Welcome to our blog and news page, your go-to source for DIS’s latest articles, expert insights, and industry reports. Stay informed, stay inspired, and stay ahead with DIS.
The evening of January 22, 2026, the staff (less Jing Tang, Statistician who has 2 young children) and their guests headed for the first off-site…
Soybean oil prices decreased by half in 2025 compared to prices around summertime of 2022. Soybean oil prices hit $0.42 per pound in December 2024,…
USDA farm income data published in September 2025 included state cash receipt estimates for the 2024 calendar year. In 2024, Iowa’s agricultural cash receipts totaled…
Water is life in North Dakota — for agriculture, for communities, and for the generations building the state’s future. That’s why the Dakota Mornings Podcast…
Kade Grafel, Research Analyst China had stopped importing soybeans1 from the United States as part of larger trade conflict between the two nations. China is typically a…
Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) is proud to share the results of a comprehensive new economic contribution study commissioned by the Meat Institute —one that highlights…
As harvest is now in full swing across much of the Midwest, the spotlight has been on the expected bin-busting corn crop. However, gaining importance…
Jing Tang, Statistician The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Monthly Energy Review report on August 26th, 2025 and its Monthly Biofuels Capacity and…
Corn yields in the U.S. have been trending upward since the 1930s. As shown in Figure 1, U.S. average corn yields have risen from less…
By Kade Grafel, Research Analyst The IMPLAN Data Library is a relatively recent addition to the IMPLAN ecosystem. The Data Library is essentially a database…
By Spencer Parkinson, CEO, Founder and President In a highly connected world where exchange of goods, services and technology continues at a breakneck pace, risks…
By S. Patricia Batres-Marquez, Senior Research Analyst Based on the latest data published by USDA-FAS, U.S. pork exports from January to April 2025 reached a…
By Alex Robinson, Research Analyst Iowa State University publishes monthly estimates of cost returns on hogs that provides a general outlook on the margins that…
The cattle market is hitting historic price highs as inventories continue to dwindle, while demand remains near record levels. The U.S. cattle herd has been…
The most current U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 37% of the contiguous U.S. is experiencing moderate to exceptional drought as of April 29—a 7% decrease…
With Iowa’s winter in the rearview (I think!) and 2025 already more than ¼ over, I thought now would be a good time to update…
While not as widely grown as corn, soybeans, or wheat, dry beans (such as kidney, navy, pinto, and black beans) are an essential crop grown…
In the first farm income projections for 2025, the USDA reported an increase of $41.0 billion in U.S. net farm income to $180.1 billion (nominal…
The Mississippi River is the largest watershed in the United States, spanning over 40% of the continental US. The Mississippi River and its 29 locks…
Egg prices are a trending headline nationwide. Some grocery stores are responding by limiting the number of cartons customers can buy, while other retailers are…
The latest IMPLAN dataset, based on 2023 data, was released at the tail end of 2024. Thanks to several updates to the data used to…
Last month, we welcomed Paige Klipstein to DIS as a Research Analyst. In this role, Paige is responsible for compiling, managing, and analyzing data, proposals,…
This past summer, DIS brought on Alex Robinson as a research analyst. Alex’s responsibilities include working closely with the Iowa Farm Bureau on various articles…
We’ve conducted this report series over several years. Our first report started with abnormal weather events (serious flooding in primary corn states) in 2019. We…
Boar’s Head, a large producer of deli meats and other food products, has recently announced that it will close its facility in Jarratt, Virginia, following…
According to the USDA’s September release of the 2024 farm income data, the U.S. net farm income value (in nominal terms) would fall 4.4% to…
Now in our 17th year, it’s hard to believe how quickly time has passed since we celebrated our 15th anniversary.
