Iowa has more than 80 custom meat lockers that process farm-raised pork and beef, but at this time of year, they’re busy with another type of meat — venison. John Lawrence, a livestock specialist at the Iowa State University extension, says many consumers are turning to venison as the costs of more traditional meat products rise. He says as venison grows in popularity, it’s keeping many small town facilities busy. Lawrence says, “Particularly at this time of year, we think about deer season and the number of deer that are processed through these small plants to the point that if I wanted to have a hog butchered to put in my freezer, I might have to wait until February to get it in because they’re processing the deer from hunting season.” Although there’s nearly one of these processing facilities per county, many struggle to pay a competitive wage while at the same time being large enough to support any family members who may eventually take over. Lawrence says while these facilities have plenty of work for the next few weeks, it’s sometimes a struggle the rest of the year.

He says, “Many of those same business challenges we see in agriculture and up and down Main Street, and if we aren’t able to bridge those gaps and solve those problems, we see a lot of those smaller, family-owned businesses go by the wayside.” Lawrence says in some cases, the custom processor brings more business into town when people come to pick up their meat. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s website, the state has 83 custom meat lockers, with another 38 state-inspected facilities.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

After lengthy discussion regarding concerns over the amount of time it would take to file land survey information with the various county departments, the Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Monday), approved a Resolution for the Division of Land Process, with regard to the recording of documents which are either a plat, or division of land. The Resolution says the Division of Land Process will need to be approved by the County Assessor, Auditor, Engineer – for rural division-, Treasurer, County Zoning and/or City Zoning – as applicable -, and the Cass County Recorder, prior to filing any transfer document. The resolution is designed so as not to clutter up the County’s Geographic Information System – GIS – and to streamline the recording system and related processes. The Board agreed that those offices should work to assure the survey’s and related paperwork is processed within two business days.

A Danish hog farmer toured several Iowa operations and attended the Practical Farmers of Iowa conference this past weekend as part of a campaign to cut the use of antibiotics in the raising of livestock. The tour was sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew spokesperson Gail Hansen, says 29-million pounds of antibiotics are given to food animals, while seven million pounds are given to people who’re sick. “So about 80-percent of the antibiotics are given to food animals, and a lot of that is just for growth promotion, or to prevent diseases but not to treat diseases. So we’re trying to look at other ways to be better stewards of our antibiotics,” Hansen says. That’s where Kaj Munck  comes in. Munck stopped using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent diseases in his hog operation in 1992. Munck says there were a few adjustments at first, but now his operation runs with few problems. He says producers will have to get used to some adjustments.

Munck says on paper it will cost you more, but he says that is offset by results as the hogs produce bigger piglets and there are more live-born pigs. “Instead of 12 per liter, now we get 16 per liter, because the sow is better prepared to be pregnant again,” Munck says. Hansen says the F-D-A has recently taken action to restrict some of the antibiotic use in animals. She says they are hoping Munck’s example will allow producers to see it can be successfully done.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Friday, that a Clarinda man pleaded guilty to trespassing while hunting deer north of Hepburn, in Page County, on December 17th, 2011.  Officials say while 29-year old Donald E. Runyon entered his guilty plea in court on January 4th, and paid nearly $400 in fines and court costs, he faced additional charges uncovered during the trespassing investigation. Runyon was charged last Monday, with two felony counts of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He was taken into custody and has since been released on a $5,000 cash bond.

The DNR says Runyon had been convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence and based on that conviction was prohibited from possessing firearms. A court date has not been set.  The investigation into his alleged activities was conducted by officers from Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State Patrol, Page County Sheriff’s Office, Clarinda Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

(Des Moines, Iowa)  January 12, 2012: USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) today announced that John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for Iowa FSA and members of his management team have scheduled public meetings in the following counties at the dates and locations specified below:

Appanoose County on January 31st at 1:00 pm at the Faith United Methodist Church of Centerville in Centerville, Iowa.

Decatur County on February 1st at 1:00 pm in the Pioneer Hall Building on the Decatur County Fairgrounds in Leon, Iowa.

Union County on February 2nd, at 1:00 pm in Instructional Center Room #220 on the Southwest Community College Campus in Creston, Iowa.

FSA’s public meeting will be the only one held to take public comment on USDA’s proposed office consolidation plan in which the Appanoose, Decatur, and Union County FSA office are being considered for consolidation. Producers can also provide written comment by emailing dennis.olson@ia.usda.gov or sending written comment to John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director, Iowa State FSA Office, 10500 Buena Vista Court, Des Moines, Iowa 50322 no later than Thursday, February 9, 2012.

All public comments will be taken into full consideration prior to development or implementation of a final consolidation plan. For more information, contact Iowa Farm Service Agency at 515-254-1540.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report shows Iowa once again led the nation in corn production last year with a harvest of 172 bushels per acre. The USDA pegs Iowa’s final corn yield at 2.356 billion bushels, an increase over 2010, but down from the record 2.42 billion bushels harvested in 2009. The 172 bushels per acre figure tops the 2010 harvest of 165 bushels per acre. Nationally, the USDA has set the yield at 147.2 bushels per acre, which is 5.6 bushels below the 2010 harvest. Iowa’s soybean harvest for 2011 was 50.5 bushels per acre, down slightly from 51 bushels per acre in 2010.

LINK TO FULL REPORT:
http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/MannUsda/viewDocumentInfo.do?documentID=1046

Government estimates for next fall’s corn supply held steady Thursday, a factor that should keep food prices high in the new year.  The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates there will be 846 million bushels of corn on hand at the end of the summer. The forecast was mostly unchanged from last month’s estimate.  The surplus would satisfy demand for less than 25 days. A 30-day supply is considered healthy.  A low supply of corn pushed food prices higher last year because corn is a key ingredient in everything from soda to cereal to animal feed.   Still, corn futures fell 40 cents a bushel in morning trading, the maximum allowed by trading boards. That’s because traders were expecting a decline in the monthly estimate.

w/ Max Dirks

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The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), received a quarterly update from County Conservation Director Micah Lee. Lee said the weather has really cooperated, and allowed the Conservation Department staff to conduct a lot of tree and shrub, and other necessary cleanup work at the various county parks and recreational areas.

He said also, their Environmental Education Naturalist, Lora Schwendinger, has been busy during the past quarter. Lee says she’s put on 96 programs and visited with 785 persons, from elementary-aged students, to senior citizens. Schwendinger has coordinated several workshops and events designed to educate the public about nature and the environment.