Agricultural Policy Review
A Research Publication of the Center for Agricultural & Rural Development
Spring 2026
-
Conservation practices such as cover crops and no-till are widely promoted as solutions to the environmental externalities of row crop agriculture, including soil erosion, nutrient loss, and degraded water quality. Yet despite decades of effort, adoption rates remain well below the levels needed to meet conservation goals such as those outlined in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
-
Sustainable aviation fuels are attracting growing interest as a potential additional source of demand for agricultural feedstock. Corn ethanol can be used as a feedstock for alcohol-to-jet sustainable aviation fuel production, which could create new market opportunities for both corn and ethanol producers.
-
As crops and livestock are produced in open, living systems, agricultural production is exposed to biological pests such as insects and pathogens that can move across farms, counties, and states before losses are visible in any one field, orchard, or herd. Detection in one location can help nearby farms update expectations, help advisers interpret regional movement, and help public agencies judge whether an unusual season is emerging.
-
Google was first introduced to the public in 1998 and quickly established itself as the dominant internet search engine. This study reexamines the role of Google searches on livestock prices using consistent measures of poultry, pork, and cattle disease keyword searches over a 20-year period and monitors price responses across all three livestock types.