Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
There aren't very many African-American farmers in Iowa.
Nonetheless, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is leading a call to help thousands of them in southern states who for years were discriminated against as they tried to participate in federal agriculture loan programs. And Grassley, a Republican, has a key Democratic senator as an ally in his efforts: Barack Obama.
Grassley is a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee that is slowly crafting its version of the 2007 Farm Bill, and he has called on committee leadership this week to include legislation in the bill that would help African-American farmers who were denied entry into the Pigford v. Glickman settlement.
That 1999 settlement ended a discrimination lawsuit between African-American farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But years later the issue is not resolved. As many as 22,000 farmers filed claims in the Pigford settlement, and about 15,000 of them received compensation.
In a press release this week, Grassley stated that as many as 75,000 did not have their claims heard because of a filing deadline mistake. A September article in the Hill reported that about $730 million has been paid out in claims as a result of the Pigford settlement. Grassley said that black farmers in the South should get fair consideration of their case, "and up to this point, the Department of Agriculture hasn't allowed it to happen."
The farm bill passed by the House of Representatives in July includes a provision that would allow a new review to individuals whose Pigford settlement claims were denied. Grassley and Obama have been pushing for similar legislation in the Senate bill.
"I had hoped we could settle this without legislation, but enough is enough," said Grassley. "If we don't pass legislation thousands of victims of discrimination continue to be denied an opportunity to even have their claims heard."
Grassley and Obama's bill, named the Pigford Claims Remedy Act of 2007, is similar to the House-passed language introduced by Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio.
Grassley's letter this week to Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., states that there is "more than enough in funding to provide a robust legislative fix to the problems with the Pigford claims process."
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter