Charges are dismissed against a man who was accused of breaking into a Wright County hog operation in 2020, placing hidden cameras and stealing a live piglet. Thirty-five-year-old Matthew A. Johnson of Berkley, California was to have had his trial starting today in Wright County District Court in … [Read more...]
Founder expects to get federal funds for proposed Council Bluffs beef plant
A regional cattle processing plant that's planned for the Council Bluffs area is expected to benefit from the Biden administration's just-announced Meat and Poultry Supply Chain Action Plan. Chad Tentinger, the founder of Cattlemen’s Heritage, says the massive facility will get a financial boost … [Read more...]
Judge to rule soon on lawsuit seeking to block feedlot near trout stream
A district court judge says he'll rule soon on a lawsuit challenging a state permit for a feedlot with 11,600 cattle near a prized trout stream in northeast Iowa. The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club sued last September after Supreme Beef won permission to put the open feedlot near the headwaters … [Read more...]
Senators Grassley, Ernst comment on administration’s meatpacking plan
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is applauding the Biden Administration's efforts to combat anticompetitive practices in the meatpacking industry. Up to $800 million in loans and grants will aid small-scale beef, pork, and poultry plants while setting up a new hotline for whistleblowers. Grassley, a … [Read more...]
Biden Administration providing $800 million to back small-scale meat processing
The Biden Administration is providing another $800 million to support smaller-scale beef, pork, and poultry plants and is establishing a new tip line for whistleblowers from the meatpacking industry. President Biden said the four largest meatpacking companies are distorting prices for farmers and … [Read more...]
Group says tests detect manure run-off in trout stream water samples
A group of environmentalists is asking state officials to inspect the manure application from a cattle feedlot in northeast Iowa that's near a prized trout stream. Supreme Beef is constructing a feedlot in Clayton County for 11,600 head of cattle, but already has 800 cattle nearby. Steve Veysey, … [Read more...]
Governor using $100 million in federal funds for water quality projects
Governor Kim Reynolds is using 100 million dollars in federal pandemic relief for water quality infinitives. Twenty-five million is going into a state fund that provides grants to farmers implementing conservation practices, as part of the voluntary Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Reynolds … [Read more...]
Designer chosen for beef plant in Mills County
A southwest Iowa company has hired a Hartland, Wisconsin company to design its proposed 500,000 square foot beef processing plant. Cattlemen’s Heritage lead developer, Chad Tentinger, says the plant will be built in northern Mills County just south of Council Bluffs. "A couple of things that will … [Read more...]
To succeed, meat locker start-ups will have to secure repeat customers
After disruption in the meat supply at the start of the pandemic, the federal government will spend half a billion to expand meat and poultry processing and another $150 million specifically for small meat lockers. In Iowa, officials are reviewing 72 applications for grants from a $750,000 state … [Read more...]
Grassley co-sponsors new bill on cattle market price discovery
Senator Chuck Grassley and three other Senators say they have developed a compromise plan that give independent cattle producers more clues about what meatpackers are paying for cattle raised under private contracts. "One step closer, a big step closer to making that happen," Grassley … [Read more...]