w/ Denny Heflin

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Iowa State Executive Director for USDA Farm Service Agency, John R Whitaker today (Wednesday), announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated eleven Iowa counties as part of a Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation.  Farm operators who have suffered major production and/or physical losses caused by drought beginning July 31, 2012 and continuing may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans.

A Secretarial Natural Disaster Designation has been issued for four Iowa counties as the primary disaster area.  These primary counties are:  Lyon, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury.   Seven Iowa counties are contiguous to this designated disaster area, making these producers also potentially eligible for program based on this designation.  The contiguous counties are:  Cherokee, Crawford, Ida, Monona, O’Brien, and Osceola.  Harrison County is contiguous to a primary county in Nebraska.

The Farm Service Agency may make Emergency Loans to eligible family farmers which will enable them to return to their normal operations if they sustained qualifying losses resulting from natural disaster.  Physical loss loans may be made to eligible farmers to enable them to repair or replace damaged or destroyed physical property, including livestock losses, essential to the success of the farming operation.  Examples of property commonly affected include; essential farm buildings, fixtures to real estate, equipment, livestock, perennial crops, fruit and nut bearing trees, and harvested or stored crops.  For production loss loans, the disaster yield must be at least 30 percent below the normal production yield of the crop, on a crop or crops that make up a basic part of the total farming operation.

Applicant must be unable to obtain credit from other usual sources to qualify for the Farm Service Agency Farm Loan Program assistance.  The interest rate for emergency loans is 2.25%.  Each applicant applying for credit will be given equal consideration without regard to race, creed, color, marital status, or national origin.

w/ Kate Olson

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A company in western Iowa that makes corn-based products for cooking has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, citing high grain prices and transportation cost. Dave Hoffman of the Plymouth Oil Company says the board felt this was the best move to pay off their debts. He says they have put together a plan to make the company profitable and have changed the management. Hoffman says the problems are due in part to high grain prices, but more so due to the high cost of transportation. Hoffman says Plymouth Oil had hoped to obtain corn germ from their neighbors next door, Plymouth Energy, but those plans fell through. The company had to truck in the corn germ from Jefferson, Wisconsin to its plant near Merrill, which ended up being more expensive.

Hoffman says it is 380 miles or about 42-dollars a ton to truck in the material they need. “We makes it very tough for us to succeed,” Hoffman says. He says they are trying to get some new quotes from suppliers to cut the costs. Hoffman says the plan is to keep operating, and to keep paying bills. The plant started operations in February of 2010. It specializes in producing food grade products from corn, such as corn oil for cooking purposes. The plant employes 25 to 30 people.

(Radio Iowa)

Cass County: Corn $7.76, Beans $16.45

Cooler temperatures and rain last week helped some of Iowa’s crops. The latest U-S-D-A crop report says the heaviest rain fell in the northeast and southwest portions of the state. The report says that helped soybean conditions improve for the first time in seven weeks. Thirty-seven percent of the soybeans are now rated in very-poor or poor condition, while 38-percent are rated fair and 25-percent are in good to excellent condition. The corn crop saw a slight decline in its condition, with 51-percent in very-poor or poor condition. Thirty-three percent is rated in fair condition and just 16-percent in good to excellent condition.

(Radio Iowa)

At a grassroots campaign event held this morning at Bayliss Park in Council Bluffs,  President Obama discussed how Congressman Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney’s pick for his Vice Presidential running mate,  is blocking the farm bill that Congress needs to pass in order to provide relief and certainty to U.S. farmers and ranchers. The President also highlighted his Administration’s efforts to mitigate the impact of the current drought – including purchasing livestock to provide assistance to those who need it.

Here are some excerpts of the President’s prepared remarks….

“Right now folks here in Iowa and across the heartland are suffering from one of the worst droughts in 50 years. Farmers and ranchers depend on a good crop season to pay the bills and put a roof over their heads, and I know that things are tough right now.

“The best way to help these states is for leaders in Congress to pass a farm bill that not only helps farmers and ranchers respond to natural disasters, but also makes necessary reforms and gives them some long-term certainty.  But right now, too many members of Congress are blocking that bill from becoming law. Now, I’m told Governor Romney’s new running mate might be around Iowa these next few days. And he’s one of those leaders of Congress standing in the way. So if you happen to see Congressman Ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to Iowa and our rural communities. It’s time to put politics aside and pass it right away.

“But the folks suffering from this drought can’t wait for Congress to do its job.  So in the meantime, I’ve made sure my Administration is doing everything we can to provide relief to those who need it. Last week, we announced $30 million to help farmers and ranchers, get more water to livestock, and rehabilitate land affected by the drought. Today, we’re announcing that the federal government will help livestock producers by purchasing over $150 million worth of meat and fish now, while prices are low, and freeze it for later.”

Persons who are at least 12 years of age and interested in hunting, are encouraged to sign-up for an online Hunter Safety Education Field Day, set to take place on September 8th, from 8-a.m. until Noon. The Field Day will take place at the Nishna Bend Recreation Area, about 1.5-miles southeast of the Harlan Municipal Airport.

Anyone who was born after January 1st, 1972 must complete a hunter safety education course, in order to obtain an Iowa Hunting license. Go to www.iowadnr.gov to sign-up. You must complete the online class before coming to the Field Day, and you”ll need to bring your online completion voucher with you, in order to be admitted to the Field Day event.