It was just an exercise, but it highlighted one of the most frightening questions Iowa livestock producers could face: What would happen if the state’s $8 billion pork industry were hit with African swine fever? Iowa and 13 other states spent four days testing how they would respond to an outbreak. “It’s not inevitable that we’ll get this” disease, Iowa Secretary Mike Naig said. “How quickly can you respond – how quickly can you address sick animals on a site – will determine how quickly you recover in the long run.” (Des Moines Register)

– While they may not be the first to come to mind, railroad crossings present a real danger for farmers. If you live or farm near rail lines you could be at risk for a crossing collision, trespassing incident or a “near hit” involving a train. In fact, approximately 15% of all collisions occur at private railroad crossings, like those found on farmland, each year. The American Farm Bureau Federation and Operation Lifesaver have joined forces to help address the problem and offer railroad crossing safety tips that could save lives. (Farm Bureau)

House Democrats and the Trump administration have reached an agreement to resolve some of the remaining obstacles to passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal stressed Friday that he expects a vote to ratify the deal this year. “The discussions are all heading in the right direction,” Neal told reporters. The House is set to recess for the next two weeks, but work will not stop during the break, said Neal, who confirmed that he handed over the latest version of Democratic proposals for alterations to USMCA to Lighthizer. (Agri-Pulse)  

– Farmers who couldn’t plant a crop this year because of flooding, too much moisture, or other non-drought related reasons will receive extra assistance from the federal crop insurance program, USDA announced last week. Growers will automatically get a “top-up” on their so-called prevented planting claims of either 10 or 15 percent, depending on their insurance policy. There’s no sign-up period, and checks start going out in mid-October. (Politico)

U.S. biofuel industry sources said on Thursday they were concerned that an impeachment inquiry against President Trump could delay a pending deal on biofuels policy that is meant to boost demand for corn-based ethanol and biodiesel. Two weeks ago, Trump met with biofuel officials, farm- and oil-state senators and oil refining executives to hash out the details of a “giant package” related to ethanol that he had promised in August. While the groups seemed to be on the cusp of an agreement, Trump now finds himself mired in an intensifying partisan fight that could monopolize his attention for weeks, if

The announcement of a preliminary trade agreement between the U.S. and Japan is good news for Illinois farmers, but some are concerned Congress will be log jammed with impeachment talk. The Japan deal is the latest trade deal President Donald Trump’s administration has queued up, in addition to the announcement from Gov. J.B. Pritzker that $2.2 billion of Illinois corn and soybeans will be sold to Taiwan over two years starting in 2021. “I’m very concerned that things don’t get stalled out here with other things,” said Illinois Farm Bureau President Richard Guebert Jr. “The government keeps going. Bills still