(Radio Iowa) – Groups representing corn growers and the ethanol industry are urging Governor Kim Reynolds to veto a bill that would put new restrictions on carbon pipelines. House Speaker Pat Grassley says House Republicans who’ve passed several pipeline-related bills over the past few years are extremely happy the Senate finally passed one this week.

Grassley, as House speaker, is required to sign each bill that passes the House. In a rare move, Grassley held bill signing ceremony with fellow House Republicans on Wednesday night.

Grassley said “…It’s something that we would really have a high expectation of the governor to sign.” Grassley made his comments during taping of “Iowa Press” which airs tonight (Friday) on Iowa P-B-S. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association and the Iowa Corn Growers Association say the bill will effectively ban carbon pipelines in Iowa. Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a farmer from Primghar who’s a past president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, was at the Capitol this week to lobby against the bill.

About three miles of Summit’s pipeline route goes through Nieuwenhuis’s property. Nearly three years ago he signed a contract giving the company access to that section of his land.

Governor Reynolds has until mid-June to sign – or veto — all the bills that passed the legislature.

Cass County: Corn $4.16 Beans $10.10
Adair County: Corn $4.13 Beans $10.13
Adams County: Corn $4.13 Beans $10.09
Audubon County: Corn $4.15 Beans $10.12
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.19 Beans $10.10
Guthrie County: Corn $4.18 Beans $10.14
Montgomery County: Corn $4.18 Beans $10.12
Shelby County: Corn $4.19 Beans $10.10

Oats: $2.91 (same in all counties)

ADEL, IA – Organizers of the 11th annual, June 14th “Bacoon Ride,” that winds through several central Iowa towns along the Raccoon River Valley Trail, have announced a detour for the route, that would normally cross a key bridge east of Adel. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition says the Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) was impacted by a fire during the early morning hours of Monday, May 12th. As reported, the fire was allegedly caused by  three 19-year-old’s from Adel, who had built an uncontrolled fire that spread to the bridge. All three suspects were arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Dallas County Conservation Director Curt Cable, said due to extensive damages, the bridge is currently unusable. The bridge was along a portion of the trail previously closed for a construction project. The Iowa Bicycle Coalition, the host organization for the ride, wants to assure riders and community members that the ride will still be taking place as planned, and has been coordinating with Dallas County Conservation, the City of Adel, Adel Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DOT to create a safe detour for riders to get out of Adel and back on the RRVT. The detour will stretch from S. 6th  St. in Adel to Prospect Ave., where cyclists would then rejoin the RRVT as they head east toward Waukee.

2025 Bacoon Ride detour route

The name “Bacoon Ride” is a play on words that combines “bacon” (a beloved food in Iowa) and “Raccoon” (the trail’s namesake). During the ride, cyclists stop at each town to indulge in bacon-themed food and drinks, making for a delicious and enjoyable experience. Additionally, the event supports local charities, making it both fun and philanthropic.

Iowa Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Luke Hoffman says, “Our hearts go out to the City of Adel as well as to Dallas County Conservation, who are showing tremendous leadership in this dramatic moment. We want both our registered riders, residents of the area, and the general public to understand that the Bacoon Ride will continue to support Dallas County Conservation with a portion of proceeds from ticket sales going directly to the county based on the number of registered riders. We are pleased to announce that, in cooperation with the Iowa State Patrol, The City of Adel, Adel Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation, that the ride will go on for its 11th year with an approved detour using Highway 6 in place that will be protected by the State Patrol and Coalition volunteers.”

Individuals can support Dallas County Conservation’s efforts to rebuild the bridge by donating directly to the organization, or by registering for the Bacoon Ride. A portion of the proceeds will go back to Dallas County Conservation.

• Bacoon Ride is the largest single day bike ride in Iowa

• Bacoon Ride has had participants from over 23 states in the country

• Bacoon Ride generates more than $500,000 in economic impact each year for the communities along the route, which include: Waukee, Dallas Center, Jamaica, Yale, Herndon, Panora, Linden, Redfield, and Adel.

(Radio Iowa) – A bale fire at the POET Bioprocessing plant in northwest Iowa has been burning since Monday night. It’s about a mile from the town of Emmetsburg where Patrick Degen is the mayor. “They’ve got it under control. I don’t think there’s any risk of that fire spreading anywhere. But I just want people to know that we’re going to work with POET to make sure that does not happen again,” he says. The bales are corn stover that is turned into ethanol. Degen says he recognizes the stress and inconvenience that the smoke has had on residents.

“It’s still smoldering, the bales are. I know our neighbors at POET have been working diligently to move as many of the unburned bales away from the bales that are burning to take some of the fuel away from the fire and hopefully get it to go out sooner,” Degan says.

