DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Just two months after a federal court judge struck down Iowa’s existing law meant to discourage investigations of animal abuse on farms, lawmakers are pushing another so-called ag-gag measure that opponents say would likely land them in court again.

The new bill creates a trespass charge for anyone using deception to gain access to a farm to cause physical or economic harm. It carries a penalty of up to a year in jail.
Sen. Ken Rozenboom, the Republican who will manage Senate floor debate, says it is more narrowly focused than the 2012 law struck down by the court in January and was crafted after other state laws that have survived court challenges.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, which sued over the 2012 law, says the bill under consideration also is unconstitutional and the group is prepared to challenge it in court.

Court documents show plaintiff legal fees in the previous lawsuit exceed $200,000, but the state has appealed to the federal appeals court so costs continue to mount.

On Saturday, March 6th, 2019, 12 members of the Atlantic FFA chapter competed in the District Career Development Events with two advancing to the State FFA Convention in Ames. During the District Business session Juniors Corri Pelzer was elected for the District Sentinel position and Adriana Mendez ran for the District Reporter. Unfortunately Adrian was not elected this year. Hannah Carlson and Tate Den Beste were the chapter delegates for Atlantic FFA at Convention.

Tyler C

Tate and Hannah

Craig Allan Ag Sales

Carli H

Bryan Y

Corri Pelzer

FFA member Carli Henderson competed in the Job Interview category placing 1st earning a Gold and advancing to State. Tyler Comes competed in Extemporaneous Speaking earning a Gold placing 2nd and advancing to State. Bryan York competed in the FFA Creed Speaking CDE placing 4th earning a Gold and will be the alternate to State. Katie York competed in the Chapter Website CDE earning a Silver. In the Ag Impact CDE 8th grade FFA members Jackson McLaren, Chase Vogl, Dan Freund and Dylan Comes presented on the importance of Agriculture in Cass County. This is the first year Atlantic has competed in the contest and the team earned 4th place and a Silver.

In the Farm Business Management Test Atlantic FFA had 4 members compete this year. Nathan Behrends placed 4th, Tyler Comes was 6th, Newell was 7th and Adrian Mendez was 11th. In the FFA Freshman Greenhand Quiz, Atlantic FFA had 5 members participate. Bryan York received a Gold. Receiving Silver was Andrew Engler, Aspen Niklasen, Cooper Jipsen, Malena Woodward, and Wyatt Redinbaugh

Seven members of the Atlantic FFA earned the FFA Academic Achievement Award. To earn this award an FFA member must be a member for 3 years and maintain a 3.5 GPA while in high school. This year Halsey Bailey, Nathan Behrends, Connor Pellett, Alana Welter, Sadie Welter, Ashley Wendt and Katie York earned this award.

(Article submitted by an FFA reporter)

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — Lawmakers are considering a second attempt to penalize people who get an Iowa farm job in order to make undercover videos or harm the animals. Republican Representative Jarad Klein, a farmer from Keota, says the livestock industry is the “life blood” of Iowa’s economy and it must be protected from bad actors.

“People that are wanting to cause harm, wanting to lie, wanting to deceive,” Klein says. A federal judge recently ruled a similar Iowa law — passed seven years ago — was unconstitutional. Backers of this new bill say it matches part of an Idaho law that was recently upheld in federal court. Drew Mogler of the Iowa Pork Producers Association says the proposal will safeguard livestock farms from people who intend to “physically or financially” cause harm.

“Recently Mercy for Animals was running advertisements in Iowa, seeking undercover investigators who are committed to Mercy for Animals objective, which is to eradicate the food animal system,” Mogler said, “and we believe they are willing to take any measure to destroy that system.” Daniel Zeno of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says while the bill appears to be narrower than the 2012 law, it likely would be challenged in court.

“Our goal is not to undermine the security, the protection of agricultural facilities. That is an important interest,” Zeno said, “…but we can’t do that by taking away free speech.” Representative Bruce Bearinger of Oelwein, a Democrat, says the bill could help deter “bio-terrorists” who seek to spread disease in swine herds and poultry barns.

“Dishonest access to those properties is a huge risk,” Bearinger said, “and I believe that this bill helps prevent any undue problems that can occur from it.” This new bill will be considered in the House Agriculture Committee today (Wednesday). It would let people be prosecuted for seeking a job working with Iowa livestock, in order to inflict financial damages.

Officials with the Loess Hills Missouri River Region will share the organization’s accomplishments of 2018, with the public during a Year in Review Celebration at Uncle Buck’s Grill at Bass Pro Shops on Friday, March 8th  from 4-until 5-p.m.  It’s been a year since Governor Reynolds, the Iowa Parks Foundation, and the Loess Hills Missouri River Region (LHMRR) Board and stakeholders gathered at the Field House in Council Bluffs to announce MidAmerican Energy Foundation’s $500,000 commitment to the Loess Hills Missouri River Region Parks to People Plan, and the board has been busy with regional outdoor recreation projects ever since.