As of January 2024, the U.S. has 56 active biodiesel plants with a combined annual capacity of 2.09 billion gallons per year. This biodiesel is…
Every 4-5 years our Team gets a wave of requests to estimate the economic contribution of agriculture for a number of organizations in many states…
Agriculture is a favorite target among those looking for somewhere to place blame for greenhouse gas emissions. However, recent research from the Environmental Protection Agency…
Soybean oil prices increased almost three times more in the summertime of 2021 compared to prices before 2021. Soybean meal price rose back to $493…
RIN prices have come down significantly in the last 9 months. To be competitive, biofuel producers need to be able to sell their fuels at…
Data released this month by USDA-FAS indicates U.S. pork exports were up 8% to 2.32 million metric tons (MT) in the 2023 calendar year compared…
IMPLAN's newest dataset was released at the end of November 2023. This dataset, based on 2022 data, is the most recent snapshot of economic activity…
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Monthly Energy Review report on December 21st, 2023 and its Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feed Stocks Update…
According to the USDA-FAS PSD database, reported world consumption of soybean meal was 243.67 million metric tons (mmt) in the 2022/23 marketing year.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been affecting US poultry flocks for almost two years now. Cases began in February 2022. Total cases and birds…
A lot of people know that Decision Innovation Solutions is an economic analytics firm based in Des Moines with expertise in ag-related economics and agribusiness…
The Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs were first authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm Bill) and reauthorized…
The United Auto Workers (UAW), a union of American automobile manufacturing workers, has recently reached a deal with the “big three” US-based automakers: General Motors,…
Wrapping up 2023 DIS is looking back on great year of helping our clients succeed.
While it seems that 2023 just started, looking at the calendar does indeed show that we have just 10 weeks left in the year. With…
The 2023 U.S. corn and soybean harvest is nearing its midpoint in terms of harvested acres and farmers are now getting a better sense of…
In 2016, the state of Oregon launched the Oregon Clean Fuels Program (Oregon CFP); and the state of Washington started its Clean Fuel Standard on…
Iowa fertilizer prices began rising in 2021 and peaked during the summer of 2022. Price peaks for each fertilizer were close to double their respective…
The past several years have been a turbulent period for international trade. With a pandemic, a major trade conflict, a war in Europe, and other…
Happy August! Our team has been really busy this past month, click the link to see what DIS has been up to!
The USDA is continuing to compile the 2022 Census of Ag. that is set to release in the year of 2024. DIS is ready to…
David Miller, Chief Economist here at DIS completed a comparison of Brazilian and U.S. exports. Brazil and the U.S. are two of the largest suppliers…
Senior Research Analyst at DIS S. Patricia Batres-Marquez outlines Iowa Sales of E15 Continued to Grow in 2022. Based on the latest annual retail fuel…
Lower hog prices and higher costs have impacted Iowa negatively thus far in 2023, read why...
DIS has conducted this series report over the past years, All data came from National Weekly Grain Co-Products Report from the USDA AMS website. The…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service publishes the Food Access Research Atlas, which is a dataset measuring areas of the U.S. that have…
Decision Innovation Solutions has recently been listed as a Value-Added Agriculture Consultants and Service Providers. Read the article below to learn more on VAPG.
Read the latest trends for imports and exports of food, feed and drinks (FFD) for the UK.
With 2023 almost being halfway through here is a recent update of what we have been up to here at DIS!
Demand to Drive Oil Prices Moving Forward-The recent OPEC+ production cut and the quick jump in oil prices caused concern prices to be headed that…
The IMPLAN modeling system continues to expand and improve. The IMPLAN API makes large projects more feasible, and IMPLAN now has several different data products…
Take a look at the 2023 Corn update compared to the past 2 years!
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Monthly Energy Review report on February 23rd, 2023 and its Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feed Stocks Update…
There are roughly 580 grain buyers in Iowa who post their daily bids on-line (on their own websites and/or on other grain marketing news and…
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published its Monthly Energy Review report on February 23rd, 2023 and its Monthly Biofuels Capacity and Feed Stocks Update…
Iowa is the top producer of corn in the nation and the second largest producer of soybeans, after Illinois...
IMPLAN recently released their newest dataset. Constructed using 2021 data, this dataset represents the most current economic data available at this level of detail.
A recent increase in egg prices has everyone talking about it... here's why!
Come celebrate our 15 year anniversary with us!
The RCO model has been and continues to be utilized in many different situations to help our clients have a better understanding of feed rations…
There are those who say “the market is never wrong” regardless of how current prices relate to historical fundamentals. That could be at play in…
Two types of analysis we frequently do are economic impact studies and economic contribution studies. But what exactly is the difference between an impact and…
Biomass-based diesel includes both biodiesel and renewable diesel. Biodiesel and renewable diesel are produced using the same kind of feedstocks (fats, oils, and greases) but…
In 2020, there were 1.3 billion acres of privately held agricultural land in the U.S. Of these acres, 38 million acres, or 2.9%, was held…
As we celebrate our 15th year in business here at Decision Innovation Solutions, we truly do look forward to forging new, maintaining current and nurturing…
Iowa has 42 ethanol refineries with 4.6 billion gallons of annual production capacity. In 2021, Iowa ethanol production hit an all-time high of 4.4 billion…
We've conducted this series report over three years. It started with an abnormal weather events (serious flooding in the main corn planted states) in 2019,…
The changes in relative value of the soybean crush.
