Stories

A slaughtering company was ordered to immediately suspend operations today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Vermont Department of Agriculture following the results of an undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States that appears to have documented animal abuse that federal inspectors did not correct.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s (R-Iowa) poll numbers appear to be slipping, even before any of his declared opponents have built up name recognition.

More help is on the way for Iowa’s cash-strapped pork producers.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Thursday that his agency intends to purchase an additional $30 million in pork products this fiscal year for federal food and nutrition assistance programs.

Moderate Republican Doug Gross has released another 2010 gubernatorial campaign poll through his group, the Iowa First Foundation.
Gross, who served as a top aide to former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad and was his party’s 2002 gubernatorial nominee, has been releasing the results of his latest round of surveys, conducted July 23-26, this week. Today, he [...]

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced today that his agency will increase the amount paid for dairy products through the Dairy Product Price Support Program. Vilsack estimates that that the increases, which will be in play from August 1 to October 31, will increase dairy farmer revenue nationally by $243 million.
“The price increase announced [...]

A national commission investigating immigration enforcement under the Bush administration has released a comprehensive new report documenting the impact immigration raids have had on families, workplaces and communities across the country, drawing on information from raids in Postville and Marshalltown.

CEDAR RAPIDS — State and federal officials held a joint press conference Wednesday and pledged both to cut government red tape tangling flood recovery funding and to promote a new climate of natural disaster prevention.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that he has eliminated a USDA contract worth $400,000 that was approved by political appointees of former President George W. Bush in the last days of his administration.

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tuesday, has named John Norris as his his chief of staff, sources close to Vilsack said today.
Norris served as Vilsack’s chief of staff during his first two years as governor. He also served as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party in 1998, ran unsuccessfully [...]

Although Secretary of State nominee Hillary Clinton’s confirmation has been put on hold, several lower-profile cabinet nominees were confirmed by a single voice vote amid all of today’s hoopla in Washington, DC.  Among them, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack was officially confirmed as the new Secretary of Agriculture.
Vilsack has said that his first task at [...]