Stressing Our Future, December 2, 1997

An adequate and safe road system is critical to the timely and efficient transportation of grain and farm machinery at harvest time. However, changes in agricultural operations over the past 30 years are having a dramatic impact on Iowa’s road system, and are affecting our ability to maintain that system.

Iowa Workforce Development Annual Report Fiscal Year 2012

Iowa ended its third year of a moderate economic recovery as fiscal year 2012 came to a close. Though many of the fundamentals in the state’s economy reflected strength during the year, employment had not returned to its pre-recession level, and job growth remained tepid. Furthermore, there was a distinct dichotomy in where hiring occurred. Most of the state’s job growth was concentrated in the goods-producing industries of construction and manufacturing, while the service-providing industries showed little momentum except for healthcare. Within the manufacturing sector, machinery products was one of the state’s fastest-growing subsectors in 2011, accounting for the creation of several thousand higher-paying jobs. The state’s nonfarm employment advanced by 12,200 in FY 2012 led primarily by growth in manufacturing and construction, which were up 9,900 and 3,800, respectively. Healthcare was the strongest of the service-providing industries with an annual gain of 2,600 jobs, while government continued to be the biggest drag on the statewide economy. Although all three levels of government employment dropped from one year ago, state government lost the most jobs at 1,900.

06004-003 Big Sioux River Watershed Final Report

Controlling and managing manure-contaminated runoff is a responsibility of every livestock producer. The minimum requirement of all confined feeding operations in Iowa, regardless of size, is to settle solids. Two separate watershed assessments conducted in 2003-2004 by the Lyon SWCD of 141 feedlot sites indicated only 29% have solid settling basins in place. Regulating agencies generally recommend a holding pond followed by irrigation land application which require large capital investments, specialized machinery and additional management skill sets. Producers are looking for more cost-effective alternatives for controlling feedlot runoff and regulating agencies need to know these alternatives will protect the environment.