May 23, 2012

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Two events planned to address concerns about BPI’s textured beef product

March 28, 2012 By

Governor Terry Branstad and U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack will hold a news conference this afternoon to address the controversy over the textured beef product that critics have labeled “pink slime.”

Beef Products Incorporated shut down three of its plants, including one in Waterloo, after criticism over the product. A release from Branstad’s office says the news conference will “clarify the facts” surrounding the beef product.

The shutdowns put some 650 people out of work. Branstad and Vilsack will address the issue this afternoon, and then Branstad will join governors from Kansas, Nebraska, Texas and South Dakota’s Lieutenant Governor to visit the South Sioux City plant that is still operating and making the product.

The governor’s visit is set for Thursday. Here is the statement Governor Branstad’s's office released on the Thursday event:

DES MOINES) – A coalition of governors is joining forces to support the U.S. beef industry and set the record straight about lean finely textured beef, releasing a statement and conducting a Beef Plant Tour.

Lean finely textured beef is a 100% beef, 95% lean, nutritious, safe, quality and affordable beef product eaten by Americans for 20 years. The production and food safety technologies employed to make lean finely textured beef are USDA-approved, and it is produced in USDA-inspected meat processing facilities.

Govs. Terry Branstad (Iowa); Sam Brownback (Kansas); Lt. Gov. Matt Michels, standing in for South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard, who is on a trade mission in China; Dave Heineman (Nebraska); and Rick Perry (Texas) today jointly issued the following statement:

“Our states proudly produce food for the country and the world – and we do so with the highest commitment toward product safety. Lean, finely textured beef is a safe, nutritious product that is backed by sound science. It is unfortunate when inaccurate information causes an unnecessary panic among consumers.

“By taking this safe product out of the market, grocery retailers and consumers are allowing media sensationalism to trump sound science. This is a disservice to the beef industry, hundreds of workers who make their livings producing this safe product and consumers as a whole.

“Ultimately, it will be the consumer who pays for taking this safe product out of the market. The price of ground beef will rise as ranchers work to raise as many as 1.5 million more head of cattle to replace safe beef no longer consumed because of the baseless media scare.

“We urge grocery retailers, consumers and members of the media to seek the facts behind lean finely textured beef. Science supports keeping the lean beef product on grocery store shelves for the benefit of American agriculture and consumers alike.”

Already, more than 650 workers in Kansas, Texas and Iowa have been temporarily laid off. According to the National Meat Association, as many as 3,000 American jobs will be affected when suppliers are also factored in.

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Branstad says “ag gag” law protects Iowa farmers (audio)

March 5, 2012 By

Governor Branstad says he took the right step in signing into law a bill that offers new protections to Iowa farmers and large-scale livestock operations. The new law creates a new penalty for people who get a job on a farm or in a confinement in order to go undercover to release details of the operation or free the animals.

“I know there are those people who don’t believe anybody should eat meat and those people that want to release livestock or mink or whatever,” Branstad told reporters this morning when questioned about the proposal. “Or we’ve even had them attack research at the University of Iowa.”

During a telephone interview this morning, Matt Dominguez of the American Humane Society said the law will subject “whistleblowers” to another legal obstacle.

“Whistleblowing employees have repeatedly exposed animal abuse, unsafe working conditions and environmental problems on today’s factory farms,” Dominguez said. “You know — footage of animals confined for their entire lives in crates so small they can’t even move an inch.”

Iowa’s governor suggested so-called “whistleblowers” won’t be prosecuted. 

“If somebody comes on somebody else’s property through fraud or deception or lying, that is a serious violation of people’s rights and people should be held accountable for that,” Branstad said. “That’s very different from a whistleblower that sees something that’s wrong, that’s there in an appropriate and legal manner.”

Other critics, like the Animal Legal Defense Fund, are lobbying officials in other states and cities around the country to ban the purchase of Iowa-raised food as a response to the state’s new law. And fast-food giant McDonald’s recently announced it would not buy pork from operations where sows are confined to stalls or crates. Governor Branstad signed the bill into law late Friday, and he told reporters this morning that he’s not concerned about a back-lash to Iowa-grown and raised products.

“Agriculture is an important part of our economy and farmers should not be subjected to people doing illegal, inappropriate things and being involved in fraud and deception in order to try to disrupt agricultural operations,” Branstad said, “so I think if people look at this objectively, this is a reasonable public policy for the State of Iowa and I think a number of other states will probably follow.” 

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals issued a statement after the bill passed both the Senate and House last week, saying “people all over the country will think Iowa ag has a lot to hide, and kids who love animals will probably demand Iowa meat be taken off cafeteria menus.” According to PETA, similar legislation has stalled in Illinois, Missouri, Florida, New York and Minnesota.

Follow this link to audio of Branstad’s weekly news conference, where he was asked about this topic.

