COMMON GROUND BLOG

Mar 24, 2015 | The Business of Agriculture

Whether they are adding grain bins, machine sheds or livestock facilities to their operations, more producers are choosing leases, primarily as a tax management strategy.

Mar 20, 2015 | The Business of Agriculture

Avian flu has been confirmed for the first time in the Mississippi flyway, heightening the need for strong biosecurity and creating uncertainty in the poultry market.

Mar 3, 2015 | Crop Insurance

FCSAmerica hosted GrowingOn® meetings in 30 locations across Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota from December 2014 through January 2015.

Feb 19, 2015 | The Business of Agriculture

Veterans arrive in the private sector job-ready. As an ag lender, FCSAmerica has an additional reason to recruit vets: About 45 percent of armed service members come from rural America and understand our customers and their businesses.

Feb 3, 2015 | From the Farm

The Ag-ceptional award recognizes one woman each year for the excellence she brings to agriculture. Dawn Winkelbauer, whose family has a farm and dairy near Norfolk, Nebraska, recently was named Ag-ceptional Woman of the Year.

Jan 22, 2015 | The Business of Agriculture

A softening in the farmland market is reflected in the reduction in benchmark farm values. However, weakened cropland values have been slightly offset by gains in pasture values.

Jan 13, 2015 | Crop Insurance

Choosing the right crop insurance doesn’t have to be complicated. Steve Johnson breaks the decision down to a few key points to help producers decide between ARC and PLC.

Jan 7, 2015 | The Business of Agriculture

We are closing our #spoonsalute campaign with a $10,000 donation to help fight hunger in our four-state territory, but there is no end to the gratitude embodied in each spoon salute shared through Facebook and Twitter.

Dec 30, 2014 | Rural Communities

Feeding South Dakota helps ease the hunger pangs of school-age children over winter break.

Dec 4, 2014 | From the Farm

Council Bluffs grower and CEO Todd Johnson and his crew began cultivating about 200,000 poinsettias back in early summer. Now show worthy, these stars of the holiday season are being shipped by the thousands to stores across the region.

Nov 25, 2014 | The Business of Agriculture

FCSAmerica began financing the renewable fuels industry more than a decade ago as an extension of our mission to finance rural America. Today, our renewable fuels team finances approximately 50 ethanol production facilities throughout the Midwest, serving in the roles of lead lender and participant.

Nov 11, 2014 | From the Farm

First Lt. Scott Rottinghaus is a farmer and a soldier. While stationed in Kunar, one of Afghanistan’s most dangerous provinces, he combined his two loves to serve his country as a soldier-farmer. As part of the Iowa National Guard’s 734th Agri-Business Development Team, Rottinghaus drew on his life a crop and livestock producer to teach Afghanis about sustainability and food safety.