The search is now underway for the state's best breaded pork tenderloin of 2019. Kelsey Sutter, spokeswoman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says the competition was launched in 2003 as a way to celebrate this unique regional delicacy. "I didn't realize until I started working at Iowa … [Read more...]
World Pork Expo in Des Moines cancelled over swine fever concerns
For only the second time in its history, the National Pork Producers Council has cancelled the World Pork Expo in Des Moines. Jim Monroe, the council's communications director, said the decision to cancel the event scheduled for June 5-7, was made out of an abundance of caution. "We think the … [Read more...]
Anti-animal cruelty bill approved by senate panel
A Senate committee has advanced a bill that would raise the penalties for abusing, neglecting or torturing animals. However, key lawmakers expect farm interests to seek major changes if the bill is debated in the full senate. During yesterday's Senate Judiciary Committee meeting, Senator Tony … [Read more...]
Northey says southwest Iowa flooding ‘worse than it looks in pictures’
The former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture says he was in disbelief when he surveyed flood damage in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. "One of those common questions is: 'Is it as bad as it looks?' And I'd say: 'It's worse than it looks in pictures.' Even the pictures I took from an airplane … [Read more...]
Warren pledges to put some muscle into anti-trust enforcement
Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren today said if she's elected president, she would use anti-trust laws to break up what she calls "the giants" in the agricultural sector. "We have laws to protect competition...They've been on the books for most than 100 years. Teddy Roosevelt used those laws … [Read more...]
Manure from Peosta dairy linked to fish kill
Investigators with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say they traced manure runoff that led to a fish kill in Dubuque County to the Lawler Dairy in Peosta. DNR environmental specialist, Brett Meyers, says they got a call Monday about the kill in unnamed tributary. "Our fisheries experts … [Read more...]
Rural issues showcased on the Iowa campaign trail
Organizers of a rally a few hours before Saturday's presidential candidate forum in Storm Lake say shrinking market options for farmers must be addressed. Many of the Democratic candidates who've been traveling through Iowa this year already have focused on consolidation and mergers in the … [Read more...]
USDA, state officials to tour flooded southwest Iowa
A group of state and federal officials will be in southwest Iowa this afternoon and Friday to meet with farmers and discuss flood recovery. State Representative David Sieck, a farmer from Glenwood, has lived along the Missouri River his whole life. "I was born in '57, but my grandpa showed me a … [Read more...]
Economist: overall flood impact on livestock industries hard to gauge
Closed interstate highways and submerged train tracks are creating challenges for moving grain and livestock. But Mike Steenhoek of the Soy Transportation Coalition says washed-out county bridges and impassable gravel roads are equally important because local infrastructure connects farms to … [Read more...]
Lawsuit seeks end of Iowa’s voluntary nutrient management strategy
Two groups that support a moratorium on construction of new livestock confinements are filing a lawsuit against the State of Iowa -- accusing state officials of failing to protect the Raccoon River from contaminants like farm chemicals and manure. "Our children deserve the freedom to play … [Read more...]