Farmland prices explode in Iowa Tuesday, February 1, 2011 Farmland prices are exploding in Iowa and all because of corn and soybean prices, says DesMoinesRegister.com .Corn is priced 50 per cent higher than in June. Bids of $8,000 (all figures in U.S. dollars) an acre are common. The average appreciation since end of summer is $1,000 an acre, according to the Iowa Realtors Land Institute, which reported an 8.5 per cent increase from a year before.The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported a 13 per cent rise in farmland values Oct. 1 for the previous 12 months.Farmers expecting a 40 cent-a-bushel profit on their corn got $2.50. Bankers say loans are being taken out with 55-60 per cent equity, compared to 10-15 per cent in the 1970s and early '80s.A worry is that a change in either ethanol policy or in federal crop subsidies could dash future profit prospects. Ethanol plants buy the equivalent of half of Iowa's corn. BF Vineyard under the gun to pay grape growers Greenhouses on Montreal roofs?
A new front in the repair access debate Friday, March 6, 2026 Iowa lawmakers have pushed the right‑to‑repair conversation into new territory with House File 2529, a bill that focuses specifically on diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) systems—the single most common cause of emissions-related downtime on modern farm machinery. The bill would require... Read this article online
March 8 is International Women’s Day Friday, March 6, 2026 Across the United States and Canada, women are taking on increasingly visible roles in agriculture—managing farms, leading ag-tech startups, advancing research, and strengthening the rural economies that feed both nations. Their work reflects a shift in an industry once defined... Read this article online
Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry to Visit Toronto and Southwestern Ontario Tuesday, March 3, 2026 The Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry will be in Toronto and Southwestern Ontario later this week as part of its ongoing study on the role of Canada’s agriculture and agri‑food sector in strengthening national food security. The fact‑finding mission is scheduled for... Read this article online
AgriStability Program Updated to Include Pasture-Related Feed Costs Beginning in 2026 Monday, March 2, 2026 In case you missed it last week, the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, announced that pasture-related feed costs will be added as an allowable expense under AgriStability starting with the 2026 program year. The update addresses rising operational... Read this article online
Bringing more Food and Ingredient Processing Back to Canadian Soil Monday, March 2, 2026 Protein Industries Canada has announced the second cohort of nine companies participating in its Program, an initiative designed to bring more food and ingredient processing back to Canadian soil and expand the nation’s value‑added agriculture sector. The selected companies span the... Read this article online