Last week, the Des Moines Water Works announced they would not seek an appeal in their case against ten Iowa drainage districts. Federal District Court Judge Leonard Strand dismissed the entire case in March, largely citing the Iowa Supreme Court ruling against DMWW on the state law portions of the case, and also citing federal precedent in court cases tried in the Eighth District Court of Appeals. If DMWW had chosen to appeal, the case would have gone to the Eighth District Court.

The court case was dismissed for multiple reasons, including:

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa and our members played a crucial role in the outcome of this lawsuit. Thank you to everyone who supported the Agricultural Legal Defense Fund. AgLDF is ready to advance the interests and understanding of agricultural issues in the legal arena when the need arises.

AAI will continue to promote both environmentally proven, science-based practices as part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and flexibility for farmers to make the environmental choices that best fit their land.

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It's likely Sonny Perdue will be up to speed on the issues facing agriculture if the Senate follows through and votes to confirm Perdue early next week.

That's the expectation of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who told reporters on Tuesday he expects Perdue to be confirmed with flying colors, perhaps garnering as many as 60 votes.

"I think he'll have broad bipartisan support and will be sworn in right away," Grassley said. "He's probably on the job anyway, and I think his goal is to try to be a fast learner." READ MORE

by: KTIC

Just three weeks ago, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University was celebrating its 30th anniversary with guest lecturers, including some of the former state legislators who helped create the center.

But in a surprise move last week at the Iowa statehouse, lawmakers voted to eliminate the sustainable agriculture research center by zeroing out the Leopold Center's entire funding stream.  READ MORE

Iowa FFA just got a new president. Zach Hamilton, of Goose Lake, will serve as this year's Iowa FFA president. He studies fashion at Iowa State University.

"I am a freshman studying apparel and design, which means I would work for a fashion company [after graduation]. I am also looking at working with the American Footwear and Apparel Association to bridge the gap between agriculturalists and fashion designers to show where the products we get in fashion come from and why it is important to include agriculture in that." READ MORE

by: Iowa Farmer Today

The  4R Nutrient Stewardship website has a fresh look that is cleaner, easier to navigate and aligns more closely with the 4R brand.

The website still features the same information on the 4Rs, including nutrient stewardship basics, educational modules, and the most updated 4R news. 

As Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Japan to further forge the economic ties between the two nations, Japan says it will take the lead to finish the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) without the United States.  Pence arrived in Tokyo Tuesday as part of a 10-day trip through Asia. He first met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss tensions with North Korea.  Later, he met with the Japanese finance minister when the two nations formally launched the U.S.-Japan economic dialogue, which is the first step towards negotiating a bilateral trade agreement.

Shortly after President Donald Trump took office in January, he severed U.S. involvement with the TPP. Trump says he prefers to negotiate with individual nations. READ MORE