Iowa homeowners whose quality of life or property values have been impacted by confined feeding operations (CAFOS) may now have even fewer options. Under a bill approved by the Republican-led Legislature, if a CAFO moves next to your property and ruins the value and enjoyment of your land, damages are now capped and no further legal [...]
Eight Iowa facilities have now been infected with avian flu, bringing the total number of infected chicken and turkeys to 10 million. Most of the losses have been egg-laying hens. Iowa poultry farms, on average, house an estimated 60 million egg-laying hens. Once bird flu is present in a flock, all chickens or turkeys must be [...]
Over the last 50 years, many rural communities have experienced a significant decline in population. A vibrant ag economy is critical to a strong economy and creating jobs in communities across Iowa. The legislature must work together to repopulate those areas, while capitalizing on the strengths of rural communities to create good jobs and improve the [...]
Iowans wanting to get into agriculture must overcome numerous hurdles. In order to keep Iowa’s agricultural economy strong, we must ensure that first time farmers have the resources and support they need to be successful. In 2013, Iowa had 88,500 farms averaging 346 acres. According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) statistics, the trend is [...]
Over the last 50 years, many rural communities have experienced a significant decline in population. We all must work together to re-populate rural Iowa and capitalize on the strengths of rural communities to create good jobs and improve the quality of life. Statistics show that students with access to broadband in their homes are 6-8% more [...]
This summer, thousands of Iowans will be swimming, fishing, and boating in and on our lakes and rivers. Those recreational opportunities are even better with clean water. Over the past two years, the Legislature has provided millions of dollars to help improve Iowa’s water quality through the state’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The strategy was prepared by [...]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) just released the final 2012 Census of Agriculture results sharing a wide-range of information about agriculture at the national, state, and county level. This census provides a wide range of demographic, economic, land, and crop and livestock production information. Much of the Iowa data is only [...]
