Monday May 18 Ag News - CVA Donates to Food Banks - Twin Row Field Day in Monroe - IFBF Grow your Future Award - Red Meat Exports Beneft Grain Farmers - China Beef Trade Developments - and more!

Central Valley Ag Donates Kansas and Nebraska Food Banks

Central Valley Ag (CVA) cooperative is proud to announce a combined $30,000 donation to support hunger relief efforts across Nebraska and Kansas, helping provide thousands of meals to families facing food insecurity throughout the region.

The donations include $15,000 contributions to both the Kansas Food Bank and Nebraska Food Bank. Together, the donation will help provide nutritious meals and resources to individuals and families experiencing hunger in the communities it serves. During the season, fans watched every shot beyond the arc contribute to a greater purpose, turning game-day moments into meaningful community impact

Through partnerships with Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska, CVA sponsored season-long 3-point initiatives during the men’s and women’s basketball seasons. Every three-pointer made throughout the season contributed to the cooperative’s commitment to support regional food banks and raise awareness for hunger relief efforts.

“Supporting rural communities goes beyond agriculture for us,” said Owen Baker, SVP of Marketing at CVA. “We’re proud to partner with organizations that work every day to make sure people have access to the meals they need.”

“Programs like this bring people together in a fun and meaningful way,” Baker said. “Every three-pointer represented an opportunity to help a family in need and support food banks doing critical work across Nebraska and Kansas.”

The donations will help both food banks continue providing nutritious meals and essential resources to families throughout their service areas at a time when many households continue to face rising costs.



PFI Field Day: Twin Row Cover Crops: Customizing Equipment, Reducing Inputs and Building Soil Health
Thu, Jun 4, 2026
4:00PM - 6:00PM
28270 370th Avenue, Monroe, Nebraska, 68647

Greg Keller operates Twin Row Cover Crops with his son, Kole, near Monroe, Nebraska. As a leading advocate for regenerative farming in his area, Greg uses innovative cover cropping, no-till and mindful fertility practices across his fields in addition to custom-drilling cover crops for neighboring farmers. In 2023, he was named a 4R Advocate by The Fertilizer Institute.

Recently, Greg worked with Quality Drills to design and build a 40-foot drill to seed a 7½-inch twin-row rye cover crop into standing corn stalks. The following season, he plants corn and soybeans between the rye strips. Come to his field day to see his specially designed equipment and learn strategies for cutting chemical inputs. You’ll also learn about Lower Loup Natural Resources District’s deep nitrate studies taking place on Greg’s farm.

See & Discuss
    Designing and building a new drill to meet needs
    Strategies for interseeding a twin-row rye cover crop
    Cutting herbicide passes and reducing synthetic nitrogen inputs
    Deep nitrate research with Lower Loup NRD

Sponsored by
    BASS Hybrids
    Center for Rural Affairs
    Green Cover
    Sentinal Ag

A light meal will follow the field day.

Get more information and register here: https://practicalfarmers.org/events/field-days/twin-row-cover-crops-customizing-equipment-reducing-inputs-and-building-soil-health/.  



Livestock Risk Protection: Dairy Cull Cows & Drop Calves

The 2026 I-29 Moo University Dairy Webinar series continues on Tuesday, May 26 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. CDT, With Ron Mortensen from Dairy Gross Margins discussing Information about new USDA/RMA livestock Insurance program that covers dairy cull cows and 2-week-old drop calves. Including examples of how to incorporate these products into your operation.

Raised on a farm in Northwest Iowa, he earned a degree at Iowa State University in Agricultural Education plus an MBA attending the evening program at Drake University.

Career includes 8 years as a banker at Webster City, Iowa and 3 years at a large bank in Chicago. In 1985, with the start of ag options at the CBOT, he started a farmer-oriented marketing consulting company. Ron and his wife spent 40 years helping farmers manage risk before selling the business in late 2024.

In 2006, Ron started a crop insurance agency helping farmers with RMA/USDA insurance products. Also, in 2006, he started an agency helping livestock farmers use the newly created LGM, LRP (and later DRP) products. Ron has sold livestock policies for cattle, swine and dairy. Currently, the agency has clients in multiple states with a concentration serving California dairies.

Ron and his wife also farm in three locations in Iowa. The latest farm added was a farm inherited from his father. The farm was purchased by his Great Grandfather in 1891.

There is no fee to participate in the webinar; however, registration is required at least one hour prior to the webinar. Register online at: https://go.iastate.edu/K5K1DI. 

For more information, contact: in Iowa, Fred M. Hall, 712-737-4230; in Minnesota, Jim Salfer, 320-203-6093; in Nebraska, Kortney Harpestad, 402-472-3571; or in South Dakota, Maristela Rovai, 605-688-5488.



Applications open for 2027 Iowa Farm Bureau's 'Grow Your Future' Award

Iowa Farm Bureau is now accepting applications for its Grow Your Future Award, offering one young farmer $10,000 to scale their ag-related business.

