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Bird flu detected in flock of 918,000 Iowa hens
A large commercial flock of egg-laying chickens in southwest Iowa is the third to be infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The Taylor County flock has 918,873 birds, said Chloe Carson, a spokesperson for the department. Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation Friday for […]
Firefighter fined for Dow City house that burned
A western Iowa firefighter and his father have agreed to pay a $3,000 fine for an illegal fire that burned the remains of a demolished house in Dow City, according to a recent Iowa Department of Natural Resources order. Ray Ohl, a volunteer firefighter and former police officer for other towns in the area, was […]
Rural broadband is a farm bill focus
The coronavirus pandemic highlighted the need for federal assistance to develop high-speed internet connectivity in all parts of the country, members of a U.S. House subcommittee agreed this week as they reviewed provisions that are likely to be included in the next farm bill. “I represent a largely rural district in north-central, northeast Florida, and […]
Iowa’s senators promote biofuels to replace Russian oil
Iowa’s two U.S. senators are touting fuel made from crops — especially ethanol — as a means to replace oil imported from Russia and to cut soaring fuel prices that have reached all-time highs. “It’s very clear that biofuels provide a quick and easy solution for lowering prices at the pump,” U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley […]
COVID infections still falling; state adds ‘backlogged’ cases
The state’s COVID-19 infection rate is lower than it’s been since July — which preceded months of stubbornly elevated infections by the delta variant of the coronavirus and was capped by a dramatic surge in cases of omicron — according to state data published Wednesday. The Iowa Department of Public Health said there were about […]
Bill would indemnify railroads for trail injuries
Proposed legislation that was approved by the Iowa House and has early support in the Senate would eliminate the risks of injury litigation for railroad companies that allow recreational trails to be built on portions of their railways. House File 2415 was advanced by a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. The bill is meant to help […]
Fluctuating grain prices cause co-ops to limit buying
A highly volatile commodities market caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine has prompted some farmer cooperatives to suspend their cash bids to buy grain from producers. Landus Cooperative, the state’s largest agriculture co-op, announced Friday it would cease its cash grain bids at 1 p.m. that day because of “increased market risk & volatility caused […]
Deadly bird flu infects northwest Iowa turkey flock
A commercial flock of 50,000 turkeys in Buena Vista County was culled after tests confirmed on Sunday that some of the birds were infected by a highly contagious and often deadly avian influenza, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. It was the second time in less than a week that the […]
Mobile home park water has state’s highest ‘forever chemicals’
The drinking water of an eastern Iowa mobile home park that serves about 100 people contains the highest concentrations of toxic chemicals that persist indefinitely in the environment that have been detected so far by a new state survey. The water of Kammerer Mobile Home Park, which is just south of Muscatine in a low-lying […]
Biz group: Tax cuts will help Iowa’s competitiveness; transgender law might hurt
Iowa will be a much more attractive place for out-of-state businesses and workers looking to relocate because of newly enacted tax cuts, according to the Iowa Business Council, a group that represents 22 of the state’s top employers. The state previously had the distinction of the highest nominal corporate income tax rate in the nation […]
COVID infections, hospitalizations continue to decline
The state’s COVID-19 infection rate has diminished to a level unseen since August 2021, when confirmed cases began to rise after a summer of low coronavirus activity. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported about 2,500 new positive tests on Wednesday for the past week. However, it also reported about 6,800 new cases. An IDPH […]
Menacing bird flu detected in western Iowa flock
A highly contagious avian influenza sickened a backyard flock of chickens and ducks in Pottawattamie County, and the birds were incinerated this week to prevent further spread of the virus, state agriculture officials said Wednesday. The infection of the flock of fewer than 50 birds was confirmed by an Iowa State University veterinary lab on […]