Iowa
‘Looking for the right balance’ on ethanol, says Perdue
In the No. 1 corn and ethanol state, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told a friendly farm audience on Wednesday that the Trump administration is looking to balance the needs of ethanol makers and oil refiners so that it can allow year-round sales of E15.
In No. 1 corn and ethanol state, Trump says he’s ‘very close’ to year-round E15
President Trump, who campaigned for the White House as a friend of corn ethanol, said on Thursday that the administration is “very close” to approving year-round sales of a 15 percent blend of ethanol into gasoline. “We’re taking care of your ethanol,” said Trump during a trip to Iowa, the top corn-growing and ethanol-producing state.
Trump to visit farm country as trade war looms
With a visit to corn-and-pork-producing Iowa on Thursday, President Trump will have a chance to speak directly to farmers, a loyal block of supporters who have grown increasingly worried about the impact of Trump tariffs on their wallets. Farm groups have suggested repeatedly the administration find alternatives to tariffs for settling trade disputes but they have been willing to give the president time to show results.
As tariffs bite, China cancels U.S. soy deals and hunt is on for new export markets
For Iowa farmer John Heisdorffer, the math is brutal in the U.S.-China tariff war: "You tax soybeans at 25 percent and you have serious damage to U.S. farmers." China, the No. 1 customer for U.S. farm exports, canceled purchases of nearly $140 million worth of U.S. soybeans just before the two countries imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's products. Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst said on Sunday the Trump administration was working on "a number of new free-trade agreements," but China "will be a much longer haul."
Farmers urge King to drop amendment from farm bill
A group of farmers traveled to Capitol Hill Tuesday to deliver a 4,000-signature petition asking Rep. Steve King of Iowa to drop his Protect Interstate Commerce Act from the House version of the farm bill.
A Democrat appeals to conservative Republicans in farm country
In the heart of Iowa's rural 4th district, Democratic hopeful J.D. Scholten is making a bid for conservative Republican Steve King's congressional seat, appealing to farmer interests to win support for his campaign, according to FERN's latest story, by Brian Barth, produced in collaboration with Mother Jones. <strong>(No paywall)</strong>
Environmental groups call for ban on new factory farms
Leaders from Food & Water Watch, Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, and Des Moines Water Works gathered in Iowa Monday to call for a national ban on large-scale industrial, or “factory,” farms. In calling for the ban, the groups cited the negative impacts that confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) have had on farmers, animals, eaters, and the environment.
China packs a punch with tariffs on imports of U.S. pork
Hog farmers are headed for a money-losing year and a major factor will be the drying up of $1 billion a year in exports to China, says Purdue economist Chris Hurt. But Chinese consumers will feel little pain from the 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork because the EU and Canada are alternative suppliers. China acted sooner than expected with its weekend announcement of $3 billion of counter-measures on U.S. goods in response to President Trump's tariffs on imported steel and aluminum.
Growing pains where urban meets rural
Central Iowa’s Dallas County is growing rapidly as the Des Moines metropolitan area spreads westward, says Harvest Public Media in a look at life in two midwestern counties where rural is meeting urban.
Challenge to Iowa ‘ag gag’ law will proceed
A federal judge ruled in favor of a coalition of groups that sued last year to overturn Iowa’s ag gag law. The state had filed a motion to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Iowa court will rule on residents’ right to sue farms
A case heard by the Iowa Supreme Court on Monday could have a dramatic effect on whether communities can sue factory farms that move into their neighborhoods. The case was brought by a group of community members against a pair of hog confinement operations run by Valley View Swine and JBS.
Coalition urges Iowa legislators to end new factory farm development
A coalition of 55 environmental, agricultural, and food-safety organizations signed a letter urging the Iowa General Assembly pass a moratorium on new and expanded factory farm development in the state. Iowa currently houses nearly 23 million hogs, a record for the state and the highest number in the country.
His eye on USDA office, Northey hears electoral clock ticking in Iowa
President Trump's nominee to run USDA's farm subsidy and land stewardship programs has waited for three months for a Senate vote, and acknowledges he faces a decision: To file for a fourth term as Iowa state agriculture secretary in this year's elections or wait for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to end his opposition to a vote on him. "I believe there is still hope right now," said nominee Bill Northey told Successful Farming.
Iowa residents petition for better manure regulation
Four Iowa residents have petitioned the state to better regulate airborne waste from hog farms. Currently, Iowa requires farmers to retain manure until it is applied as fertilizer. But the residents argue that farmers aren’t retaining all the manure — that some is being spread to nearby homes by blowers and air vents.
Iowa state senator calls for CAFO moratorium
Iowa State Sen. David Johnson this week introduced a suite of 15 bills that would together increase oversight of animal confinement operations in the state. Johnson is calling for a moratorium on building or expanding concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, until the state’s water quality improves, reports the Des Moines Register.
Iowa senators see deadlock over Northey and ethanol
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is sitting on the nomination of Bill Northey for USDA undersecretary in hopes of winning destructive changes in U.S. ethanol policy, said Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley during a telephone news conference.
Heavy rainfall causes surge of nutrient runoff that fuels algal blooms
When heavy rainfall sweeps the countryside, waterways are flooded with peak levels of the nutrient phosphorus, which can trigger algal blooms and create dead zones in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters, says a newly published study.
Cellulosic ethanol looks more like a demonstration project than an industry
Corn ethanol represents the first generation of biofuels. Cellulosic ethanol, made from grass, woody plants, and crop debris, was supposed to be the second generation.