2024 June Stewardship Advocate

Jul 03, 2024

Iowa Shows Leadership in First Year of New National Cover Crop Program:

The Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Soybean Association, and the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance are leading a statewide push toward a national cover crop goal of 30 million acres.

Three Iowa ag partners are celebrating a successful first year of Farmers for Soil Health (FSH), a national cover crop incentive program funded through a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Climate Smart grant.

Iowa, a top producer of corn and soybeans, recorded nearly 27,000 acres of cover crops in the first year of the program. That is out of about 80,800 acres nationwide with nearly 100 Iowa farmers enrolled. Both the numbers of Iowa acres and farmers led the nation in the first year of the FSH program.

Producers can receive up to $50/acre over three years for new cover crop acres. The sign-up period has begun for fall 2024 cover crops.

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Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.