Governor Branstad says the lawsuit filed by meat processor B-P-I will be hard to win, but it’s a legal fight worth waging.  “I know a lawsuit is an expensive proposition, but I hope it does make people think before they just repeat inaccurate smear language,” Branstad says. “There is a responsibility on the part of journalists to be fair and accurate in their presentation of information.”

B-P-I is suing A-B-C and others for repeated use of the term “pink slime” to describe the company’s lean, finely-textured beef. “It’s never easy on a case like that, but I just think when you have somebody that conducts a smear campaign — they know full well there’s no health issues and they purposely use language and I will not use the term because I think it’s inappropriate because it conjures up all kinds of things that are inaccurate,” Branstad says, “and they’re playing on people’s lack of knowledge on food and food processing.”

Branstad says there “ought to be consequences” for broadcasting “inaccurate” information about lean, finely-textured beef. “Now, what’s going to happen in the courts, but I hope it makes other people think about the language they use and that they need to be careful to be honest and accurate with their descriptions and not use charged words and smear language,” Branstad says. An A-B-C vice president has said the lawsuit is “without merit” and said the company will “contest it vigorously.” According to court documents, B-P-I lost 80 percent of its business in a month because of the negative publicity and closed three of its four plants, including one in Waterloo where 220 people were employed.

Iowa’s governor suggests lean, finely-textured beef could make a comeback on the market. “What you do is you separate the fat from the lean and you end up with a leaner product which is really healthier for you than hamburger that’s got more fat in it and then also this puff of ammonia kills e coli and other bacteria, so you protect the safety,” Branstad says, “and the USDA has always said it’s a safe product.” Most legal experts say for B-P-I’s defamation lawsuit to succeed, the company will have to prove the defendants intended to cause harm with their reports.

(Radio Iowa)

A Drake University expert says the billion-dollar lawsuit filed against A-B-C News and others by Beef Products Incorporated over the stories that called its finely textured beef product “pink slime” will break some new ground. Neil Hamilton is the director of the Agricultural Law Center at the Des Moines school.  “You never know how a case might come out, but it’s certainly going to be an uphill battle because there are a number of important First-Amendment issues and other issues as well as issues of interpretation of the South Dakota law they are filing it under. But I’m sure their attorneys believe they have a fighting chance,” Hamilton says.

The lawsuit was filed under a 1994 law that makes it illegal to defame a food product. Hamilton says proving the law was violated poses a challenge. “Whether any of the information was false and also the question of what the defamation was, so there are a number of important issue,” Hamilton explains, “and many of these statutes have ever been interpreted in court.” The lawyer for B-P-I says A-B-C News ran stories over a 30-day period that caused them to eventually have to close three of the plants that make the product, even though it was approved by the F-D-A as safe. Hamilton says proving the stories did the damage is the key. “Many of the news stories had that other side, but of course it came later in the stories and so I think there argument would be that the weight of what the stories were was to build that this was somehow and unsafe product,” Hamilton says.

B-P-I is seeking one-point-two BILLION dollars in the lawsuit. Hamilton says 13 states have this type of food product disparagement law, but there is very little history of the laws being used successfully in the courts to recover damages.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowans who appreciate historic barns can tour dozens of the big agricultural buildings during a special weekend-long barn tour later this month. About a hundred barns are being featured statewide.

Dobbin Barn, near State Center

Jacqueline Andre Schmeal, co-founder and president of the Iowa Barn Foundation, says each structure has a story and like the farmers who built them, they’re all different. Some of Iowa’s oldest, well-preserved barns are in the Dubuque area and date back to the 1830s. “The building was influenced by the ethnics where people came from, Germany, Luxembourg or wherever, or from Wisconsin or from Pennsylvania,” Schmeal says. “In western Iowa, you tend to have more western cattle barns and they’re more alike. It would depend, too, on the crops they had to store or the animals they had to feed.”

Some of the Barns on the tour in our area include: The Anstey barn, near Massena; The Heflin and Wooster barns in Shelby County; The Hindraker and Caltrider barns in Guthrie County; The Finken barn in Harrison County, and the Renze barn, along with the Ed Sextro Crib, both in Carroll County.

Roghair near Alton, pix by Ken Dunker

Whether they’re painted the traditional red-and-white or are made of wood, stone or brick, Schmeal says barns can be beautiful and fascinating. She says one round barn in central Iowa that’s on the tour has an unusual story.  “It was created by Van Pine Manufacturing in Davenport and all of the pieces were sent by railroad to State Center and then were hauled to the farm,” Schmeal says. “It’s a huge, magnificent, round barn. You just go in there and you look at all those pieces and wonder how that happened.”

Most of the 100-some barns on this year’s tour have gotten preservation grants from the foundation. Schmeal says the organization has handed out more than two-point-six million dollars since its founding in 1997. Some Iowans have an undying devotion to saving and restoring barns and Schmeal says it’s well-deserved. “It’s our heritage and it’s our history,” Schmeal says. “I cannot look at a barn without thinking of the farmer and the barn builder who worked all day and then he still had to put this barn together. Often, the family lived in the barn until the house was finished because they had to have the barn because that was their livelihood.”

The self-guided tours will run from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM on September 22nd and 23rd. Learn more at the website: www.iowabarnfoundation.org.

