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 U.S. Department of Agriculture will send more than $12 million to Iowa farmers to help repair the damages caused by flooding earlier this year.
A total of $87.5 million in Emergency Conservation Program funds will be distributed between 34 states that were affected by natural disasters, announced U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer Thursday. Iowa will receive $12,208,500, the largest amount of the 34 states.
The funds will be distributed to help landowners repair soil and water conservation structures, remove flood debris, and restore fences. Funding will also be used to carry out water conservation measures in other states that have suffered drought.
“This funding will allow farmers and ranchers to repair the unusually harsh damage to conservation efforts caused by the disaster conditions, notably flooding and drought,” said Schafer in a news release. “USDA has worked shoulder to shoulder with producers when weather turns against them, and we remain involved to help in the weeks and months of recovery afterward.”
A statement from the USDA explains that for land to be eligible for the funds, the natural disaster must create new problems that if untreated will impair and affect the land’s productive capacity, among other criteria.
USDA Farm Service Agency county committees will conduct on-site inspections of damage to determine land eligibility.
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