State Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says the drought continues to be an issue as the state's crops head into the final stages before harvest. "There's a lot of things that can happen here, as we get through the end of August and into fall that can still make or break that crop," he says. "But … [Read more...]
Iowa Ag Secretary: last bird flu sites will soon be out of quarantine
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says the state is getting closer to the end of the bird flu outbreak. There are just a few commercial poultry sites left to release from quarantine and then they can bring in new birds. He says that's not the only step in recovery. "There's the financial piece … [Read more...]
Avian flu restrictions lifted at poultry operations in three counties
The State Agriculture Department announced today that bird flu restrictions have been lifted for three commercial poultry sites in Franklin, Hamilton, and Humboldt County. The Iowa Turkey Federation's Gretta Irwin says this is the start of a recovery. "This shows that the farms have completed … [Read more...]
State confirms avian flu in turkey, chicken flocks in Guthrie, Hamilton counties
Two more commercial bird flocks have been confirmed with the avian flu. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig announced today that a Guthrie County layer facility with 1.5 million birds and a Hamilton County turkey facility with 28,000 birds are infected. "We are now at nine cases total in the state of … [Read more...]
Rain helps Iowa crops stay in good condition in most of state
The U.S.D.A. crop report shows Iowa's corn crop is rated at 58% good to excellent -- a slight drop from last week's 61% rating. The soybean condition was also rated at 58% good to excellent -- down from 60% the week before. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says things could have been a lot worse if … [Read more...]
Planting speeds ahead along with optimism of better grain prices
Favorable conditions for planting continued again last week. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the dry weather allowed planting to move ahead quickly -- so 86% of the corn crop is now planted and 67% of the soybean crop is done Corn planting is 10 days ahead of the five-year average and soybeans … [Read more...]
Ag Secretary: pandemic shined spotlight on importance of food chain
This week is National Agriculture Week and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says the pandemic shined a light on the important job ag producers have. "I am hopeful that maybe that's one of those silver linings that come out of what we've experienced the last 12 months. Is that there is an … [Read more...]
Propane backlog could lead to higher delivery charge
The backup in the propane supply in Iowa is not expected to end very quickly. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says it continues to be a demand issue with farmers needing propane to dry crops and others needing it to heat their homes. "It's not that there's not enough propane in the country … [Read more...]
EPA grant will be used to fund wetland projects
The state of Iowa has won a large grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to improve water quality. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says the federal funds will be used to construct wetlands. “This grant is just over a million dollars," Naig says. "It's going to be targeted on … [Read more...]