Here at DIS, we have recently completed an Agribusiness Commodity Flow Study for the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Click to read about the Kansas Commodity…
The trends in Iowa's Annual Retail Sales of Ethanol Blends.
Decision Innovation Solutions is in need of a Agricultural and Food Systems Statistical Analyst.
Our Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) team of professional economists and analysts are proud of the independent views and objectivity they bring to every assignment. In…
The U.S. Census has released the data from the 2020 census. As the map below shows, a significant number of rural areas between the Rocky…
Compared to recent years, U.S. rainfall data indicate 2021 as one of the driest. A ten-year high for exceptionally dry conditions was achieved in March,…
DIS wanted to know how Kades first month has been, so we asked him!
The motivation to retire environmentally sensitive and highly erodible cropland from production is to restore soil quality and improve the overall environment. Higher-income developed countries,…
This article covers the most recent trends in ethanol blended fuel sales in Iowa. Data used comes from annual retail fuel sales data and rack…
Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) has enjoyed its working relationships with numerous state and national commodity organizations. These associations play an important role in advocating for…
Our Dynamic Flow Analysis™ methodology has been used in various studies for our clients. We show how we used this methodology in the commodity flow…
The gross production margin in the ethanol industry commonly represents the difference between the price of corn and the combined sales value of ethanol, and…
Recent trends experienced within the U.S. as a whole and within the state of Iowa go to show the important, and more prominent, role the…
Established under the 1985 Food Security Act, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is primarily focused on: protecting otherwise arable land from erosion, improving water quality,…
The Minnesota AgriGrowth Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan member organization representing the agriculture and food industry. In 2020 we worked with Agrigrowth and collaborated with…
One of the very real questions for agricultural and food policy regarding GHG emissions is, “Do we want to cut emissions by cutting crop production…
Oregon Clean Fuels Program (Oregon CFP) was launched in 2016 by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. The program intends to reduce the amount of…
A look at the pace and destination markets for corn exports from the United States. Brief discussions on why shifts have happened this year and…
Identifying, quantifying and maintaining historical relationships among variables allows DIS to develop projections that provide our clients decision-making tools that help them understand how their…
This blog article looks at the details surrounding forecast 2020 U.S. net farm income, how it compares to other years from 2013-2019 as well as…
This is the last of my updates on aquaculture. I have been sharing my observations on the status and trends of the industry. For my…
Every five years since 1980, the USDA updates the dietary guidelines which are primarily used by health professionals and nutritionists for the general public aged…
According to the California Air Resources Board, the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is formulated to lower the carbon intensity (CI) of California's transportation fuel…
In the past three months, we have been through a unique and difficult situation due to the COVID-19 virus. Because of the pandemic, the demand…
There is likely to be some slaughter backlog yet in July 2020, but much of that backlog should be worked through by Labor Day. The…
The U.S. is the largest producer of poultry meat and one of the largest producers of eggs in the world. The level of domestic consumption…
I recently had the opportunity to attend a virtual conference sponsored by the U.S. Soybean Export Council (USSEC) on the 20th of May. According to…
The spread of COVID-19 has created disruptions in livestock slaughter facilities. At the first of April, hog slaughter facilities began to operate at less than…
One honeybee only makes 1/12 a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, but the honeybees' products and service as a pollinator are all but minuscule.…
Greetings! Thankfully, the restrictions that have come with the COVID-19 challenge are beginning to thaw, at least here in Iowa. And…thanks to an exceptional team…
Recently, a question that drew the attention of many farmers across the U.S. was regarding Maximum Residual Limits (MRLs) and its abidance of Good Agricultural…
The spread of COVID-19 has created disruptions in livestock slaughter facilities. At the first of April, hog slaughter facilities began to operate at less than…
It is hard to believe that I have been a member of the DIS team for nearly four months now! A lot has changed since…
As promised in my last blog I will be writing a few blogs about Aquaculture in the U.S. as I continue my research for one…
