Farming

Backed by the Department of Energy, Iowa State University researchers are studying how farming the land around solar panels can diversify farm income, boost biodiversity and improve worker safety.

At the Farm Progress Show in Boone Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced the next phase for a bird flu vaccine for dairy cows and more funding to expand domestic fertilizer production. The former Iowa governor also discussed the USDA’s forecasts for a downturn in on-farm income for 2024.

Iowa has struggled to reduce pollutants in its waterways.

The Kalona Historical Village in southeast Iowa may be a tourism spot geared toward the past, but its features and exhibits have constantly evolved.

Wartime has complicated the work of farmers in Ukraine, but they still see agriculture as key to winning the war.

The Iowa State Fair is set to start on Aug. 8. If it’s anything like some county fairs in northwest Iowa, there will be fewer dairy cattle on display.

Members of the Food Systems Coalition discuss a new plan to promote sustainable local food production in Iowa, and Olympian and former Hawkeye basketball player Tomi Taiwo joins the show.

Even though the Lyon County Fair started this week in a new location, participants are still enjoying showcasing their animals during the livestock show.

Over the last two years, several large pork packers have closed plants in California, Minnesota and most recently Iowa. For some pork producers, this means additional miles and more money to deliver hogs on top of tough economic times.

The Iowa Food System Coalition wants to make locally produced food the norm rather than an exception and released a 250-page plan to get there in the next decade.