(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A is predicting this year’s soybean harvest in Iowa will be the third-largest on record, but the country that at one time bought about 60 percent of all U-S soybean exports isn’t buying at all. China has booked purchases from South America instead. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says that’s putting pressure on soybean farmers.

“It’s really death by a thousand cuts for our farmers right now which is they’re spending more for their inputs — for land, for equipment, for seed…for labor, for fuel — and they’re not getting the prices that they need,” Naig said, “and we’re coming into what by all expectations will be a sizable, if not historic size of a crop.” Naig says recent U-S negotiations with China about TikTok’s future might lead to a breakthrough on soybean exports.

“And frankly, they need the U.S. as a supplier. They can’t entirely rely on South America, so we need to get to reality here,” Naig said. “I am hopeful that we will in fact see some movement in that regard.” U-S soybeans are normally shipped to China from September through January, but experts who track sales say Chinese buyers haven’t booked any sales this fall. U-S soybeans are now far cheaper than Brazilian soybeans, but any Chinese buyer would have to pay a 23 percent tariff on U-S soybeans. Naig says increasing domestic use of soybeans for biofuels is part of the answer.

“But also let’s go play offense on trade,” Naig said. “Governor Reynolds and I just got back from India — huge market potential. Obviously some friction between the U.S. and India right now, although even as we were there it softened, the president and Prime Minister exchanging messages, and so we know that negotiations are ongoing.” Naig and Governor Kim Reynolds and 18 other Iowans returned Sunday after spending a week in India. The group met with leaders in India’s government as well as its manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

There were stops in India’s capitol of New Delhi and in Mumbai (mum-BY), India’s largest city and it’s financial center. The group’s other stop was in Pune (POO-nay), one of the most industrialized areas of India. Reynolds signed a partnership agreement with the region’s chief minister to expand trade ties between the two states and foster cooperation in advanced manufacturing, biotechnology and renewable energy.

The owners of nine small-scale meat processing shops in Iowa are splitting 355-thousand dollars in state grant money to expand their businesses. In southwest Iowa, Weaver Meats in Afton is included among the grant recipients.  Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the “Choose Iowa Butchery Innovation Grants” have to be matched by the business and these grants are leveraging nearly two million dollars worth of investments.”This is all about helping Iowa consumers access more locally grown protein,” Naig said. “…It helps small businesses, especially in rural areas, with equipment and facility needs — new smokehouses, freezer and cooler systems, processing line expansions and equipment modernization.” Naig says meat lockers faced challenging times, but the pandemic was a turning point.

“We’ve got more producers that are looking to sell through these channels, but we also have the consumers on the other end, absolutely increasing demand,” Naig said. “Overwhelming survey results will show you Iowans say that they will go out of their way to buy something local and they will even spend a little more on that product if they know that it’s coming from an Iowa farm or an Iowa business.” Lucas Van Wyk  — co-owner of the Ulrich Meat Market in Pella — is president of the Iowa Meat Processors Association. “This grant means more than just dollars to upgrade equipment or expand capacity for our establishments. It’s a recognition of the essential role in Iowa’s food supply chain,” he said. “It’s an investment in the people who are committed to doing this work the right way, with care, skill and pride with every cut.”

The grants were announced during a news conference a couple of miles from the Iowa Capitol, at a meat locker that’s been operating since 1869. Tucker Maxwell recently bought the business, is getting one of the grants, and expects to dramatically expand the number of cattle it processes.  “Right now we’re at 12 head a week,” Maxwell said. “…Now I’m kind of quickly realizing the constraints of what we have for cooler space and this equipment should help us get to 25, 30 — potentially even 40.” Lawmakers created the state grant program for butcher shops in 2021 and the first round of grants were awarded in early 2022.

Here are the grant recipients and grant amounts:

• Weaver Meats in Afton $40,000
• Cherokee Locker in Cherokee $75,000
• Maxwell Custom Beef $30,000
• Tiefenthaler Quality Meats in Holstein $45,000
• Milo Locker Meats in Milo $75,000
• Friedrichson Meat Company in Sutherland $25,000
• Skoglund Meats in West Bend $25,000
• Winthrop Locker in Winthrop $25,000
• Yetter Locker in Yetter $25,000

(Iowa DNR News) – – Off-highway vehicle owners can now renew their registrations for all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), off-road utility vehicles (ORVs), off-road motorcycles (ORM), and snowmobiles. The registration window opened Sept. 1 and closes Dec. 31, 2025. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says to renew a registration, visit any County Recorder’s office, or go to the Iowa DNR’s online licensing site: gooutdoorsiowa.com. Allow 5-10 business days for online registrations to arrive in the mail.

Fees for OHV and snowmobile registrations support grant programs to develop and maintain off-highway vehicle parks and snowmobile trails in Iowa.

