The long-time leader of the Iowa-based World Food Prize has announced he'll retire in January. Kenneth Quinn, a former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia and an aide to former Iowa Governor Robert Ray, has been president of the World Food Prize since 2000. This is the second time the 76-year-old … [Read more...]
Iowa ag secretary urges farmers to prepare for flooding throughout the state
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is warning that flood concerns are rising in northwest and north central Iowa. "This is not just a southwest Iowa situation," Naig told statehouse reporters on Monday. "It's bad there, but folks need to be preparing and try to take precautions." Until … [Read more...]
Iowa’s governor seeks regional approach to Missouri River levee repair
One of the governor's top aides is in southwest Iowa today meeting with local officials to discuss how to repair the levees that have been breached by Missouri River flooding. Governor Kim Reynolds said she's aiming for a regional approach to the flood disaster. "We're working to collectively get … [Read more...]
State opens 24/7 website for Iowans seeking federal flood aid
President Donald Trump issued an order this weekend that extends federal aid to help Iowans recover from severe storms and flooding. Federal assistance is available to individuals in five western Iowa counties. Residents of Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, and Woodbury can apply for federal … [Read more...]
Flood threat hangs over water-weary Iowa
Key state officials say Iowans who aren't in a flood zone today should prepare for flooding. 2018 was the second-wettest year on record and the ground is saturated -- creating concerns as the snow in the Dakotas and Minnesota melts and drains south. "If we get into a regime with active … [Read more...]
Senate votes to bar use of state funds to buy, idle farmland
The Iowa Senate has passed a bill that would prohibit the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation from borrowing money from a state fund to purchase land for water quality projects. Senator Tim Kapucian, a farmer from Keystone, is among the 31 Republican senators who voted for the bill. "This bill is … [Read more...]
Realtors Land Institute finds weather impact on price of cropland
The land values survey released this week by the Iowa Chapter of the Realtors Land Institute shows a one-percent reduction in the average cropland values in the state. Spokesman Kyle Hansen says the change in value depends on which part of the state you are in. "We range anywhere form a 2.8% … [Read more...]
New Iowa crime of ag-related trespassing now in place
Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that creates a new crime of lying to gain access to farms and livestock facilities with the intent to do financial or physical harm. "Untrained, unapproved and unwanted items or people entering farms put farmers and the economy of the state at … [Read more...]
Legislature votes to target ‘false speech’ aimed at Iowa farmers
The Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that establishes a new penalty for people who inflict financial harm on a farm with undercover videos or attacks on livestock or crops. "Iowa's heritage and Iowa's future is agriculture...If we can protect that vital industry in the state of … [Read more...]
Lawmakers take second run at outlawing undercover operations on Iowa farms
Lawmakers are considering a second attempt to penalize people who get an Iowa farm job in order to make undercover videos or harm the animals. Republican Representative Jarad Klein, a farmer from Keota, said the livestock industry is the "life blood" of Iowa's economy and it must be protected from … [Read more...]