This is the second fire at the plant this year. Another bale fire broke out in February. POET officials did not respond to inquiries about the fire.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer is reporting a significant dip in income compared to a year ago.Quad Cities-based John Deere reports second quarter net income of one-point-eight billion dollars, a drop from nearly two-point-four billion at the end of the same quarter last year. For the first six months of the fiscal year, Deere’s net income was almost two-point-seven billion, versus four-point-one billion a year ago.

Radio Iowa file photo

Worldwide net sales and revenues for the agricultural equipment maker were down 16 percent for the quarter and 22 percent for six months. Deere chairman and CEO John May says he’s proud the company’s employees and dealers are showcasing resilience in supporting customers amidst heightened uncertainty.

(Radio Iowa) – With the forecast calling for highs climbing into the 80s this week, the warmer weather is inspiring many Iowa boaters to hit the state’s lakes and rivers. Iowa Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Nate Carr says, before taking the boat off the trailer, check over your supply of life jackets. “They need to be the appropriate size for your passengers and in good working condition, so not old and faded and torn as they can get sometimes,” Carr says. “Make sure you go through those and make sure they’re all for however many passengers are on your boat, that’s how many life jackets you need to have.”

Along with a fire extinguisher and a horn, Carr says life jackets are a must-have safety items on a boat. “Anytime your boat is underway, any child under the age of 13 must be wearing their life jacket,” Carr says. “Also, regarding life jackets, anybody driving a jet ski, or riding on a jet ski for that matter, is required to be wearing their life jacket at all times, regardless of age.” Life jackets are also required for anyone being pulled behind a boat, including skiers and inner-tubers. Carr says the agency has officers on the waters, too, watching for signs of drunken boaters. “The same rules apply on the water that apply on the road, you cannot be operating while over a .08 or under the influence of any other kind of substance,” Carr says. “So make sure you have a designated driver, even on a boat.”

National Safe Boating Week is May 17th through the 23rd. Find more boater safety information at the Iowa DNR website.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa House and Senate have agreed to redirect two-and-a-half million dollars that’s sitting unused in the Iowa Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Fund. The fund was created to test for the contagious diseases which were a threat to cattle and other livestock in the past, but have largely been eliminated in the United States. Representative Norlin Mommsen, a farmer from DeWitt, says the focus — and the funds — need to shift to other foreign animal diseases.

“Most of the time the only conversation that takes place about eggs is about how you want them cooked, but with the outbreak of Avian influenza the conversation has been more about price and availability,” Mommsen said. “…We tried to address this issue as best we could.” Mommsen is chairman of the House panel that drafts the annual budget for the Iowa Department of Agriculture. It calls for taking 100-thousand dollars from the State Brucellosis Fund and spending it on development of a bird flu vaccine.

“Second we appropriated money to the Vet Diagnostic Lab and third we appropriated money for the equipment that might be necessary in the event of an outbreak,” Mommsen said. “We attempted to take a broad approach to addresing the price of eggs and other potential disease issues that might affect the State of Iowa.” A 450-thousand dollar technology upgrade will help the state ag department better track outbreaks of livestock diseases in Iowa, based on what’s called a premise number that identifies each Iowa barn and pasture where animals are being raised.

There’s 250-thousand dollars in the legislature’s state bduget plan to cover moving into Iowa State University’s expanded Vet Diagnostic Lab. Another 450-thousand dollars is to be spent on state efforts to buy equipment, plan for, and address any foreign animal disease outbreak. The legislation also eliminates the property levy the Iowa Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradiction Fund. It amounts to less than 50 cents per year for the average Iowa homeowner.

(Radio Iowa) – A microbiologist from Brazil is the recipient of the 2025 Des Moines-based World Food Prize. Mariangela Hungria is the 10th woman to be named a World Food Prize Laureate. Mashal Husain — president of the World Food Prize Foundation — says Hungria changed the way fertilizer is used in Brazilians soybean fields. “Thanks to her work, over 40 million hectares of Brazilian farmland now benefit from this technology,” she said. “This achievement has saved Brazilian farmers an estimated $250 billion each year in input costs, mitigated greenhouse gas emissions and improved soil health.”

Hungria’s work has expanded to other crops and other continents. “Proving that the smallest organisms can create the most profound transformations,” Husain said, “…reshaping the very ground we stand on.” Each World Food Prize Laureate received a half a MILLION dollar award. The announcement of each year’s laureate is typically made in Washington, D.C., but the ceremony was held last (Tuesday) night at World Food Prize headquarters in Des Moines. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds addressed the crowd.

“Hosting this event in Iowa is more than a homecoming,” Reynolds said. “It’s also a powerful reminder of what this prize represents and where this story began.”

The World Food Prize was the dream of Iowa native Norman Borlaug, a Cresco, Iowa native who won the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize for his research that improved wheat yields in the developing world. Hungria is the 56th World Food Prize Laureate. She is scheduled to be in Des Moines this fall for the annual World Food Prize Symposium.