(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Randy Feenstra — a Republican who’s planning to launch a campaign for governor soon — supports the federal tax credits that could go to the developer of a proposed carbon pipeline, but Feenstra opposes the Iowa Utilities Commission’s decision to give Summit Carbon Solutions authority to seize land from unwilling property owners along the pipeline route.

Republicans have been divided on the issue since Summit announced in early 2021 that it planned to build a pipeline to capture carbon from ethanol plants in Iowa and other Midwestern states. This spring, a dozen Republicans joined Democrats in the state senate and passed a pipeline-related bill. Governor Reynolds wound up vetoing that bill, which would have limited the use of eminent domain for construction of carbon pipelines. Feenstra hasn’t indicated whether he would have done the same.

That’s the same eminent domain position taken by the three Republicans who’ve already launched campaigns for governor this year. Feenstra has long argued that homegrown Iowa ethanol will help make the U.S. energy independent and that carbon capture would enhance Iowa’s ethanol industry and support Iowa’s corn growers.

The proposed pipeline was an issue in Feenstra’s 2024 re-election campaign when a G-O-P challenger got the votes of nearly a third of the Republicans who voted in the fourth congressional district primary.

(Radio Iowa) – A pitch competition — like what you see on the “Shark Tank” T-V show — is scheduled in Des Moines next Wednesday — and it will feature start-up companies from Argentina, India and Nigeria. World Food Prize Foundation C-E-O Tom Vilsack says the foundation is putting up 65-thousand dollars in prize money. “We’re really excited about the inaugural Innovate for Impact challenge,” Vilsack said. “We were sort of taken aback by the response. We had 387 applications from 62 countries.”

Executives from each of the three companies will make their pitches to a panel of judges, who will award 50-thousand dollars for first prize, 10-thousand dollars for second and five thousand dollars for third prize. The event will be held in downtown Des Moines as part of the annual World Food Prize Dialogue that starts Monday. “There’s an opportunity, I think, for us to learn a little bit more about innovation that’s taking place and the entrepreneurship that is alive and well in this field of agriculture,” Vilsack said. Vilsack says the three companies have the potential for worldwide impact. APOLO Biotech in Argentina uses R-N-A technology to produce an alternative to traditional pesticides.

(Pictured: WFP CEO Tom Vilsack – Radio Iowa/IA PBS credit)

Capsber Agriscience in India is already working with over 150-thousand small-scale farming operations to use microbes that are native to the soil rather than fertilizers to boost crop yields. The third business — Vet Konect in Nigeria — has created a digital platform that has connected tens of thousands of farmers in eight countries to information about raising livestock. Tickets are required to attend the pitch competition and can be purchased on the World Food Prize website.

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KCRG) – John Deere announced that some jobs at the Ottumwa and Des Moines plants would soon be relocated to other facilities in Iowa and Illinois. Deere says its product verification and validation testing from both Ottumwa Works and Des Moines will be moved to “reduce overhead expenses and improve efficiency.”

It’s unclear how many positions will be impacted at this time, but the company said some employees will have the option to relocate. The changes will take effect in fiscal year 2026.

In September, John Deere also announced that 101 workers in Waterloo will be laid off, citing decreased demand and lower order volumes.

(Radio Iowa) – A Midwest biosecurity expert says bird flu was spread from farm-to-farm in 85 percent cases identified during the 2015 outbreak, but only 15 percent of current bird flu outbreaks have been traced to nearby poultry operations. Abby Schuft, a poultry education trainer for University of Minnesota Extension, says that means it’s time to dig deeper into biosecurity measures.

“We are now beyond having clean boots and clean clothing when we enter the housing where our birds are,” Schuft said. “There are so many other environmental…factors that are playing into this on how the virus is spreading and being introduced to farm sites.” In September, Iowa officials confirmed Canadian geese in ponds in Dubuque County had bird flu.

Last week, U-S-D-A officials confirmed bird flu had hit a commercial operation in Calhoun County with 42-thousand turkeys. Schuft says poultry operators and people raising chickens in their backyard need to consider outside factors that could introduce bird flu to their flock. She notes standing water after a heavy rain can be a resting spot for migrating birds and harvested fields nearby offer a food buffet to wild birds.

“That’s a challenge then for our poultry producers when there’s wild waterfowl in lots of different places,” Schuft says, “which simply means then there’s opportunity for the virus to really just be everywhere.” Schuft suggests farm vehicles driven near poultry barns be washed frequently to prevent the spread of bird flu.

“Even as the weather’s cooling down, we don’t necessarily want to have to power wash our vehicles outside or our farm equipment, but we still need to be diligent about that truly until we absolutely can’t when the water might be freezing in the hoses,” Schuft said, “really ensuring that you’re not taking any shortcuts when you notice some of those seasonal changes that are happening.”

Federal records show eight poultry flocks in Iowa had been hit by bird flu this year — but last week’s Calhoun County site was the first since April. Bird flu has recently been confirmed in poultry at 13 commercial sites in Minnesota, in three commercial flocks in South Dakota and at two commercial operations in Wisconsin.

(Radio Iowa) – State and local officials joined executives from one of the world’s largest meat processing companies at the groundbreaking for a new sausage plant in Perry. J-B-S expects the plant will start production by the end of next year and eventually employ 500. Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham notes Perry has been through a rollercoaster after a tragic school shooting in early 2024 and the closure of the Tyson pork plant in mid-2024.

“This community embodies the idea that you are more than your circumstances,” Durham said. “With every unforeseen challenge, unthinkable tragedy or business setback, you show us what you are made of – hard work, heart and optimism.” Nearly 13-hundred people were laid off when Tyson closed its Perry plant on June 28th of last year. Perry Mayor Dirk Cavanaugh says the new plant will help his community recover from last year’s set backs.

