(Radio Iowa) – With Thanksgiving over, many people are now searching for a live Christmas tree. Northeast Iowa grower Robert Moulds says the wet spring was a relief this year after battling the drought. “This year, our trees around the state got plenty of moisture, and so the growing was much better than it has been the last two years,” he says. Moulds is a member of the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association and says traveling to his farm near Fairbank or others is a tradition for many. “You can go out in the field and select the tree and cut it, so you know exactly what you’re getting.,” Moulds says. “There’s, there’s about 70 Iowa Christmas tree farms in Iowa, Iowa Christmas Tree Association member farms, plus, we think probably about that many more again. So roughly 100 to 140 tree farms in Iowa.” Moulds has been in the business more than 40 years.

“Planted my first trees in 1980 and sold our first trees just a few in 1986,” he says. “and we’ve been selling trees since then. We sell, we sell around 2000 trees a year.” Muolds says the key to keeping a live tree fresh is the care you give it. “Have a good stand that holds plenty of water. Never let it run dry, always use hot water to help dissolve the resins that accumulate on the tree. That is the biggest thing, and a good fresh cut tree will stay well into January,” he says.

You can find out more about a Christmas tree farm in your area, by visiting iowachristmastrees.com.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – One of the nation’s largest food and agriculture companies, with ties to eastern Iowa, is cutting its workforce. Cargill announced plans to layoff five percent of its employees worldwide. According to the company’s website, it employs around 160,000 employees.

The Minnesota based company has made a profit after the pandemic with rising inflation. But says falling numbers of U.S. cattle and grocery prices are hitting them the hardest. The company has not said if the layoffs will impact the multiple Cargill plants across eastern Iowa.

The Minnesota company did release a statement to the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis saying, “To strengthen Cargill’s impact, we must realign our talent and resources to align with our strategy. This difficult decision was not made lightly.”

WATERLOO, Iowa (KCRG)—More than 100 John Deere workers in Waterloo were told Tuesday (Dec. 4, 2024) morning that they will be without a job after the holiday season. It comes two weeks after Deere announced a net income of seven billion dollars last year. That’s a 16% decrease from the year before. Over 1,700 John Deere employees across Iowa have been laid off since the beginning of 2024. Waterloo has taken the brunt of the layoffs. Tuesday morning 112 employees at John Deere Waterloo Works were told their last day would be January 3. This brings the total layoffs in Waterloo alone to more than 1,000.

KCRG reports that in Davenport, 80 workers will also be losing their jobs after the new year. Those layoffs were announced back in October and will take effect on January 3rd. A John Deere plant in Des Moines laid off 166 employees earlier this year and Deere in Dubuque has lost 133. The company said it has seen declining demand for its products because of challenging market conditions. It cited the USDA expecting falling commodity prices for things like corn and soybeans.

John Deere gave the following reasons for why orders are down:

• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts major row-crop cash receipts to be down another 18% in 2024, following a 5% decline last year.
• The USDA also forecasts marketing year average prices for the new crop (crops harvested this fall) to continue to decline from last year and to be down over 30% compared to a couple of years ago (compared to 2022: corn -37%, soybeans -24%, and wheat -35%).
  

The company also says its construction division is impacted by fewer new homes being built. The company said:

• In the construction industry, compared to its peak in 2021, single-family home sales are down 30%, single-family housing starts are down 10%, and multi-family housing starts are down 40%.
• Despite some interest rate reductions, the current interest rate level is still elevated compared to recent history.

Laid off employees will receive monetary and health care benefits for a period after their end date.

