Articles written by david pitt
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Grassley threatens Trump EPA nominees over biofuels mandate
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Republican senator said Tuesday he may seek to block President Donald Trump's nominees for key posts at the Environmental Protection Agency unless the administration backs off a proposed reduction in the volume of biofuels...
An odd trend in wheat country: not much wheat
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An odd thing has happened in wheat country — a lot of farmers aren't planting wheat. Thanks to a global grain glut that has caused prices and profits to plunge, this year farmers planted the fewest acres of wheat since...
Mastermind of lottery fraud faces 25-year prison sentence
Des Moines, Iowa (AP) — For a decade, computer programmer Eddie Tipton reliably showed up for work at the central Iowa office of the Multi-State Lottery Association and earned the confidence of his co-workers, a team of technicians entrusted to bui...
109 US salmonella cases now linked to papayas from Mexico
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An increasing number of people have been sickened by eating papaya now traced to a farm located in southern Mexico, U.S. public health officials said in an update on the outbreak first reported more than two weeks ago....
Worsening drought conditions in parts of US stressing crops
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Drought conditions worsened in several states over the past week from extreme heat and weeks with little rain, raising the prospect that grocery staples such as bread and beans could cost more as the region that produces...
Egg executives in salmonella case must report to prison
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A father and son whose Iowa-based egg production company caused a massive 2010 salmonella outbreak have exhausted their appeals and a federal judge has ordered them to begin serving prison sentences. The U.S. Supreme Court...
Iowa may be first state with no health insurers on exchange
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa could be the first state in the nation with no health insurance company willing to offer policies on its Affordable Care Act exchange next year unless President Donald Trump's administration approves a stopgap...
Farmers decry Trump plans to cut agriculture subsidies
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farm groups and some members of Congress from farm states are decrying proposed cuts to crop insurance and other safety net programs for farmers included in President Donald Trump's budget. The proposed cuts come even as...
Farmers dismayed that USDA delays fair practice rule
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation's largest meat processing corporations, was delayed Wednesday by President Donald Trump's administration, halting by at least...
Farmers to plant record low wheat acres, most soybeans ever
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The amber waves of grain are about to turn into bean pods as farmers report they'll plant millions of acres in soybeans instead of wheat this year as a global glut of the grain has made it unprofitable to grow. In its...
Chicken farmers say processors treat them like servants
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Former chicken farmers in five states have filed a federal lawsuit accusing a handful of giant poultry processing companies that dominate the industry of treating farmers who raise the chickens like indentured servants and...
Pork industry says not to worry about a bacon shortage
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An insatiable demand for bacon depleted frozen pork belly supplies in the U.S. to a record low level for December, but the pork industry is confident it can keep up with demand and avoid any serious shortages. Bottom line:...
Iowa spill is largest of diesel fuel in US since 2010
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Workers were expected to complete cleaning up Thursday about 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel that spewed from a broken pipeline onto an Iowa farm, the largest U.S. diesel spill since 2010, federal authorities said. Vacuum...
Our freezers runneth over: Explaining the US food surplus
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP, Oct. 5, 2016) — Warehouses, distribution centers and grocery stores are overflowing with some food staples, such as milk, eggs and frozen fruits and vegetables, the result of increased production and decreased exports. Take da...
Scarce cash in land of plenty: Farmers adjust to downturn
MAXWELL, Iowa (AP, posted Sept. 13, 2016) — Pale green and 8 feet tall, tightly packed corn stalks reach to the horizon throughout the Midwest in what is likely to be the biggest harvest the U.S. has ever seen. Aside from a sense of pride in breaki...