Chamber Agriculture Luncheon Features Two Well Received Speakers
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Agricultural Business Luncheon Tuesday at the Le Mars Convention Center. More than 200 attendees heard the message of the newest pork processing facility operated by Seaboard Triumph Foods. Mark Porter the Chief Operating Officer told the
gathering the 925,000 square foot pork plant is equipped with the latest technological advancements. He says from ground breaking to production took just three short years.
Porter recalled many of the statistics for the group, including hitting a maximum of processing more than 20,000 head of hogs on a daily basis.
Northwest Iowa is often referred to as the “buckle” of the hog belt, and Porter says Seaboard Triumph is pleased to be located at Sioux City.
The Seaboard Triumph official says pork exports will play an important key role for the new Sioux City processing plant.
Some of the other startling statistics include: more than 300 semi trucks visit the facility on a daily basis, $8 million dollars was invested in air quality filters and equipment to help mitigate the foul odors from leaving the building, and when fully functional, the pork processing plant will employ more than 2,000 people with at least 63 percent of the labor force living in Sioux City. Porter informed the Ag Business Luncheon attendees the plant is the result of a merger between Triumph Foods and Seaboard Foods, which now is the second largest producer of pork,and the fourth largest pork processor.
This year’s key-note address speaker was Mitch Holthus who is the play-by-play announcer with the N-F-L’s Kansas City Chiefs football program.
Holthus spoke of how he is using the lessons that have been handed down from generation to generation about always finishing, being accountable, being resilient, and making footprints. Holthus challenged the attending F-F-A members to reach out and “help” others.
Both speakers were well received by the attending crowd. The Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee also presented its annual “Outstanding Service to Agriculture” award, as well as the FFA scholarship. This year’s “Outstanding Service to Agriculture” recipient was Scott Thoms of the Plymouth County Dairy Farm.
The FFA scholarship recipient was Kasey Riemenschneider of the Kingsley-Pierson Community School.
Iowa House Approves Budget Cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The House has approved more than $35 million in mid-year cuts to Iowa’s $7.2 billion budget.
The Republican-controlled chamber voted 59-41 Tuesday along party lines for the reductions, which impact the budget running through June. The GOP-majority Senate must OK the cuts before Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds can give final
approval.
The reductions affect various government agencies. Funding for the board that oversees Iowa’s three public universities is reduced by more than $10 million, making it the largest cut. The University of Northern Iowa’s funding is spared in the bill.
A budget panel estimated last year that incoming state revenue was below projections. GOP legislative leaders have been at odds over the extent of the reductions, though a compromise has been reached.
State revenue has been up recently, though GOP lawmakers say the cuts will give the budget a cushion.
Senator Ernst Questions Pentagon
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sen. Joni Ernst is asking the Defense and Justice Departments to explain how they handle student-on-student sexual assaults at K-12 schools the Pentagon runs on military bases worldwide. The Iowa Republican wrote
the defense secretary and attorney general Tuesday based on issues raised in an ongoing Associated Press investigation. The AP showed how reports of student-on- student rapes or assaults often languish and that the system’s 71,000 students
have fewer protections than public school kids.
Des Moines Police Chief’s Brother Dies In Auto Accident
LYTTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a traffic accident in northwest Iowa killed the younger brother of the Des Moines police chief.
The crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. Monday near Lytton in rural Sac County.
The Iowa State Patrol says the vehicle driven by 44-year-old Deon Wingert drifted into a ditch, hit a field entryway, went airborne and then rolled several times, ejecting him.
Deon Wingert was pronounced dead at the scene. He lived in Carroll.
A Des Moines police spokesman said Tuesday that Chief Dana Wingert didn’t wish to comment.
Wisconsin Man Sentenced For Enticing Minors For Sexual Activity
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A Wisconsin man convicted of enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors in Iowa say 26-year-old Carson Sibley, of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, received the prison term Monday after pleading guilty to one count of enticement of a minor. Sibley admitted that he persuaded a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in 2017. Information from the sentencing hearing showed that Sibley met minors while playing online video games. Prosecutors say Sibley twice traveled to Grundy County, Iowa, hoping to have sex with a minor.
Sibley had previously been convicted of child pornography offenses and was still on probation at the time of his arrest.
