Drought dominated headlines in western Iowa last year during the Pro Farmer Crop Tour, and even as drought continues to be the talk of Iowa this year, fields in some portions of the state produced a different tone.

EPA is banning the use on food crops of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The decision is a victory for environmental activists who have fought to stop the use of the chemical that is applied to row and produce crops.

Crops across much of the state look good heading into the home stretch but still need to be monitored for insects and disease.

Pro Farmer scouts pegged the Indiana average yield estimate at 193.48 bu. per acre on Tuesday, just slightly below USDA’s prediction of 194 bu. per acre.

Just as American steakhouses are recovering from the first wave of COVID shutdowns, the Delta variant threatens to diminish the appetite for a sector seen as a barometer for full U.S. economic recovery.

Federal officials announced this week mandatory water cuts to the Colorado River, marking the first federal water cuts, and it’s the first-ever water shortage for a river that serves 40 million people in the West.