A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest state agribusiness association in the nation. | |
BILL NORTHEY HONORED BY AGRIBUSINESS ASSOCIATION OF IOWA | |
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The Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) Foundation is pleased to announce that its building will be named after Bill Northey and simply called “The Northey Building”.
“Bill was a giant in agriculture. While he wanted to be known first as a farmer and conservationist, he was actively involved in many facets of public service to agriculture. He served as a conservation district commissioner, Secretary of Agriculture for Iowa, the nation’s first Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation at USDA, and as CEO for the Agribusiness Association of Iowa. And this list is not close to being inclusive for his other activities and achievements,” said Mark White, Board Chair of the AAI Foundation. “Just as another giant in Iowa agriculture, Henry Wallace, has a state ag building named after him, the Foundation board of directors felt that naming our building after Bill will ensure that he will never be forgotten.”
A “Northey Memorial Fund” has been established at the Agribusiness Association of Iowa Foundation. Any memorials for Bill can be sent to the AAI Foundation, 900 Des Moines Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50309.
The Agribusiness Association of Iowa Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which promotes research projects, member education, stewardship and scholarships that benefit Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) members and their families. The charitable goals of the Foundation reflect the interests of the agribusiness industry and benefit AAI members by promoting research projects, member education, stewardship and higher education scholarships.
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Online and In-Person Pesticide Applicator Testing | |
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will once again offer in-person and online pesticide applicator testing options for commercial and private applicators this spring. The Department encourages commercial and private pesticide applicators to test and apply for licensing and certification this spring to avoid delays during the growing season.
Visit the IDALS Applicator Licensing & Certification Page for the following:
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In-Person Testing
- Online Private Pesticide Applicator Testing
- Online Commercial Pesticide Applicator Testing
- Apply for Pesticide Applicator Licenses Online
FULL DETAILS ON THE IDALS WEBSITE:
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Thank You For Your Membership! | |
As a member of AAI, you are the driving force of the organization Where Agribusiness Matters. Thank you for your membership and your commitment to the success of agribusiness in Iowa.
The following companies have recently joined or renewed their membership for the 2024 Membership Year.
- Nexus Cooperative
- Sackett-Waconia
Not currently a member? Click Here to send us an email so we can follow up with your company and help you get connected to AAI.
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Saturated Buffer Batch & Build farmer meeting
Heartland Co-op, Lincoln, Iowa
Attended By:
Ben Gleason, INREC executive director
Pig Farmer Batch & Build farmer meeting
Webster City, Iowa
Attended By:
Ben Gleason, INREC executive director
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April 4
AAI Board of Directors Meeting
10:00 AM | Northey Building Board Room
July 25
AAI Golf Outing - Okoboji
Emerald Hills Golf Club
Two More Outings On The Way - Stay Tuned!
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FMCSA Safety Advisory For Certain American Welding and Tank Nurse Tanks | |
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a safety advisory to provide notice of the possibility of catastrophic failure of certain nurse tanks.
RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY
It is strongly advised that owners of American Welding and Tank (AWT) nurse tanks manufactured between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2011 that are exempted from periodic inspection and testing requirements conduct voluntary periodic visual inspection in accordance with 49 CFR §173.315(m)(2)(i); thickness testing in accordance with 49 CFR §173.315(m)(2)(ii), and pressure testing in accordance with 49 CFR §173.315(m)(2)(iii). Note these dates reflect the years of manufacture that failed testing.
View the full advisory with links to relevant code and additional resources below:
FMCSA Nurse Tank Safety Advisory
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Carbon and Ecosystem Services Markets Survey | |
Researchers at Iowa State University, in collaboration with Practical Farmers of Iowa, the Sustainable Food Lab, and The Nature Conservancy, are conducting a survey to improve understanding of farmer decisions regarding carbon contracts in an effort to help farmers make more informed choices.
Carbon and/or ecosystem service markets can provide benefits to both farmers and the environment, but the vast array of options and complexity of contracts can be a barrier to participation for some farmers.
The survey will take approximately 20 minutes to complete, and we offer compensation ranging from $69 to $95 upon completion. To learn more and/or access the online survey, you can click below:
https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6PWfedbZYUpGr0G
Participation in this survey is voluntary, and participants can skip any questions they do not wish to answer. Please consider completing the survey if you feel it is relevant to you, and/or sharing with farmers in your network. If you have questions or suggestions regarding the survey, please reach out to Dr.Hongli Feng (hfeng@iastate.edu) at Iowa State University or Sarah Carlson (sarah.carlson@practicalfarmers.org) at Practical Farmers of Iowa.