Owners with new machines, or who have not yet registered their vehicles, need to go the County Recorder’s office in their county of residence to begin the registration process.

For information on OHV registration, renewals and nonresident permits visit: iowadnr.gov/things-do/highway-vehicles/registration-fees

For snowmobile registration, renewals and nonresident permit information, visit: iowadnr.gov/snowmobiles

DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club and some landowners called Tuesday for the Iowa Utilities Commission to reject Summit Carbon Solutions’ petition to amend its pipeline permit. (Read the petition: For Immediate Release_ Summit Amendment Request ).

The Iowa Capital Dispatch says the petition, filed Monday, requests changes to the initially proposed route and pipe size for the carbon sequestration pipeline project, which had been approved by the IUC in 2024. That approval came with requirements that Summit could not begin construction until it received route permission from North Dakota and South Dakota, and storage permission in North Dakota. 

Since the IUC’s initial approval, South Dakota has enacted a law preventing the use of eminent domain in CO2 pipeline projects, and has denied two of Summit’s permit requests. In North Dakota, Summit’s permits were approved, but are facing legal challenges.

In light of these actions in other states, Summit has requested to amend the permit in Iowa, changing language to reflect that “additional options for storage and pathways to storage are developing and may provide a better solution.” The request would remove language referencing North Dakota and South Dakota, changing the petition to state construction cannot begin until it has “secured access to one or more sequestration sites and permits or agreements to allow it to reach such storage.”

Landowners and advocates who oppose the pipeline project or the use of eminent domain in gaining land easements necessary to complete the route, released statements Tuesday calling for the IUC to reject the proposed language change.

Though Summit said in its petition that the move away from state-specific language would not diminish “protections against a ‘pipeline to nowhere’” in the permit, people opposed to the project said the shift is too substantial of a change to be approved as an amendment, while criticizing the business for not providing further details on a new route or storage options.

“This isn’t an amendment, this is a last-ditch effort and half-baked proposal for an entirely new project because South Dakota said no,” Wally Taylor, attorney for the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter, said in a statement. “Summit needs to realize that Iowa is saying no, too.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission voted today (Tuesday) to continue a program with the state Ag Department to improve the watershed runoff into the Iowa Great Lakes. The D-N-R’s Ginger Murphy says the project has several benefits. “Water quality in the Iowa Great Lakes drives the economy, recreation, and quality of life in the region and also impacts source water for local communities,” Murphy says.

Information from 2019 shows an economic impact from travel to the region at nearly 378 million dollars. Murphy says those numbers are likely higher as travel has picked up since the pandemic. She says the plan seeks to improve the water quality. “The current watershed management plan for Iowa Great Lakes is focused on reducing turbidity driven by sediment and algal growth by reducing the phosphorus entering the lakes,” she says. The plan has a limit of up to 129-thousand-500 dollars using an E-P-A grant.

“Practices supported by the watershed management plan and this funding include in-field and edge-of-field best management practices on ag land. Wetland and shallow lake restoration on public and private lands. Shoreline stabilization on the lakes and urban stormwater best management practices,” Murphy says. The plan was first implemented in 2018. “Total sediment reduced during this time period is six-thouse-944 tons per year over all the practices that have been installed,” Murphy says. “Total phosphorus reduction has been 15-thousand-746 pounds per year, and that’s based on those practices staying in place and ongoing. And we calculate that using a model that we use across all of our watershed projects for all installed practices.”

Murphy says one success in the project is Lower Lake Gar, which met water clarity goals. “And that resulted in the 2024 delisting from the impaired waters list off lower Gar Lake. Lower Gar is kind of the end of the chain of lakes…it has its own watershed, but it also captures everything flowing through the bigger lakes that are to the north. And so this was great news and important milestone,” Murphy says.

Murphy says they still feel that phosphorus will continue to be the primary pollutant of concern in the Great Lakes and they want to continue seeing progress.

(Onawa, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports, “Due to safety concerns created from dead or dying cottonwood trees, the Lewis and Clark State Park campground is closed until further notice. The DNR will remove hazardous trees while the campground is closed.” The DNR said also, the park currently remains open for day-use activities such as picnicking and walking trails; however, the park will close once tree removal begins to ensure safety of visitors.

Campers with reservations have been contacted and issued refunds. Please visit the DNR’s Iowa State Park and Forest web page to find alternative campgrounds in the region, and for links to latest park closures and alerts.

For more information, contact the Park Office at: Lewis_and_Clark@dnr.iowa.gov

(An Iowa Capital Dispatch report) – Summit Carbon Solutions, the company proposing to build more than 1,000 miles of carbon sequestration pipeline through Iowa, announced Monday a community and landownership partnership program and updated commitments. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the partnership focuses on safety precautions, operational transparency and increased benefits to landowners and counties where the pipeline route is slated to be built.  The letters were sent to county supervisors and county emergency managers Monday, but a Summit representative said they should be sent to all Iowa landowners over the next week and a half.

