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.
U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin said he will be asking the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to include more individuals who make a direct living off the land in an upcoming workshop focused on competition in the agricultural industry.
The joint workshop, the first in a national series, scheduled for March 12 in Ankeny, has come under scrutiny since federal officials released a detailed agenda late last month that included participants. The Iowa Independent reported Wednesday that because only one of those scheduled to participate in several roundtable discussions is a farmer, a coalition of groups has scheduled its own townhall in advance of the workshop to provide additional opportunities for consumers and farmers to voice their concerns.
“We only recently became aware of that,” Harkin said Thursday morning on a conference call with reporters. “My office didn’t set the schedule, but we will be asking the DOJ and USDA to include more farmers and processors in these discussions.”
The series marks the first time that the DOJ and the USDA have cooperated to investigate and discuss competition and regulatory issues in agriculture.
The schedule currently includes Christine Varney, assistant attorney general for the Antitrust Division at the Department of Justice, and Tom Vilsack, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, to provide opening remarks. Harkin, U.S. Sen. Grassley and U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell have all tentatively accepted invitations to participate in discussions at the workshop. State officials who have signaled that they will attend and participate are Attorney General Tom Miller and Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey.
Follow Lynda Waddington on Twitter
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