Reynolds Says People Still Need To Use Caution And Prevention Measures When Businesses Re-open
(Des Moines) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says that nearly 90 percent of the state’s positive COVID-19 cases are located within 22 counties with the most severe cases, and two-thirds of the cases are from a few metropolitan urban counties.
During her COVID-19 daily briefing held Thursday, the governor says that we should all still practice good prevention measures against the coronavirus, even when restaurants and other businesses open their doors beginning on Friday, May 1st.
Reynolds says it is not economically feasible to keep businesses closed for extended long periods of time due to the virus. She says COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, and we need to manage our lives in the best manner possible to keep the virus in check.
The governor reiterated those measures that have been mentioned in the past as ways to counter the COVID-19 virus.
Reynolds says it is still important for those people that are subject to being in a higher risk category to continue to take appropriate pre-caution measures.
Governor Reynolds says while situations constantly change, what hasn’t changed is taking responsibility for own actions involving COVID-19 virus.
Congressman Steve King Comments On COVID-19 Situation Involving Pork Industry
(Le Mars) — Iowa 4th District Republican Congressman Steve King says the COVID-19 coronavirus has taken the bottom out of what was a robust U-S economy.
King joined Democrats, House Agriculture Committee chairman Colin Petersen of Minnesota, as well as Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz at a news conference held at Worthington, Minnesota, on Wednesday to address the situation facing pork producers and the meat processing industry. King says Petersen and Walz are
long-time colleagues and friends of his, and because of that, they can work together on resolving the issue facing pork producers and the employees of meat processing facilities.
King says what is troubling is the fact that thousands of market hogs are needing to be euthanized because the packing plants are closed due to the coronavirus.
King says he is hopeful with the order from President Trump to resume operations at the nation’s packing plants, that producers won’t see the need to euthanize their herds. King says while meat processing plants open, we also need to make certain employees at those plants are safe and protected against being infected with the COVID-19 virus.
The Republican Congressman says the union president at the JBS plant in Worthingon was in agreement with King about re-opening the processing plants, but at the same time giving assurance to the employees that they be given personal protective equipment.
Ag Department Forms Resource Coordination Center
DES MOINES, Iowa (April 30, 2020) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has formed a Resource Coordination Center (RCC) to support Iowa livestock
producers affected by the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions. COVID-19 outbreaks in the workforce are causing many meat processing facilities to run below normal operating capacity. That’s creating challenges for producers who are trying to convert livestock to food products.
“COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our lives, including our food supply chain,” said Secretary Naig. “This is creating numerous challenges for producers and forcing them to make unimaginable decisions. We want producers to know they’re not alone. We have assembled a team of people who are here to
connect producers with information and resources as they work through this difficult time.”
The Department is collaborating with public and private partners to operate the RCC, including the Iowa Pork Producers Association (IPPA), the Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
“We have pulled together some of the best resources in the state to help those Iowa pig farmers working through difficult circumstances. Decisions that will be made in the coming weeks must be the solution that can work best for individual farm situations. We encourage those farmers to call in with
questions or go to the website to look at the resources available,” said Mike Paustian, IPPA president and a pig farmer from Walcott.
“The creation of the RCC will allow both public and private organizations to mobilize their resources efficiently and effectively to help pork producers make well-informed decisions during this extremely difficult time,” said Jay Harmon, associate dean for extension and outreach for ISU’s College of
Agriculture and Life Sciences and director for agriculture and natural resources extension and outreach at Iowa State.
Through the RCC, livestock industry experts, state agencies and technical specialists will help producers explore every option to harvest livestock and meet the protein needs of Iowans. The RCC will also connect producers with technical resources as they work through difficult and emotional decisions, including animal welfare euthanasia and disposal.
Iowa livestock producers can call the RCC at (515) 725-1005, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., or fill out a help form anytime at iowafarmerhelp.com.
COVID-19 has caused supply chain disruptions that are forcing producers to make emotional and stressful decisions. If producers are feeling overwhelmed, they can call the Iowa Concern Hotline at 1-800-447-1985 to get free, confidential support, 24/7.
Iowa National Guard Deployed For Coronavirus Contact Tracing
(Des Moines, IA) — Nearly 900 Iowa National Guard soldiers are being called to active duty to help in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Adjutant General Benjamin Corell says 150 of those soldiers are at call centers in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, and Johnston, helping determine the spread of the virus through contact tracing. Corell says they are assisting
the Iowa Department of Public Health in their efforts to contact Iowans who have tested positive for the virus in order to help identify other persons and places that may have been exposed. Corell says the information soldiers collect through their conversations is turned over to the state. Guard soldiers are also picking up, transporting and unloading food for the state’s
six regional food banks, distributing COVID-19 test kits and providing support to the Test Iowa sites.
Tyson Foods Temporarily Shutting Down Dakota City Beef Plant
(Dakota City, NE) — Tyson Foods is temporarily shutting down its Dakota City, Nebraska beef plant near Sioux City. The facility will pause operations Friday through Monday to complete a deep cleaning of the entire plant. The company says it has been working closely with the local health department and is in the process of screening plant team members for COVID-19 with assistance from the Nebraska National Guard. The Dakota City facility is the largest employer in the Sioux City area with a workforce of 43-hundred. Tyson has scaled back production over the last few weeks because of coronavirus-related absenteeism. Employees will continue to be paid through the temporary closure. Tyson had previously idled its pork plants in Waterloo and Perry for similar reasons.
Another 28K New Unemployment Claims in Iowa
(Des Moines, IA) — The coronavirus outbreak continues to fuel high unemployment numbers in Iowa. Iowa Workforce Development reports nearly 29-thousand first-time unemployment claims were filed last week – a slight increase from the previous week. Manufacturing led all sectors in layoffs
followed by health care and social assistance and the self-employed. More than 261-thousand unemployment claims have been filed over the past six weeks. The state paid 51-point-four-million dollars in unemployment insurance last week. Federal pandemic unemployment payments went to 153-thousand-951 Iowans last week for a total of 102-million-714 thousand
dollars.
