(Radio Iowa) — The farm economy can be fickle and Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer is seeing a drop in sales of three-percent for the quarter, blamed on continued uncertainty in agricultural sector. Quad Cities-based Deere and Company released its financial report today (Friday) in a conference call with reporters. Ryan Campbell, Deere’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, says momentum started building in 2017, indicating a rising demand from farmers for equipment replacement. “North American customer sentiment has since deteriorated not only due to uncertainty over market access, but also due to weather and the demand impact of African swine fever,” Campbell says. “As these challenges persist, we are now beginning more aggressive action on our cost structure to create a more efficient and nimble organization.”

Deere is reporting net income of 899-million dollars in the third quarter, compared to 910-million dollars at this time a year ago.  “Note that we’ve increased our dividends by 25% over the last two years and further increases will be under consideration as we demonstrate progress to our increased profitability goals,” Campbell says. “During the quarter, we repurchased 400-million of stock and will continue to buy when we can create value for long-term shareholders.”

A Deere statement says sales in the agriculture and turf divisions fell for the quarter, while operating profit also declined primarily due to lower shipment volumes, higher production costs, and the unfavorable effects of foreign-currency exchange.  “We’ve significantly invested in next-generation large ag products and accelerated our precision ag initiatives,” Campbell says, “all the while, diversifying our construction and forestry division with the Wirtgen acquisition. Additionally, we increased our infrastructure spending to gain efficiencies and modernized systems that enhance our dealer and customer engagement.”

Deere has completed the five-billion dollar purchase of the Wirtgen Group, a leading manufacturer of road construction equipment.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is using some blunt language to describe the E-P-A’s decision last Friday to grant waivers to big oil companies, reducing the amount of ethanol that must be blended into gasoline. “They screwed us when they issued 31 waivers compared to less than 10 waivers during all of the Obama years,” Grassley says. “And we thought that was bad.” Grassley says the waivers were intended for small refineries, but are now being granted to the likes of Exxon and Chevron. “What’s really bad isn’t a waiver,” Grassley says, “it’s that it’s being granted to people that really aren’t hardship.”

Last year the E-P-A granted 38 ethanol waivers to oil companies and this year has granted 31, but Grassley says there’s “no victory” here for farmers.  “And it’s no accomplishment whatsoever, so we’ve got to go back to the president,” Grassley said, “the same way we have in the past.” Grassley says he’s lobbied President Trump and Ivanka Trump on the issue — and Trump heard from farmers when the president visited a western Iowa ethanol plant earlier this summer. “I know that he knows about the ethanol issues,” Grassley says, “and he wants to be considered very pro-ethanol and he wants to be considered very pro-farmer.”

But Grassley says officials in Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency are blocking ethanol’s progress. Grassley made his comments this (Friday) morning during taping of the Iowa Press program that airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa Public Television.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Four Midwestern farmers who cheated organic food customers are scheduled to be sentenced for the largest fraud scheme of its kind in U.S. history.
Federal prosecutors say the farmers are responsible for a seven-year scheme that tricked thousands of customers into paying premium prices for products that were marketed as organic but were not.

Prosecutors are seeking prison sentences for the alleged leader of the scheme, Missouri farmer Randy Constant, and three Nebraska farmers who worked with Constant. All four have pleaded guilty to fraud charges. They admitted that they grew non-organic corn and soybeans, and a small amount of certified organic grains, and falsely marketed them all as organic. Most of the grains were sold as animal feed to companies that marketed organic meat and meat products.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A piglet born at the Iowa State Fair has been touched by royalty. The 2019 pork queen for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Gracie Greiner, kept her tiara atop her head as she reached inside a laboring sow Tuesday and removed the piglet at the fair’s Animal Learning Center. The 18-year-old lives a few miles outside Washington, a small eastern Iowa town, where her family breeds pigs to show at the county and state levels. She told The Des Moines Register that “helping pull pigs has come to be one of my favorite parts of the process.”

In this Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019 photo provided by Sandy Greiner shows her granddaughter, Gracie Greiner, the 2019 pork queen of the Iowa Pork Producers Association pulling a piglet from a sow in labor while wearing her tiara at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa. (Courtesy Sandy Greiner via AP)

This piglet was big and one of the last ones the sow delivered, which Greiner says meant the sow already was pretty tired. Her dad, Shaun Greiner, told The Associated Press on Friday that his daughter is about to start classes at Iowa State University in Ames and intends to major in animal science, with an eye toward going to veterinary school someday.

