IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has backed away from a proposal to release more conservation lands for crop production. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer announced Tuesday that the USDA will not move forward with a plan to allow landowners a penalty free "early-out" of Conservation Reserve Program contracts. Schafer said that the proposal was deemed unnecessary after reviewing the current condition of crops and feedstocks around the country. In a press conference held Tuesday, Schafer said grain prices have dropped in recent weeks, easing pressure on livestock feed markets and lessening the need for any further steps to be taken at this time.

Labels: agriculture

With floodwaters ravaging much of Iowa's farmland, and other
grain-producing areas of the world facing their own problems, swaths
of western Iowa that have been largely spared Mother Nature's wrath
stand poised to reap unprecedented rewards from corn and soybean
prices that may hit once-unthinkable heights. "There could be some
phenomenal results," said David Leiting, general manager of the FAC
Farmers Cooperative Elevator in Arcadia, located between Carroll and
Denison. "The fact is that's really true," added Dennis Molitor,
director of the Carroll County Office of the Iowa State University
Extension Service. "The exceptions are those by rivers or streams.
Overall and in general we (west-central Iowa) are really fortunate."

Labels: agriculture

Many farmers in Iowa are facing a disaster as storms and floods have
damaged crops across much of the state. In a telephone interview
Friday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey told Iowa
Independent that corn and soybean crops in Iowa are under serious
stress because of incessant rain and flooding. "Certainly some
producers are impacted much more than others, and not all areas of the
state are impacted the same way. But when you look individually in
many cases and collectively, this is a disaster," said Northey. "I
don't know how to rank it compared to others in the past, and I don't
think most producers care one way or the other. They know what their
losses are and that's what's important to them.

Labels: agriculture

John McCain said something today in the Chicago Tribune that has
needed to be said for years, particularly the last ten years. We as a
nation are entering a period of economic boom in our agriculture
sectors. Farmers look to make a ton of money for the foreseeable
future. The money to be made from the conversion of grain to energy
will largely fuel this boom, but other factors indicatee a very bright
long term future for America's farmers. Great, the Republican goal is
for farmers, like everyone else, to become as wealthy as each
individual's skills and effort allow. Every time you hear a Democrat
complain about rising food costs you also know that same Democrat is
admitting the reality of the farming boom in progress.

Labels: agriculture, John_McCain

Democrat Hillary Clinton had scathing words Tuesday for President
Bush, who has threatened to veto the 2007 farm bill. "President Bush
is waging a $300 million a day war in Iraq and has presided over the
largest fiscal deterioration in our nation's history, yet he's chosen
to draw the line for fiscal discipline at the feet of our hard working
farmers," Clinton said in a statement released by her campaign. "The
2007 Farm Bill contains vital investments in a safety net for farmers,
conservation, renewable energy, nutrition, and rural development that
will help sustain our rural communities and ensure that America's food
supply is abundant, safe and healthy."

Labels: agriculture, Hillary_Clinton

Tuesday Morning Update: Check out this article from today's Washington
Post. As Republicans, let's welcome this immigration debate with open
arms. As we learn more about the upcoming farm bill that is currently
being put together in Congress, we are learning that there is one very
controversial aspect that could re-inject the immigration issue back
into a prominent position in the political sphere of public discourse.
According to a Des Moines Register article: 'Legislation that would
grant legal immigration status to thousands of migrant farmworkers
will likely be added to the Senate's farm bill, said Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid...' Will an issue like this be enough to hold up this
bill?

Labels: agriculture, immigration

In the last few weeks I've traveled to over 26 cities and towns all
over Iowa to meet face to face with residents and listen to their
hopes, their concerns, and their feedback on the 2007 farm bill, which
will strengthen investment and economic opportunities for our rural
communities and farmers, conserve our environment while decreasing our
dependence on foreign sources of oil and improve the quality and
safety of our food and nutritional options for our children. What
struck me most during these personal meetings was how our uniquely
American entrepreneurial spirit is stronger than ever. I have always
believed that one of the cardinal responsibilities of government is to
provide the basic infrastructure for Americans with innovative ideas
to be able to readily carry them out -- and in Washington, Anamosa,
Lake City, and other cities and rural communities across Iowa -- I was
able to witness this entrepreneurial spirit first hand.

Labels: agriculture, Tom_Harkin

My friends at the American Farmland Trust remind me: Every hour, we
lose 125 acres of farm and ranch land. That's 3,000 acres a day and
over 1 million acres a year! Eighty-six percent of America's fruits
and vegetables are grown in metro regions in the path of development.
Over half of America's land is managed by farmers and ranchers, and
their decisions affect our air, water, wildlife and food. The farm
bill influences those decisions and is up for voting this fall. What
would a world without farms and ranches mean? Probably a growing
dependence on the center aisles of our grocery stores—processed foods
enriched with ingredients you can't pronounce. But what about our
water and the air we breathe? Over half of the U.S. is working
agriculture land, and well managed farms and ranches provide critical
environmental benefits like water filtration, flood control, air
quality improvements, carbon sequestration, renewable energy and
wildlife habitat.

Labels: agriculture

... * Billions of bees have mysteriously vanished since late last year in the U.S. * Disappearing bees have also been reported in Europe and Brazil * One-third of the U.S. diet depends on pollination, mostly by honeybees ... According to the Iowa Honey Producers Association, "honey bees are an important part of Iowa's agri-ecosystem. Currently, about 1500 beekeepers in Iowa keep 30,000 colonies of honey bees. Less than 100 of these beekeepers operate bees on a commercial basis with the remainder being sideline or hobbyist beekeepers. These honey bees have produced an average of 3.1 million pounds of honey annually, valued at $3.5 million for the last five years. However, beekeeping is valued much more for the pollination of important plants in Iowa than for the honey that is produced. (see table below) Field and horticultural crops, home gardens and plants eaten by wildlife are dependent on bee pollination for the production of their fruits, nuts and seeds."

Labels: agriculture