Iowa
New grocery store in “food desert” would sell locally grown food
In central Illinois, the Green Top Grocery, scheduled to open in a "food desert," would improve the diets of shoppers and the incomes of nearby farmers, says Iowa Farmer Today.
Quad County Corn produces Iowa’s first cellulosic ethanol
Quad County Corn Processors in northwestern Iowa beat two larger rivals to produce the first cellulosic ethanol from a commercial-size plant in Iowa, the No 1 corn-growing and ethanol-making state, says the Des Moines Register. The farmer-owned plant at Galva produced its first gallon on Monday and plans to quickly ramp up to 2 million gallons a year.
Sixty Iowa cities confront high nitrate levels in tap water
Nitrate pollution affects communities in Iowa ranging from the state's largest cities to "many of its smallest," says the Des Moines Register, "evidence of a contamination problem that reaches across the state."
Bird flu’s implications for large-scale operators
The worst epidemic of avian influenza ever to hit U.S. poultry farms resulted in the death or culling of 48.1 million fowl, most of them turkeys and egg-laying hens. Iowa, the No. 1 egg state, could see "total economic damage" of $957 million, says Fortune. U.S. egg production, estimated down by 5 percent this year, is not expected to recover until 2016.
Biosecurity lapses helped spread of avian influenza epidemic
The worst avian flu epidemic ever to hit U.S. poultry farms was spread in part by lapses in biosecurity among producers as well as "environmental factors," said the government in an initial report on the disease that will depress table egg and turkey production into 2016. USDA's animal health agency said it plans to meet with industry and state officials in July to discuss security standards.
Egg prices drop 7 cents as bird-flu epidemic wanes
After increasing by 68 percent in five weeks, the price of eggs in supermarkets is down slightly. The average price for a dozen Large white eggs Grade A or better is $1.98 this week, 7 cents less than the previous week, according to the USDA's National Retail Report. "Shoppers will ... find some relief," says the report, noting more stores are featuring eggs in their advertisements.
FBI invoked national-security laws in GE seed theft
The government used national-security laws, commonly employed against spies and terror plots, to nip the theft of genetically engineered hybrid seed from Iowa cornfields, says the Des Moines Register.
U.S. hog total surges 9 percent amid signs of a plateau
The U.S. inventory of hogs and pigs is up 9 percent from last June 1, and slightly larger than on March 1, the USDA said in a quarterly report that showed a dynamic rebound from the effects of the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea virus that killed millions of piglets in 2014. The loss of piglets, along with strong demand for meat, helped propel U.S. meat prices to record levels last year and encouraged hog producers to expand their herds.
After three-week surge, fewer bird-flu outbreaks reported
The worst avian influenza epidemic ever to hit the U.S. poultry industry is losing its punch, says Agri-Pulse, with fewer outbreaks being reported on a weekly basis and "leading industry and government officials to discuss steps to prevent a similar outbreak in the fall."
Bird-flu vaccine needs more work, only 60-percent effective
The government said it will not approve release of a vaccine against the worst U.S. epidemic of avian influenza in poultry because none of the drugs now available works well enough. "Currently, there is lack of a well matched, effective vaccine for HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] from the public and private sectors. The vaccine currently available offers just 60 percent effectiveness in chickens, leaving 4 in 10 birds unprotected," said the USDA.
Bird-flu epidemic is bigger still, depending how you count
The avian influenza epidemic that erupted six months ago is the worst ever to hit the U.S. poultry industry. The USDA's running tally climbed to 181 confirmed poultry cases with 41 milllion fowl, mostly chickens and turkeys, lost to disease or euthanized to prevent its spread. Harvest Public Media says the epidemic is bigger still, because of the way the USDA keeps its totals - the running tally counts "only those birds that are involved in food production. Left out are wild birds, which officials blame for the start and the spread of the outbreak."
Holes in the biosecurity net against avian influenza
Security rules against the spread of avian influenza are being applied unevenly or not followed at several farms in Iowa, the state hit hardest by the avian influenza epidemic, "potentially increasing the risks that the disease could spread further," says Reuters. It reports that at half of six poultry farms that a reporter visited, operations did not comply with USDA or state protocols to restrict access to farms, to provide protective gear to workers, and to clean the wheels of vehicles leaving the farm.
Egg prices plateau, but how long to rebuild hen flocks?
Grade A Large eggs are selling for an average $1.46 a dozen at grocery stores, little changed from the $1.49 a dozen a week ago but below the $1.54 seen a year ago, says the USDA's weekly egg report.
Minnesota declares emergency due to bird-flu outbreaks
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton declared a state of emergency because of avian influenza that has hit nearly four dozen poultry farms in the state and resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of turkeys, reports the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "It also has hit the first Minnesota chicken farm," J&A Farms, near Detroit Lakes, which has 300,000 egg-laying hens. Owner Amon Baer said federal compensation for the loss of the flock will not cover the expense of cleaning and disinfecting the laying houses.
U.S. bird flu losses leap to 8 million birds with Iowa outbreak
Highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in an egg farm with 5.3 million laying hens in northwestern Iowa, said the USDA. It was the largest outbreak yet in the United States and tripled the number of birds killed by the disease or destroyed to prevent its spread. Until the Iowa case, the USDA listed total losses from 53 other cases at 2.7 million birds, mostly turkeys. The Iowa Agriculture Department said state officials quarantined the farm in Osceola County, "and birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease."
Des Moines water board votes to sue over nitrate runoff
Trustees of the Des Moines Water Works voted at the end of a 60-day warning period to sue drainage districts in three counties in northwest Iowa over high levels of nitrate in the Raccoon River, a source of drinking water for Iowa's capital city.
2014 was best year ever for ethanol plant profits
The average 100-million-gallon-a-year ethanol plant in Iowa had a record profit of 54 cents a gallon in 2014, says economist Scott Irwin of U-Illinois at farmdoc daily.
Ag Summit organizer accustomed to controversy
Iowa entrepreneur Bruce Rastetter, who played a major role in the development of large-scale hog farming and the ethanol boom in Iowa, tells the Des Moines Register that he doesn't view himself as a political kingmaker.
Farmland loss in Midwest: 1.6 million acres in 20 years
The Midwest lost 1.06 percent of its farmland in the two decades ending in 2021; development accounted for half of the loss, said three Ohio State University analysts on Monday. "The role of large urban areas is paramount, as 81 percent of land lost to development in the eight states occurred within metropolitan statistical areas," which are regions with a core city of at least 50,000 people and strong ties to its surrounding communities.