(Radio Iowa/Ric Hanson)

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Board is slated to hold their regular monthly meeting Monday evening, in the Camblin Shelter at Sunnyside Park, instead of City Hall. During their 5:15-p.m. session, the Board will receive updates on the various Capital Improvement Projects, including those to: Sunnyside Park and its tennis courts, the Skate Park, and the Maintenance Building project; along with a Pellett Park playground equipment update.

The Board will also receive updates on the Schildberg Recreation Area, which will cover the Campground, Dog Park, Eagle Scout Bench Project, and Signage. In addition, they will discuss the need for Park Director Roger Herring to receive Pesticide Certification. In his report to the Board, Herring will review his meeting with the Schildberg Committee, report on a meeting with a Loss Control Specialist from the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP), and give a tour of Sunnyside Park, along with a review of projects completed thus far, and those being considered.

Officials with the Iowa Farm Bureau have announced Sawmill Hollow in Missouri Valley, the country’s first aronia berry farm, is this month’s Iowa Farm Bureau Renew Rural Iowa entrepreneur award winner.

Aronia Berries

The organic berry operation is a family farm run by Vaughn and Cindy Pittz and their son, Andrew.  In 1997, the Pittzes planted 207 aronia berry plants and have since expanded the farm to 26 acres and more than 13,000 plants. The berries, also known as black chokeberries, can be made into a variety of products, including syrup, sauce, powders and wine.

After looking into a number of value-added ideas, ranging from Christmas trees to pumpkin patches, the family found aronia berries offered the best potential.The business is a benefit to Iowa’s ag industry and to the Missouri Valley economy with its annual festival. Sawmill Hollow’s fifth annual North American Aronia Festival is this weekend, Sept. 15-16, featuring children’s activities, wine tasting, recipe contest, farming and gardening workshops and more. (For a full schedule, go to http://sawmillhollow.com/.)

Renew Rural Iowa (RRI) is an Iowa Farm Bureau Federation initiative supporting new and existing businesses through education, mentoring and financial resources. To learn more, visit www.renewruraliowa.com.

Officials with the Cass County Extension Service say they will be hold a Rural Safety Day Camp for Local 4th & 5th Grade Youth, on Sept. 22nd.  The camp comes on the heels of National Farm Safety and Health Week, which runs from September 16th-though the 22nd. The Extension and its local business partners are hosting the Rural Safety Day Camp from 8:30- to 11:30-a.m. September 22nd, at the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic. The camp is open to any local youth in 4th or 5th grade, and will focus on general rural safety topics such as ATV safety, basic first aid, animal safety, machinery safety, hidden hazards and more.

There is no cost to attend the camp, and campers will be provided with a snack during the camp. To register call the Cass County Extension Office at 243-1132 or email smmck@iastate.edu before 4:30 on September 20th. Students will need to fill out a medical information and release form to participate in the camp. This form can be printed off and filled out prior to camp by visiting http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, or filled out when the camper is dropped off the morning of camp (must be signed by a parent or guardian, so make sure someone who can sign is the one who plans to drop off at camp).

Extension staff and local business partners will be presenting basic safety information on a variety of topics and campers will have opportunities to participate in several group activities focused on thinking and acting safely. A resource book with more rural safety information and an informational DVD will also be provided to all attendees. Be sure to dress in comfortable clothes and layers for fall weather as we will be indoors and out, and please, no open-toed shoes. For more information, to register, or with questions, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 243-1132.

The State Fire Marshal’s Office in Iowa has rescinded a burn ban for Taylor County. The ban was officially removed at 2-p.m. Thursday. The field and grass conditions in Taylor County no longer warrant a ban on outdoor burning. The ban was enacted on July 24th.  Burn bans remain in-place until further notice, for: Cass; Audubon; Pottawattamie; Mills; Montgomery; Fremont; Page; Madison; Crawford and Carroll Counties, in the KJAN listening area.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for October’s Harvest Fest, and putting out a call for entries into a barbequed ribs cookout contest. Harvest Fest takes place in downtown Atlantic, with the addition this year of a rib festival on Friday, October 12th.

The smell of barbequed spare ribs will permeate the air during this year’s Harvest Fest, in Atlantic!

The night will be filled with the aroma of hot ribs and sound of music, near the Rock Island Depot.

Registrations for rib cooking teams are being taken until noon on October 3rd. Forms can be found on AtlanticIowa.com or at the following sponsor locations: Atlantic Motor Supply (NAPA), Sears, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, Robinson’s True Value Hardware, and Connect-A-Dock. Competitors can choose to participate in one or several categories. A trophy will be awarded for people’s choice ribs, and cash prizes will be awarded for the top three places in beef brisket and pork butt. Chamber Director Megan Roberts says the event is non-sanctioned, meaning it’s “Perfect for those entry-level, backyard smokers or for those who have a few competitions under their belt.”  Roberts says “It’s a casual event, where bragging rights and a little cash go a long way.”

The new “ribtastic” event will be open to the public from 8 p.m. to midnight on October 12th, and there is no cover charge for the live music. Rib samples and a beer garden will be available. Organizers are encouraging football fans to come out after the game.

Meat smoking will continue throughout the night. Roberts says Saturday, October 13th will feature the same family-friendly activities as in past years and will conclude with a Harvest Feast comprised of the smoked pork butt and beef brisket entries, chips, and apple pie contest entries. The Atlantic Fireman’s Parade will process on Chestnut Street starting at 6 p.m.

Questions about Harvest Fest can be answered by calling the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at (712) 243-3017 or e-mailing chamber@atlanticiowa.com.