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.
An enormous increase in corn planting reported by the United States Department of Agriculture today is likely to ease fears of a corn shortage caused by ethanol production.
USDA reported that 92.9 million acres have been planted in corn this year across the United States, with 13.9 of those acres planted in Iowa. USDA also reported that 78 percent of the corn in Iowa is in good or excellent condition.
There had been a growing concern among livestock producers and food processors in recent months about the increased demand for corn from the growing renewable fuels industry.
Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, said in a statement that the big increase in corn planting should ease those concerns, but Harkin hinted at other concerns as well. "Intensified crop production also reminds us of the necessity of sound farm conservation and environmental practices and the greater need for conservation support in the new farm bill," Harkin said.
What do members of the Church World Service organization think about the 2007 Farm Bill? The group issued this statement of their priorities this week (featuring a fetching photo of Iowa's own Rep. Tom Latham).
Speaking of Latham, he will be joined by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns in Ames on Tuesday, July 3 for a town hall meeting to discuss the 2007 Farm Bill. The meeting will be held at the Ames City Hall.
The very first E-85 pump in Washington D.C. began filling tanks this week, as reported in this article in the Washington Times. The fuel was reportedly selling 62 cents a gallon cheaper than regular unleaded in the nation's capital.
Mitt Romney is under attack from Sam Brownback over agriculture, as reported on MSNBC. It's all about Romney's 1994 call for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and farm subsidies, reported on Tuesday by Douglas Burns on Iowa Independent.
Iowa Farmer Today has an article about a family farm that is boosting their profit margin with "farm tourism."
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