(Radio Iowa) – Democrats in the Iowa House are raising concerns about the pending sale of a southeast Iowa fertilizer plant. Koch Industries plans to buy the Iowa Fertilizer Company near Wever for three-point-six BILLION dollars. Representative J-D Scholten of Sioux City, says four companies already control 75 percent of the nitrogen fertilizer market in the U-S.

“Ask any row crop farmer and fertilizer is one of the number one costs they’ll bring up as an issue,” Scholten says. “This issue is not new and this is what Governor Branstad did when he gave to tax breaks to the Iowa Fertilizer Company over 10 years ago to create competition in the market.” In 2012, the State of Iowa provided 112 million dollars in tax credits and loans for the project. Lee County provided a 30 million dollar property tax abatement. Representative Elinor Levin, a Democrat from Iowa City, says state officials need to ensure Koch meets the terms for those incentives.

“Governor Branstad, when he awarded all of these tax incentives, pointed to competition specifically with Koch Industries as a reason to provide these incentives,” Levin says. “Well, now they’re being provided and incentivizing Koch to buy here in Iowa.” Scholten says the other concern is what happens to the 260 Iowa Fertilizer Company employees. “When the company has their monopoly power and they have record profits for these companies and they have these CEOs making huge amounts of money where workers get left behind, it’s a constant theme throughout our nation,” Scholten says, “so there’s nothing that won’t be the same.”

Koch’s acquisition of the southeast Iowa plant is being reviewed by federal anti-trust regulators, House Democrats have sent a letter to the U-S Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird that outlines concerns about the sale. Koch Industries already operates a fertilizer plant in Fort Dodge.

(Radio Iowa) – Former Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey has died. Northey, who was 64, was a fourth-generation farmer from Spirit Lake and an Iowa State University graduate.

He talked about his path to becoming Ag Secretary after receiving an Iowa Ag Leader Award in 2022 for his outstanding and distinguished service to Iowa agriculture. “I left Iowa State, came back to the farm, got involved in Iowa Corn Growers, Iowa Farm Bureau and served in some roles in those organizations, and then ran for Iowa Secretary of Ag back in 2006,” he said. Northey said he loved the job. “It’s a a great job. A wonderful job to be a part of, certainly a highlight of my career,” he said.

Northey was reelected twice to the state post and then resigned in early 2018 after being appointed as Under Secretary in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he oversaw the Farm Service Agency.

Current Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig said in a statement that he was shocked at Northey’s death. He says Northey was a husband, father, grandfather, and a farmer who loved Iowa and loved Iowa agriculture.

Bill Northey. (IA Ag Dept. photo)

Other Iowa elected officials also reacted to the news. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley said in a statement, “the Iowa farm community lost a giant. Bill Northey was a dear friend and fierce advocate for the family farmer.” Fellow U.S. Senator Joni Ernst said in a statement, “Bill Northey dedicated his life to Iowa agriculture. Throughout his career as a farmer, leader in key agriculture organizations, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary, he was a steadfast advocate for the producers that feed and fuel our world. He helped establish Iowa as a national leader on key initiatives including ethanol and the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, while always remaining grounded and connected to his family farm in Dickinson County.”

Governor Kim Reynolds said in a statement that, “Bill was a great leader whose work ethic and passion for Iowa agriculture was unmatched. Iowans and farmers around the country were fortunate to have such a rock-solid advocate and friend.” The Governor has ordered all flags in Iowa to be lowered to half-staff and they are to remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Northey’s funeral.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Republican State Representative Thomas Moore from Griswold, Tuesday, welcomed students in southwest Iowa to the State Capitol in Des Moines. FFA members were in the city for a Legislative Symposium, to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism. More than 700 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 118 schools visited the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on January 30th. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship.

It was all part of the 39th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol. During the morning, FFA members gathered at the Downtown Embassy Suites and enjoyed a brief message from Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, who then presented the FFA Week Proclamation. The proclamation officially declares February 17-24, the week of President George Washington’s Birthday, FFA Week in Iowa.

The morning program provided opportunities for FFA members to hear from Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President, Brent Johnson, then delivered a message about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry. Jake Swanson from High Yield Strategies then spoke about the importance of advocating for the agricultural industry.

The 39th 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.

Moore says he welcomed FFA organizations from Atlantic, Stanton, East Mills, Red Oak, and CAM to the Capitol. (photo’s below)

Stanton FFA is pictured above. Their FFA is led by Advisor Andrea Spencer.

CAM FFA is pictured above. Their FFA is led by Advisor Ward Umbaugh.

East Mills FFA is pictured above. Their FFA is led by Advisor Alan Spencer. Moore visited with them on behalf of Representative Sieck.

Red Oak FFA is pictured above. Their FFA is led by Advisor Riley Pelzer.

