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.
Can Iowa livestock producers get along with their neighbors? That’s a question that will be examined in depth at a forum next week in Pella.
The “Tough Issues, Let’s Talk” forum will be moderated by Bob Leonard of KNIA radio and will feature presentations by two outspoken agricultural leaders: Aaron Putze, the executive director of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers, and Francis Thicke, an organic dairy farmer from Fairfield.
The forum’s sponsor, the Marion County Democratic Central Committee, is inviting the public to attend and participate in the discussion.
In a telephone interview with Iowa Independent, Marion County Democratic Party Chair Phyllis Weeks said the event will provide the public with an opportunity to share its concerns and learn about this often-contentious issue. “We’re sponsoring a forum, not a debate, but a forum, where people can come and express their views,” said Weeks. “Hopefully, we can get some dialog going. It’s been hard to get a meeting of the minds on this issue.”
The forum will be held Thursday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. in Pella at the Central College Vermeer Science Center, Room 180.
The Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers is an organization that seeks to help farm families who raise livestock to grow their farms successfully and responsibly. The organization has assisted nearly 850 livestock operations to identify sites for animal feeding, safeguard environmental resources and enhance relations with neighbors.
Thicke owns and operates a 75-cow, grass-based organic dairy near Fairfield. He holds a Ph.D. in agronomy and soil fertility from the University of Illinois and is a former national program leader for soil science with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) extension.
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