In January, amid much fanfare and optimism, China and the United States signed phase one of a trade deal intended to be the first step toward ending the nearly two-year-old trade war. In the agreement, China agreed to increase its purchases of agricultural products by $32 billion over the next two years.  Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding hit to the global economy, which led to lower prices for commodities like soybeans, one of the things China buys from the United States.  With the deal’s goals written in dollars, not volume, Steve Nicholson, an analyst with...…In January, amid much fanfare and optimism, China and the United States signed phase one of a trade deal intended to be the first step toward ending the nearly two-year-old trade war. In the agreement, China agreed to increase its purchases of agricultural products by $32 billion over the next two years.  Then came the COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding hit to the global economy, which led to lower prices for commodities like soybeans, one of the things China buys from the United States.  With the deal’s goals written in dollars, not volume, Steve Nicholson, an analyst with...WW…

© 2022 Iowa Public RadioPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsGet the latest news about the novel coronavirus from Iowa Public Radio and NPR News.Many of the public health labs determining whether people have COVID-19 have become at least overworked or, at worst, overwhelmed. Some of the country’s animal disease labs have stepped in to help.Rodger Main, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State University, says early in the COVID-19 outbreak, he and leaders from the University of Iowa’s State Hygienic Lab got on the phone to discuss how they could collaborate.“In...…© 2022 Iowa Public RadioPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsGet the latest news about the novel coronavirus from Iowa Public Radio and NPR News.Many of the public health labs determining whether people have COVID-19 have become at least overworked or, at worst, overwhelmed. Some of the country’s animal disease labs have stepped in to help.Rodger Main, director of the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State University, says early in the COVID-19 outbreak, he and leaders from the University of Iowa’s State Hygienic Lab got on the phone to discuss how they could collaborate.“In...WW…

© 2022 Iowa Public RadioPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA new agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes Iowa the seventh state where some small meat lockers can sell products in other states.Almost a year ago, some small, state-inspected meat lockers approached the Iowa Department of Agriculture about joining the USDA program. It lets lockers with fewer than 25 employees apply for permission to sell their meat across state lines. Currently, those lockers are held to the same food safety and other standards as federally-inspected meat processors, but state...…© 2022 Iowa Public RadioPlay Live Radio0:000:00Available On Air StationsA new agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture makes Iowa the seventh state where some small meat lockers can sell products in other states.Almost a year ago, some small, state-inspected meat lockers approached the Iowa Department of Agriculture about joining the USDA program. It lets lockers with fewer than 25 employees apply for permission to sell their meat across state lines. Currently, those lockers are held to the same food safety and other standards as federally-inspected meat processors, but state...WW…