(Des Moines, Iowa) [submitted by Montgomery County resident Jan Norris ] – On Monday, a bipartisan cohort of more than 30 landowners and farmers from across Iowa met with Senator Charles Grassley to express their frustration with Summit Carbon Solution’s proposed carbon pipeline. The hazardous liquid pipeline would traverse over 1,000 miles of Iowa farmland and require the use of eminent domain for nearly 1,000 properties. Landowners and farmers claim the project is only viable due to the government subsidies available to the carbon capture industry and urged Senator Grassley to abolish a key subsidy known as the 45Q tax credit.

As the longest serving U.S. Senator currently in Congress, constituents impacted by the carbon capture industry believe Senator Grassley can influence a change in policy to end incentives that encourage the construction of unnecessary carbon pipelines. Senator Grassley, as a member of both the Senate Budget and Senate Finance Committees, has the ability to protect the land and livelihoods of Iowa farmers by recommending 45Q be cut during the budget reconciliation process currently taking place.

During the short meeting, Bremer County farmer, Ted Junker, told Senator Grassley, “Republicans, Democrats, Independents, we’ve all come together to fight this carbon capture scam. Nearly 80% of Iowans are opposed to using eminent domain for carbon pipelines. This isn’t a red or blue issue. It’s a common sense issue. Destroying our cropland is not how we support agriculture. Giving our tax dollars to shareholders in foreign countries is not how we support agriculture. Allowing a company to monopolize the ethanol industry is not how we support agriculture. Stand by farmers and cut 45Q during the budget reconciliation process.”

Senator Grassley did not provide a firm position on the request. Impacted constituents hope to follow up with the senator when they are in Washington D.C. next month.

(Radio Iowa) – About 100 people gathered at the statehouse Monday to rally against a bill that would grant some liability protection to pesticide and herbicide manufacturers. The bill cleared the Iowa Senate last year and is getting a rehearing this year. It would forbid lawsuits based on the lack of a warning about potential health risks if the product’s label complies with current federal regulations. Nancy Huisinga worked as a hospice nurse in Wright County for 20 years.

“Do we make chemical manufacturers be responsible for all cancer in the state? No. Do we stand up for people who have an illiness related to manufactured carcinogens and protect their right to take the manufacturer to court for damages? Absolutely, of course we do,” she said, to cheers.

Huisinga and others mentioned that Iowa is the only state where the cancer rate is rising. Rich Gradoville, a retired school teacher, taught at schools in New Sharon, Dyersville and the Des Moines area. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer two years ago. “What our legislators should be doing is working on bills that lower the risk for Iowans rather than working on bills that help the chemical companies protect themselves,” Grandoville said, to cheers. Dan Valentine of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement says the bill will make it harder for Iowans who’ve been harmed to seek justice in court.

“These multi-billion dollar companies doesn’t deserve another legal shield,” Valentine said. “That’s why I’m here. Fighting to protect our communities, our kids and our grandkids, so let’s let our voices be heard.”

A top Republican in the Iowa Senate says individuals who’ve been harmed should be able to file lawsuits to recover damages, but Senate President Amy Sinclair says the bill would impede money-grabbing class action lawsuits targeting ag chemical companies that have followed the law.

(Griswold, Iowa) – An upcoming Agriculture Legislative Forum will be held on February 22nd at 9:00am at the Griswold Public Library. For more information, see the flyer below:

Cass County: Corn $4.50 Beans $9.89
Adair County: Corn $4.47 Beans $9.92
Adams County: Corn $4.47 Beans $9.88
Audubon County: Corn $4.49 Beans $9.91
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.53 Beans $9.89
Guthrie County: Corn $4.52 Beans $9.93
Montgomery County: Corn $4.52 Beans $9.91
Shelby County: Corn $4.53 Beans $9.89

Oats: $3.01 (same in all counties)

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy has been updated to reflect increased access to data and new practices, including a precision ag-tool to optimize nitrogen application. According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the nutrient reduction strategy was developed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Iowa State University in 2013, as part of 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 strategy encourages farmers to participate in the nutrient reduction strategies, but does not mandate the conservation practices. IDALS announced the updated version of the strategy Thursday. According to the press release, the last update was completed in 2017. Excess nitrogen and phosphorus are the main contributors to the “dead zone” in what was formerly know as the Gulf of Mexico, and therefore are the nutrients the strategy seeks to reduce.

One of the 2025 updates includes a recommendation that corn farmers follow a three-year extended rotation to reduce nitrate‐N concentration in tile drainage by 42%, on average. According to the plan, that means following a four-year schedule of corn, soybean, alfalfa and alfalfa in a given field. Three years of legumes, a type of plant that fixes nitrogen in the soil, will reduce the need to apply nitrogen to the corn crop, and showed a 10% increase in corn yields.

Corn planted into no-till corn residue in 2008 near Minden, Iowa. (Photo courtesy of USDA)

The recommendation would help the state reach its goal of reducing the nitrogen load from non-point sources by 41% from the 1980-1996 benchmark nutrient levels. Point source pollution comes from sources like a wastewater facility or a factory that directly discharges into waterways. Non-point pollution is not as easy to pinpoint as it includes runoff from agricultural land, urban areas and more.

The update also notes that INRS provides quarterly updates to an online dashboard with measurements of water quality metrics, erosion control practices, funding, point source facility permits and in-field practices, instead of a “static” annual report.  The Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council, which monitors the progress of the strategy, found in its 2023 survey a 7% decrease in the use of commercial nitrogen applied to continuous corn operations and that farmers planted nearly 4 million acres of cover crops in 2023, which is also a practice promoted by the strategy to reduce nutrient runoff.

The press release from IDALS also highlighted new strategies to implement conservation practices. This included the “batch and build” process which began in 2020. The process installs nutrient reduction practices, like saturated buffers and bioreactors, on multiple farms at once, to maximize funding pools and accelerate the adoption of these practices.  According to IDALS, the state has completed five “batches” so far.

The strategy is also promoting the use of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Consultation Tool, or N-FACT, a precision ag tool developed by the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, to “fine-tune” fertilizer application. The public, online tool helps farmers determine the optimal rate of nitrogen application for their farm based on factors like location, precipitation and residual nitrogen.

The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative developed the tool from ISU research conducted with private farmers in every region of the state. According to a press release from IDALS, N-FACT can calculate more than 21,000 optimal nitrogen rate scenarios due to the hundreds of field trials conducted by ISU.

(Iowa News Service) – Groups working to protect Iowa’s air and water rally at the State Capitol this (Monday) afternoon, against a bill they say would protect pesticide companies from lawsuits if their products make people sick.  Iowa Senate Study Bill 1051, the so-called Cancer Gag Act, “provides defense from civil liability tied to the use of pesticides,” as long as their labeling meets Environmental Protection Agency standards – which can be 15 years old.

Iowa Food and Water Watch Central Iowa Organizer Michaelyn Mankel said the measure would essentially change the law to protect pesticide companies from accountability, in a state that’s already seeing a “public health crisis.”

“We have rising cancer rates,” said Mankel. “We’re the only state in the nation where incidents of cancer are increasing, and we rank second in the nation for rates of cancer.” The International Agency for Research on Cancer has said that glyphosate is “probably carcinogenic to humans,” but the EPA says there’s no evidence to supports that.  Pesticide makers – including Bayer, which has four lobbyists in Iowa alone – have said they’re following current law and need protection from what they deem frivolous lawsuits, and this bill would provide that.

But Mankel said the measure would further erode Iowans’ ability to take legal action if they think these products caused health problems.  “This is not a matter of stopping frivolous lawsuits,” said Mankel. “It’s a matter of not robbing Iowans of the only avenue we have to hold the pesticide industry accountable at a time where we’re really suffering.”

The rally at the Capitol will begin with an altar ceremony to memorialize Iowans who have died from cancer, many of whom advocates say were deaths related to pesticides.

(Radio Iowa) – A new fuel testing laboratory will be dedicated this (Friday) afternoon near the Fort Dodge campus of Iowa Central Community College. Iowa Central President Jesse Ulrich says the work started there 20 years ago when they first began testing biodiesel in truck engines. “What that led to was a smaller lab that was on our campus in our Biohealth and Science Building, and then we’ve really just outgrown that space,” Ulrich says. “We have major contracts with most major gas stations across the country, and specifically here in Iowa.”

The Fort Dodge lab is where fuel from all over the state is put through a battery of tests. “What that means for the average Iowan is, when you pull up to the gas tank and you see ’87’ and then you see some specific numbers underneath of there in the fuel,” Ulrich says, “we’re actually double-checking those numbers to make sure that they’re accurate and make sure that the fuel you’re putting in your tank is the best, highest grade fuel that it can be.”

Radio Iowa file photo

Ulrich says Governor Kim Reynolds and Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig plan to attend the dedication at the new facility, which has an additional 10,000 square feet of testing space. “We received a $2-million grant through the Department of Ag to do new tests on engines,” he says, “and part of the testing engine capabilities will allow us to be able to test aviation biofuel, which obviously is the new wave coming across America, and hopefully an up-and-coming fuel source for Americans, and something that will keep biofuel alive and healthy for the state of Iowa and our economy.”

The lab was built on the lot of a former Casey’s store on the west side of Fort Dodge. The ceremony begins at 3:30 p.m.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced six bills that would strengthen landowner rights in response to the potential use of eminent domain for a carbon capture pipeline. The Iowa Utilities Commission has given conditional approval for Summit Carbon Solutions to move forward with pipeline construction in Iowa to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants — IF South Dakota regulators approve construction of that segment of the pipeline. Republican Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says the commission made several errors that must be addressed. “And we’ll continue to work because we have lots of other ideas that we think need to be put into law, to put some guardrails around the IUC’s process,” Thomson says, “and protect the constitutional rights of Iowans.”

Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehn says the pipeline the biggest boondoggle in Iowa history.  “These bills will return power to the people, will ensure that our laws are consistent with the values and beliefs of the vast majority of Iowans, and will protect our property from further invasions by private companies.” House Speaker Pat Grassley says the six bills may be combined into one or two packages, but each of the six will get a subcommittee hearing first.

“It shows that we’re continuing to be thoughtful a serious about all of these different proposals, bringing attention to each of them,” Grassley said, “and we’ll make some legislation decisions on the best path forward.” The House has passed several bills about eminent domain and pipelines that carry a hazardous substance like liquid carbon dioxide — but none have passed the Iowa Senate. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association criticized this latest group of House bills as the wrong policy at the wrong time.

Monte Shaw, the associations executive director, says the bills would prevent Iowa-made ethanol from competing in markets where low-carbon or no-carbon fuels are favored.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A reminder from KJAN that the Sweetheart Market – another Produce in the Park event – takes place Saturday, February 8 from 10am-1pm at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA in Atlantic. Market Manager Ciara Hoegh says the theme for this year’s Sweetheart Market is appropriately entitled “Bee Mine, Honey!”

Local vegetables, honey, meats, eggs, baked goods, Kringles and desserts, along with home made soups, candles, home decor and gifts will be available, in addition to everything you need to know about honey how it’s made, including products with bees wax.

The vendor with bees wax products is Woodland Wildflower Apiary, whose farm is north of Atlantic. There are more than 30 vendors who will set-up their tables in the YMCA gym. There are some other, first-time vendors at the market, as well.

The Sweetheart Market features face-painting for kids, all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage and drinks in the rear of the gym by the Pancake Man. The cost for the meal is $8 per adult and $5 per child (Under the age of 18). There is other food available for you to take home, as well.

Homemade loaves of sourdough bread will be available at the Sweetheart Market, but get there early as they are in limited supply!

Produce In the Park markets accept SNAP EBT. Visit www.ProduceInTheParkAtlanticIowa.com for more information.  There is NO CHARGE to attend the market. All proceeds will be directed to Cass County Food Pantries. Local organizations, including Cass County Tourism and Healthy Cass County, will be at the market sharing information about community events and opportunities. Sweetheart Market 2025 is sponsored by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust and Nishna Valley Family YMCA.

For the latest information on Sweetheart Market, and all Produce in the Park markets, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City Council in Atlantic, Wednesday evening, passed a couple of resolutions affecting the City’s Parks and Recreation Department policies. The Council first passed a resolution “Adopting a Policy for the Parks and Recreation Department Regarding Donations, Relocations and Removals.” Councilman Mike McDermott is a Council liaison on the Parks Advisory Commission.

For many decades, the Parks and Rec Department has had mainly verbal agreements with donors and those who wish to place, move or remove a memorial – such as a park bench. Any paper documents regarding those donations/memorials have long since been lost, according to City Administrator John Lund.

The Council passed also, a resolution pertaining to the adoption of a “Policy for the Rental of Park Shelters.” Councilpersons Emily Kennedy and Mike McDermott, explained why the Commission wanted to change the policy.

The policy increases the shelter fee to $50. Again, that allows a shelter to be used for a whole day instead of just a few hours. In other business, the Council discussed the merits of a City-Wide Cleanup Day, and associated costs. Having been unable to come to a viable solution Wednesday night, the Council opted to send the matter to the City’s Beautification Committee, who, along with input from the City’s Attorney, will hash-out the details and make a recommendation to the full Council at a later meeting.