Groundbreaking for new sausage plant in Perry on Oct. 14, 2025. (Photo courtesy of JBS USA)

“It will bring good jobs back to Perry so our residents don’t have to commute to work. It will attract new businesses and residents to our community. It will also give a boost to our existing businesses.” J-B-S operates plants in Council Bluffs, Marshalltown and Ottumwa and the new plant in Perry will be the company’s first sausage production site in the United States.

J-B-S recently purchased a shuttered Hy-Vee facility in Ankeny, where it plans to produce ready-to-eat bacon and sausage — and some of the raw ingredients for that sausage will come from the Perry plant.

CARROLL – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a hog manure release into a tributary of Elk Run Creek in Carroll County.

On October 14, the DNR Field Office in Atlantic was notified by Eric Baumhover, manager of B&B Custom Pumping, a certified manure applicator business, of a manure spill which occurred in the evening hours on October 13.

Staff from the DNR Field Office in Atlantic responded to the incident. Further investigation revealed that approximately 5,000 gallons of manure was spilled when a hose blew while land-applying manure from the Brady Boell hog confinement site located at 25510 120th St in Carroll.

Field staff reported the applicator took immediate action after the incident by placing dams in several locations to contain the manure while continuing to pump it out of the creek, which prevented it from flowing to Elk Run. Corn stalks were also used to soak up the manure on the ground.

Cleanup efforts continue while on-site crews pump the manure-laden water out of the creek. Soil will be excavated as needed. No dead fish have been observed. Samples have been collected and will be submitted to the State Hygienic Laboratory for testing.

The incident remains under investigation. The department will determine if further enforcement action is warranted.

To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.

(Radio Iowa) – Deer hunting is underway in Iowa with the first two seasons requiring hunters to use a couple of the older methods of hunting. D-N-R state deer biologist Jace Elliott says the bow and early muzzleloader seasons have started slowly. “So far, we’ve had pretty average, perhaps a bit below average harvest in the early part of this year, but that’s easy to attribute to the warm weather,” Elliott says. Elliott says unseasonably warm weather limits deer movement.

“Cold weather, especially cold fronts, get deer up on their feet in the daylight hours better. They are going to be traveling more during daylight hours in the early season when weather is a little colder. We just haven’t had much of that yet,” he says. He says hunters understand the impact of weather on deer movement, and that impacts their decision on when to sit in their stands. “It’s also hunters that are choosing to maybe wait until it gets a little bit colder,” Elliott says, “as you know, handling venison and things like that can be an improved experience once that that weather gets colder as well.”

(Iowa DNR photo)

The bow hunting season is the longest one, so there is plenty of time for those hunters to get a deer. “So far we have several thousand deer that have been registered across the state, which shows that you know, we’re off to a good start. But for an average year, we have another hundred thousand deer harvests to go,” he says. The early muzzleloader season runs through this coming weekend. There have been around five-thousand deer taken already. The most deer are taken during the regular gun seasons that don’t start until December.

(Radio Iowa) – The Manchester City Council has approved the site plan for a proposed custom meat processing facility in the city’s industrial park. Todd Summers owns and operates a meat locker in Earlville, but Manchester City Manager Tim Vick says that facility needs some upgrades. “He’s looking at maybe just doing a much larger facility here in Manchester,” Vick says, “and so there are multiple phases that we are looking at.”

Site plan for proposed Manchester Locker (provided by City of Manchester)

Vick says phase one of the plan would be to develop 15 acres and build a 26-thousand square foot facility.  “Animals would come in. They’ll be slaughtered, processed and out of the door,” Vick said. Vick says the business — which would be called The Manchester Locker — would also have retail space to sell meat directly to customers. Summers — who’s planning to operate a meat locker in Manchester — bought Dan’s Meat Locker in Earlville last year. It offers custom meat processing of beef, pork, lamb and deer and makes retail sales of everything from steaks to homemade sausage.

U-S-D-A records show there are nearly 150 licensed processing plants for meat and poultry in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – The corn and soybean harvest in Iowa is well underway — but since there’s a federal government shutdown, the U-S-D-A’s weekly report on Iowa crops wasn’t issued Monday. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says just driving through the countryside gives you a pretty good impression at the pace of the harvest. “Boy, if it’s fit, folks are really hitting it hard,” Naig said, “and I think we’re really taking a big chunk out of that soybean and corn harvest both.”

Naig says there appears to be variability in yields, as southern rust has appeared in parts of the state. “You’re hearing about some pretty dramatic yield reductions,” Naig said. “There are some areas of the state that were too wet. I’m hearing about some yield impact because of that as well and then I talk to folks that say it’s the best crop they’ve ever had.” Naig is hearing soybean yields are strong.

“Maybe the crop isn’t quite as good as we all thought it was going to be maybe in that mid-July time-frame, but we have a solid crop,” Naig said, “and, in fact, you have a lot of folks talking about: ‘Where are we going to store this crop?'” Iowa farmers typically have about two-thirds of soybeans and one-third of corn harvested by mid-October. Farmers worry the prices for corn and soybeans are being affected because buyers don’t have the weekly U-S-D-A information about harvest progress and conditions.

Naig says it also means the October payments farmers get for enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program aren’t going out. “In this tight economy if you’re waiting for a payment of some kind and you just can’t flat out access it because of a government shut down that’s wrong,” Naig said, “and it’s bringing instability…where we need certainty this time of year.”

With Farm Service Agency offices closed, farmers cannot submit the paperwork for operating loans that some might need to buy livestock, farm equipment, fuel or fertilizer. The loans may also be used to cover family living expenses.