Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
The U.S. Senate took a big step Tuesday in moving the 2007 Farm Bill forward by holding its first roll call vote on an amendment to the bill.
The Senate rejected that amendment, which would have dismantled much of the existing crop subsidy system. The Lugar-Lautenberg amendment was defeated on a vote of 37-58.
There were five notable absences on the roll call vote. Those skipping the vote were Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., Chris Dodd, D-Conn., John McCain, R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., all of whom are currently running for president.
The Lugar-Lautenberg amendment suffered the same fate as a similar amendment offered to the U.S. House of Representatives' Farm Bill in July. Rep. Ron Kind's alternative farm bill was defeated in the House on July 26.
The Senate will continue debating amendments to the Farm Bill on Wednesday and Thursday, with the highly anticipated Grassley-Dorgan amendment scheduled for a vote on Thursday morning. The Grassley-Dorgan amendment would cap farm program payments at $250,000 per individual.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Tuesday that the Grassley-Dorgan amendment would be one of three amendments that will be subject to a 60-vote threshold. The other two will be an amendment offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and an amendment offered by Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H. The Klobuchar amendment would further limit payments to wealthy farm operations by tightening gross adjusted income restrictions. The Gregg amendment would alter medical malpractice laws.
Gregg will speak early on Wednesday on two other amendments he has proposed to the Farm Bill, one to remove a provision that would establish a "Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network," and one that would remove a provision relating to market loss assistance for asparagus producers. Votes on these two amendments are expected Wednesday.
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