A report finds up to 10% of food grown in Iowa is left in the field because it's not visually attractive or can't be sold, while more than 300,000 Iowans can't cover their basic food needs. Those facts are prompting an effort to find volunteers to glean surplus vegetables from Iowa's fields to … [Read more...]
Governor approves tax break for higher blends of biofuels like E15, B20
Governor Kim Reynolds has approved legislation that reduces the state tax on gas with an ethanol blend of 15 percent or higher. It applies the same six-cent per gallon break to 20 percent or higher blends of biodiesel. "It's going to make higher blend biofuels even cheaper at the pump, making it … [Read more...]
Still-cancelled Iowa State Fair to host ‘special edition’ for 4-H and FFA
Due to COVID-19, the Iowa State Fair will not go on this summer, but something called the 2020 Fair Special Edition is now on the schedule. The state fair's website says the special edition will be held at the fairgrounds in Des Moines over three weekends in August. It'll be an opportunity for … [Read more...]
New protections for farms, packing plants may survive legal challenge
The president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association says legal experts are confident the latest agricultural protection legislation to come from the Iowa statehouse will survive any potential new court challenges. Mike Paustian says the change is much needed as it will penalize people who … [Read more...]
April cold snap keeps sweet corn from being ready by July 4th
A small stretch of cold weather is going to keep sweet corn from being available by the Fourth of July this year for one grower who often has the first corn on the market. Mike Penick grows corn near Carlisle and has this assessment of how the crop is doing. "Well, that's an open-ended question … [Read more...]
Soy oil plant provides training for Goodwill in Johnson County
Goodwill of the Heartland is expanding from its traditional retail operation to a soy oil manufacturing business in Johnson County. Plant manager Jon Olson tells KCRG TV that they plan to hire about 40 employees once it is fully operational. “I want to help people that don’t normally get an … [Read more...]
Page County Fair will still hold 4-H and FFA shows
The Iowa State Fair and many county fairs have canceled this year's events due to COVID-19, while some are still on, but a fair in far southwest Iowa is making an unusual move. The Page County Fair Board has canceled everything except for 4-H and FFA events at next month's event in Clarinda. Page … [Read more...]
John Deere implementing new operating model and restructing
Quad Cities-based John Deere is restructuring and implementing a new operating model. Spokeswoman Jen Hartmann says it's been eleven years since the last "global" restructuring. The new model is called the Deere Smart Industrial strategy. "The new org model is making sure -- and this is really … [Read more...]
Turkey producers hoping to get some federal relief funds
There's still no word from the U.S.D.A. on requests from Iowa leaders to help the state's turkey producers recover from serious production problems caused by COVID-19. Iowa Turkey Federation executive director Gretta Irwin says the pandemic brought a sharp drop in sales and created a backlog of … [Read more...]
New Iowa law to help state comply with federal hemp guidelines
The governor has signed a bill into law that makes it clear "smoke-able" hemp is illegal in Iowa and hemp cannot be fed to animals. The legislation is an update to a 2019 law that legalized the growing of industrial hemp in Iowa. "This bill helps us to comply with some federal requirements," … [Read more...]