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.
A second Iowa egg producer, Hillandale Farms of Iowa, issued a voluntary recall of shell eggs Friday because they might be contaminated with Salmonella.
The eggs impacted by this new recall were distributed to grocery distribution centers, retail stores and food service companies. It is believed that 14 states have received the eggs: Arkansas, California, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.
There have been laboratory-confirmed Salmonella enteritidis illnesses associated with the shell eggs, according to officials at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The investigation is ongoing.
The eggs were distributed under the following brand names: Hillandale Farms, Sunny Farms, and Sunny Meadow in 6-egg cartons, dozen-egg cartons, 18-egg cartons, 30-egg package, and 5-dozen cases. Loose eggs are packaged under the following brand names: Wholesome Farms and West Creek in 15 and 30-dozen tray packs. The loose eggs may also be repackaged by customers.
The only eggs effected by this recall have plant numbers P1860 or P1663 and Julian dates as follows:
Julian dates and plant codes are stamped on the end of the egg cartons or printed on the case label.
Consumers who believe they may have purchased the eggs should not eat them, but should return them to the store where they were purchased for a refund.
Hillandale Farms, with corporate offices in New Hampton, issued a brief statement indicating that the company was taking responsibility and “fully cooperating” with the ongoing investigation. The company is also eliminating its existing inventory of shell eggs.
The voluntary recall announcement did not indicate how many eggs were involved.
Earlier this week Wright County Egg of Iowa increased an existing recall of shell eggs to include more than 350 million that had been distributed.
According to FDA officials, the most recent Salmonella outbreak is the largest of its type in years that is related to eggs.
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