online at www.IndianaDairy.org ; by mail, 205 W. Gordon Francesville, IN 47946; email, dougleman@indianadairy.org ; or phone, 317-695-8228.

Source: Purdue University

Right from the Dairy: Indiana’s Fair Oaks Farms Emphasizes Locally Raised Food

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:48:23 GMT

The dairy’s venture into farm-to-fork dining could help change how consumers look at food.

FAIR OAKS, Ind. (AP) — Walk into the Farmhouse, the new farm-to-fork venture by Fair Oaks Farms, and you’ll see an equal embrace of past and future, local and global-industrial.

The 18,000-square-foot building is styled after 18th-century Midwest farmhouses, with a wraparound porch, towering stone fireplace and chandeliers made out of gas lamp-style lights and wagon wheel spokes.

Yet look to the left from the dining room and you’ll see, through the giant glass pane, a state-of-the-art kitchen that serves between 800 and 1,200 customers a day. It’s where managing partner Carl Bruggemeier greets servers and chefs as locally raised bacon entrees and burgers are brought from the prep room to the bustling kitchen line — then, finally, out to the wood-paneled dining room.

Fair Oaks Farms, a key player in Big Ag, isn’t the first business you’d expect to dip into a movement based on the small, local and organic. It’s one of the largest dairy producers in the nation, pumping more than 300,000 gallons of milk from 37,000 cows every day.

Yet the people behind the farm’s venture into farm-to-fork dining say size is a good thing when it comes to changing how we look at food.

“In 2050, we’re going to have 9 billion people in a world where 1 percent of the population feeds the other 99 percent,” Bruggemeier told the Journal & Courier . “One needs to think big to win big.”

“We need to innovate. You’re not going to be feeding these people in your backyards,” said Fair Oaks Farms CEO Gary Corbett.

Roughly half of the ingredients used in the Farmhouse are produced at Fair Oaks, according to Bruggemeier. The Asiago, gouda, and mozzarella used in the barbecue shrimp flatbread ($11), for example, all come from Fair Oaks cows, as does the milk used in Fair Oaks Farms ice cream ($5). The bacon on the Farmhouse burger ($11) and the pork on the tenderloin sandwich ($10) are from Fair Oaks pigs.

Sometimes, more than a thousand visitors come to Fair Oaks for tours of their dairy and pork facilities. On a recent summer afternoon, nearly 10 school buses gathered in the parking lot. At the “Pig Adventure,” students streamed down the hallways — decorated with Andy Warhol-style prints of hogs and other pig art — and into observation rooms, where they saw thousands of hogs, many of them lying on their sides, eyes closed, within their compartments.

Corbett said more people need to see how their food is produced.

“People are conscious of what they eat. They want transparency and sustainability,” he said.

Jim Adams was on his way from Louisville, Kentucky, to Wisconsin when he stopped by Fair Oaks at a family member’s recommendation. As he waited for his entrée, he marveled at the décor.

“This fits into my barn-farm fantasy,” he said.

For executive chef Christopher Turner, Fair Oaks is a farm-to-table dream turned into reality.

“What’s really exciting about this project is the culmination of the ingredients, the people and the location all coming together,” he said.

Turner has been cooking farm-to-table all his career. While more and more restaurants aim to source their ingredients locally, Turner said, you can’t get more local than this.

“We are the farm, and we are the table,” he said. “That’s very exciting to me.”

Top 10 Manure Violations in Indiana

Fri, 20 Nov 2020 02:48:19 GMT

Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management

Following is a list of the top 10 environmental violations from confined feeding operations. This list includes all livestock CFOs, not just dairy, says Steven Howell, director of the office of community and government affairs for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

The top 10 violations list is based on 830 facility inspections conducted from July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014. Overall, less than 20% of CFOs were cited for a total of 418 violations.

1. Lack annual manure test - analysis not for current year (52 violations).
2. Incomplete land application records - missing Precipitation records (35 violations).
3. Weekly inspections - not recording weekly inspections in operating record (33 violations).
4. Is not adequately maintaining manure management systems - common problem not mowing lagoon berms, covering pump out port or addressing erosion around buildings (19 violations).
5. Do not have valid approval in operation record - most have an outdated version of their approval (14 violations).
6. Freeboard in uncovered liquid manure storage structure not maintained (13 violations).
7. Lack current soil tests - soil test not available at the time of the inspection or have not been updated (12 violations).
8. Weekly inspections are not being conducted (12 violations).
9. Current farmstead map is not in operating record (11 violations).
10. Freeboard marker in uncovered liquid manure storage structure is not being maintained (11 violations).

Manure Release from Dairy Under Investigation by Iowa Officials

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:58:45 GMT

State environmental officials in Iowa are investigating a complaint of a manure overflow from a storage facility on a dairy farm.