Cass County: Corn $3.99 Beans $9.36
Adair County: Corn $3.96 Beans $9.39
Adams County: Corn $3.96 Beans $9.37
Audubon County: Corn $3.98 Beans $9.38
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.02 Beans $9.36
Guthrie County: Corn $4.01 Beans $9.40
Montgomery County: Corn $4.01 Beans $9.38
Shelby County: Corn $4.02 Beans $9.36

Oats: $2.72 (same in all counties)

Farm income is forecasted to have decreased in 2024 by 4% from 2023, largely because of a decrease in cash receipts, or the gross income, from the sale of commodity crops, according to the December update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm income forecast.  The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Carrie Litkowski, the farm income team leader with USDA Economic Research Service, presented the latest update in a webinar Tuesday, and said the forecast was very similar to its previous September iteration.

“But somehow it feels a little more important, as we near the end of the year, to evaluate the current state of the farm economy as a starting point for considering what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead for U.S. agriculture,” Litkowski said.

Net cash farm income for 2024 is projected to be $158.8 billion, which in inflation-adjusted figures is 3.5% lower than net cash farm income in 2023. The forecast shows the 2024 figure, however, is 9.8% above the 20-year average for net cash farm income, and represents a less gradual decline than that of 2022 to 2023.  Net cash farm income is the income minus expenses of the farm, including government payments, but excluding things like changes in inventories or economic depreciations, which are reflected in the “net farm income” figures.

The sale of agricultural commodities is projected to decrease by less than 1 percent overall as an over 8% increase in animal and animal product receipts nearly offsets the over 9% decrease in forecasted crop receipts.  Because of this, net cash income for all farm businesses specializing in crops is forecasted to be lower this year than last, but all farm businesses specializing in animal or animal products are expect to have higher net cash farm income than they did in 2023.

This could mean lower net cash income for the farming sector in Iowa for 2024, as the majority of cash receipts on Iowa farms in 2023 were for corn and soybeans, which are projected to decrease, nationally, by 23% and 14% respectively in 2024.

The data used in the USDA ERS forecasts represents the entire farming sector of nearly 2 million farms and ranches. Litkowski said the reports are used to inform policy makers and lenders, and in determining the ag sector’s contributions to the U.S. economy. It’s forecasted that farmers in 2024 will have a decreased need of supplemental and disaster assistance, as well as lower dairy margin payments. That will result in a forecasted $1.7 billion decrease from 2023 in direct government payments to farmers.

Litkowski said natural disasters like hurricanes Helene and Milton have not yet shown up in the data, because much of the harvesting in the affected regions had already been completed at the time of the hurricanes, and payments have not yet been issued. USDA also forecasts overall lower input costs, primarily in feed fertilizers and pesticides for farmers in 2024. Other inputs, however, like labor, interest rates and livestock and poultry purchases are forecasted to have increased.

Median farm income for 2024 is expected to increase to $100,634, which is almost 3% higher, without adjusting for inflation, from 2023. Off-farm income, which represents the biggest share of income for most on-farm families, is projected to increase in 2024, after decreasing slightly over the past three years. Litkowski clarified that “half of all farms are residential farms” where the owner’s primary occupation is not farming, which typically leads the median on farm income to appear as a negative amount.

The forecast will be updated again Feb. 6 when the department will release its first projections for 2025.

(Radio Iowa) – Wolf Carbon Solutions has withdrawn its application for a state permit to build a carbon pipeline in eastern Iowa. Developers had plans for a 95-mile pipeline to capture carbon emissions from A-D-M plants in Cedar Rapids and Clinton — and ship the liquefied carbon to underground storage in Illinois. The company withdrew its permit request in Illinois last year. Emma Schmit is director of Pipeline Fighters, which is part of a group called BOLD Alliance which works on land and water use issues in rural states.

“Talking with landowners, it’s been months and months since they’ve even heard from Wolf, so they’ve seen the writing on the wall,” Schmit says. “…We tend to see these companies withdraw their applications and then never resubmit, so as far as I’m concerned, things are basically kaput.” The company’s withdrawal notice did not say whether it would revise its plans and submit a new permit request to the Iowa Utilities Commission. A spokesperson for Wolf Carbon Solutions has not replied to Radio Iowa’s request for comment.

Wolf had been seeking voluntary access to land along its proposed pipeline route. In early 2023, the company announced it would not ask Iowa utility regulators for eminent domain authority to seize land from unwilling property owners.  “That’s what they said in Illinois as well and I think that was one of their major problems both in terms of finding space for storage and the support from the community wasn’t there,” Scmit said. “…If they’re not going to basically, in my opinion, abuse eminent domain powers, they’re kind of stuck with no other option but to cancel the project.”

By early 2022, three pipeline companies — Wolf, Navigator and Summit Carbon Solutions — had announced plans to build carbon pipelines in Iowa. A year ago, Navigator cancelled its project. Summit hopes to extend its proposed pipeline route to ethanol plants that had signed up for Navigator’s pipeline. Schmit doubts the A-D-M plants involved in Wolf’s project will try to connect to Summit’s proposed pipeline. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if a different corporation came along,” Schmit says, “or if they even tried exploring carbon sequestration on site.”

The University of Iowa is leading a more than 11 MILLION dollar project to see if carbon can be successfully stored underground in Iowa, in what’s called basalt rock. The Iowa Utilities Commission has voted to give Summit authority to seize land along its Iowa pipeline route from owners who have refused to sign easements to their properties — but only if regulators in two neighboring states approve the pipeline project. Last month, North Dakota’s Public Service Commission granted Summit’s permit and Summit resubmitted its request form a permit in South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) – While some Iowa motorists and sidewalk shovelers may be cussing the snowfall, those who love winter sports are celebrating the brisk temperatures and the new blanket of flakes. Mark Gordon, general manager of Sundown Mountain Resort in Dubuque, tells KCRG-TV they had an excellent first weekend of the ski season. “It’s a fabulous opening day,” Gordon says. “We had a great time yesterday, and last night, the snow makers were able to open up a whole new set of runs, so we have even more people here today to check out the snow.” Gordon says the resort had a very high turnout, with hundreds of people going skiing and snowboarding.

“People that ski tend to be a little more optimistic, and skiing makes you feel good,” Gordon says. “It’s a lot like in a weird way, flying. You’re going down at sometimes 40 or 50 miles an hour, and you know you feel good.” Skiier Katlyn Fogg tells KCRG-TV that she was thrilled to be there for the premiere of another season of winter sports. “We’ve been talking about skiing all year,” Fogg says. “We were so excited about it, so we were ready for opening weekend. We were excited it was this soon.” Steele Schmitz was in Dubuque for the snowboarding. “I’ve been here for the past three years,” Schmitz says. “I went with my friend and it’s just a great experience to come out here and snowboard during the winter, since there’s not much to do in Iowa.”

The resort’s general manager says the cold weather is good news for the entire rest of the season, as it helps Sundown to stock up on snow, so they can stay open during warmer spells.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Wild deer with chronic wasting disease have been detected in 25 counties, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, which is seeking help from Iowans to spot the disease and limit its spread. The DNR is hosting a public meeting this Thursday, Dec. 5th on statewide management and surveillance efforts. Chronic wasting disease was first detected in Iowa in 2013 and is fatal to infected deer, though it has not been shown to infect humans. The DNR has tested more than 100,000 deer for the disease to monitor its spread through the state. Rachel Ruden, state wildlife veterinarian with the DNR, said it will be a “generational challenge.”

Iowans can register for the virtual webinar on this LINK. The public meeting, which will be held virtually, will allow Iowans to ask questions and learn about the role they play in managing the spread of the disease. Chronic wasting disease affects the animal’s brain, but is present in all tissues. It causes deer to lose weight, act abnormally and is “always fatal,” according to the DNR. The public information meeting takes place just before the start of gun season for deer, which the DNR said roughly 100,000 people participate in each year.

The DNR is partnering with deer hunters to test for chronic wasting disease and has county-specific sample collection goals, depending on the presence of CWD. Interested hunters are asked to contact their local wildlife staff, who can be found on the department’s website. DNR aims to collect samples from each county, and reach 5,000 samples statewide, according to a press release. CWD is tested via a sample from a lymph node found behind a deer’s jaw.

