With the looming end-of-the-month deadline for the state of emergency declaration for the bird flu approaching, Governor Branstad said he will extend it if need be. Branstad said on Friday that he met with state Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey and several poultry farmers to assess the current state of the outbreak and its affect on egg producers. Branstad said the USDA is helping out in efforts to dispose of the millions of dead chickens. Recently, a few landfills in the state offered to take infected birds, but more are needed to step up.
Investment in agriculture research will have to double in the next decade to meet the growing demand for global food output…that’s according to the latest report Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The report says significant innovation is necessary to meet future food needs.
In more agriculture news…John Deere has improved its outlook for the year, despite demand for large farm equipment continuing to decrease. A surge in home construction is probably helping the farming company feel better…but Deere says it expects farming equipment sales to fall 24 percent before the year is over.
More retailers and financial institutions in the Des Moines area are jumping on the Apple Pay bandwagon…and a Greater Des Moines-based payment processor is getting a piece of the profits. The Members Group says it’s enrolled 25 percent of its card issuer clients in Apple Pay…and it expects nearly half of its base to be enrolled by the middle of the year.
Kids who have been raising bird through 4-H will not be able to show them at the state fair this year. Ag officials are nixing live birds at the fair because of the bird flu outbreak around the state. There are now 63 Iowa farms infected in 15 counties, affecting 26 million birds.
The growing bird flu outbreak is causing some poultry-dependent companies to consider importing eggs from other countries…or find egg alternatives. Nothing is concrete yet…but it could be on the horizon.
Budget tightening has prevented the city of Marshalltown from funding the traditional 4th of July fireworks. But a group of residents is trying to drum up the money through a private fireworks fund. They’ve already held three fundraisers, and have four more planned.
Central Iowa’s Boy Scouts will make changes to accept gay troop leaders if the national group ends its ban…that’s the word from the CEO of Boy Scouts of America Mid-Iowa Council. The president of Boy Scouts of America said yesterday that the nationwide ban should end.
A central Iowa landfill is on board to accept dead birds infected with the bird flu. Metro Waste Authority said this week it will help dispose of roughly a million birds at its facility. It’s the largest landfill in the state.
A downtown Des Moines building built in the 1920s to house Mack trucks has been sold to Hubbell Realty for a $7 million historic rehab project. The Lovejoy Building will be renamed Station 121 and converted into apartments. Hubbell is looking for half-a-million dollars in state workforce housing tax credits and a 10-year 100-percent tax abatement.