The competition highlights Farm Bureau members ages 18 to 35 who are building creative, value-added businesses from agritourism and specialized services to niche production that meet emerging consumer demand. Past participants have launched and grown businesses ranging from direct-to-consumer sales, cover crop seed services to cut flowers and ag-focused Airbnb experiences.  

“Young farmers are navigating tight margins, rising costs and a lot of uncertainty, but they’re also finding opportunity in it,” said Iowa Farm Bureau President Brent Johnson. “We also see young farmers finding opportunity amid the challenges through diversification of new products, land uses and consumer interest. Our Grow Your Future Award embodies Farm Bureau’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs and helping farmers diversify their operations, providing vital resources to help them thrive while positively impacting our rural communities.”

Applications are due Sept. 1 at iowafarmbureau.com/growyourfuture. Finalists will be selected by a panel of judges before advancing to a public vote Dec. 7–13. The three businesses that receive the most votes will compete in a live pitch-off at the Iowa Farm Bureau Young Farmer Conference on Jan. 23, 2027, where the grand prize winner will be announced.

In addition to the $10,000 grand prize, second- and third-place finalists will receive $5,000 and $2,500. 

“The Grow Your Future Award was so much more amazing than I ever expected,” said Natalie Paino, the 2026 Grow Your Future Award winner who built Hightail, a creamery inside a 45-foot shipping container where she milks cows and produces ice cream and cheese curds. “The whole experience pushed me to do something outside my comfort zone, and the support I received along the way from my community, fellow finalists and Iowa Farm Bureau members and staff was truly overwhelming. The prize money was just the cherry on top and will be used as I furnish my retail storefront.”

The Grow Your Future Award is part of Iowa Farm Bureau’s broader effort to support rural entrepreneurship. Through these programs, the organization has helped mentor nearly 4,000 business owners and generate more than $150 million in economic impact across the state.




Study Quantifies How Red Meat Exports Boost Domestic Feed Demand for Corn and Soybeans

Red meat exports delivered significant returns to corn and soybean producers in 2025, according to an independent study conducted by the Juday Group and released by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF).

Nationally, U.S. beef and pork exports accounted for $2.18 billion in market value to corn producers in 2025, $375 million to distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and $1 billion to soybean producers, according to the study. U.S. beef and pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 13.5% per bushel to the value of corn and 10.3% per bushel to soybeans in 2025.

“Red meat exports bring significant value to corn and soybean producers by driving demand for feed,” says USMEF Chair-Elect Dave Bruntz, who raises corn, soybeans and cattle in south-central Nebraska. “This study shows that red meat exports accounted for more than 500 million bushels of corn usage and nearly 100 million bushels of soybeans in 2025.”

Key findings from the study, which utilized 2025 statistics provided by USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and data compiled by the Juday Group, include:

Exporting corn through U.S. beef and pork
    Beef and pork exports accounted for 508.4 million bushels of U.S. corn usage, which equated to a market value of $2.18 billion (at an average 2025 corn price of $4.29 per bushel). 
    Beef and pork exports accounted for 2.68 million tons of DDGS usage, equating to $374.7 million (at an average price of $139.82 per ton in 2025). 
    Beef and pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 13.5%, or $0.58, of bushel value at an average price of $4.29 per bushel in 2025.

Exporting soybeans through U.S. pork
    Pork exports accounted for 98.8 million bushels of U.S. soybean usage, which equated to a market value of $1 billion (at an average price of $10.17 per bushel in 2025).
    Pork exports contributed an estimated total economic impact of 10.3% of bushel value, or $1.05, at an average price of $10.17 per bushel in 2025.

Corn and soybean growers support the promotion of U.S. pork, beef and lamb by investing a portion of their checkoff dollars in market development efforts conducted by USMEF.

“We initiate this study every year because it quantifies the value that beef and pork exports bring to the red meat supply chain. This added value is why a diverse range of ag industry sectors work together through USMEF to build global demand for U.S. red meat,” says USMEF Senior Vice President John Hinners.



USMEF Statement on U.S.-China Beef Trade Developments

China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC) has granted a five-year registration extension to 425 overdue U.S. beef establishments in China’s Food Import Food Establishment (CIFER) system. Additionally, 77 new U.S. beef establishment registrations have been added to the CIFER system with an effective date of May 15, 2026, and registrations are valid for five years. There are 38 beef establishments which remain suspended. Of the suspended facilities, 25 were also expired and are now renewed, but remain ineligible for export.

The U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) is awaiting more details from the U.S. government on these developments but offers the following comment, which can be attributed to USMEF President and CEO Dan Halstrom:

USMEF greatly appreciates U.S. beef access being prioritized at the summit meeting between President Trump and President Xi. Renewal of U.S. beef establishment registrations is a critical step forward for U.S. beef exports to China. We await more details and a further readout from USTR’s engagements with China, and note with appreciation Ambassador Greer’s optimism for U.S. agricultural trade with China.

China’s renewal of U.S. beef establishments is excellent news for the U.S. beef industry and for the customers in China who are anxious to resume purchases. This major positive development also comes ahead of China’s huge SIAL food show, opening this weekend in Shanghai.