As a general rule, pets are considered “family” in the United States. More than 100 million U.S. families have a pet at home. For the…
U.S. pork muscle cut export volume was up 9% to 2.176 million metric tons (MT) in 2019 compared with 2018 (see Figure 1). 2019 U.S.…
In March of 2020 I had the privilege to be one of the leaders of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation 2020 Market Study Tour to…
Wind energy has been harnessed for thousands of years. Early users of wind energy propelled their boats, grinded grain, pumped water and managed bodies of…
According to the January 2020 USDA Cattle on Feed Report, the total inventory of U.S. cattle on feed in 1,000+ capacity feedlots was almost 12…
Our Decision Innovation Solutions team usually approaches complex projects by assigning specific segments of a project to individual team members. I have had the pleasure…
We had unnormal weather events throughout 2019 April and May in the Midwest and Iowa that led to very significant delays in the corn planting…
As we wrap up 2019, we look ahead to year 2020! We will be wrapping up our American Feed Industry Association Social Media Campaign in…
2018 ARC and PLC payments were issued in early October. Very few Iowa counties received any ARC-CO payments again this year. Final 2018/19 MYA prices…
Milk has been a staple beverage in American diets for decades. But has milk consumption changed in recent years? With the help of technology and…
I recently read an article in Morning AgClips regarding a county in Missouri attaining the designation of “Agri-Ready”. Morning AgClips is a news service that…
Agriculture in Iowa is constantly changing. Every 5 years we get a snapshot of those changes with the Census of Agriculture by USDA. Earlier this…
According to the October 28th USDA Crop Progress report, Iowa still only had 26% of corn harvested and 66% of soybeans, which are both well…
As in the last article we talked about the common modes of transportation for agricultural commodities in the State of Missouri are truck, rail, ship,…
2019 has been a very busy, productive year for the DIS team. From long-term additions to the team, an intense, short need from six interns…
Through Decision Innovation Solutions, I provide consulting services on international programs and activities to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. One of my recent activities involved…
What do rope, shoes, plastics, food and beverages, animal feed, auto parts, fuel, sails, textiles, paper, canvas, building supplies, body lotions and salves have in…
Many midwestern states, like Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, etc., are reliant upon infrastructure to move agricultural and agricultural related commodities to markets. There are thousands of…
Have you ever wondered what your members are thinking and talking about on social media? Or what trends are occurring in different groups of people…
In the past year, Decision Innovation Solutions has completed research for the United Soybean Board regarding protein sources in animal diets. In this research, DIS…
“Planting progress has been slowed by relatively frequent and relatively heavy rains throughout April and May.”, said DIS chief economist, David Miller, on May 24,…
In the latest USDA's WASDE report posted July 11, 2019, the 2019/20 soybean production forecast was down 305 million bushels to 3.845 billion bushels month-over-month…
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) published Monthly Biodiesel Production Report on June 28th. In this article, we will conduct a descriptive analysis of pure…
Almost every day you will hear or read information that indicates a significant segment of our population does not understand or appreciate the contribution of…
The wet spring of 2019 with rains and flooding has kept many fields unplanted across Iowa. With the final planting dates in the state of…
Until this marketing year, China had been the main foreign market for U.S. soybeans. However, Brazil has taken the lead as China's main soybean trading…
In this short article, we look at pure biodiesel production for 2019. Pure or traditional biodiesel is known as Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME). Renewable…
Worldwide, the per capita consumption of fish is increasing. Some of that increase is due to population growth and some growth is due to rising…
Iowa is the number two soybean producer in the country after Illinois. In 2018/19 Iowa produced 565 million bushels of soybeans, which was about 12.4…
It has been quite wet across a wide swath of the US corn production area this year. Planting progress has been slowed by relatively frequent…
Farmers face challenging market prices in 2019 and diminished (or negative) returns due to costs of production that are not decreasing as rapidly as the…
Within the past twenty years, the flow of information has exponentially increased, largely due to advancements in technology and adoption of social media. The speed…
In this month's report, we look at the ethanol crush spread. Ethanol crush spread is a dollar value calculated as the difference between the combined…
Spring weather conditions often allow only a small window with ideal planting conditions, but when that window is open, Iowa farmers respond.
