WEST DES MOINES, IA – Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) producer member Elite Octane, an ethanol plant near Atlantic, today (Friday, March 7th) celebrated producing its 1 billionth gallon. Since the plant began operating on July 1, 2018, it has processed over 300 million bushels of corn from area farmers. IRFA Executive Director Monte Shaw congratulated Elite Octane, “for reaching the one-billion-gallon milestone.” Shaw said “Not only does this milestone celebrate the plant, but it celebrates the impact Elite Octane has on the local community, area farmers, and consumers across the nation. This is a testament to ethanol’s role in American energy dominance while providing consumers with a cleaner-burning, cost-savings solution at the pump.”

With its 53 employees, Elite Octane has paid more than $1.6 billion to local corn farmers since commencing operations in 2018, nearly all funds received within 60 miles of Atlantic, Iowa. The over 300 million bushels of corn were processed into more than just ethanol.

Elite Octane, Atlantic Iowa (photo from the company’s website)

Elite Octane also produced more than 2 million tons of high protein animal feed and over 300 million pounds of corn oil as well. Additionally, 50 percent of all the water used in the ethanol production process is recycled water from the City of Atlantic that would otherwise be discharged down the river.

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Iowa House Judiciary Committee advanced bills Thursday to block hazardous liquid pipelines carrying carbon dioxide from the use of eminent domain.  Two bills also advanced granting rights to intervene in Iowa Utilities Commission proceedings, which GOP lawmakers have done against the case of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project.

House Study Bill 287 specifies that the “construction of hazardous liquid pipelines for the transportation or transmission of liquefied carbon dioxide” does not constitute a public use for the purpose of condemning agricultural land.  The bill would apply to any condemnation proceedings made on or after its enactment. Committee members voted to advance HSB 287. A companion bill in the Senate, Senate File 92, has not had any scheduled hearings and will likely be “dead” at the end of the funnel week.

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a similar bill into law Thursday morning, that effectively bans the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines. South Dakota is also on the proposed route for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project, which would transport sequestered carbon dioxide from biofuel refineries to underground storage in North Dakota. Rhoden said the new law is not meant to “kill” the project in South Dakota, but should be taken as “an opportunity for a needed reset.”

Summit Carbon Solutions said in a statement the news is “very unfortunate” but “the project moves forward in states that support investment and innovation.” House File 491 would also restrict hazardous liquid pipelines from the right of eminent domain, by adjusting the definition of a common carrier.

Under the bill, a hazardous liquid pipeline would have to establish “clear and convincing evidence” that it transports a commodity used by an individual consumer, or a commodity for one or more shippers not affiliated with the carrier who will also not sell the hazardous liquid to the carrier.

Rep. Charley Thomson, said the bill “corrects a problem that emerged because of the Summit pipeline docket hearings in front of the Iowa Utilities Commission.”  Summit’s status as a common carrier has been a subject in several lawsuits, including one in which the Iowa Supreme Court reiterated that the company meets the requirements of a pipeline under Iowa Code.

The bill advanced 20-1, and Thomson said there will be an amendment on the floor to clarify that the bill does not apply to railroads.

(Radio Iowa) -South Dakota’s governor signed a bill banning the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines today (Thursday). Sierra Club of Iowa Attorney Wally Taylor says that should stop Summit Carbon from building its carbon pipeline in Iowa.  I think as a practical matter, it does. I mean legally, summit could still get a permit in South Dakota, and if they did, that would allow them to go ahead and construct in Iowa,” Taylor says.

The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a permit for the Iowa portion of the Summit pipeline on the condition they get permits in the Dakotas before they start construction. Taylor says eminent domain is needed to build in South Dakota. “Because, as I understand it, they have a lot of people there who have not assigned easements, and they would have to get eminent domain, and now they can’t do that. So I think, as a practical matter, it may very well stop the project,” he says.

Taylor says their focus continues to be on getting Iowa lawmakers to block the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines here. “There have been several eminent domain bills that have come out of the Iowa House, but they get stopped by Senate leadership. This may change the dynamics a little bit in the Senate, and hopefully we could get a bill through the Senate this year,” Taylor says. Taylor can’t says how likely it is Iowa lawmakers will pass such a bill. “It’s hard to know, but it certainly looks like we’ve got a better shot this year,” Taylor says.

