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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa egg farm that killed millions of chickens because of a 2015 bird flu outbreak is suing companies hired by the federal government to disinfect barns. Sunrise Farms says the chlorine dioxide gas and heat treatments used to kill the virus destroyed barn equipment, electrical wiring, production equipment and water lines. The company also says the structural integrity of its barns was diminished.
Max Barnett, the CEO of Sunrise Farms’ parent company, South Dakota-based Sonstegard Foods, said he couldn’t comment on a pending court case. The farm is near the northwest Iowa town of Harris, about 225 miles northwest of Des Moines. It includes a feed mill, 25 layer barns, two manure barns and a processing plant. The barns housed 4 million egg-laying hens, and two other buildings had 500,000 young hens being raised to become layers.
The farm confirmed on April 19, 2015, that its birds had the deadly strain of H5N2 bird flu. Officials from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division arrived within days and took over the cleanup and disinfection process, hiring several companies to complete euthanizing birds and disinfecting barns to prevent the spread of the virus.
In the 2015 U.S. bird flu outbreak, more than 50 million chickens and turkeys died or were destroyed. That comprises about 12 percent of hens that produce eggs people eat and 8 percent of the inventory of turkeys grown for meat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
About 87 percent of bird losses occurred in Iowa, the nation’s leading egg producer, and Minnesota, the top turkey grower. Other cases were reported in Nebraska, Wisconsin and South Dakota. The heat treatment used at some of Sunrise Farms barns was designed to raise the temperature to 120 degrees for a period of seven days. In other barns the government officials ordered the use of chlorine dioxide, a chemical known to kill the flu virus.
The barns were declared free of virus and eligible for restocking on Sept. 16, 2015, but court documents say the treatments destroyed equipment, electrical wiring and water lines, and left the barns’ structural integrity diminished. Sunrise Farms claims its property damage required extensive repairs.
The company filed the lawsuit in March 2018 in federal court in Iowa, seeking to be repaid for the cost of repairs, interest, late charges and the cost of the lawsuit. It claims negligence for causing significant property damage and breach of contract, saying the contracted companies “failed to adequately perform the contract obligations.”
The lawsuit names Clean Harbors Environmental Services of Norwell, Massachusetts, and other companies based in Georgia and New York. In court documents, Clean Harbors, which applied the chlorine dioxide gas treatment, denied responsibility for the damage and asked that the lawsuit be dismissed. The company said Sunrise Farms “failed to adequately and properly mitigate its damages.”
Clean Harbors is suing six other companies that were contracted to assist in the operation. One of those companies is suing seven other companies with which it had contracted. The lawsuit is set for trial on Jan. 27, 2020, in Sioux City.
Another major egg producer with barns in Iowa and other states also used the heat treatment for disinfection after the bird flu and said he saw some damage but determined the equipment was older and needed to be replaced anyway.
Marcus Rust, CEO of Rose Acre Farms, the nation’s second-largest egg producer, said his company was satisfied with its outcome.
Rust said he’d heard about the problems at Sunrise Farms and was uneasy but determined that the effectiveness of the gas treatment was better than any other alternative. “Did we have zero problems? No. But has it been acceptable? Yes. We were apprehensive and maybe we watched it a lot closer because of all the warnings,” he said.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has rejected an effort by local landowners to block a proposed wind farm in northwest Iowa after it won approval from government regulators. The court’s rulings on Friday remove a major obstacle for the 170-turbine wind energy project in Palo Alto County. It also provides more certainty that similar projects will be able to proceed in the future.
Residents filed two lawsuits challenging the plan by Palo Alto Wind Energy and MidAmerican Energy, one against the Iowa Utilities Board and another against the Palo Alto County Board of Supervisors. The utilities board lawsuit contended board members should have required developers to get a special certificate that requires extensive study of the project’s impact. The county lawsuit challenged the supervisors’ process for approving the project.
This summer, the University of Iowa is partnering with 14 Iowa state parks to host Wildlife Camps for kids across the state. Jay Gorsh, program coordinator, says “Wildlife Camps have been a popular educational and recreational experience in the Iowa City area for more than 25 years and we are excited to share this program with kids across the state. “Campers will spend a week exploring, learning and playing – in the wild.”
The University of Iowa hosted Wildlife Camps in nine state parks last summer. The camps have been so successful, the university is expanding to 14 state parks in 2019. Wildlife Camps are day camps for students entering 3rd-7th grade and offer fun, exploratory activities focusing on the wildlife, natural habitats and unique features of each state park. In southwest/western Iowa, dates and locations of each camp are as follows:
Springbrook (Guthrie Center) ｜June 17 — 21
Stone (Sioux City) ｜June 24 — 28
Waubonsie (Hamburg) ｜July 15 — 19
Prairie Rose (Harlan) ｜July 22 — 26
Lake Manawa (Council Bluffs) ｜July 22 — 26
Registration is open and enrollment will be limited to 40 students per camp. Cost ranges from $100-$150 per week depending on the park. To register and learn more about individual camp activities visit: https://recserv.uiowa.edu/WildlifeCampsStateParks
The University of Iowa is hosting wildlife day camps in several state parks this summer, and there’s still time to sign up! Summer day camps are for 3rd – 7th graders and taught by teachers, naturalist staff and college students.
