Iowa Farm Bureau discusses several issues at annual meeting

The Iowa Farm Bureau wraps up its 82nd annual meeting today in Des Moines. Bureau President Ed Wiederstein says one of the issues discussed was the proposed Smithfield Foods merger with I-B-P. The president of Smithfield addressed convention delegates. Wiederstein says delegates are still skeptical that the merger won’t hurt their profits.Wiederstein says they also discussed StarLink corn and the use of genetically modified crops.He believes the efforts made to certify the corn for export to Japan are proving successful. But, he says he’s not sure they can come up with a perfect system.Wiederstein says there was surprisingly little discussion as delegates put together some changes for the farm bill. He says there are just a few suggestions for change.The Iowa Farm Bureau annual meeting wraps up today at the Polk County Convention Complex.