Landowners opposed to carbon pipelines and the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter are holding a Carbon Pipeline Opposition Rally at the Capitol on Tuesday to call on the Iowa Senate to pass a pipeline bill. A spokesperson for Summit Carbon Solutions issued this statement:

“It’s very unfortunate that, despite our approvals in Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota, South Dakota changed the rules in the middle of the game. This kind of regulatory uncertainty creates real challenges-not just for our project, but for the ethanol plants in South Dakota that now face a competitive disadvantage compared to their counterparts in neighboring states. While this presents obstacles, our project moves forward in states that support investment and innovation, and we will have more news on that soon.”

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A bill advanced from the House Agriculture Committee Wednesday that would establish a pilot program to reduce the average, statewide use of commercial nitrogen fertilizer. House Study Bill 165 was amended in the committee to task the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship with the administration and development of the pilot program. The program would work with farmers to evaluate crop production strategies that “enhance nitrogen management” in the state. Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Newton, said the amendment calls for a $2 million appropriation from the fiscal year 2026 general fund. This would create a dispersal fund for the program and incentives to participating farmers who would be paid at least $5 per farmed acre that is involved in the program.

Dunwell said the goal of the pilot program is to reduce the statewide average use of commercial nitrogen fertilizers by 15%, or 30 pounds per acre. An earlier version of the bill tasked IDALS to implement a commercial fertilizer study, rather than a pilot program, to “determine innovations that may be practically incorporated as part of crop production practices.” According to a recent study from Iowa State University, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer needed to “maximize the profitability” in corn production has increased by about 1.2%, annually, for the past three decades. The study, which looked at corn production in the Midwest, attributes the increased need to the “nutrient demands of higher yields.”

Researchers said the trend is also likely to continue, and that rising optimum nitrogen rates would be “even higher” if it weren’t for increased use of nutrient efficiency practices like crop rotation, improved drainage, spring fertilizer application and more informed application tools. IDALS recently updated its nutrient reduction strategy, which included several practices aimed specifically at reducing overall nitrogen application. The department also promoted a new, free calculator developed by the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative that helps farmers determine the best rate of nitrogen application for their farm. These efforts from IDALS were part of the department’s participation in a larger, 12-state task force to address the growing size of the hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico by reducing nutrient levels in the Mississippi River Basin.

The efforts also seek to reduce nutrient levels from non-point source polluters in Iowa waters. The bill moves next to the full House for debate.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding an “Outdoor Mobile Apps Program.” Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning will give a presentation pertaining to Outdoor Mobile Apps, in the Community Room at the Atlantic Public Library (507 Poplar St.), on Saturday, March 15th, beginning at 11-a.m.

All ages welcome to attend the presentation. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your phones, or tablets to discover how to use outdoor apps you might be interested in, everything from plants, birding, to hunting!

(An example of an outdoor mobile app)

The Cass County Conservation Board says they hope you to see you there!

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The Senate Natural Resources Committee, Wednesday, advanced a bill that would bar the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from purchasing land at auction.  Senate Study Bill 1198 would prohibit DNR from acquiring land in Iowa unless it is from a willing donor or seller.  The bill would also stop DNR from purchasing land above the appraised value from a nonprofit corporation that had purchased the land from auction.  In his opening remarks on the bill, Republican Senator Tom Shipley from Nodaway, said “We’ve been down this path before.” The bill, he said, resembles bills from past legislative sessions.

Shipley said there are a number of people in his district, in southwestern Iowa, who are “very unhappy” with the state and federal government’s “overstep” of land ownership and control.  “I have yet to get more than one email from my district that’s … opposed to us doing this,” Shipley said.  Sen. Mike Zimmer, D-DeWitt, said his inbox has been “jammed” with comments from constituents opposed to the bill. Zimmer said some of these emails said the bill intruded on individual property rights. “If an owner wants to sell their property to whomever they want to do, they should have that right to do that,” Zimmer said. “On the rare occasion that the DNR might be able to put together a financial package to actually show up to an auction and bid on a piece of ground, they should be able to do that.”

A trail at Jester Park near Saylorville Lake on Nov. 6, 2024. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Shipley clarified the bill does not restrict a seller from willingly selling to the DNR, and also said the DNR has not bought land at auction for 20 years. Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, opposed the bill and it would take “a lot of years” and “a lot of money” for the DNR to become a “real threat” in terms of land ownership.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the State of Iowa owns around 400,000 acres of land, which equates to roughly 1% of Iowa’s nearly 36 million acres of land.

Trone Garriott, Zimmer and committee ranking Democrat Sen. Art Staed voted no on the bill, which passed with an amendment striking a section that provided an exemption to auction purchases if it advanced a conservation or recreation plan and was approved by the Natural Resources Commission.

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Iowa senators advanced a bill Tuesday to implement nutrition guidelines and education in Iowa schools that prioritize the state’s “unique” food sources like corn, pork and dairy.  The bill would also update school health class curriculum to include a section on nutrition and include instruction on food production and the benefits of local sourcing in agriculture, as well as natural resources career and technical education instruction.

Senate Study Bill 1158 would instruct the Iowa Department of Education to apply for a waiver for exemption of certain parts of federal nutrition standards for school meals. The bill asks for exemptions from sodium limits, whole grain requirements and stipulations on fruit and vegetable varieties and general permission to substitute federal nutrition guidelines with those that “align with Iowa’s dietary recommendations or cultural food practices.”

The Iowa Department of Education, if the waiver were approved, would then work with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, nutrition experts, educators and other stakeholders to develop guidelines for a “nutritionally adequate meal” in Iowa. Per SSB 1158, these guidelines must be as stringent as federal guidelines in promoting health and preventing chronic diseases and must prioritize animal-based protein, dairy, vegetables and fruits, in that order.

Sen. Liz Bennett, D-Cedar Rapids, opposed the bill in the Senate Agriculture Committee hearing because of this section. “You’re basically rewriting the food pyramid by writing into law that certain food groups must be prioritized in the order listed,” Bennett said in the committee hearing. Bennett said she’s not against animal proteins but said she does not see “nutritional research evidence” supporting the prioritization outlined in the bill.

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Lobbyists from Iowa commodity groups including the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Corn Growers Association spoke in favor of the bill during its subcommittee hearing Feb. 26. Sen. Mike Zimmer of DeWitt, ranking Democrat for the Senate Ag Committee, echoed Bennett’s sentiment and said students should be taught the harms as well as the benefits of animal proteins and should similarly be exposed to other sources of protein.

Zimmer said the bill attempts to “reinvent the wheel” on nutrition education and school meal programming that are already established by the Department of Education. Sen. Kevin Alons, R-Salix, who chaired the subcommittee on the bill last week, said the proposed legislation does not ignore federal nutrition guidelines; it instead asks for a waiver.

The bill was amended in committee to remove references to “sustainable farming” practices from the section on career education. Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, said the language was removed to avoid complication in the curriculum since “the word sustainable is not defined.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sustainable agriculture is defined in U.S. Code as “an integrated system of plant and animal production practices” that, among other goals, “make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls.”

The bill passed with the amendment, 11-4 with Democrat Sens. Zimmer, Bennett, Tony Bisignano of Des Moines and Herman Quirmbach of Ames voting no. A similar bill, House Study Bill 173, has advanced from subcommittee in the House.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says President Trump’s new import tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China will have a negative impact on Iowa’s economy. “It’s already hit the corn and soybean market and we can see what’s happening to the stock market,” Hart says. In a post on his “Truth Social” platform, President Donald Trump said the tariffs were being imposed on “external product” and the great farmers of the United States should get ready to start making a lot of products to be sold INSIDE the U-S. Trump closed the message by writing “Have fun!” Hart says the price for a bushel of corn fell by 22 cents by midday today (Tuesday).

“That doesn’t seem like fun to me,” Hart says. Hart says after Trump imposed tariffs in 2018 and 2019, other countries which had been buying American farm commodities started buying elsewhere. Trump authorized 61 BILLION dollars in tariff relief payments to American farmers during his first term. “Farmers are a proud bunch. We want trade, not aid,” Hart says. “This president got by with it last time. I don’t know why, but if he thinks he’s going to have the taxpayers bail us out again, that’s just poor leadership.”

Hart farms with her husband in Clinton County, near Wheatland.