The Iowa Farm Bureau opened it annual meeting today in Des Moines. IFB president Craig Hill, says farmers are looking forward to turning the page on 2019. "We've had a difficult year. One, we've had to fight Mother Nature a bit to get our seeds planted. That was a difficult time -- harvesting was … [Read more...]
Corn harvest nearing completion after more weather delays
Rain and snow continues to keep farmers from finishing up the corn harvest. The latest U.S.D.A. report shows 92% of the corn has now been harvested. That is six percent more than last week. The report shows the northeast and south-central districts had more than 15% of their crop left to be … [Read more...]
Cold weather can help corn crop until harvest
An Iowa State University grain quality specialist, Charles Hurburgh says some growers are choosing to leave corn in the fields because the kernels’ moisture content is too high for safe storage. The late harvest and cold weather have strained the delivery system for the propane needed to dry the … [Read more...]
Iowa cellulosic ethanol plant to shift to research and development
The ethanol plant in northwest Iowa which makes the fuel from corn cobs and corn stalks is downsizing and 30 employees will be laid off in early 2020. The POET-DSM’s Project Liberty cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg broke new ground in the industry according to Hugh Welsh, the company's … [Read more...]
Northeast Iowa lags behind rest of state in harvest
Snow last week added to what have been continual delays in the harvest. The U.S.D.A. crop report out Monday shows the northwest and north central districts have harvested more than 85 percent of their expected corn crop -- while the northeast district that was hit by snow is just 58% complete. … [Read more...]
Preliminary report classifies 622 Iowa waterways as impaired in 2018
State officials have drafted a preliminary list classifying 622 Iowa waterways as "impaired" during 2018. That's a two percent increase from the previous year's list. Roger Bruner supervises the water monitoring staff in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and he spoke with reporters this … [Read more...]
A new president for the Iowa-based World Food Prize
The co-founder of a non-profit who has been focused on international food safety and food security issues for the past decade will be the new leader of the Iowa-based World Food Prize Foundation. Iowa native and Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug founded the World Food Prize 33 years ago. The … [Read more...]
Reynolds embarks on 7-day trade mission to Japan
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds left early this morning on a trade mission to Japan. "It's just to continue to drive markets and look for opportunity," she says. Reynolds will encourage more direct investment in Iowa by Japanese businesses. "We have Japanese companies that are located in Iowa," … [Read more...]
Ernst says President Trump is upset by EPA’s biofuels rules
Iowa Senator Joni Ernst today said she's talked directly with President Trump about the furor over proposed EPA rules which Ernst says do not fulfill the deal Trump struck in September on the renewable fuels standard. "I did visit with the president actually, again, two nights ago on this issue … [Read more...]
Corn harvest moves ahead, still less than 50 percent complete
The U.S.D.A. crop report says there were four days suitable for farm work last week and that helped with the harvest. The report shows 43% of the corn crop has been harvested --- up from 26% last week. The harvest is still eight days behind last year and 11 days behind the five-year average. … [Read more...]