The fourth quarter of 1998 was one that Iowa pork producers would prefer to forget. From favorable farm prices in the $50 per hundredweight range just in the past year, prices fell below $30 per hundredweight in the beginning of September, slid below $20 per hundredweight by the middle of October, and declined even further, to below $15 per hundredweight in December. This left many asking why and wondering whether low hog prices are here to stay. Let’s look at how demand and supply factors affected the industry throughout 1998. Are the resulting impacts transient or permanent?

One thing seems certain: we are now familiar with yet another acronym. GMO stands for genetically modified organism and designates a living entity (such as a bacterium, plant, or animal) whose genome has been modified by recombinant DNA technology. The ability to alter the genetic makeup of organisms directly by such methods (i.e., transgenic) constitutes the hallmark of modern biotechnology and has ushered in a new era in agricultural research.

Being on the cutting edge of agricultural public policy is one of things that Assistant Director Keith Heffernan enjoys most about his association with the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD).

Do you remember last October’s Farm Disaster Relief Bill totaling $5.6 billion, of which more than $2 billion were allocated for single-year and multi-year disaster relief? According to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman, the long-awaited checks are in the mail.