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.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of antitrust laws Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that there will be extended public comment sections during an upcoming workshop focusing on competition in the dairy industry.
When questioned directly by U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., about the possibility of having two public comment sections at upcoming workshop, U.S. Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney answered: “I can confirm that if they weren’t, they are now.”The workshops are a joint undertaking of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Agriculture to explore regulatory and competition issues within various sectors of agriculture. The first workshop, which focused on the seed industry, was held in Ankeny this spring. A second, focusing on the poultry industry, was held last month in Alabama. The Wisconsin workshop is the third in the series of five, and is scheduled for June 25 in Madison.
Several groups expressed outrage prior to the initial workshop in Ankeny that more consumers, small producers and other interested parties weren’t included in the roundtable discussions or being allowed adequate opportunity to provide public comment. In response to local concerns and those expressed by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the DOJ and USDA included an additional panel that consisted of farmers impacted by seed costs. Local groups, not completely satisfied with the response, went forward with plans to hold their own town hall meeting in advance of the larger event.
The morning of the workshop organizers announced that additional time would be offered specifically to hear comments from the audience, although much of it was held during time slots previously devoted to breaks and meals when many were out of the main conference area.
After having observed the issues in Iowa, Feingold penned a letter to U.S Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Varney on June 1 to request that more time be allotted at the upcoming Wisconsin workshop for public comment.
“While there is a role for experts, government officials, companies and organizations to contribute through panel discussions and comments, we should not lose sight of the importance of public comment,” Feingold wrote. “Getting this public involvement was an important part of moving this workshop outside the beltway and to America’s Dairyland, so we should take advantage of it.”
Feingold also suggested in the letter that the USDA’s Dairy Industry Advisory Committee be invited to attend the workshop, as well as receive USDA/DOJ summaries of the workshops. The Advisory Committee has begun considering proposals for addressing short and long term challenges facing the industry.
The exact schedule for the Wisconsin workshop has not yet been released. Information that is available on the three remaining joint workshops is posted on the Antitrust Division’s website.
Follow Lynda Waddington on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter