CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources DNR partnered with three organizations, the Iowa Walking Club, the Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers, and Iowa Parklands, to create 5k and 10k walking routes in 20 Iowa state parks. Maps and directions are free and available for download at https://www.iowadnr.gov/20walks. The 5k and 10k walks are intended for visitors to explore on their own or with a small group. Route starting points are marked with a Walk Box containing free maps, along with supplies for walking club members to submit donations as part of their membership. Walkers who are not members may use the maps and enjoy the walking routes as a free service for the 100th anniversary celebration.
The Iowa Walking Club and Nebraska Wander Freunde Trailblazers are non-profit organizations dedicated to physical fitness for all ages through long-distance walking and encourage social connections through membership. Both organizations are part of the American Volkssport Association. Iowa Parklands is an Iowa-based company that creates state park-themed maps and merchandise. Parks included in 20 Walks in 2020 are:
DES MOINES, IA – This week, more facilities are open in Iowa state parks according to the Governor’s proclamation. Here is a list of openings for the week of June 1:
State park museums and visitor centers have varying plans to re-open, depending on staffing and ability to implement social distancing protocols:
According to DNR park staff, many visitor centers and museums are run by volunteer groups with people in higher-risk health groups, which limits ability to re-open. For more details on park alerts and updates, visit: www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Alerts-and-Closures
The Iowa Beef Industry Council (IBIC) today (Tuesday), announced the launch of a local beef directory to connect beef producers with local buyers. The IBC says “The pandemic has ushered in a renewed interest in food security and ignited an increased interest from consumers to purchase beef directly from farmers. The Iowa Local Beef Directory will provide resources in helping shoppers navigate the buying process and connecting potential buyers to sellers.”
Janine Moore, IBIC Chairman says “We have recently noticed an uptick in the frequency of producer inquiries searching for resources related to directly marketing beef. Furthermore, with supermarkets and grocery stores experiencing intermittent disruptions in availability of beef, we felt we had to do something to address the marketplace needs. We understand this isn’t a solution that addresses all the challenges we face today but it’s a positive step forward in building a connection with beef farmers and shoppers.”
Iowa beef producers interested in submitting their information for listing can do so by visiting the Iowa Local Beef Directory submission page, on the Raising Beef tab, on the IBIC website, www.iabeef.org. The form allows producers to self-list to the directory which will be housed on the IBIC website. Listings will include farm name, contact name, city, additional certifications and website links so consumers can contact farmers directly. Questions received by IBIC regarding specific businesses will be directed back to the company.
(Radio Iowa) — The coronavirus pandemic has hit farmers hard this spring — but Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says the one thing it hasn’t hurt is planting. “The crop side of things has truly been a bright spot for Iowa agriculture this year — especially after the last couple of years after very challenging springs — wet springs, flooding,” Naig says. The U-S-D-A crop report shows less than ten percent of corn and beans remained to be planted heading into last week. Naig says the weather conditions played out perfectly. “This year we had a really nice window open up at the end of April. Mother Nature cooperated just perfectly and we saw a record pace of getting corn and soybeans in the ground,” Naig says. “And it has just been a testament to all that it took to get that to happen in a very short time frame.” Naig says the turnaround has been a welcome boost.
“I had to say last year all throughout the year we were several weeks behind average. This year we can say things like ‘we’re a month ahead of last year and several weeks ahead of the five-year average.’ So, really a bright spot for our farmers,” according to Naig. There have been a few weather issues since the planting got underway — but nothing major. “We’ve seen some abnormally dry conditions across really from southwest Iowa up into north-central Iowa. Now, over the last ten days to two weeks we’ve seen an ample amount of rain that has come through and the crops look good,” Naig says. “We do need some heat –we do need some sun — and that will really allow things to take off.” There were a few days where cold temperatures and frost hit after crops were starting to emerge, and that caused a little damage.
Not widespread damage to the crops, but we do know that there was some damage to the crops and some replant that occurred. But by and large — that occurred when the crop was well-protected,” Naig says. Last week’s crop report showed 97 percent of the corn had been planted and 92 percent of the beans. A new report released later today (Monday) will update the planting progress.
A reminder: The Produce in the Park online store is now open! Market Manager Brigham Hoegh says “Customers who place orders through the store by Tuesday night will get to pick up their orders drive-through style on Thursday (June 4), from 3:40-to 6-p.m. Hoegh says “This is a great opportunity to keep physical distance and still support local food.”
The online store can be found at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com or by visiting @ProduceInThePark on Facebook. This new purchasing option allows customers to spend time browsing items and pick up purchases without coming into contact with other customers. This feature is being implemented to help customers keep distance during COVID-19. Produce in the Park has historically served as a community-gathering place, providing live music, activities, yard games with Parks & Rec, and more. However, in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 the Governor has prohibited Iowa farmers markets from allowing musical performances, children’s activities, contests and other entertainment, or organized activities. Common seating areas are also prohibited, and customers and vendors must follow public health guidelines regarding distancing and hygiene.
In addition to the online pre-ordering system, Produce in the Park is introducing a number of changes to keep customers and vendors safe, and to comply with the Governor’s requirements for farmers markets. Produce in the Park is requesting customers’ patience and support in keeping the market as safe as possible for all customers and vendors.
Customer Requests:
• If you are ill or have been in the past three days, PLEASE DO NOT attend the market.
• Masks are strongly encouraged.
• Only 1 person per household should attend the market.
• Please maintain a distance of six feet between yourself and all other people at the market.
• Please do your best to make arrangements for children under the age of 16.
• No pets (service animals exempt).
• You will not be able to handle products. Please maintain 6 foot distance from vendors & other customers, and
point to what item you would like. The vendor will select and bag for you.
New Market Set Up:
In order to keep customers and vendors safely distanced, Produce in the Park is rearranging vendors such that all
vendors will be set up along 6th Street between Poplar and Chestnut. Pre-order drive-through customers will enter the
market from Poplar Street, and walk-up customers are asked to park along the East side of the park on Chestnut street.
Produce in the Park Dates and Times:
• Produce in the Park is open Thursdays from 4:30-6:30 PM in the Atlantic City Park, 10 W 7th Street. From June 4
through September 24.
• Pre-market drive-up shopping is available for at-risk customers from 3:30 to 4:30 PM. During this hour,
customers at high risk of COVID-19, who are unable to shop online, can drive through the market and pay with
cash or check without leaving their vehicles. This service will be offered first come first served.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meatpacking plants that had to briefly close due to coronavirus outbreaks have been back up and running for weeks, but production backlogs are forcing farmers to euthanize thousands of hogs that can’t be processed, drawing complaints from animal welfare advocates. The preferred methods of euthanizing hogs include gunshots or electrocution, but when thousands must be destroyed en masse, producers shut off the ventilation, causing heat to build up in barns and kill them.
Animal welfare groups say that is inhumane and should be stopped. An estimated 2.5 million hogs are backed up on farms nationwide.
(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst toured the Green Plains ethanol plant in Shenandoah Thursday to discuss biofuels-related issues with company officials. Ernst says the E-P-A Administrator’s responses during a Senate committee hearing on COVID-19’s impact on the ethanol industry has renewed the fire in both her and Senator Chuck Grassley’s office to push the E-P-A on ethanol issues. “Since hearing the really unsatisfactory answers that Andrew Wheeler gave us on the non-progress coming out of E-P-A, we now go back and push him on these issues,” Ernst said. “We need him to explain clearly to me why we don’t have those tanks re-labeled. Why is this not happening? Just simply stating, ‘we haven’t had time,’ that’s not a good enough answer.”
Ernst got to look at a new portion of the facility that produces a higher protein animal feed from the spent corn kernel. Green Plains C-E-O Todd Becker says the product is more sought after than the traditional dried distillers grain that comes out of ethanol facilities. “It’s filling this hole between soybean meal and fish meal, between 48 and 60 percent protein,” Becker says. “Nothing really exists of that high quality out there — so that’s what we’re making out there — and we are sold out. It’s a ready-made pet food today. Everything we make out there is going into products like that, which would never happen in distillers grains, ever.”
The new system is part of a 38 million dollar investment the company has made in the Shenandoah location, which includes a research facility to develop feed for the aquaculture industry. Becker says the expansion means more jobs for the area. “It starts with construction jobs and from there it starts with operator jobs and management jobs. They are all high-paying jobs in an ethanol plant — they just are. In the aquaculture, there’s P-H-Ds out there,” according to Becker. “We’re attracting people into the county here that would have never thought about coming to Iowa, number one, and Shenandoah, number two.”
He says this is the start of a process that is going to grow. “We’re doing things out here that have never been done in ethanol plants. This is going to be a model for what we roll out across the country,” Becker said. The first shipments of the new high-protein feed left the Shenandoah facility in April averaging about 20 percent more protein than traditional distillers grain.
(Radio Iowa) — Animal rights groups are criticizing the methods used by Iowa pork producers to euthanize the animals that they are not able to take to the packing plant. Coronavirus shutdowns slowed production and Ag Secretary Mike Naig says no producer wants to destroy animals. “As it relates to some of the activist activity in the state, I think it is disgusting,” Naig says. He says hog farmers hate this more than anyone. “I think that our producers are experiencing and unprecedented disruption in their business and their way of life. And we’ve got folks with a clear agenda that are kicking our farmers while they are down,” he says.
Naig says producers follow specific guidelines. “The facts are that producers work with their veterinarians. Veterinarians follow the American Vet Med Association’s guidelines for euthanasia– humane euthanasia, even in constrained situations like we are in today,” according to Naig. “That’s the guidelines, those are the best practices that producers will use. No producer wants to be in this situation.”
Naig says the backup of hogs will reduce as meat processing plants get back up to full production — but it will still take some time to catch up.
(Radio Iowa) – Tyson Foods has decided to temporarily halt operations at its pork processing plant in Storm Lake. The company indicated the closure is due, in part, to a delay in COVID-19 testing results and team member absences related to quarantine and other factors. Tyson will idle harvesting animals and finish processing over the next two days. Additional deep cleaning and sanitizing of the entire facility will be conducted before resuming operations later next week.
State officials confirmed a COVID-19 outbreak was confirmed at the Storm Lake Tyson pork plant on Thursday.
(Radio Iowa) — More Iowans are buying food directly from farmers during the pandemic, with Facebook groups and other social media connecting producers and customers. Jenna Anthofer, of Breda, started the group I-A Farm 2 Table on Facebook May 10th and now has more than two-thousand people signed on from Iowa and neighboring states. She says the group is strictly for direct-to-consumer sales of farm products and is her reaction to the challenges COVID-19 has thrown at farmers.
“I really just wanted to help offset that, if possible, by hooking up farmers and producers with consumers,” Anthofer says. “I’m actually in a larger nationwide farm-to-table group and they had suggested that each state have their own sort of offshoot branch.” Anthofer says it’s easy enough to find buyers for vegetables, eggs, honey and processed meat, while she says many people are newly-interested in buying meat directly from farmers.
“Not everybody feels confident buying a whole pig and then having to process it themselves,” she says, “although I’ve tried to put some resources in the group for people. It’s not that hard to break down a hog, here’s a video to show you how to do it.”
Across the Midwest, people are using websites, Reddit, op-ed pieces and other tools to spread the word about buying food directly from farmers. Reddit users compiled a list of “farms that are delivering” and launched a U-R-L with that name.
(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)
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