Summit’s new CEO Joe Griffin, said in the letter, “These commitments are more than words on paper—they are a promise to operate safely, openly, and in a way that brings meaningful benefits to the people and places that make this project possible.” The letter outlines seven commitments to landowners and counties, as well as an explanation of how the project adheres to and “often exceeds” federal pipeline safety standards set by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, or PHMSA. As part of its approach to safety, Summit said it would: establish a constantly staffed control room, maintain an emergency manual, coordinate emergency response plans with local crews, ensure the proper tools and equipment are ready when needed, provide CO2 specific training for responders, ensure immediate notification in the event of an incident and offer a public awareness program at least annually.

Landowners opposed to the pipeline have noted safety as a primary concern, especially when noting the outcomes of a CO2 pipeline rupture in Satartia, Mississippi several years ago. The Mississippi incident left impacted residents stranded as the excess carbon dioxide in the air immobilized vehicles.  Additionally, Summit said it would offer annual grants to communities so they can purchase safety and response equipment, and operate a real-time notification system. “We’re fully committed to making this project work the right way going forward,” the letter said. “We also realize our significant investment will only be successful if it’s built on genuine partnership, and we know that success depends on working side-by-side with communities and landowners along our route.” Emergency response and communication were also part of the seven commitments Summit listed as part of the community partnership program.

In a bullet labeled “Emergency Response and Preparedness” Summit said it would offer an initial donation of $50,000 to each county emergency management team where the pipeline crosses, plus an additional $1,000 for each mile of pipeline in the county. These funds, which the letter said will be available at least 180 days prior to the start of operations, will help facilitate the training, equipment and notification systems noted previously. The second commitment point in the letter concerns public awareness and communications. Here Summit commits to maintaining an updated project website prior to construction and to providing public awareness updates at least annually during construction and operation of the pipeline.

Summit directed a number of commitments at landowners, who should receive the letters in the mail. Some landowners have voiced concerns, and sued, over the surveying process required for Summit to plan its route and assess a property through which the pipeline would travel. In the letter, Summit said it would give landowners at least 72 hours notice, unless there is a different statutory regulation, and offer landowners a one-time $500 payment for project surveys. Summit also committed to “avoid the use of eminent domain except as a last resort.” This follows commitments to negotiate in good faith, and to engage in discussions “aimed at reaching mutual agreement.” Summit also sent landowners a hotline number they can call in the event they encounter “individuals who do not represent this project with honesty and integrity.”

Landowners can also choose between fair market compensation as either a lump sum, or annual payment, or they can choose a payment option “linked to all financial distributions to Summit’s current owners.” Regardless of which reimbursement option they choose, landowners with a voluntary easement will receive an annual stakeholder payment at a rate of at least $0.25 per foot of pipeline on their property. The rate will increase as Summit acquires higher percentages of voluntary easements along the project footprint in the state. If 100% of voluntary easements are reached, the stakeholder payment rate will be $0.50 per foot per year.

Finally, Summit said it was committed to water stewardship and transparency throughout the project. The letter was signed by leadership from more than a dozen partnering ethanol plants.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – This week at Produce in the Park (Thurs. 9/18), in Atlantic, organizer’s say they’ve got their best band of the season, and the Pork Producers are selling “chops for cops” pork chops on a stick as a fundraiser for Atlantic Police Department.  The Prairie Gators band will perform, thanks to event special summer music sponsor, Rolling Hills Bank. Get ready for zydeco, bluegrass, old-time country, & gospel.

This week’s visiting food truck at Produce in the Park is Tikka Talk – featuring Indian favorites like butter chicken, lamb tikka masala, samosas, naan, and more. In addition, the Cass County Pork Producers will be grilling chops for “Chops for Cops” porkchop on a stick. There’s fun for all ages:  Art in the Park, Coloring for Kids, Guest Chef. Vendors will have available lots of fresh produce, local pork, chicken, and eggs, baked goods and breads, honey, flowers, arts and crafts, soaps, and more. And, local community organizations, including Cass Health, Healthy Cass County, Cass County Tourism, and more will have information booths or tents set-up.

Produce in the park takes place from 4:30-until 6:30 PM, Thursday, at the Atlantic City Park, 10 W 7th St., in Atlantic. There is no charge to attend. The event is made possible thanks to September Sponsors: Rush CPA, Gregg Young Chevrolet of Atlantic, City of Atlantic, 1st Whitney Bank, Cass Health, Cass County Tourism, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, and Nishna Valley Family YMCA.

Event Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/share/19iwbcL4C9/