On April 24, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) was notified and began an investigation at D&D Dairy near Charlotte, where there was evidence of manure overflowing from a concrete storage pit. Darryl Banowetz, owner of the dairy, says the overflow began on April 22 and he had built an earthen berm to retain it.

According to a press release from DNR , the manure ran overland to a small tributary of Bear Creek. Test by DNR officials have not shown any fish deaths as a result of the spill, but ammonia levels in the creek are currently elevated.

The case is being monitored by DNR during the cleanup efforts. Appropriate enforcement actions are under consideration by DNR.

Should a manure spill occur on an Iowa farm, DNR encourages the public to report any spills or fish kills the 24-hour spill line at 515-725-8694. Farmers who encounter a spill on their farms must report the spill within six hours of discovery or occurrence to DNR officials under Section 304, Emergency Release Notification .

For more on manure management and similar spill cases read the following articles:

Iowa Officials Allege Manure From Dairy Responsible for Fish Kill

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:53:19 GMT

Environmental officials in Iowa are laying the blame for a recent case of fish dying on manure runoff from a farm.

On March 25, environmental specialists and fisheries staff with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) started investigating a fish kill in Dubuque County that was believed to be caused by manure runoff.

According to a DNR press release, the manure runoff was traced back to Lawler Dairy near Peosta.

Liquid manure had recently been applied by the owners on a nearby field. Because of melting snow and recent rainfall, the manure ran into a ravine and through a tile intake before going into an unnamed tributary located along Graff Road north of Peosta. The tributary runs into the Little Maquoketa River.

There were a reported 238 fish killed by the manure runoff.

Enforcement actions are pending against Lawler Dairy following this investigation.

Reminder on Nutrient Management

This recent case in Iowa serves as a reminder that nutrient management plans are needed when applying manure and that runoff is a risk. Below are some resources to consider when applying manure onto fields:

Bovine Tuberculosis Found in Wild in Indiana for 1st Time

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:49:46 GMT

The State Board of Animal Health says bovine tuberculosis has been found in the wild in Indiana for the first time.

It says bovine TB has been diagnosed in a white-tailed deer in southeastern Indiana’s Franklin County and triggers significant changes in disease-monitoring requirements for cattle owners and deer hunters in the area.

Under federal requirements, finding TB in a free-ranging wild animal means testing of all cattle must expand from 3 miles to 10 miles and surveillance in hunter-harvested deer will intensify. The state board said about 400 farms are registered in the 10-mile testing zone.

The board says it’s working with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to test wildlife on the cattle farm where TB was found in a 2-year-old doe. The doe has been culled.

Indiana Wal-Mart Plant Could Use Milk Now Sent Elsewhere

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:49:06 GMT

A new milk processing plant in northeastern Indiana recently announced by Wal-Mart could cut into the amount of milk that dairy farmers currently have to ship out of state.

Wal-Mart announced plans for the new plant near Fort Wayne International Airport in March, and it’s scheduled to start processing milk in summer 2017. Wal-Mart hasn’t said how much milk it plans to process there, The (Fort Wayne) News-Sentinel reported .

The state adopted a dairy strategy last year, with a consultant’s recommendations including attracting another milk processor that could use 1 million to 2 million pounds of the 4 million pounds of milk shipped to processing facilities outside Indiana daily. Ted McKinney, director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, said the new plant will “easily” meet that threshold.

Milk from the plant will be distributed to stores in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and northern Kentucky. McKinney said Wal-Mart plans to get milk from suppliers in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio.

A large majority of Indiana’s dairy cows and milk production are in the northern third of the state, according to the State Department of Agriculture. Doug Leman, director of the Indiana Dairy Producers, said the reason lies in the weather.

“Cows don’t like heat and humidity,” Leman said.

McKinney said there are other reasons for so much of the dairy industry being in northern Indiana, including easy access to water for cows to drink and cleaning the cows, their shelter and milking equipment. He said people who settled the area also hailed from places with strong dairy farming traditions.

Indiana Aligns Livestock ID with Federal Program

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 05:37:36 GMT

The state Board of Animal Health has voted to adopt standards that align Indiana with a federal livestock identification program aimed at helping agriculture officials quickly track livestock in cases of disease.

Indiana State Veterinarian Bret D. Marsh says Indiana will start its new livestock identification and documentation requirements on Jan. 1.

He says when a high-consequence disease, like bovine tuberculosis or foot-and-mouth disease, threatens a livestock sector, this program will make it easier to trace movements of specific animals to minimize impact on the industry.

Under the new laws, beef and dairy cattle owners must utilize one of three forms of official tags and producers must keep records of all purchases, sales, leases and movements of cattle and bison for five years.