Low crop prices are forcing Iowa farmers to spend less on their operations, according to a new poll. The Agri-Pulse Farm Opinion survey shows 60 percent plan to cut back on farm equipment purchases, nearly half expect to cut back on rent payments, and 37 percent will spend less on seed.… MORE
Better keep your speed down for the rest of the month. Extra patrols will be hitting the interstates this weekend as part of an end-of-August nationwide crackdown to cut the number of car crashes. August is the deadliest month for accidents on the interstate. They’re specifically targeting I-80, which runs through 11 states…and I-35, which…… MORE
Broadband will be expanding in rural Iowa, courtesy of federal funding for CenturyLink. The tech firm is getting 500 million dollars a year for six years to extend the internet to well over a million rural homes and businesses in 33 states.… MORE
Another finalist for the next president of the University of Iowa post is on campus today. Michael Bernstein will meet with faculty and staff…as well as be part of a public forum with the community. He’s currently the provost of Tulane University.… MORE
Farmers are relieved by Monsanto’s decision to nix its plans to buy Syngenta. The deal would have meant the hybrid seed and herbicide maker would have controlled 45 percent of the global seed market, leaving Johnston-based Pioneer in a distant second place. USDA says farm income will be down for this year. The department estimates…… MORE
Iowa will join a national effort to keep an eye on wild waterfowl for bird flu symptoms. Migrating birds are blamed for the outbreak that wiped out flocks at 70 poultry operations in the state. DNR is asking hunters to report any birds that look sickly or worse, and the areas where they’re found.… MORE
When it comes to what Des Moines workers value most, it all boils down to job stability…that’s the upshot of a poll through an interactive art exhibit at the Iowa State Fair. The exhibit was from Workshift, a national good jobs campaign aimed at setting a new people-driven standard for good jobs.… MORE
Deere and Company has begun contract talks with the UAW on a new six-year labor agreement. The current contract expires at the end of next month. The talks come at a time when the company is seeing declining sales in its farm equipment because of the drop in crop prices.… MORE
Pavement created from soybeans? ISU dedicates a new pilot plant facility tomorrow to produce bio-polymers from soybean oil.The facility helps companies that want to eventually replace petroleum-based polymers in their asphalt paving products with bio-renewable polymers. The 5-million dollar facility took 18 months to design and construct. Des Moines will save nearly 4 million dollars…… MORE
The Iowa State Fair hit a record attendance rate this year. The fair this year drew in more than a million-117-thousand people, breaking the 2008 record of a million-80-thousand. Great weather, visiting politicians, high-profile music acts and the change in the school start date are all credited for the increase.… MORE