Kids will learn about animals, ecology and the outdoors in a fun, safe environment. Day camps are Monday – Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day. Check out the list below to find a wildlife day camp near you! (click on a site below for more information and registration)
Nearby 2019 Camps:
Springbrook (Guthrie Center) June 17 – 21
Stone (Sioux City) June 24 – 28
Waubonsie (Hamburg) July 15 – 19
Prairie Rose (Harlan) July 22 – 26
Lake Manawa (Council Bluffs) July 22 – 26
(Radio Iowa) — Iowans need to take even greater caution when hunting for morel mushrooms this spring as so much of the state is — or has been — flooded. Lina Rodriguez Salamanca, a plant pathologist with the Iowa State University Extension, says even if you’re a seasoned morel hunter, be very careful before cooking up any of your rare treasures. “Inspect them thoroughly, inspect the morel specimen so they don’t have a slimy look, a water-soaked area, a fuzzy, powdery look,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “All of that stuff would be good to avoid, things that don’t look pristine and normal. Any signs of decay would be good to avoid.”
Floodwaters often carry a range of chemicals, sewage and other pollutants, and even if the standing water is now gone, some of those harmful contaminants may be left behind. “Know the site. If it’s a site that is known to have a high risk of pollutants, I would recommend caution and avoid it,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “Chances are, there may be a residue there.” While the cool, wet weather may promote the growth of this year’s morel crop, other organisms thrive in the moist environment that can be unhealthy. She notes, mushrooms can act much like sponges, soaking up both the good and bad elements around them.
“They have the ability to absorb and in some cases just accumulate what is around them,” Rodriguez Salamanca says. “They’re very good at extracting nutrients from nature including anything that we may have put in there.” She says to avoid picking morels in areas where fish and animals have died, or in areas where there are animal droppings. And as always with wild mushrooms, make absolutely sure what you’re picking is a morel and not something poisonous.
(Radio Iowa) — There’s a growing chorus of people urging Congress to pass a disaster aid package to help flooded Midwestern farmers, as well as those impacted by hurricanes and the California wildfires. Iowa Corn Growers Association president Curt Mether, of Logan, says growers here and across much of the Northern Plains need federal assistance after widespread, prolonged flooding. “They’re really hurting. A lot of them aren’t even going to get their crops in,” Mether says. “It’s one thing not to be able to do it and it’s a whole other issue mentally. You can’t do what you want to do! They’re going to need all the help that they can get.”
Mether is calling on Congress to get past the Puerto Rico issue and anything else that keeps them from sending aid to those who desperately need it. “It’s pretty sad, to me, when they turn things like that into a political battle, which that’s what’s happening with Puerto Rico,” Mether says. “I don’t know. Surely, they can come together on some kind of agreement.”
An aid bill that failed in the Senate would have capped support for Puerto Rico’s food stamp program, as it’s run out of money, following two hurricanes in 2017. Back in Iowa, some farmers had many tons of grain that was in storage bins ruined by floodwaters. That grain isn’t covered by crop insurance, which only covers grain that’s still in the field, creating a predicament. “The stored grains, that’s almost a whole other issue,” he says. “There’s no way to help them with that, really, unless there’s a special declaration. It’s not insured. There’s nothing for them. That would be a top priority.”
Livestock producers have some disaster aid advantage over grain growers, he says, as they have the Livestock Indemnity program for help.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley says Congress won’t consider a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada until President Donald Trump lifts tariffs that have prompted other countries to take actions that have hurt U.S. farmers.
Speaking Wednesday on a call with reporters, Grassley said Trump must end steel and aluminum tariffs before Congress will ratify a United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Farmers in Iowa and across the country have been hurt by reciprocal tariffs placed on agricultural products, including pork and soybeans. Grassley says tariffs also could hinder efforts at a trade deal with China.
Grassley, who expects to meet Thursday with Trump to discuss trade, says tariffs are “keeping the president from being on the cusp of a big win” with Canada and Mexico and just weeks away from a victory in trade negotiations with China.
The latest innovative technology is now right at your fingertips when it comes to your Iowa hunting and fishing licenses. 
The Iowa DNR says it has recently launched Go Outdoors Iowa, a brand new licensing system that makes it easier and available for users to:
Download the GoOutdoorsIowa app via the AppStore or Google Play that allows you to purchase, store and renew your licenses, view hunting regulations, current sunrise/sunset times and report your harvests (also new!). A new collectible hard card is available for purchase in two different designs—a largemouth bass or a pheasant—created by native Iowa artist Bruce Gordon. The durable hard card costs $5 and will include purchased licenses printed on the back for the year. The cards are available to purchase online or in person and will be mailed out after purchase. New designs on the hard card will be unveiled each year.
The new licensing system is accessible, as well as additional information, by visiting https://www.iowadnr.gov/GoOutdoorsIowa. Customer may continue to visit any license agent location to purchase their licenses and permits.
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