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Rally seeks to raise attention over dairy industry trouble

May 30, 2009 By

Local and regional organizations are teaming up with Farm Aid for a rally at the Manchester Livestock Exchange today to raise awareness about problems in the dairy industry. Delaware County farmer Dave Knipper says they hope to raise awareness about the falling milk prices and increasing costs.

Knipper says the price had dropped below 10 dollars per hundred weight for milk, while the price of corn is back up and the price of hay is up to 22-50 for a ton. He says dairy farmers can’t afford those high costs and the dairy farmers want to let U.S. Ag Secretary Vilsack and President Obama and the public know what is happening.

Knipper says farmers can’t borrow enough money to keep going. He says borrowing is not answer to keeping dairy farmers viable. He says you can’t borrow money and continue to lose money each month. Knipper is a representative for a company called Prairie State/Select Sires, in which he covers twenty-some counties in Iowa working with dairy and beef farmers.

Knipper says they are also hoping Saturday to collect signatures for their petition urging the ag secretary to set fair prices for dairy farmers. Knipper says there will be a signup sheet to send a petition to the ag secretary and information on who to call.

Knipper says this issue goes beyond dairy farmers. Knipper says the dairy farmers buy feed and equipment in the community. He says if we lose 35 to 40% of our dairy farmers then it will impact corn and bean prices, and he says we won’t be able to ensure the quality of milk if it has to be imported.

The rally will run from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Manchester Livestock Exchange in Manchester.

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Politics & Government Tagged With: ,

Culver: gay marriage not a major issue

May 30, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver says he doesn’t believe gay marriage will be a "major political issue" in the 2010 election.

Culver, a Democrat, intends to seek a second term as governor and Republican critics say Culver’s failure to do something to stop gay marriage from occurring in the state will be an issue with voters.

"I really understand and appreciate the fact that there are very strong emotions on both sides of this issue, but I think the court has spoken loudly and clearly, they had a unanimous decision — 7-0 — granting equal rights under our constitution to everyone including those who are gay and lesbian," Culver says. "And because of that decision and the fact that it was unanimous, I do not believe longterm it will have a real political implication."

The Iowa Supreme Court ruling issued in early April paved the way for same-sex couples to legally marry in Iowa. Gay and lesbian couples began applying for marriage licenses just over a month ago, on April 27th.

"One of the things that I’ve emphasized is the fact that the court spent a lot of time talking about religious marriage, something that I and so many Iowans believe we should protect — the right for a church to make their own decision in terms of who gets married in that sacred place," Culver says. "So I think because the court wrote the opinion in a way that was clear in terms of protecting those religious rights, it’s less likely they’ll have a real political implication next fall."

Culver says Iowa’s situation is different from the battle that’s unfolding in California is the California Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage was a 4-3, split decision among the justices, while the Iowa Supreme Court’s decision was unanimous and the decision was written by a justice appointed to the court by former Republican Governor Terry Branstad.

"From what I’ve heard and seen across the state, it has not risen to a level where I think it’s going to be a major political issue," Culver says. "I think most Iowans believe that it’s important to protect people’s rights under the Iowa constitution."

Culver made his comments Friday during an appearance on Iowa Public Television’s "Iowa Press" program. The program will be rebroadcast Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , , ,