(Radio Iowa) – A bill on the fast track in the Iowa House would ban the use of eminent domain to seize property along the proposed Summit Carbon pipeline route. The bill cleared a House committee on a 19-to-two vote yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon and is eligible of debate in the full House next week. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says House members have been trying for five years to find a way to protect property owners who don’t want the pipeline on their land.

“This year the language is as simple as it can be,” Holt said. “No eminent domain for CO2 pipelines in Iowa.” Representative Ross Wilburg, a Democrat from Ames backed the bill in committee, but he says there’s been no signal this approach will break through the statehouse impasse — or that the governor would sign it into law. “The conditions haven’t changed on this,” Wilburn said.

Holt says he, along with what appears to be a majority of House members, are ready to take a stand and pass the bill. “The House does not control the Senate and the governor, but what we do is do what is right and we move forward,” Holt said, “And who knows what dynamics might change based upon the actions that we take.”

The top Republican in the Senate is proposing an alternative that would let Summit re-chart the path of its pipeline, to go around landowners who haven’t signed voluntary easements. Holt says that’s a non-starter because Summit could still use eminent domain in some circumstances.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would ban the use of eminent domain for pipelines carrying carbon dioxide has cleared an Iowa House subcommittee. The bill is similar to a South Dakoka law and would not allow Summit Carbon Solutions to use the government’s eminent domain authority to seize land along the pipeline route. Kathy Carter owns land in Floyd County along the proposed pipeline route and doesn’t want it on her property. “I have had this black cloud hanging over my head for five years,” Carter said. “I’m tired of it.” Mike Henning owns Greene County farmland along the Raccoon River. “It’s important that those of us that don’t want to have a pipeline on our property have the opportunity to say, ‘No,'” Henning said.

The Iowa Corn Growers Association is on the record opposing the bill and says by capturing carbon from Iowa ethanol plants, that ethanol can be sold in markets that require zero-carbon fuels. Brittany Lumley, a lobbyist for Summit, says the carbon the company captures from Iowa ethanol plants can also be used to recover underground oil. “There are hundreds of billions of dollars of oil in Wyoming and trillions in North Dakota that will never be recovered without our carbon product,” Lumley said. “Truly this pipeline will eventually become an integral part of this nation’s security strategy, giving more access to oil which is essential for everybody’s everyday lives.” Jake Ketzner, a lobbyist for Summit, says the bill would kill the company’s project.

“Summit Carbon is focused on signing voluntary easement agreements and moving off landowners who do not want us,” Ketzner says. “We support widening the corridor to allow for route adjustments to make this possible and significantly reduce any need for eminent domain.” That’s a description of the bill Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh says would be a way to end the years’ long debate over the pipeline. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says that Senate bill will not protect all landowners. “Because under their proposal eminent domain can still be used for the CO2 pipeline project,” Holt said. Holt says that’s why a complete ban on the use of eminent domain for carbon pipeline is advancing in the House.

Cass County: Corn $4.09 Beans $10.08
Adair County: Corn $4.06 Beans $10.11
Adams County: Corn $4.06 Beans $10.07
Audubon County: Corn $4.08 Beans $10.10
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.12 Beans $10.08
Guthrie County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.12
Montgomery County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.10
Shelby County: Corn $4.12 Beans $10.08

Oats: $2.56 (same in all counties)

(Prices are per bushel; information is from the area Farm Service Agency [FSA] offices)

(Radio Iowa) – Data from the U-S-D-A shows Iowa set some records for the 2025 harvest. The report shows a record corn harvest of two-point-seven-seven (2.77) billion bushels, topping the previous record of two-point-seven-four billion bushels in 2016. The average corn yield was the second highest ever at 210 bushels, just behind the 211 bushels in 2024.

The average yield for soybeans set a record at 63-and-a-half bushels an acre, one half bushel above the previous record set in 2021. Overall farmers harvested 596 million bushels of soybeans, the third most ever.

Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig released a statement saying farmers delivered record yields despite conditions that varied from being too wet to too dry, and in a time when there is stress on the ag economy from high input costs and low commodity prices.

(Radio Iowa) – Wade Dooley, a 43-year-old Democrat who farms northwest of Marshalltown, is running for state agriculture secretary. He says leadership in Des Moines is too focused on helping big businesses and political insiders. “We have the best soils in the world, the most innovative people and some of the best technology on the planet,” Dooley says. “We can do a lot. All we need is a little support and, for the folks that hold us back, to get out of the way.”

Dooley, a sixth generation farmer, rotates soybeans and rye on his family’s Century Farm. He also sells cover crop mixes and does custom seeding. “I’ve been trying to find more profitable, more environmentally sustainable methods to farm,” Dooley said. “We’ve done cover crops, I raised watermelons for a while, popcorn, you name it. We’re tried a lot of different things.” Dooley says he’s running to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture because while there’s a lot of talk about helping farmers make changes to boost their income — and improve water quality — there’s not a lot of actual support at the state level for it.

“Farmers are on debt treadmills for the most part. They’re all trying to do what’s best for their family, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their land, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their community, but at the end of the day, they’ve got to make their bank payment,” Dooley says.”…It’s really frustrating, then, to hear people in the Democratic Party blaming farmers saying, ‘Well, it’s their fault they’re doing it.’ They’re doing it, in part, because they’re forced. They’re trying to save their farms.”

Dooley says it’s time to end the blame game about Iowa’s water quality issues and for the Iowa Department of Agriculture to lead the effort to figure out a resolution. Dooley is a graduate of Iowa State University and has served as a board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa. Another Democrat has indicated they’ll run for state ag secretary this year. Chris Jones, an author and retired University of Iowa researcher, is expected to officially launch his campaign later this week. Republican Mike Naig has been serving as State Agriculture Secretary since 2018 and is seeking reelection.

Cass County: Corn $4.14 Beans $10.12
Adair County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.15
Adams County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.11
Audubon County: Corn $4.13 Beans $10.14
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.17 Beans $10.12
Guthrie County: Corn $4.16 Beans $10.16
Montgomery County: Corn $4.16 Beans $10.14
Shelby County: Corn $4.17 Beans $10.12

Oats: $2.59 (same in all counties)

(Prices are per bushel; information is from the area Farm Service Agency [FSA] offices)

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI-TV] — The U.S. Supreme Court has denied a request by Shelby and Story counties to hear their case. That’s according to a report by KCCI-TV, and it’s the latest turn in a years-long legal battle. The counties say they want to decide where a pipeline goes. They have said their ordinances are to protect residents’ public health.

Summit Carbon Solutions has proposed a multi-state pipeline to carry carbon dioxide. The company has argued in previous court filings that federal law preempts the counties’ ordinances. KCCI confirmed the decision with the counties’ Washington, D.C., attorney.

Officials in Shelby County issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision:

“Shelby County was surprised and very disappointed by the denial by the US Supreme Court to hear an important case addressing local control authority and protections. The Shelby County Board of Supervisors will be consulting with its legal counsel in the near future and weighing its options moving forward.”

Cass County: Corn $4.19 Beans $10.16
Adair County: Corn $4.16 Beans $10.19
Adams County: Corn $4.16 Beans $10.15
Audubon County: Corn $4.18 Beans $10.18
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.22 Beans $10.16
Guthrie County: Corn $4.21 Beans $10.20
Montgomery County: Corn $4.21 Beans $10.18
Shelby County: Corn $4.22 Beans $10.16

Oats: $2.62 (same in all counties)

(Prices are per bushel; information is from the area Farm Service Agency [FSA] offices)

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCCI-TV) – High nitrates levels are back in the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers, prompting Central Iowa Water Works officials to turn-on their nitrate removal facility again. KCCI reports the facility turned on three of their eight nitrate removal vessels last week, which is a rarity for January. Plant officials, however, said all the water the facility produces is below the EPA safe drinking water standard of 10 milligrams of nitrates per liter that public water systems are required to meet that.

Former University of Iowa researcher Chris Jones tells KCCI the recent weather is worth considering as a reason for the rise in nitrate levels. According to Jones, the warm weather we’ve had kept the ground from freezing, and with no frost below four-feet, it remains thawed down where the field tiles, the agricultural field tiles are found.

When rain comes, it washes the nitrates out. Jones said the high numbers aren’t just hitting central Iowa. He noted the Cedar River on Thursday was almost 10 milligrams per liter.

In spring and summer 2025, the nitrate removal facility ran in part of fully for 112 days. A wet July drove nitrates out of farm field drainage tiles and into lakes and rivers. That all led to an unprecedented lawn watering ban in central Iowa last summer. The nitrate removal facility, located in Des Moines but operated by Central Iowa Water Works, has been in used since the 1990s. This is the fourth time in the facility that it has run in the winter.

(Iowa DNR News) – The final deer seasons are the two January antlerless deer only seasons – the Population Management January Antlerless Season and the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season. Both seasons run from Jan. 11-25, but there are differences between the two.

The Population Management January Antlerless Season is available only in Allamakee, Appanoose, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne and Winneshiek counties if there are more than 100 antlerless tags available in that county on Dec. 22. Since all seven counties met that requirement, all seven will be open. Hunters participating in the population management January antlerless season may use bows, muzzleloaders, handguns, shotguns, crossbows, or rifles .223 caliber and larger, as a method of take.

The Excess Tag January Antlerless-deer-only season will be available in all counties with unsold county antlerless tags at midnight on January 11.

Currently, counties with unsold antlerless tags include Adair, Allamakee, Appanoose, Clarke, Clayton, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Fayette, Guthrie, Jefferson, Lee, Lucas, Madison, Monroe, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, Wayne, and Winneshiek.

County specific license quota information is available in real time online and can be found here: (select 5 – Resident Antlerless Deer By County) https://gooutdoorsiowa.com/RealTimeQuotas.aspx?_gl=1*t0k6x8*_gcl_au*ODkwNTQ1MjUxLjE3MzQzNzEzMjA.

Licenses will be available beginning January 11 until quotas are filled. The season is open through January 25, 2026. Due to the compressed timeline, these licenses will not be available online. Only antlerless deer may be taken during the Excess Tag January Antlerless-only season. Hunters participating in the excess tag January antlerless season may only use rifles from .223 caliber to .500 caliber as a method of take.

Hunters are reminded that their 2025 licenses expire on January 10. Hunters will need a valid 2026 license and habitat fee to hunt beginning January 11.

If a county meets the qualifying criteria for a January Antlerless-only season, then Landowner / Tenant (LOT) tags will also be available for registered landowners / tenants for use on qualifying property within those counties. When / if the county antlerless quota runs out in any of these counties, LOT January tags will still remain available. LOT January Season tags will be available for purchase only from vendors in open January Season counties.