This report presents the latest information on U.S. ethanol production and exports to leading destinations and highlights Iowa's ethanol industry and the importance of this…
In this month's article, we look at pure biodiesel production and its feedstock usage for 2018. A previous update covering pure biodiesel production can be…
From our previous article, we compared the attitudes from the different perspectives of American and Chinese regard to the trade war (trade talks) since March…
One of the roles I fill is the International Programs Consultant for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. In that role, I support IFBF in their…
U.S. ethanol production was at 1.028 million barrels per day for the week ending February 22, 2019 according to the most recent Weekly Ethanol Plant…
My favorite breakfasts (yes, I have more than one) always include eggs in some form. If you have breakfast at Iowa Machine Shed here in…
The trade war (trade talks) between the US and China started in March of 2018. Intensity of the trade talks increased until the G-20 summit…
As a Marketing-Communications Intern at Decision Innovation Solutions, I have had the opportunity to take on many different tasks regarding our social media channels. Most…
2018 saw decreased hog prices received for most months compared to 2017. This was partially due to trade disputes that have remained.
In this short report, we look at the amount of corn and sorghum crushed for fuel ethanol production. This data analysis work is based on…
In this series of articles, we studied the relationship between the crop progress Good and Excellent condition ratings and the corn and soybean yields for…
Our last article has emphasized that a good understanding of corn and soybean yields are important for the State of Iowa. So, we conducted a…
US corn and soybean production in 2018 is estimated to be 14.6 billion bushels and 4.6 billion bushels, respectively. Iowa is ranked first in the…
With the upcoming close of a successful 2018, we recognize that we are undoubtedly blessed as we prepare to look back at the many great…
The last Crop Progress report released by USDA on November 26, 2018, indicated the top 18 corn and soybeans producing states were 90 percent and…
The Alabama Hurricane Michael was a Category 4 storm that made landfall on October 10, 2018. Due to 155 miles per hour winds, Hurricane Michael…
Iowa fertilizer prices are down significantly from 2012, however fertilizer prices have been on the rise since late 2017. In 2012, urea prices were near…
Over the past 4 years, our team at Decision Innovation Solutions has had the opportunity to work with all levels of the livestock, poultry and…
USDA's November 8, 2018, edition of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report (WASDE) contains the latest forecast for the 2018/19 soybean marketing year
Yellow grease (YG) and choice white grease (CWG) are marginal value commodities. YG can be many products such as used cooking oil, lower quality fat…
We are now a little over halfway through October and Iowa corn harvest progress is only at 17% and soybean harvest progress is 19% complete,…
2017 ARC-CO payments were issued by USDA's Farm Service Agency on October 4, 2018. As shown on the maps below, Iowa counties received final payment…
What began as a single project for a national commodity organization has now officially blossomed into four repeats of that project along with many others…
By the end of the second quarter of 2018, Iowa added 4 MW of new wind power capacity for a total of 7,312 MW. Based…
U.S. pork muscle cut export volume increased 6 percent to 1.165 million metric tons (MT) during the first seven months of 2018 compared with the…
Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) has the opportunity to work with a wide variety of clients who all have their own unique needs. The team of…
Nowadays, more and more people pay attention to data and information and how to use them in a proper way. Analyzing data includes not only…
In Iowa, the two largest weeks for harvest progress were in 1993 and 2013, when 30% of Iowa's corn crop was harvested in one week.…
Decision Innovation Solutions end of summer internship experience blog
For the first dataset, gasoline's price is higher than ethanol price, the correlation between daily ethanol price and gasoline price
The Chinese government indicated that the expected fuel ethanol production will be 4 million Metric tons (1.339 billion gallons) per year during the 13th Five-Year…
According to the July 30th USDA/NASS Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report, the Iowa corn crop is rated 78% Good/Excellent, 16% Fair, and 6% Poor/Very…
Corn has been grown across Iowa for more than 150 years, more than 30,000 kernels are planted per acre, and state-average corn yields can be…
Although 2018/19 corn exports are forecast down 175 million year-over-year, exports are expected to continue a strong pace in 2018/19 marketing with a forecast volume…
Expectation for losses in the hog industry were estimated to be more than $25 per head by the last quarter of 2018 and the first…
From 2001-2017, Iowa averaged about eight Chapter 12 bankruptcy filings per year. In 2017, that number rose to a record high during this time frame…
At this point the US is a net importer of seafood. However, there are a lot of things happening in breeding, feed composition, consumer trends…
Crop conditions according to the June 4th USDA/NASS Crop Progress report.
