Economies of Feedlot Scale, Biosecurity, Investment, and Endemic Livestock Disease, September 2006

Infectious livestock disease creates externalities for proximate animal production enterprises. The distribution of production scale within a region should influence and be influenced by these disease externalities. Taking the distribution of the unit costs of stocking an animal as primitive, we show that an increase in the variance of these unit costs reduces consumer surplus. The effect on producer surplus, total surplus, and animal concentration across feedlots depends on the demand elasticity. A subsidy to smaller herds can reduce social welfare and immiserize the farm sector by increasing the extent of disease. While Nash behavior involves excessive stocking, disease effects can be such that aggregate output declines relative to first-best. Disease externalities can induce more adoption of a cost-reducing technology by larger herds so that animals become more concentrated across herds. For strategic reasons, excess overall adoption of the innovation may occur. Larger herds are also more likely to adopt biosecurity innovations, explaining why larger herds may be less diseased in equilibrium.

Restoring Our Pride in Badger Creek Lake, 2006

For years, Badger Creek Lake has been a source of pride for people living and farming nearby. Today, as the quality of water in the lake declines and new residents move to the area, the people of Badger Creek Lake need to maintain and renew that pride by improving their lake.

Departure Survey Report, 2005

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Departure Survey Report, 2006

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Iowa Budget Recommendations, FY 2011, January 27, 2010

Our FY 2011 General Fund budget is balanced, fiscally conservative, and does not raise sales or income taxes. We have already proposed and signed three balanced state budgets and have demonstrated the leadership to ensure that the current year (FY 2010) budget is balanced in the face of dramatic and quick declines in state revenues last year that occurred as a result of the national recession.

Education Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Education Task Force is composed of Iowans with experience and expertise related to the impact of the tornadoes, storms, and floods of 2008 on the educational system in Iowa. The massive damage greatly impacted educational facilities and enrollment, resulting in thousands of displaced students and significant long-term rebuilding needs. In addition, the education system is a “community center,” and in many ways acts as a first responder to Iowans experiencing the disasters. It is important to also recognize this role and the need for “non-educational” (and often non-quantifiable) supports as a part of the overall recovery effort. There are a few parts of the state that sustained significant structural and other damage as a result of the disasters. However, many school districts and educational institutions throughout the state experienced damage that resulted in re-allocating building usage, enrollment issues (because of housing and relocation issues in the community), or use of school facilities to assist in the recovery efforts (by housing displaced community agencies and providing temporary shelter for displaced Iowans). At this time, damage estimates are only estimates and numbers are revised often. Estimates of damage are being developed by multiple agencies, including FEMA, the Iowa Department of Education, insurance companies, and schools themselves, since there are many different types of damage to be assessed and repaired. In addition to structural damage, educational institutions and communities are trying to find ways to quantify sometimes unquantifiable data, such as future revenue capabilities, population declines, and impact on mental health in the long-term. The data provided in this report is preliminary and as up to date as possible; information is updated on a regular basis as assessments continue and damage estimates are finalized.

Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Education Task Force Report, August 2008

The Rebuild Iowa Education Task Force is composed of Iowans with experience and expertise related to the impact of the tornadoes, storms, and floods of 2008 on the educational system in Iowa. The massive damage greatly impacted educational facilities and enrollment, resulting in thousands of displaced students and significant long-term rebuilding needs. In addition, the education system is a “community center,” and in many ways acts as a first responder to Iowans experiencing the disasters. It is important to also recognize this role and the need for “non-educational” (and often non-quantifiable) supports as a part of the overall recovery effort. There are a few parts of the state that sustained significant structural and other damage as a result of the disasters. However, many school districts and educational institutions throughout the state experienced damage that resulted in re-allocating building usage, enrollment issues (because of housing and relocation issues in the community), or use of school facilities to assist in the recovery efforts (by housing displaced community agencies and providing temporary shelter for displaced Iowans). At this time, damage estimates are only estimates and numbers are revised often. Estimates of damage are being developed by multiple agencies, including FEMA, the Iowa Department of Education, insurance companies, and schools themselves, since there are many different types of damage to be assessed and repaired. In addition to structural damage, educational institutions and communities are trying to find ways to quantify sometimes unquantifiable data, such as future revenue capabilities, population declines, and impact on mental health in the long-term. The data provided in this report is preliminary and as up to date as possible; information is updated on a regular basis as assessments continue and damage estimates are finalized. Supplemental Information to the August 2008 Education Task Force Report

Iowa Budget Book Fiscal Year 2011.

Our FY 2011 General Fund budget is balanced, fiscally conservative, and does not raise sales or income taxes. We have already proposed and signed three balanced state budgets and have demonstrated the leadership to ensure that the current year (FY 2010) budget is balanced in the face of dramatic and quick declines in state revenues last year that occurred as a result of the national recession.

Iowa Budget Book Fiscal Year 2010

Our FY 2010 General Fund budget is balanced, fiscally conservative, and does not raise sales or income taxes. We have already proposed and signed three balanced state budgets and have demonstrated the leadership to ensure that the current year (FY 2009) budget is balanced in the face of dramatic and quick declines in state revenues last year that occurred as a result of the national recession.

Iowa's frog and toad survey, 1995-2003.

This survey began in response to widespread interest of declines in amphibians. More recently, a comprehensive statewide planning group discovered 44% of Iowa’s herpetofauna (amphibians and reptiles) to be of special concern. In response to these concerns, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Diversity Program (WDP) initiated an auditory survey for calling anurans to determine geographic distributions within the state. This survey has established itself as an extensive, long term monitoring program. This 2005 report is the second edition since the first report of this survey was shared in 1998 by then program biologist Lisa Hemesath. The goals of the survey are to: (1) determine the distributions of Iowa’s anuran species, (2) determine population trends for each species, and (3) promote education about aquatic life by using volunteers to conduct the survey. In addition to Iowa, volunteer-based auditory surveys for frogs and toads are currently being used in the Midwest by Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois.

Departure Survey Report, 2007

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Departure Survey Report, 2008

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Departure Survey Report, 2009

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Departure Survey Report, 2010

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.

Departure Survey Report FY2011

This project was initiated by the Department of Personnel, now the Department of Administrative Services (DAS)– Human Resources Enterprise (HRE), to assist executive branch agencies in determining why employees leave their employ or state government as well as provide insight into past employee perceptions of their employer. As the workforce continues to age and at the same time the available workforce declines, employers must have data to manage their turnover effectively.