(Radio Iowa) — China is the world’s largest consumer of pork products, but experts estimate by the end of the year, African Swine Fever will cut pork output in China in half. Mike Paustian, of Walcott, the president-elect of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says farmers here could step in and meet Chinese demand for pork — if the Trump Administration strikes a trade deal with China. “I’m hoping it’s not going to turn into a giant game of chicken here and see who’s going to blink first and it’s certainly not sounding encouraging that there’s going to be a quick resolution to this and we’ve kind of been teased several times that something was going to happen and nothing’s happened yet and that’s where I think there’s some frustration building.”

Paustian says pork producers are having a hard time planning for the future when they don’t know whether China’s market will reopen to pork. “That’s kind of the most frustrating thing is everybody’s kind of playing the waiting game right now to see how things shake out,” Paustian says, “before they start pulling the trigger on some of their long-term investments.”

Paustian says the U.S. is starting to fall behind in other countries that are important markets for pork. He cites Japan’s recent free trade pact with the European Union. Paustian says there are other countries in southeast Asia where more U.S. pork could be sold if trade deals are struck — and sales to those emerging markets could help soften the blow of pork exports that aren’t going to China.

Adair County Extension will be sponsoring Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting on Wednesday, August 21 in the Warren Cultural Center Auditorium, 154 Public Square, Greenfield. The two hour program will begin at 9:00 a.m. with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. Patrick Hatting, ISU Extension Farm Management Specialist, will focus on various methods to determine a fair 2020 cash rental rate; the importance of good tenant/landlord communications; strategies for writing and terminating a farm lease and the current cash rental rate.

Participants will receive a 100-page booklet and meeting handouts designed to assist landowners, tenants and other agri-business professionals with issues related to farmland ownership, management and leasing arrangements. Pre-registration is requested by Monday, August 19. The registration fee is $20/person, $30/couples payable at the door. To register, contact the Adair County Extension Office: (641) 743-8412 or email krohrig@iastate.edu

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds says she wants to arrange a meeting with county officials who’re considering a local ordinance prohibiting wind turbines within a mile and a half of a residence. Madison County Public Health officials say soundwaves from the turbines and the sun reflecting off the huge blades cause headaches and nausea. Reynolds told reporters she wants to review the data.

“I’ve sat down with both sides of the equation, so I’ve met with people that have some concerns,” Reynolds said, “and we will continue to do that and make sure that we’re mindful as we move forward.”

Reynolds signed a proclamation recognizing the wind energy industry on Monday, declaring this “wind week” in Iowa. Today (Tuesday), Reynolds told reporters she’s unaware of research showing wind turbines cause health problems. “Listen, I support the industry. I’ve said that, you know, until I show some data to show us otherwise,” Reynolds said.

According to the Iowa Environmental Council, there have been no scientific studies linking wind turbines to public health concerns. Reynolds says she’s not an expert in this area, but plans to gather “stakeholders” to discuss this Madison County ordinance.

“I don’t have all the facts in front of me, so if they want to sit down with me and talk to me about some of the information they’ve been gathering, I’ll meet with them. I have before. We’ll continue to bring stakeholders together at the table and try to address any concerns that they may have, listen to what they are, listen to what they are, take a look at some of the data, I’m sure they do, to present to us, we’ll take a look at that.”

This spring, President Trump said “wind mills” cause cancer. Senator Chuck Grassley called the comment “idiotic.” At the time, Reynolds said it wasn’t her place to say whether wind turbines caused cancer. The governor emphasized her support for the industry and said this issue may be like scientific studies about coffee showing one year it’s good for you and the next it causes cancer.

Licenses to pursue Iowa’s world class deer herd go on sale Aug. 15 at more than 700 license sales agents statewide and online at www.iowadnr.gov. Resident Iowa hunters may purchase one any deer license for a gun season, one any deer license for archery season and one county specific antlerless deer only license.

The number of county specific license quotas for antlerless deer only has changed for 24 counties – 20 counties quotas increased and four county quotas decreased. Hunters may purchase one antlerless only deer license until Sept. 15, then as many as they want until the season ends or quotas fill.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Parks Bureau is hosting an open house to collect comments on future planning and improvements at  Springbrook State Park.  The open house is scheduled from 4:00 – 7:00 PM on Monday, September 9, 2019 at the Mary Barnett Memorial Library, 400 Grand Street in Guthrie Center.

For more information, contact the Springbrook State Park office at 641-747-3591.