Iowa Crop Progress Reported Weekly. 5/27/2018
The 2018 average cash rental rates for corn and soybean acres ranged from $126/acre in Clarke County to $290 in Grundy County according to the…
Stronger feed trial experimental design and analysis can give the competitive edge necessary to remain ahead, and provide the best inputs to producers and by…
With a very cold wet spring 2018 corn and osybean planting has experienced some delays. However, if you give farmers a small window of opportunity…
Data on the industry with the fourth largest sales per farm number is scarce, why?
Over 20 percent of U.S. farm products by value are exported each year, making trade a key component for U.S. agricultural sustainability and growth.
There has been a lot of talk on tariffs during the month of March, however, the specifics of what has been happening is still unfolding.…
A key tool we've found useful in helping our clients get the biggest “bang” for their outreach “buck” has been the calculation of a “propensity…
Where are the top markets? What are we exporting to these countries?
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) began in 1985 as part of the Food Security Act. It is a voluntary program that provides the opportunity for…
Nitrogen fertilizer is an important input in Iowa, the leading state in corn production. Due to the positive correlation ammonia has with corn and natural…
According to the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates Report (WASDE) published by USDA on January 12, 2018, 2017/18 U.S. soybean production is estimated…
The United States has competitive advantage in crop and animal production over many other locations around the planet starting from the soil under our feet.…
According to the USDA/NASS Acreage Report, 93% of corn acres and 94% of soybean acres in Iowa were planted with a GE (genetically engineered) variety…
Soybean oil is the most dominant edible oil in the U.S. domestic fats and oils market. Relative abundant supply and cheaper soybean oil are the…
China is the fourth largest producer and consumer of ethanol after the United States, Brazil, and the European Union. China's ethanol gasoline blend rate averaged…
U.S. livestock and poultry producers have typically relied on soybean meal (SBM) as a valuable and consistent source of protein in their rations. The inclusion…
The USDA released the October report of the World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE, October 12, 2017), forecasting higher 2017/18 corn production, increased corn…
2016 ARC-CO payments have been issued by the FSA. As shown on the map, counties in Iowa will receive a gross payment amount ranging from…
Recently the Trump Administration has begun to discuss and prepare to withdrawal from the Free Trade Agreement the U.S. has with South Korea. With many…
The 2017 average Iowa cropland cash rent by county as reported by USDA/NASS was $231/acre, down $4/acre from last year. The county averages ranged from…
The latest (August 30, 2017) and second USDA forecasts for the 2017 calendar year for U.S. net cash income (gross cash income minus cash expenses)…
The U.S. beef export volume so far (January to June 2017) is the second largest after the record high volume of 605,835 MT CWE in…
What can happen in ten years? Well, from personal experience, a family can move to Iowa from a place that has things called mountains with…
Ten years ago two partners formed a new company to leverage their financial modeling and decision support skills. Sterling Liddell and Spence Parkinson were both…
USDA data indicates that from January to June 2017 the United States exported 22.8 percent of its pork production compared with 20.9 percent during the…
Agriculture research has driven major increases in input/output margins since the late 1940's. These increases have been clear to many farmers strictly looking at crop…
The lack of rain has caused Iowa's corn crop to continue to decline. As of the August 7th USDA/NASS Crop Progress and Condition Report, Iowa's…
Based on the most recent data on world egg production available from FAOSTAT, Statistic Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization, in 2014 the United…
The water quality trend is correlated with many factors, such as weather conditions, land use, and government policy. In this article, we examined nitrate concentration…
The Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) is a regulatory framework adopted by California to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the state. The program encourages…
The U.S. is the number one broiler producer in the world followed by Brazil, China, and the European Union (EU). In 2016, U.S. production of…
This time of the year the fields in Iowa begin to turn into seas of green corn and soybeans. In the last few years some…
A year ago I found a farm that was participating in a worldwide cooperative organic farming program. I worked and stayed on the farm for…
You don't need to be an Iowa native to know our land is draped with millions of acres of crops. Roughly 30 million acres in…
Brazil's government scandal brought its currency, the Real, down approximately 7 percent within the last 24 hours. This large drop in the Brazil's currency has…
I have a Google alert set for Economic Contribution and another for Economic Impact. This gives me a great overview of the plethora of studies…
The Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS) slogan is, “Bridging Your Information Research Needs”. What does this mean? There is a common business term, “innovate or die”.…
Supported by economic growth, increasing household income, constrained farmland area, and a diversified diet that includes more animal protein, dairy products, and other consumer oriented…
