Friday Afternoon News, July 20

Local Pork Producer Worried About High Grain Prices

(Le Mars) -- With corn selling at more than $7.00 a bushel and soybeans at more than $16.00 a bushel, and with expectations for even higher prices as the nation's drought worsens, livestock producers, and especially swine and poultry producers are worried about the rising price of grain. Bill Tentinger is a pork producer from Le Mars. He also serves as the president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. He spoke on behalf of the state's pork producers during a drought meeting held Tuesday and hosted by Governor Terry Branstad. Tentinger says there are many pork producers that are quitting the business because grain prices are too costly.

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The Plymouth County pork producer says he offered a message to Governor Branstad.

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Tentinger says he isn't certain if packers are already loaded with culled sows, or if the packer knows that more will come, and they are waiting for the market price to fall.

Ag Economist Concerned About Next Year

(Ames) -- Although grain prices are spiking as a result of the drought, a retired agricultural economist believes this year's drought may have additional consequences into next year. Robert Wisner with Iowa State University says that South America also suffered a drought this past growing season, and he says along with the U-S drought, farmers in both regions will be tempted to plant every available acre next year, which may cause a steep decline in commodity prices.

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Wisner says as a result of the drought, consumers will begin seeing higher prices at the supermarket; first with milk, then with poultry, and finally with red meat products like beef and pork.

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Wisner says in the short-term, there may be bargains with poultry and red-meat products as farmers flood the market selling their stock, but in the long-term, meat may be in short supply.

Jandreau Trial Date Scheduled

(Le Mars) -- A trial date of September 18 has been set for Matthew Jandreau to appear at the the Plymouth County District Court. Jandreau is accused of a crime spree that occured in Le Mars last March that includes kidnapping, sexual assault, and theft.

Plymouth County Adds Second Testing Time for Motorcycles

(Le Mars) -- Plymouth County will offer motorcycle drivers another day for testing. Beginning August 1, 2012, a second motocycle testing time will be added on Thursday mornings. The new schedule for motorcycle testing will be Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. Linda Dobson, Plymouth County Treasurer says an afternoon and a morning test time will be more accomodating to the public. The county will also be able to handle more car driving tests and will not have to refer county drivers to other driver license stations for testing. Plymouth County is able to expand on the services since it will no longer be issuing new, first time Commercial Drivers Licenses as of August 1. With the new federal regulations requiring a CDL skills testing area of 130 feet by 240 feet paved area, the county is unable to comply. Dobson says drivers that need to renew their CDL license can still do so in Plymouth County, and the CDL written tests can still be performed, but the driving skills test will have to happen elsewhere.

Northey To Visit Northwest Iowa

(Des Moines) -- Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has announced that he will be visiting Ida, Cherokee, Sioux and Plymouth Counties on Monday, July 23rd as part of his efforts to visit each of Iowa's 99 counties again in 2012. Northey will visit the Ida County Fair in Ida Grove at 10:30 a.m., then he will tour Little Sioux Corn Processing in Marcus at 12:30 p.m. Northey is scheduled to tour Van Beek Natural Science in Orange City at 2:00 p.m. and then he will visit the Remsen Processing in Remsen at 3:30 p.m. All events are open to the public.

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