The Loess Hills Missouri River Region Parks to People Plan was created by a group of stakeholders from Harrison, Mills and Pottawattamie Counties and the Friends of Lake Manawa, who first assembled in 2014.  The Plan, in partnership with the Iowa Parks Foundation, supports collaborative, regional projects to enhance economic development and tourism; public health and social vitality; natural resources, parks and trails; and overall regional vibrancy. The initiative intends to attract and retain young people interested in an active lifestyle, which will stimulate Iowa’s economy and promote business growth.  A primary goal is to offer a fully connected 21st Century parks system, in time for the Iowa Parks Centennial in 2020.

In 2018, the LHMRR Board officially designated its first round of priority projects for funding from the MidAmerican Energy Foundation’s $500,000 challenge grant to the Parks to People Plan. $338,000 has been dedicated towards the following priority projects: Harrison County Conservation Board’s Willow Lake Nature Center and Overland Hiking Trail; Lake Manawa’s Dream Playground; Mills County Trails Board’s Glenwood Trail Project; Mills County Conservation Board’s Pony Creek Expansion; Lewis & Clark Today Route signage and the Green Hill Ranch conservation area. The projects represent over $10.6 million in planned recreational improvements to the tri-county region. To date, over $5 million of this has been secured or pledged towards implementation.

The public is invited to attend the Year in Review Celebration from 4-until 5-p.m. Friday, at Uncle Buck’s Grill (2901 Bass Pro Drive).  At the celebration, organizers will present a history of the initiative, outline the process for setting priority projects, overview progress on current priority projects and unveil the concept design for the new logo, branding and website.  Project leaders will be available to answer questions and provide information about priority projects.

The LHMRR is coordinated by Golden Hills RC&D, a nonprofit organization with a mission “to develop and promote sustainable cultural and conservation projects that enhance the quality of life and preserve the assets of rural western Iowa.”  More information about the Loess Hills Missouri River Region Parks to People Plan, Annual Meeting and Year in Review Celebration, visit goldenhillsrcd.org/lhmrr or at facebook.com/loesshillsmissouririverregion.

(Radio Iowa) — A proposal to make it more difficult to create new public parks and recreation areas in Iowa drew a big crowd of opponents to the state Capitol Monday. It would prevent state dollars from being used to acquire land for public use. Alicia Vasto of the Iowa Environmental Council says the legislation is tone-deaf to what many Iowans – especially younger people – want.

“Access to public space and recreation is important to me and my generation,” Vasto said. “It’s a quality of life issue that cannot be understated and is an ongoing part of the conversation around workforce recruitment and brain drain.”

Marc Beltrame spoke on behalf of Ducks Unlimited. “This legislation doesn’t create another job,” Beltrame said. “It doesn’t make it easier to bring people to the state. It doesn’t make it easier to retain people that are already here.”

The bill has the backing of the Iowa Farm Burea. The group argues it could make it easier for beginning farmers to buy land and ensure state money is used to maintain and enhance existing public land. A three-member House subcommittee did not take a position on the bill Monday. A Senate committee MAY consider a similar bill later today (Tuesday).

(Radio Iowa) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spent Monday in Iowa, assuring farmers there’s been “real progress” in trade negotiations with China. “I’m very, very hopeful we’ll be able to wrap up and get a truly successful outcome for the United States and for American ag,” Pompeo said.

Pompeo spoke late Monday afternoon at a forum in Des Moines organized by the Iowa Farm Bureau. John Maxwell, an eastern Iowa dairy farmer, was among those who asked Pompeo a question about the deal. “Would you comment on any kind of time frame because every day that marches on it’s getting tougher and tougher?” Maxwell asked. Pompeo responded: “No,” and both Pompeo and the audience laughed. “You remember I said I’d answer almost anything…I’m not trying to be short or not take your question seriously. I do. I am and the president is, too, enormously sympathetic to what you all are going through.”

A man who identified himself as a fifth generation farmer from northwest Iowa said he harvested a “really good crop” last fall and hasn’t sold all of it on contract yet. “Do you have a plan B or whatever to peddle these things someplace other than China?” the farmer asked. Pompeo said: “…I don’t know that there’s a concrete solution to the question that you raise. I wish I could tell you: ‘Yes, we’ve got the markets identified. We know the price at which we can clear,’ but there are lots of ideas about how we might do that, ways that we might assist.”