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Denison beef packing plant could close

March 1, 2012 By

Four-hundred jobs at the Tyson beef slaughtering plant in Denison are in jeopardy. Tyson spokesman, Gary Mikelson, says the company is expanding its Dakota City, Nebraska meat processing plant, and that means Tyson may no longer need the smaller plant in Dension.

He says they have not made a final decision yet, but he says if the Denison facility did close, the employees would be encouraged to seek jobs at the Dakota City plant. Dakota City, Nebraska is across the Iowa border near Sioux City, about 80-miles west of the Denison’s Tyson Foods beef processing plant.

Mikelson says the decision is based on the availability of cattle to slaughter in the Denison area. “This is a very difficult scenario to consider, given the impact it would have on our people and the long history that that plant has had in the meat industry. However, unless area cattle supplies increase significantly, it may make sense to discontinue operations there next year,” Mikelson says.

Mikelson says they are making millions of dollars in upgrades at the Dakota City plant, and will add 200 job there. He says the work should be done by the middle of 2013.

Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City contributed to this story.

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Legislature cracks down on undercover stings in livestock confinements (audio)

February 28, 2012 By

The Iowa legislature has voted to establish new penalties for people caught getting a job at a livestock confinement or on a farm in order to go undercover or to disrupt the operation in some way.

AUDIO of senate’s 52-minute debate of the bill earlier this afternoon.  The House endorsed the same version of the bill at 4:45 p.m.  It now goes to Governor Branstad, who is expected to sign it into law.

Senator Joe Seng, a Democrat from Davenport who is veterinarian, said animal rights activists with an agenda to expose conditions inside livestock confinements can expose the animals to disease.

“People are trying to get into these places, saying they’re a plumber or they’re this or that, they’re going to take care of your livestock with no intention of that whatsoever. They’re trying to bring down this business,” Seng said. “That is false pretenses. It’s a claim that they’re going to do one thing, but they’re not going to do it. They’re going to do something else.”

Early this afternoon the Iowa Senate voted 40-10 to charge people caught in those situations with a serious misdemeanor. A few hours later the Iowa House endorsed the proposal on a 68-26 vote. Senator Matt McCoy, a Democrat from Des Moines, voted no. McCoy suggested whistleblowers will be made into criminals, at the expense of public health.

“This is the way to chill the whistleblowers and to bring the cover of darkness over this and to give immunity to big agriculture so they can do whatever they please, however they please and do it with immunity,” McCoy said.

Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, voted against the legislation, too.

“Passing this bill will put a big red question mark stamped on every pork chop, every chicken wing, every steak, every egg produced in this state,” Quirmbach said, “because it will raise the question of: What have you got to hide?”

Senator Liz Mathis, a Democrat from Robbins, suggested people caught in these kinds of situations inside a livestock confinement can be charged with trespassing on private property.

“Those who have been talking about less government for years should agree there are already laws for protection and this bill is not necessary,” Mathis said.

Last year the Iowa House voted to establish a prison sentence of up to 10 years for people caught going into a livestock confinement to take pictures or video of the animals and those who’re caring for the livestock. Representative Annette Sweeney, a Republican who raises row crops and cattle on her farm near Alden, urged the House to accept the Senate’s version of the bill which sets up a much more limited penalty.

“For right now I think it’s a start, to realize that we are serious about protecting the agriculture that we have in this state,” Sweeney said during an interview.

Groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, have released undercover videos taken from inside livestock confinements to illustrate their contention that the animals are being abused. Sweeney said “it remains to be seen” whether this type of law will be a deterrent to that kind of activity.

“But I’m hoping that it sends the signal that if you do commit fraud, it’s illegal,” Sweeney said. “And they do need to be mindful of that.”

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement — a group that opposes large-scale livestock confinements — calls the bill a “sell out to the corporate factory farm lobby.”

(This story was updatd at 4:50 p.m. after the House approved the bill.)

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Debate over raw milk sales in Iowa

February 14, 2012 By

It’s illegal to sell raw milk in Iowa, but a bill to allow dairy farmers to sell raw milk from their farms has cleared an initial hurdle at the statehouse.

Current state law forbids the sale of milk that hasn’t been pasteurized and Iowa’s dairy industry supports the law. Mark Truesdell, a lobbyist for the Iowa Dairy Foods Association, says allowing the sale of raw milk is going “180 degrees” in the wrong direction.

“In the 1930s, pasteurization developed as a movement by public-minded people who saw illnesses being spread by milk,” Truesdell says.

Two weeks ago nearly 40 people in four states were diagnosed with an intestinal illness that was traced to raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm. Truesdell says the dairy industry welcomes laws which require pasteurization and forbid the sale of raw milk.

“We realize we must be partners in our vigilance of protection the public health against the pathogens that can be and history shows are spread by milk,” Truesdell says.

But a three-member panel in the Iowa House has given its approval to the sale of raw milk here and the proposal now awaits consideration in the House Judiciary Committee. Francis Thicke, a dairy farmer from Fairfield, says the benefits of raw milk outweigh the risks.