And while humans have yet to be infected by the disease, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges hunters to “avoid” eating meat from an animal with CWD, to wear gloves while field dressing the animals and to “minimize” contact with brain or spinal cord tissues. Even if a hunter’s particular county has reached its testing quota, or the deer doesn’t qualify for the collection, hunters are encouraged to submit samples to the DNR for testing, especially if they plan to eat the meat.

According to the DNR, most deer that test positive for CWD don’t have visible symptoms, which is why testing is important. Hunters can seek assistance from their local wildlife staff, and from an instructional video, on how to remove the lymph node and send it in for testing.  Tyler Harms, a wildlife biologist with the Iowa DNR, urges Iowans to help stop the spread of chronic wasting disease and avoid putting out grain or mineral blocks that will cause the deer to gather. Hunters should also refrain from transporting carcasses across counties, as this can also spread the disease.

DNR is also offering some additional tags and licenses for hunters in deer management and incentive zones.

Sioux City, Iowa (KTIV) – Another cleaning company has been fined thousands of dollars by the U.S. Department of Labor for employing children to clean Sioux City’s Seaboard Triumph Foods pork processing plant. Qvest LLC of Oklahoma was the cleaning contractor for the plant between September of 2019 and September of 2023.

The Labor Department says the first company fined for hiring minors, Fayette Janitorial Services of Tennessee, took over the contract from Qvest, and hired some of the same children Qvest had employed to clean the plant.

Court documents filed in the Northern District of Iowa show that Qvest will pay $171,919 in child labor civil money penalties, hire a third party to review and implement company policies to prevent the employment of children, and set up a process to report possible child labor law violations.

The Labor Department’s investigation found 11 children had been cleaning equipment in the packing plant, including saws used to cut the pork. Federal law prohibits children under age 18 from working in dangerous jobs like meat processing facilities.

In a statement released to KJAN on Dec. 3rd, 2024, Seaboard Triumph Foods Communications Manager Riley Kohn said:

“The legal filings against Qvest Sanitation by the Department of Labor (DOL) do not include any claims against Seaboard Triumph Foods (STF). STF did not employ any of the alleged individuals and has no evidence that any underage individuals accessed the plant. In addition, this vendor, who had express contractual requirements to follow all labor laws, has not been
present at the STF facility for more than a year, as the company’s sanitation needs are currently supported through an ongoing partnership with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW).

“This situation underscores the problems facing employers throughout the country: individuals, including minors, obtaining jobs through their use of fraudulent identification documents, which are sophisticated enough to fool even the federal government’s E-Verify system. Businesses are victimized by this fraud,” notes Paul DeCamp, the former head of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, and counsel for STF.

“Safety, ethical practices, and compliance with regulations and industry standards are of paramount importance to STF. We expect the same from our vendors and partners, and we will not tolerate any vendor’s use of underage labor within our facility, and will also take measures to prevent fraud against our company.”

(Radio Iowa) – A tax credit for biodiesel production expires at the end of this year and Senator Chuck Grassley says congress is unlikely to address the issue in December.

However, early next year Republicans in congress are hoping to extend a package of tax cuts approved in 2017 and Grassley says it’s possible the biodiesel production tax credit could be inserted in that bill.

Iowa is the largest U-S producer of biodiesel. The state’s nine biodiesel plants produced about 350 million gallons of the soybean-based fuel last year. The biodiesel tax credit was established in 2005 and has been extended several times. Grassley says the U-S Treasury Department and Environmental Protection Agency rulings on the scope of other tax breaks for renewable fuels should have been made long ago.

In February, the E-P-A approved the sale of a 15 percent ethanol blend at gas pumps in Iowa and seven other Midwest states year round, but the higher blend of ethanol still cannot be sold in other states during the summer months. The agency has long cited concerns that E-15 can cause smog during hotter weather.