Pompeo made the stop in Iowa at the urging of former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who’s now the U.S. Ambassador to China. “I think it’s important to be able to share with the people of Iowa what’s being done on these very delicate, important issues,” Branstad told reporters. Pompeo suggested while it’s been hard to get China to agree to buy more American agricultural goods, the most difficult part of the negotiations has been about China’s theft of intellectual property.

Pompeo says that includes stealing the secrets of hybrid seeds developed in the United States. Pompeo also told the crowd he expects the U.S. Mexico Trade Agreement to ratified by all three countries by the end of this year — hopefully bringing an end to the tariffs Mexico placed on U.S. pork. “We’re trying to make sure we don’t fall down the same trap that American trade negotiators have done so many times,” Pompeo said. “We’re deeply aware of these retaliatory trade tariff issues and we know how much they affect you…Know they’re in the front of our mind.”

Pompeo told the crowd it’s an “enormous privilege” to serve in the Trump Administration and try to deliver on the promises Trump made during the 2016 campaign. “It’s a wonderful thing to have this opportunity and then you all get to read his Twitter account, too,” Pompeo said, with a laugh. Pompeo is a former Kansas congressman.

AMES, Iowa — Practical Farmers of Iowa is pleased to announce the launch of its newly redesigned land-matching website, FindAFarmer.net, a free tool that aims to connect farmland owners with land seekers to preserve family farms. Practical Farmers first developed the tool in 2011 as a way to help Iowa’s aging farmland owners find possible successors, and to support beginning farmers facing the difficulty of accessing land.

The most recent Farmland Ownership and Tenure Survey, released last summer by Iowa State University, shows that 60 percent of Iowa farmland is owned by someone 65 years or older, and 35 percent is owned by someone 75 years or older. In addition, more than half of Iowa’s farmland is farmed by someone other than the owner. FindAFarmer can help retiring farmers find a non-family successor to continue the farm and non-farming landowners find a tenant for a rental arrangement. The site can also help facilitate many other unique land access situations.

Beginning farmers in PFI’s network consistently cite land access as a major barrier to starting or growing their farm operation. Unlike typical real-estate websites, FindAFarmer lets land seekers share their farming values, goals and qualifications. Landowners can share the story of their farmland and their vision for the future. Establishing shared values can give beginning farmers an edge on potential competition for the land while helping landowners ensure their farm vision continues. Landowners and land seekers from across the U.S. can create a free account at FindAFarmer.net and mark their location or desired location on the map. The website is a place to provide as much information about the farmland or farmer as desired, without sharing personal details. Users start conversations anonymously, which helps eliminate any pressure when looking for a good fit.

Support for beginning farmers and farmland transfer is a top priority for Practical Farmers of Iowa members. FindAFarmer is part of Practical Farmers’ beginning farmer program that provides resources and opportunities to help beginning and aspiring farmers create viable farm businesses. For questions about FindaFarmer, contact Steve Carlson at (515) 232-5661 or steve@practicalfarmers.org.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa farm and its managers have been given probation in a water pollution case. Federal prosecutors for Iowa said in a news release Thursday that Etcher Family Farms, near New London in southeastern Iowa, has agreed to five years of organizational probation and a $50,000 fine.

Farm owner Scott Allen Etcher was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation. Farm manager, 29-year-old Benjamin Allen McFarland, was sentenced to two years of probation.

Etcher and McFarland pleaded guilty in October to violating the Clean Water Act. Officials say that in July 2015 at the Etcher Family Farms facility, McFarland discharged agricultural waste that went directly into an unnamed tributary to Big Creek. Officials say the discharge was committed under the direct supervision of Etcher.

DES MOINES, IOWA— Six FFA members from Atlantic FFA and other FFA members from across Iowa converged on the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism. Atlantic FFA members Tyler Comes, Katie York, Tate Den Beste, Craig Alan Becker, Hannah Carlson and Taylor McCreedy. Approximately 300 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 51 schools flooded the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on February 14th. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship.

Legislative Symposium Tom Shipley

Legislative Symposium Tom Moore

Legislative Group

The event was part of the 34th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol. During the morning, FFA members heard from Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Kelsey Tyrrell of the World Food Prize addressed students about the future of Iowa agriculture and the importance of being involved with statewide issues. Later that day, FFA members also heard remarks from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President, Craig Hill, about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry.

Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg presented the FFA Week Proclamation, declaring February 16-23, the week of President George Washington’s Birthday, FFA Week in Iowa. The proclamation signing took place during a special ceremony at the Embassy Suites downtown following legislative visits at the Iowa State Capitol Building. “I learned more about the agriculture laws that go through the house and the senate and the process behind it,” Senior Tyler Comes said.

The 34th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol was made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.