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Farmers who operate as a corporation, limited liability company or a limited partnership need to pay close attention to a new federal law passed at the beginning of 2021 that went into effect at the start of 2024. The new law requires many farm entities and small businesses to file a beneficial ownership information report with the federal government this year.
The Corporate Transparency Act, created to curb illicit financial transactions and money laundering, requires most registered companies to complete their BOI report in 2024. Congress tasked the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a bureau of the U.S. Treasury, to establish and maintain a national registry of beneficial owners. Questions and answers about the reports are provided online at FinCEN.
Kristine Tidgren, an attorney and director of the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State University, explained the new BOI report requirement to farmers attending a recent Iowa Farmland Owners Workshop meeting.
“The online portal to file the BOI reports opened in January 2024, and farm entities and small businesses have until Jan. 1, 2025, to file the initial reports electronically,” Tidgren said.
Limited partnerships, corporations and LLCs, whether single- or multiple-member, are among the entities that must report ownership, subject to limited exceptions, Tidgren said. General partnerships and sole proprietorships generally don’t have to file beneficial ownership reports.
[...] Read Full Story
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How many Prop 12 sows are out there? No one knows for sure. Anecdotal evidence points to around 400,000 sows being compliant as of Jan. 1, but that only meets 60% of California’s historical pork consumption levels. Steve Meyer estimates the state needs about 664,000 sows to feed the state, to supply cuts the state’s consumers prefer as well as to make up for partial carcass sales and productivity impacts.
“We take 13% of our total supply times 40%, that needs to go into California is covered product, 60% is how much you lose out of this. About 3.5% of total supply has to go somewhere else. It can't get into California,” says the economist with Ever.Ag. “So, what does that do to prices? Well, it pushes them down and we think that that percentage is going to get smaller as we go through time because we're going to have more sows become compliant. But still, at least in the beginning, I would think maybe as much as 10% impact on pork prices elsewhere.”
As for the cost of compliancy, Meyer told USDA Agricultural Outlook Forum attendees that it depends where the production system is starting from. If the producer has pen gestation, he or she will need to add additional space, from the traditional 16 to 18 square feet to meet the required 24 square feet. Then the producer either has to reduce the number of sows or build more space.
[...] Read Full Story
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Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused the greatest military-related increase in global food insecurity in at least a century. Although the issue has receded from headlines, impacts persist: the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that millions will still be chronically undernourished in 2030 because of Russia’s war. The effects of Russia’s destruction of Ukraine’s agriculture sector extend beyond global food insecurity, as Russia uses its own agricultural exports for influence in the Global South. Congressional gridlock over aid to Ukraine threatens Ukraine’s agricultural recovery and global food security, and risks fortifying the primary tool of Russia’s soft power: its food exports.
Q1: How do Ukraine’s agriculture sector and global food security figure in Russia’s strategy in Ukraine?
A1: For the duration of the war, Ukraine’s agriculture sector has been a primary target of Russia’s assaults, with impacts apparent across Ukraine’s production infrastructure, including farms, fields, processing facilities, and warehouses; export infrastructure, including roads, railways, bridges, storage facilities, and ports; and its agricultural labor force. In March 2023, the World Bank, Kyiv School of Economics, European Union, and United Nations estimated that the war had resulted in a total of $40.2 billion in aggregate losses and damages to Ukraine’s agriculture sector. The World Bank and partners estimated damage to the irrigation sector at a further $380.5 million. Damages and losses have almost certainly soared since February 2023.
[...] Read Full Story
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Drivers in much of the Midwest can fuel up year-round with a higher blend of ethanol thanks to a new decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In March of 2023, the EPA delayed the implementation of a plan created by a bipartisan group of Midwest governors, the biofuels industry, and farming groups, that allowed for the sale of gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol or E15 year-round in each respective state until April of 2024.
The agency announced Thursday that it will grant a request by eight Midwestern governors to allow the year-round sale of fuel with a 15 percent ethanol blend, or E15, in their states beginning in the summer of 2025.
The announcement was welcomed by the National Corn Growers Association and state corn associations, which have been fighting to break down barriers to environmentally friendly biofuels.
“We are glad to hear this decision from EPA, as it puts us on the road to providing more certainty to America’s corn growers and consumers who will save money at the pump,” said NCGA President and Minnesota Farmer Harold Wolle. “However, given that this decision will not take effect until the summer of 2025, we question and are concerned about the implications of the timeline for growers and consumers this summer.”
The sale of E15 has been banned during the summer months to meet federal clean air standards that corn growers say are unnecessary and outdated. Over the last few years, the EPA has granted waivers to allow drivers continued access to environmentally friendly and affordable E15.
[...] Read Full Story
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