Atlantic FFA is pictured above. Their FFA is led by Advisor Eric Miller.

(Radio Iowa) – If a bill in the Iowa House becomes law, a group of legislators could force lawmakers to vote on whether the proposed carbon capture pipelines can get state government permission to seize property for the project. Twenty-one members of the Iowa House or 11 members of the Iowa Senate would have to sign a petition seeking an up or down vote on the use of eminent domain for the project. Victoria Sinclair, a lobbyist for a group called Land of the Free Action, says the Iowa Utilities Board review of the Summit Carbon Solutions project has been grossly unfair. “A mechanism for the legislature to tap the brakes in situations like this is appropriate and necessary,” Sinclair said.

Landowners like Kathy Carter of Rockford in Floyd County say it’s been an exhausting to fight against having her farm property seized through eminent domain. “The use of eminent domain for a private company to be allowed to take my land is one word: wrong,” she said. “This has got to stop and this bill will help do exactly that.” Pete McRoberts, a lobbyist for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says the A-C-L-U is not taking a position on the pipeline, but support the bill strongly.  “We take a strong position against the abuse of power as evidenced by the Iowa Utilities Board and the Office of the Consumer Advocate through this long and corrupt process that has caused so much pain to these landowners,” McRoberts said. “…We believe in legislative oversight of the constitutional provisions of eminent domain in a way that is proper and fair.”

Republican Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says existing Iowa Utilities Board rules for pipeline developers have been manipulated to deprive Iowans of their due process rights. “This bill, if it becomes law, will restore some of the checks and balances by returning to the elected officials of Iowa — the membership of the General Assembly– a final decision about the propriety of the pipeline and public use,” Thomson said. “…I think it’s important that elected people, not appointed people, make this decision.”

Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says it’s frustrating that landowners who don’t want the pipeline on their property aren’t protected under current law. “My party is supposed to stand up for the Constitution, is supposed to stand up for the Bill of Rights,” Holt said, “and it’s extremely disappointing to me that the legislation we passed last year did not move forward in the Senate.”

The Iowa House passed a bill last year setting up some new guidelines for carbon capture pipelines, but Senate Republicans did not bring it up for a vote. No one representing Summit Carbon Solutions spoke at this (Wednesday) morning’s House subcommittee hearing on the bill.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The bill Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed to find out if foreigners are using a loophole to acquire Iowa farmland has cleared initial review in the Iowa Senate. Iowa’s secretary of state would be required to review land ownership records, to see if foreigners or foreign governments are involved in U-S based companies or trusts that have purchased or inherited Iowa farmland and prepare a summary.

Republican Senator Dan Zumbach, a farmer from Ryan, says the information would be presented to the governor and the legislature, but the annual report would be confidential and not released to the public.

“I think the information, when it’s all said and done, that the public would have some redated versions of that, of what’s going on,” Zumbach says, “but at this point we’re good where we’re at.” Iowa already prohibits foreigners from buying more than 320 acres of land. The bill would impose higher fines for violations.

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff provide updates on recently completed hunting seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested. Locally, the Iowa DNR will be at Bass Pro Shops, in the Green Room, 2901 Bass Pro Drive, in Council Bluffs, on Feb. 20. The meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau, said “We want people to come out, listen to the hunting seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff. Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

Any person attending the public meeting and has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.

(Carson, Iowa) – Officials with the East Pottawattamie County Extension Service say a Private Pesticide applicator meeting originally scheduled for February 1, 2024 at the Carson Community building is being moved to the Oakland Community Building. The change is required due to a maintenance issue at the Carson building.

The meeting is still set to begin promptly at 6:30pm. The location has just been changed. For any questions please contact the East Pottawattamie Extension office in Oakland at 712.482.6449.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s open to considering changes in how state officials review applications for building and maintaining pipelines in Iowa, but Reynolds says it would unfair to make retroactive changes that would apply to Iowa Utilities Board’s current review of a construction permit for Summit’s carbon capture pipeline. “They made decisions based on the law that was on the books,” Reynolds says. “…It’s probably not very fair to go back and change the rules…Doesn’t seem right.” Reynolds says the rules about rerouting the proposed path for a pipeline around an unwilling landowner’s property may need an update for the next time a developer seeks state approval of a permit to construct and operate a pipeline in Iowa.

“Taking a look at some of those things so it’s not this battle that, if there is an alternate route that could work, you know, it shouldn’t have to start over on the whole process and then timeline and then all of that is just cost, eventually, too, and it just delays it,” Reynolds told Radio Iowa.

The Iowa House has attempted to put limits on the use of eminent domain to seize property from unwilling landowners along the proposed carbon pipeline route, but the Iowa Senate did not bring the House plans up for a vote during 2022 or 2023.