Pure or traditional biodiesel is known as Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) and renewable diesel (also known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil or HVO) often are…
In 2016, Canada was the second largest market for U.S. agricultural products with a value of $20.5 billion. The leading market destination in 2016 was…
I was reading a Reuters Media article dated March 15, 2017 entitled “New, safer U.S. rail cars gather dust even as ethanol trains grow longer”.…
We recently put together a brief article on the actuarial performance of corn and soybean crop insurance premiums in Iowa from 2001-2015. This article was…
In 2016, Mexico was the third largest value market for U.S. agricultural products, after China and Canada. The 2016 value of U.S. agricultural exports to…
The recently released NASS harvested yields can be used to estimate the 2016 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) payments planned for payment in the fall. These…
Carl Zulauf and Gary Schnitkey recently published a brief research paper in Farmdoc Daily (FDD) in which they studied the loss ratio of all major…
We have done an analysis to understand the relationship among monthly average ethanol prices versus ethanol ending stocks, corn prices, and gasoline prices. The major…
Most trade agreements are of benefit to agriculture commodity exports, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement was no different. More access to markets previously not…
How can economic research and engineering work together toward the common goal of informing funding policies and decisions in order to prioritize limited dollars and…
Biodiesel production in the United States in 2015 reached a volume of 1.263 billion gallons, declining 1.2% from the 2014 level (1.278 billion gallons) (see…
The average Iowa farmland value in 2016 decreased to about $7,183/acre according to the 2016 Iowa State University Farmland Survey. The average value of farmland…
According to the most recent Weekly Ethanol Plant Production report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. ethanol production reached 1.049 million barrels per day…
Our reason for going to the conference was to report on the contribution of agriculture and forestry to the State of Missouri and each of…
The Chinese government recently indicated that the expected ethanol production will be 4 million tons (1.2314 billion gallons) per year for the next five years.…
U.S. net cash income (gross cash income minus cash expenses) and U.S. net farm income (total gross income minus total expenses) in the 2016 calendar…
Brazil and Argentina play a large role in world corn and soybean markets. Brazil has seen a significant rise in corn production over the past…
This past summer in-between semesters at Iowa State, I spent my time working as an intern with Decision Innovation Solutions (DIS). Having an internship is…
The Weekly Petroleum Status Report released November 9, 2016 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates weekly U.S. refiner and blender net input of…
U.S. beef exports in August 2016 reached a volume of 75,236 metric tons (MT), increasing both year over year (27.6%) and relative to the previous…
Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) is the main co-product of corn ethanol produced in dry-mill plants. Since 2007, on average, 97.1% of total DDGS…
Data collection in agriculture has long been a mindset that allows for continuous improvement. With so much data being created on a continuous basis, the…
About 22% of the total volume of U.S. production is exported every year making exports an important outlet for U.S. agricultural production. The main U.S.…
While Iowa has a high population of hogs being fed for the market, many of the market ready hogs are being transported to processing facilities…
Solar energy is a renewable energy derived from radiant light and heat from the sun which can be harnessed by using different methods or technologies…
In an earlier post, I provided readers some background on who I am, where I grew up, and how a Mountain West farm kid made…
Wind has been used as a source of energy since early history when windmills were used to grind grain and pump water. Ever since then…
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a free trade agreement (FTA) negotiated among twelve countries: Australia, Canada, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Peru, Chile, Brunei, Vietnam,…
Have you ever had too much to handle with your current resources? I have – in more ways than one, but trust me, when it…
Last November 30, the EPA published its final rulemaking for the 2014-2017 time period of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which was enacted in 2007.…
The latest monthly data from USDA/ERS indicates that U.S. ethanol production in September 2015 was 1.2 billion gallons, declining 4% from the previous month, but…
The latest (December 7, 2015) USDA meat trade data indicates that after five months of continued decline, U.S. pork exports experienced growth during September and…
Did you know that the average cat eats about 0.8 lbs of soybean meal a year? The average dog? They're a different story – they…
I was looking for a reasonable definition of the word "Analytics". This term is used everywhere in business nowadays and having some background in economics…
I am currently a part of the Master of Agribusiness program through Kansas State University. It is a program designed for working professionals, so I…
I have been working with our team on several projects that required us to learn a lot about animal nutrition for most of the species…
