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DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – At the Iowa Environmental Protection Committee’s next meeting (May 22nd), the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will present a litigation report in which they ask the Attorney General to seek penalties relating to March 11th, 2024 fertilizer spill in Montgomery County. The Iowa DNR announced approximately two weeks later that the spill resulted in nearly all the fish being killed in a 50-mile stretch of the East Nishnabotna River to the Missouri border.
New Cooperative notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources following the spill that approximately 1,500 tons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer (32% solution) had discharged into a drainage ditch. Officials say the release occurred due to a valve left open on an aboveground storage tank overnight. The fertilizer then traveled from the drainage ditch into the East Nishnabotna River.
According to the Iowa DNR’s litigation report, Iowa Code states that those liable for polluting water of the state are in violation of state law and should be liable to pay restitution for injury caused to a wild animal due to the pollution.
You can read the full litigation report HERE.
(Hamburg, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), next month, is hosting a public meeting to discuss past and future management of the 1,317-acre Forney Lake Wildlife Area. The meeting takes place June 4th, from 6-8 p.m., at the Wa-Shawtee Lodge within Waubonsie State Park, located at 2635 Wa-Shawtee Rd., northwest of Hamburg.
Staff with the Iowa DNR will give a presentation on Forney Lake, and then listen to comments and concerns from the public.
If you have special requirements such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, please contact the 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.
CLIVE, IOWA – Pork producers across Iowa donated more than $43,000 worth of pork to local food pantries during the past few months. It was done in conjunction with the Pork in the Pantry program, organized by the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA). Now in its second year, Pork in the Pantry provides funding of up to $1,000 to each county pork producer organization that participates. Counties are responsible for purchasing the pork and donating it, and IPPA reimburses them. This year, 38 county producer organizations participated in Pork in the Pantry. IPPA President Matt Gent says “Food insecurity remains a major issue in Iowa and these donations to local food pantries will help. Pork producers care a lot about their communities, and this is one of the many ways we show it.”
Along with donating much-needed protein to local food pantries, many county producer organizations purchased the pork from local vendors. So not only is Pork in the Pantry helping those in need, the program is also supporting local businesses. Food pantries are frequently short of meat products, so this is a great way to get nutritious protein into the diets of food-insecure Iowans. Iowa Food Bank Association Executive Director Linda Gorkow says “Hunger is rising in Iowa,” and “This Pork in the Pantry program is an incredible opportunity to ensure greatly needed protein is provided to families, individuals and seniors who don’t have enough food to eat. Protein is one of the highest requested items at food banks and pantries across the state so every ounce of the pork donated to the pantries serving Iowans will make an incredible impact.” 
The $43,000 worth of pork will provide an estimated 55,000 servings of protein for Iowans who are facing food insecurity. Last year’s Pork in the Pantry program resulted in more than $40,000 worth of pork being donated to local food pantries.
Among the county pork producer organizations that participated in Pork in the Pantry in 2024, were those in Adair, Adams, Madison, Page, Ringgold and Taylor Counties.
(Radio Iowa) – Planting progress was slowed again last week by wet conditions. The U-S-D-A crop report says there just two days suitable for field work due to the rain. The amount of corn planted went from 47 to 57 percent — which is now one week behind last year — after being just two days back the week before. Soybean planting moved from 30 to 39 percent complete, and is now also one week behind last year’s pace.
While the rain has slowed planting, it has helped continue to push back the drought conditions. D-N-R Hydrologist Tim Hall says the timing of the rain has been important. “We haven’t gotten you know a month’s worth of rain in one day. We’ve had several significant rainfall events that have been spaced out far enough so that moisture has time to get into the system,” Hall says. He says there has been some flooding, but the lack of soil moisture has kept that down. “The fact that the soil has been very dry has really taken the hard edge off some of the flooding,” he says.
The U-S-D-A weekly report shows 92 percent of topsoil moisture is now adequate or at a surplus — compared to 73 percent that showed adequate or surplus moisture one week ago.
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is predicting the U-S House Ag Committee will approve a Farm Bill with a provision that ensures Iowa hog confinement operators can sell their pork nationwide. Voters in Massachusetts and California have approved regulations that require pork sold in their state to come from the offspring of sows that have at least 24 square feet of space in their pen. Iowa pork producers say it will cost millions to expand hog confinements to meet those space requirements.
The U-S Supreme Court has upheld California’s animal welfare law and other federal courts have issued rulings on the Massachusetts regulation. Hinson expects a solution to be attached to the Farm Bill that overrides both states’ laws.
Hinson has twice introduced a bill in the U-S House that would prohibit states from imposing standards on the production of food sold over state lines. The Pennsylvania Republican who’s chairman of House Ag Committee has said a fix is needed to address California’s Proposition 12, which took effect January 1st.
(Midwest) – Prices for farmland in Iowa and surrounding States during the first three-months of 2024 approached nearly $30,000 per acre. That’s according to a report by Successful Farming, which shows on average, prices ranged from a low of $7,000 to $16,250 per acre. The highest price in Iowa was $29,600 per acre near Orange City, in northwest Iowa’s Sioux County.
Two tracts of land amounting to slightly more than 117.4-acres, sold on Feb. 27th for a total price of approximately $3.5 million. Both tracts had easements with Summit Carbon Solutions, a carbon pipeline company. Five tracts located near Sioux Center, Iowa, were sold at public auction on March 7th, for a total of about $7-million.
Feb. 23rd, on farmland located 7 miles southwest of Sheldon, Iowa, 80 acres were sold at public auction for $20,300 per acre, for a total of roughly $1.6 million.
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says many times, environmental improvement comes as a result of an enforcement action. That takes place when people choose to circumvent the law or do not understand the full impact of their actions on the environment. To that end, the DNR on Thursday (May 9th), said a consent order was issued against Waspy’s Truck Wash, LLC., in Audubon. A consent order is issued as an alternative to issuing an administrative order. A consent order indicates that the DNR has voluntarily entered into a legally enforceable agreement with the other party. The Order was issued to Waspy’s, to address discharges of wastewater to a publicly owned treatment works in volumes or quantities in excess of its treatment agreement. (View the Consent Order here: 6385075121705664052024WW03)
Officials say Waspy’s must “Comply with the treatment agreement effective April 7, 2016 or a new treatment agreement if one is accepted by the DNR; submit a plan of action to the DNR for approval that details a compliance plan to meet the treatment agreement’s limits; and pay a $8,000 administrative penalty.”
The DNR is charged with ensuring compliance with State of Iowa environmental laws and rules. Officials say the compliance portion of the DNR improves the environment through educating citizens and promoting awareness of the environmental impacts of our actions and awareness of applicable law. DNR staff work with individuals, businesses and communities to help them protect our natural resources by complying with state and federal laws.
In the few cases where compliance cannot be achieved, the DNR issues enforcement actions. You can find the entire, original orders on DNR’s website at www.iowadnr.gov/EnforcementActions
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