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Thursday, March 28, 2024

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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

IA: Sustainable Agriculture and Farming

Farmers apply fertilizer, including nitrogen, before spring planting so the seed and the growing plant have nutrients available throughout the season. (Adobe Stock)

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Plan pays IA farmers to reduce excess nitrogen use

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates up to 15 million acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba drifting beyond where it was applied. (Adobe Stock)
Court bans popular but controversial pesticide

A federal court has banned the use of a highly controversial but popular pesticide in the Midwest. Advocates for sustainable agriculture said the …

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California could buy tax credits from large-scale livestock producers in Iowa to offset California diesel emissions. The new regulations rate Iowa's livestock operations 'cleaner' than diesel. (Adobe Stock)
Iowa CAFOs could cash in on California emissions credits

Iowa factory farms could cash in on new proposed carbon emissions tax-credit rules in California. The new emissions standards would allow …

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Rural advocates are pushing for more protection for independent producers in the next Farm Bill. (Adobe Stock)
Rural groups push for environmental protections in next Farm Bill

Even though the current Farm Bill has been extended for a year, rural advocates are speaking up about protecting independent and family farms when …

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Iowa has nearly 31 million acres of farmland. The average farm is about 360 acres, according to the USDA, and much of is monitored with high-tech equipment. (Iowa State University Extension Dept.)
Iowa farmers concerned with e-data use by corporations

New polling data show Iowa farmers are taking advantage of high-tech agriculture practices, and more plan to do so. But some say there's a downside …

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The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office is researching the opportunities and tradeoffs of agrivoltaics. (Adobe Stock)
Battle Heats Up Over Iowa Solar-Project Sites

Supervisors in Tama County this week are considering an ordinance to limit the size of solar installations on farmland, to generate no more than 25 …

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The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation promotes the economic stability of agriculture through a sound system of crop insurance and providing the means for the research and experience helpful in devising and establishing such insurance, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)
Organic Farmers Want More Time to Plant, Qualify for Crop Insurance

Organic farmers want more time to get their corn crops in the ground and still be able to qualify for crop insurance. Right now, they are held to the …

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Among many benefits, cover crops remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help make soil more resilient to a changing climate. (Adobe Stock)
Ag Secretary Announces Federal Money to Reduce Iowa Soil Erosion

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced two federal grants aimed at helping farmers reduce soil erosion in Iowa and other Midwest states…

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Beekeepers are positioning hives adjacent to fields planted in clover and grasses, which grow better in the shadow of solar panels than traditional row crops. (Photo courtesy Joel Fassbinder)
Dual-Use Solar Means Healthier IA Honeybees

Farmers, ranchers and livestock producers are working with solar companies in Iowa to find multiple uses for land once used only to plant corn and …

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Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time, including during the growing season, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (Adobe Stock)
Interior Invests $120 Million in Midwest 'Prairie Potholes'

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Interior Department has announced it is investing $120 million to restore and rebuild key segments of …

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Hogs and other livestock are used in what's known as
Solar-Powered Mobile Barn Transforms Traditional Agriculture

By Twilight Greenaway for Civil Eats.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Iowa News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News …

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Spending on conservation programs is expected to range between $6 billion and $6.5 billion in 2023, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)
Most Farmers Still Denied Conservation Grants

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy reports nearly three quarters of farmers across the country who applied for two types of U.S. …

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