Farmers Co-op Society Managers Indicted
Sioux Center, Iowa — Two men who were employed as the general manager and assistant general manager of a Sioux Center-based grain coop have been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States and making False Statements.
The indictment, filed last week in United States District Court For The Northern District of Iowa alleges that Kenneth Ehrp, the former general manager of the Farmers’ Co-op Society, and Calvin Diehl, the former assistant general manager
of the co-op instructed co-op employees to blend soybeans with oats or layer soybeans on top of oats, in violation of the United States Grain Standards Act. The act says that no foreign material, including other types of grain, may be added to grain being marketed, except in certain situations that did
not apply in this case.
The indictment says that soybeans are more valuable than oats, and cites a price from March 31, 2017, when soybeans were $9.69 per bushel, and oats were $2.39 per bushel.
According to the indictment, Ehrp and Diehl made false statements to inspectors and lenders about the amount of oats they had on hand and how much was lost due to “shrinkage.” It says Diehl told a federal examiner that he did not know why a pile of oats was located near a pile of soybeans at one of the co-op’s satellite facilities. The indictment alleges this was a
false statement.
No further court dates have yet been set.
Officials Believe Nine People Voted Twice In November Elections
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State officials have referred to Iowa prosecutors the names of nine people suspected of voting twice in the November election last year. The Iowa secretary of state’s office said in a news release Friday that the nine are suspected of voting in Iowa after casting ballots in other states. There were 27 suspected instances of people voting first in Iowa and then other states during the same election. The information was
discovered through Iowa’s partnership with several states in the Electronic Registration Information Center. The states share data to improve the accuracy of voter rolls and enhance voter confidence.
Mason City School District Settles Discrimination Lawsuit
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – Newly released documents show that Mason City Community School District settled a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former official for more $170,000. The Globe-Gazette reports that the
district issued its former human resources director Jodie Anderson $31,500 in wage differential payment and $73,500 for damages. Another $70,000 was issued to cover court and attorneys’ fees. Anderson filed the lawsuit in July 2018, alleging that men employed by the district were being paid more
than women for the same categories of work. The settlement was announced Monday, but the amount wasn’t disclosed until Friday in documents obtained by the non-profit Iowa Freedom of Information Council.
Dive Team Recovers Body Who Fell Through Ice
SHELLSBURG, Iowa (AP) – A dive team has recovered the body of a man who fell through the ice of an eastern Iowa pond while fishing. Television station KCRG reports that divers pulled the body of 47-year-old Shannan Lee Hughes, of Vinton, from the water Friday. Hughes is believed to have fallen through the ice Thursday while fishing on a private pond near Shellsburg. A passerby reported seeing Hughes fishing out on the ice. The bystander later noticed Hughes had vanished and a hole on the ice and called 911. Searchers found Hughes’ car near the pond, but no sign of him.
Animals Rescued From Bad Conditions
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have removed several animals from a Dubuque farm where more than a dozen other animals were found dead. The Telegraph Herald reports that several of the 26 animals removed earlier this month were in poor health. The animals removed included horses, a pony,
goats, sheep, pigs, geese and other fowl. Authorities say the bones and rib cages of some of the animals could be seen, and many had matted hair. Charges are pending.
Beef and Pork Producers May See A Slight Improvement With Livestock Prices in 2020
(Ames) — An Iowa State University livestock economist says at the current point in the beef production cycle, the number of cattle should be leveling-off. That would usually mean lower prices — but as Lee Schulz looks ahead to 2020 — he sees better prices than the ones today.
Schulz says export sales grew by double-digits in recent years, and a bit more modestly in 2019. The new trade deal with Japan and the likely implementation of a new North American agreement could keep beef exports strong in 2020. On the pork side, 2019 included ongoing tariffs on Chinese imports of U-S pork. But the year also saw the unprecedented African swine
fever outbreak claim more than half the pigs in China, which pushed the country to go shopping for more pork on the world market. Schulz says China started buying more pork from the European Union but it eventually turned to the U-S, too.
African swine fever has not been found in North America. But Schulz says the threat of it has prompted many farmers to pour profits into shoring-up biosecurity, which has the added benefit of reducing the spread of existing diseases, too.
King Says US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement Will Lead To Other Trade Agreements With Other Nations
(Kiron) — One of the last items Congress passed before going on their Christmas vacation was the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. It now will be forwarded to the U-S Senate for their approval. Officials say the trade agreement with our neighbors will certainly benefit Iowa agriculture.
Earlier this week, Republican Congressman Steve King spoke with KLEM radio about the passage of the trade agreement, which had been in front of Congress since July.
King says he recently visited with U-S Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and says the U-S is about to be in a very favorable position with regards to world trade.
The 4th District Iowa Congressman believes the passage of the US-Mexico- Canada trade agreement will also help move along the trade agreement with China.
