FEEDLOT FORUM FOCUSES ON HERD HEALTH, AG MARKETS
Herd health and a 2025 market outlook are two of the topics that will be addressed at the annual feedlot forum. The forum, to take place January 14 in Sioux Center, is sponsored by northwest Iowa Extension services, and underwritten by area farm groups and farm businesses. There will be a discussion on Beef-on-Dairy health, featuring research scientist Garland Dahlke of the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University. The highlight of the day will be 2025 market outlook from Extension Economist Chad Hart. The Feedlot Forum will be held at Terrace View Event Center in Sioux Center.
TWO REPORTS SHOW GAS PRICES ARE UP IN IOWA
Triple-A and Gas Buddy report as holiday travelers hit the roads, gas prices are rising. According to GasBuddy, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Iowa has jumped about 11 cents in the past week. Triple-A’s latest report shows regular unleaded was selling for an average price of two-dollars-and-77 cents a gallon on Tuesday. On Christmas Day, GasBuddy’s website showed the cheapest gas in Iowa was at a station in Ames.
VETERANS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR MORTGAGE ASSISTANCE
A loan officer who works with credit unions throughout the Midwest says some veterans forego the home-buying assistance they earned. Kris Fish Kuhlmann — a V-A Loan Specialist with the Iowa-based Premier Lending Alliance — says veterans are eligible to purchase a home with 100 percent financing — so they’re not required to have a downpayment. About 11 percent of new mortgages in the U-S are from the U-S Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the U-S Census Bureau, about nine percent of Iowa homes are occupied by veterans. Nationally, about 80 percent of veterans own their home.
GOVERNOR SETS DATE FOR SPECIAL SENATE ELECTION
Governor Kim Reynolds ordered a special election for Tuesday, January 28th in Iowa Senate District 35. That’s the seat that was held by Chris Cournoyer, who Governor Reynolds named the new lieutenant governor on December 16th. Senate District 35 is includes Clinton County, and parts of Jackson and Scott Counties.
NEARLY 11% OF IOWANS ARE FOOD INSECURE
The head of Iowa’s largest food bank says nearly 11 percent of Iowans do not have consistent, reliable access to nutritious food. This is due to their household finances — and the rising cost of food. Food Bank of Iowa C-E-O Michelle Book says food prices are up 25 percent in the past four years.
In the last school year, 42 percent of Iowa’s K-through-12 students were served free or reduced price lunches at school through the U-S-D-A’s national school lunch program.
The Food Bank of Iowa — which supplies food pantries in 55 of Iowa’s 99 counties — is spending about a million dollars a month on food.
This year the Food Bank of Iowa will distribute about 230 percent more food than it did when Book started as the organization’s C-E-O in 2016. She is retiring on December 31st.
There are three other Feeding America Food Banks in Iowa including the Food Bank of the Heartland in Omaha, which also serves western Iowa counties. Book discussed her work during a recent episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.
OPIOID OVERDOSE DEATHS ON PACE TO BE DOWN
This Year State Health Data shows deaths from opioid overdoses have dropped significantly this year. Numbers through October of this year show 125 Iowans have died from opioid overdoses and the state is on track to see a significant drop in deaths as compared to 2023. Gabbie Ruggiero with Polk County Behavioral Health and Disability Services says the reason is unclear, but local programs report an increase in the use of opioid overdose-reversal drugs. She says that indicates those drugs are being used. The Centers for Disease Control reports drug overdoses overall decreased nationally last year for the first time since 2018.
BUSINESSES WANT DROP IN UNEMPLOYMENT FUND CONTRIBUTIONS
A coalition of businesses that employs 160-thousand Iowans is calling for a reduction in the taxes Iowa businesses pay into the state fund that pays out unemployment benefits. Iowa Business Council president Joe Murphy raised the issue during a recent online hearing Governor Kim Reynolds hosted. Governor Reynolds used federal funding at the beginning of the pandemic to cover the large jump in jobless claims in 2020. The governor signed a law in 2022 that reduced the amount of time Iowans may receive unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 10 weeks. J-D Davis, a vice president for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, says the Unemployment Trust Fund is stable and it’s time to consider changes.
RURAL MAINSTREET ECONOMY PLUMMETS AS TRUMP BUMP FADES
The monthly survey of bank CEO’s in rural areas of ten states, including Iowa, indicate that the election of Donald Trump as president caused a brief uptick in local economies. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says his December survey shows this bump was short-lived. The survey’s Rural Mainstreet Index was positive in November — the first and now only positive reading in 2024. Goss says things have been tough with John Deere layoffs, for example, having a trickle down effect on smaller businesses that supply the parts for tractors and other John Deere products. Goss expects the first portion of 2025 is going to be little tougher, but says he is pretty positive in the outlook for the second portion of the new year.