“Somebody’s done an analysis…The risks of driving on the highway to get the raw milk are many-fold higher than the risks of drinking the raw milk,”

Thicke, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully in 2010 for the job of state ag secretary, cites a recent study which indicated European children who’ve been drinking raw milk are less likely to suffer from asthma or hay fever.

“I see this, really, as economic development,” Thicke says. “We’re really limiting this kind of grassroots economic development out in the rural areas by not allowing some raw milk sales and, frankly, consumers are asking for it.”

The federal government prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines, but 30 states allow the sale of raw milk within their borders. Wisconsin rules have effectively banned the sale of raw milk from dairy farms there, while the neighboring states of Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Illinois all allow dairy farmers to sell raw milk to residents in the same state.

The Centers for Disease Control warns raw milk can contain bacteria and pathogens that can seriously sicken or kill you. Raw milk proponents say heating the milk to 162 degrees for 15 seconds — the process of pasteurization — kills beneficial bacteria and stunts the taste of milk.

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New rules proposed for deciding cow-zapping cases of stray voltage

January 31, 2012 By

Ag groups and utility companies are being challenged to propose changes in a bill that would set up a new statewide standard for addressing cases of “stray” electric voltage that zap farm livestock. 

“It’s just easy to say, ‘No, no, no.’ How do we solve the problem?” asks Representative Stewart Iverson, a Republican from Clarion who is the bill’s manager. “Because we know stray voltage can be a huge problem.”

It’s mainly a problem on dairy farms where, for example, cows hooked up to milking machines sometimes can get zapped if there’s a power surge. Matthew Steinfeldt, a lobbyist for the Iowa Farm Bureau, says farmers and utilities are doing just fine in resolving any problems and the bill’s unnecessary.

“The best thing is to quickly identify and resolve stray voltage (issues). That’s what farmers want to do, but what this bill does, I mean, it’s a major change that will have a significant effect,” Steinfeldt says. “In a way, it takes away a right to due process. No other group in the state of Iowa is subject to something like this.”

Kellie Paschke lobbies for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, another group that is opposed to the bill.

“This bill goes beyond just setting a standard for stray voltage,” Paschke says. “It completely changes how stray voltage claims can be pursued.”

A three-member subcommittee gave initial approval to this controversial bill earlier today, but the three legislators say they’re hoping the interest groups involved suggest “major” changes in the legislation. Representative Brian Quirk, a Democrat from New Hampton, was a member of the three-member committee. Quirk, who happens to be an electrician, said the bill needs to better define the standards for the stray voltage tests.

“Cattle are a lot like people…Their tolerance levels (for pain) are a lot different,” Quirk said during today’s subcommittee meeting. “Where is that threshold?”

Quirk supports the bill’s requirement that the state Utility Board be the first stop for resolving disputes over stray voltage.

“I like the fact that the Utility Board, being a third-party resource, to actually define where the fault did occur,” Quirk said. “Should it be with the utility or with the consumer?”

Critics say the bill limits a farmer’s ability to sue for damages if their livestock are harmed by stray voltage.

“As Rural Electic Cooperatives, we’re very supportive of the dairy industry. This bill is not to take a shot at the dairy industry, but more about resolving safety issues that result from stray voltage,” said Timothy Coonan, a lobbyist for Iowa Rural Electric Cooperatives. “The process we’re proposing leads to resolution of those issues much quicker, much safer and less costly for everyone concerned.”

The bill as currently drafted tries to combine laws and regulations from the states of Idaho and Wisconsin. Those states rank in the top five nationally in terms of dairy production. Iowa ranks 12th in the number of pounds of milk produced per year.

According to the Iowa Dairy Association, there were more than 200,000 dairy cattle in the state in 2010. There were more than 1900 dairy farms that year in Iowa.

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Economist warns ag economy’s “bubble” may come down soon

January 14, 2012 By

A Midwestern economist says it’s likely the state’s ag economy soon will be hit by the recession in Europe and slower growth in farmland values. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the hit won’t be anything like the Farm Crisis of the 1980s, however.

“When I was a kid, we talked about dirt poor. Dirt’s not poor anymore. In fact farmland is the new gold,” Goss says. “These growth rates are unsustainable. There is air in the bubble, the question is when air comes out. I expect some of it to come out in 2012, but not much.”

According to Goss, the problem during the Farm Crisis was people had been buying farmland on credit — and interest rates were sky-high back then.

“Agland purchases now are a lot to do with cash. This is not over-leveraged farmers who are borrowing from the bank to buy the land which is based on a significant growth rate. That’s not what we’re seeing,” Goss says. “That said, I still expect some of the air to come out of the bubble because of potentially higher interest rates and lower agricultural commodity prices.”

Goss also expects overseas demand for ag commodities from European customers to decline due to the recession, causing a “slight” hit on prices for corn and soybeans. Goss made his comments on the “Iowa Press” program which will air Sunday at noon on Iowa Public Television.

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