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Energy

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Iowa Senate gives green light to industrial hemp

Cedar Rapids Gazette: Iowa farmers would be allowed to grow industrial hemp as a crop under legislation that Monday cleared the state Senate. Senators voted 49-1 to send the Iowa House a bill authorizing the production, …
By BPC Staff | Apr 16, 2019
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Ag literacy workshops for teachers offered

Two-day professional development workshops for teachers will be offered throughout the summer around the state by the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation and partner organizations. Among the Central Iowa workshop dates are June 13-14 in Pella, …
By BPC Staff | Apr 15, 2019
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More Iowa farmers face trouble securing financing as planting season nears

Des Moines Register: Dozens of Iowa farmers may be unable to get operating loans to buy seed, pay rent or make tractor payments this year, a sign of the growing cracks in the state’s ag economy. …
By BPC Staff | Apr 15, 2019
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EPA stands by Iowa water quality program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has declined to strip Iowa’s power to enforce federal water quality laws, the Des Moines Register reported. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club and the …
By BPC Staff | Apr 12, 2019
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Farmers got older, income fell, ag census data shows

Successful Farming: Producers got older, more females were principal growers, and farms got bigger while the average per-farm income declined between 2012 and 2017, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2017 Census of Agriculture. …
By BPC Staff | Apr 12, 2019
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CenturyLink announces expanded broadband in rural Iowa

Cedar Rapids Gazette: CenturyLink has completed broadband installation for about 21,000 rural Iowa homes and businesses. The company last week announced the expanded broadband services, which reach more than 30 Iowa communities, including Muscatine, Winterset, Independence …
By BPC Staff | Apr 8, 2019
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Ames Seed Capital event to feature Entrepreneur Showcase, Startup Ames pitch contest

Ames Seed Capital will be hosting its annual event on April 23, featuring the Entrepreneur Showcase, the annual Ames Seed Capital Luncheon and Meeting, and a pitch competition hosted by Startup Ames. Top presenters in …
By BPC Staff | Apr 8, 2019
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Sioux Falls-based ethanol producer Poet awarded millions by arbitration panel

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Poet has asked a federal judge to confirm a multimillion-dollar arbitration award it received from a company that it claims botched an ethanol production system at a plant in …
By BPC Staff | Apr 5, 2019
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Iowa senators want disaster assistance program to cover stored grain ruined by flooding

Iowa’s two U.S. senators are working to expand the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s disaster relief program to include stored grain, not just crops in the field, reports Iowa Public Radio. The Senate stalled this week on …
By BPC Staff | Apr 5, 2019
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Axne seeks to revive federal tax credit for advanced biofuels

Radio Iowa: Iowa Rep. Cindy Axne has introduced a bill that would make permanent an expired federal tax credit for cellulosic or biofuels. Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, said reviving the $1.01 per gallon …
By BPC Staff | Apr 4, 2019