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.
The framework for the new farm bill is basically complete, but an agreement on the sources of funding remains out of reach.Congress has just two weeks remaining until the extension of the 2002 Farm Bill expires. As that April 18 deadline looms, farm bill conferees are still arguing about how to come up with approximately $10 billion to fund priorities beyond the baseline $286 billion bill.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, told ag reporters on a conference call Thursday that the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee need to find a solution to the problem. "I'll be involved today and probably tomorrow in doing what I can to facilitate reaching this agreement between the Senate and House on the offsets," said Harkin. "But that's up to the Finance Committee, and that's, right now, the problem."
Harkin said as far as the Agriculture Committee is concerned, the farm bill is for all intents and purposes ready to go. "I just say, we don't have a problem," said Harkin. "The ag committee, we're fine. We've basically worked out all except for a few minor little tweaks here and there. But it's just now where the money comes from."
Harkin said it's been a challenging process. "We're trying to accommodate all of the various expectations and demands with this limited funding, but we've come a long way and I think in the end we can have a pretty decent bill."
Harkin was asked about a four-point plan to limit federal farm program payments to wealthy landowners. The plan, recently announced by Iowa's other senator, Republican Chuck Grassley, would reduce payment limits in farm programs when commodity prices rise above certain targets.
"Well, I've seen that plan and I support it," Harkin said. "But it's not clear that that's going to get any headway with the committees. You know where the votes are on this. And you know my feelings and where my vote is, but like I said — I can support it, I like it — but I just don't know if it'll sail." He said the plan may come up in conference committee and "we'll just see where the votes are."
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