(Radio Iowa) — Some Iowa farmers could get checks in June as the U-S-D-A implements the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. President Trump says 16 BILLION dollars is set aside for direct payments to farmers.  “These payments will compensate farmers for losses related to the global pandemic,” Trump says. Marty Smith, president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, attended today’s (Tuesday’s) White House event to highlight the program.

Smith thanked Trump and Congress for the assistance, which he says will help some farmers stay in business. “America’s farmers and ranchers continue to work around the clock to feed the public, to feed all of our nation,” Smith said, “to feed a large part of the world.”Farmers can start signing up for the assistance on May 26th. Most payments will be based on 2019 production. Livestock producers who raise cattle, sheep and hogs are eligible. Farmers who raise crops like corn, soybeans and oats are eligible to apply, too.

(Reporting by Brownfield’s Ken Anderson)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says Iowa regulators acted appropriately when they declined to inspect a Tyson Foods pork plant in Perry before hundreds of workers tested positive for the coronavirus. Iowa Occupational Safety and Health records show the agency received an April 11 complaint alleging the virus was spreading on the production floor and in the cafeteria. The agency didn’t contact Tyson until April 20 and closed the inquiry April 28 after determining Tyson’s safety efforts at the plant were satisfactory. Iowa OSHA declined to inspect the plant, citing federal guidance at the time that said most coronavirus complaints don’t require on-site visits.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A safety regulator praised Tyson Foods for providing a quick written response after learning about a complaint alleging the coronavirus was spreading at its plant in Perry, Iowa before an outbreak was confirmed there.Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Records obtained by The Associated Press show the agency received the complaint April 11, did not contact Tyson until April 20 and gave the company one week to respond. Tyson released records Tuesday showing that it responded two days after learning of the complaint and a state official praised its “diligence.”

The agency closed the inquiry April 28 after determining that Tyson’s response outlining its safety efforts at the plant was satisfactory. Later, 730 workers at the plant tested positive for coronavirus.

(Radio Iowa) – May is recognized is “Beef Month,” and with Memorial Day approaching — it’s also considered the start of the summer grilling season — but the coronavirus pandemic has put a damper on things. Cattle feeder Craig Anderson of rural Merrill, in northwest Iowa, says the slowdown in production at plants has led to a glut of supply and lower prices. “Last week there were cattle trading at a dollar 12 to a dollar 15 a pound. But it was down to about 95 cents,” Anderson says. “..I’m gonna guess that most people have a break-even of about a dollar 25 a pound.” He says the drop in the prices paid for cattle comes at a time when demand is up among consumers. “There were a lot of cattle that were sold at a loss and probably continue to be sold at a loss. Because of the rush at the meat counter, the retail price has really skyrocketed,” Anderson says.

Anderson says the sale of the prime cuts is really hurt by the slow down in processing and the cut back in the operation of restaurants. “The cattlemen always say — you know people eat hamburger and roast at home — but they go out for a steak,” Anderson says. He says those the prime cuts are now probably ended up in homes in a different form. “A lot of those prime cuts are being ground up into hamburger right now trying to meet the demand for people trying to maybe feed people at home — and do it on a cheaper basis,” Anderson says.

Anderson estimates the cattle industry is running between 30 and 40 days behind in having cattle marketed on a current basis. He says during that time, cattle may gain around three to four pounds a day, which will add around another 100 to 150 pounds to their market weight.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a mixed forecast for crops. The monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates predicts farmers will have a good year for corn and soybean harvests, but prices are likely to drop as much as ten-percent for corn compared to last year. Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says that could attract some new uses for the grain and oilseed crops. “As prices drop, suddenly you’re like, ‘Okay I didn’t used to use corn before in this, but I can, and corn is now inexpensive enough that it makes sense for me to do that,'” Hart says, “so you would see other uses pop up.”

Farmers will more likely use some of their quieter time in June and July to figure out whether it’s time to shake up what they grow in 2021. Hart says the report also looks for the global market to rebound following slowdowns due to COVID-19. Higher yields will offset lower prices, but Hart says the recovery should bring about some of the relief from trade tensions that economists anticipated. “They’re looking for that strength to still be there, to return, as we reopen the economy,” Hart says, “as we get the global economy moving along.”

He says farmers may be looking at some alternative crops for 2021, especially if this year brings them more unwelcome hurdles in corn and soybeans.

(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Thanks to favorable weather, Iowa farmers have planted most of the corn crop and are nearing completion of soybean planting. The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Monday that in the week ending Sunday, farmers had planted 96% of the expected corn crop, putting them nearly a month ahead of last year and almost three weeks ahead of the five-year average. Farmers had planted 86% of the soybean crop, also nearly a month ahead of last year and three weeks earlier than the average. They were helped by good weather that made for 4.3 days suitable for field work.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — In the days before his death, an Iowa meatpacking worker told his nephew that the coronavirus was spreading through his plant due to crowded spaces and a lack of personal protective equipment. Husen Jagir died on May 1, about a week after he fell ill following a shift at the Seaboard Triumph Foods plant in Sioux City. The plant, which is one of the nation’s largest pork processing facilities, announced this week that 59 of its workers had tested positive for COVID-19 and that it had taken several safety precautions. Jagir’s nephew, Shila Dide, says that his uncle told him last month the virus was “everywhere” at the plant.

• KJAN, Atlantic  1.61″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .11″
• Massena  .65″
• Anita  .57″
• Corning  1.81″
• Adair  2.25″
• Bridgewater  .8″
• Red Oak  .38″
• Creston  .22″

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Federal regulators have reached settlements with two agricultural storage and supply businesses to resolve alleged violations of clean air regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release Thursday that it inspected Midland Marketing Co-op Inc. and Troy Elevator Inc. in response to accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia that injured workers. Anhydrous ammonia is corrosive to the skin, eyes and lungs. Exposure may result in injury or death. Midland owns a facility in Palco, Kansas. Troy Elevator owns facilities in Bloomfield and Blakesburg, Iowa.

w/Brandon Scheuring.

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