U.S. agricultural exports to China have increased substantially over the last fifteen years. Annual sales to China increased from $1.7 billion in 2000 to $24.2…
USDA released its annual Land Values report this week (August 6, 2015). Nationwide, farm real estate value averaged $3,020 per acre for 2015 which is…
Since the beginning of 2015, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has resulted in the loss of more than thirty-eight million layers and pullets in the…
Do you know what the following list of acronyms have in common? AMS, APHIS, ARS, CNPP, ERS, FSA, FNS, FSIS, FAS, GIPSA, NAL, NASS, NIFA,…
Avian influenza (HPAI) continues to impact the poultry industry in the U.S., particularly in Iowa. Based on USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS)…
At Decision Innovation Solutions, we utilize the best tools in the market to help our clients make better informed decisions. We help our clients tell…
At present, the recent outbreak of the bird flu has been found on 58 farms across 13 states in the U.S. The majority of those…
I LOVE vacuums! You see, I just passed my five-year anniversary with the company and was surprised to find out that I could pick an…
Our Executive Director, Spencer Parkinson, and I completed a very interesting and fun project earlier this month. We had the opportunity to work with a…
March 31, 2015 is the deadline for producers to make the final election of program coverage under the current Farm Bill (2014-2018). As this is…
After dodging as many snowflakes as possible, witnessing several sliding and wrecked vehicles on I-80, and "ruining" the evening for thirty-five cub scouts for cancelling…
Distillers corn oil (DCO) is produced at the majority of ethanol plants today. The DCO market was relatively small prior to 2000. However, the production…
I have the privilege of working with a team that shares the guiding principles of placing family first, being honest in all of your relationships,…
U.S. pork exports have been facing a series of challenges over the last few months that have resulted in reduced volume of exports during August…
Agriculture is in my blood. Always has been, always will be. Why? Because it's a way of life I have experienced firsthand and have learned…
Some of our recent work is about water quality in Iowa lakes. Iowa has more than 200 lakes spread over diverse geographic areas. The Clean…
We all have different skills and interests, leading us to have various types of jobs. It takes a balance of all types of people to…
A hot topic in Iowa news recently has been the potential gasoline price increases resulting from Magellan Midstream Partners, LP replacing 87 octane with 84…
When you think of irrigation your first thoughts are probably about the circles of green you see when flying over Midwestern states. Or, if you've…
The current dry spell in much of the Midwest raises some challenges the fledgling bio-products industries will face now and in the future. There are…
The United States is a large net exporter of corn seed for planting. Seed trade, including that of corn, has been expanding, but its determinants…
I recently had a discussion with an individual about what drives the prices of commodities, which was a good discussion, but it helped remind me…
We recently concluded a study (forthcoming in the Journal of Environmental Quality) on water quality modeling in the Raccoon River Watershed in Iowa. Intensive agricultural…
I recently attended a Biomass Crop Workshop in Creston, IA. I was interested in attending for two reasons. First, our team has developed an application…
With the spring season upon us, the weather here in Iowa has really begun to warm. With this change in weather, the focus in Iowa…
I have the pleasure of traveling around the state speaking to economic development groups. Often times the discussion is about how to attract jobs to…
Here are a few questions for you: Have you ever wondered how many jobs a new business brings with it when it starts? What happens…
One of our most loyal customers, Feed Energy Company, was recently honored as the runner-up for the Information Technology Innovation Award for their use of…
With the economy still struggling to regain momentum, the use of resources (i.e., human and capital) continues to be heavily scrutinized to ensure they are…
International markets for U.S agricultural products are often subjected to a wide range of trade barriers such as tariff and non-tariff measures. Though tariffs for…
All businesses encounter risk. Risk is born out of uncertainty, or not having a perfect knowledge of future events. Risk involves making a choice when…
Japan is one of the United States major agricultural goods importers. In fact, the U.S. has been the largest corn and soybean exporter to Japan…
The Consumer Price Index Data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for February 2011 has been making quite a stir in the news the…
"Pork, the Other White Meat" has been around since 1987. For some, this statement has been around longer than they have been alive and for…
Recently, John Urbanchuk of Cardno Entrix released his annual assessment of the impact of the ethanol industry. In the past Mr. Urbanchuk has done similar…
The day has officially arrived to launch the 2011 Northeast Iowa Biomass Asset Map, a project we've been working on with many partners over the…
Stochastic Modeling reduces risk in management decisions by adequately characterizing the variables associated with a project. Find out more next month at the Solutions blog.
This is the first blog post on the Solutions blog for Decision Innovation Solutions. Stop by the Solutions blog for updates, tips and research findings.
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