The Downtown Community Alliance (DCA) has introduced a new fee structure for Downtown Farmers Market vendors. Under the “fee by category” plan the majority of vendors agreed to, some vendors will pay more or less depending on the size and location of their stalls. Fees also favor local farmers/growers; vendors who sell food wholesale, or sell crafts or prepared food, will pay more. DCA staff will meet with vendors during the next two weeks to discuss stall needs and determine each vendor’s fee based on the new structure. The DCA said the change will provide additional funding to help cover increasing costs to put on the farmers market.

Smithfield Foods Inc. announced today that it will cut approximately 1,800 jobs from its pork group as part of a restructuring plan designed to save the company $125 million annually by fiscal year 2011. As part of the plan, it will reduce the number of independent operating companies to three from seven, merge fresh pork sales teams into two groups and close six plants. The company anticipates a pre-tax charge of about $85 million to be recorded in its third fiscal quarter ended Feb. 1, one-time pre-tax charges of about $30 million as the plan is implemented over the next three quarters, and an additional $53 million in capital expenditures related to the plant closures. The plants are expected to close by December. With sales of $12 billion, Smithfield Foods is the leading processor and marketer of fresh pork and packaged meats in the United States and the largest producer of hogs.

The Iowa Department of Economic Development is seeking applications for its new Main Street Iowa Urban Neighborhood District Program, designed to help revitalize historic commercial neighborhood districts. Letters of intent are due by tomorrow, and the department expects to accept as many as four urban neighborhoods into the program this year. Learn more at www.iowalifechanging.com/community/mainstreetiowa.

Des Moines-based EMC Insurance Group Inc. will withdraw its personal lines programs in six states that it expects will only offer limited long-term growth and profit potential and redirect those resources to better-performing states, the company said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last week. EMC began informing its independent agents in the affected states, which are Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The timeline for withdrawal will vary by each state, but the entire process is expected to take 24 to 30 months.

More than one-fourth of major U.S. television stations will turn off their analog broadcasts today, sticking with the original date set by Congress, despite the wish of the Obama administration that they delay until June 12, the Associated Press reported. In Des Moines, KDSM and WHO-TV will switch to just digital today.

Matt Kinley, senior vice president of Pappajohn Capital Resources and Equity Dynamics Inc., will be the featured speaker at the Business Innovation Zone luncheon tomorrow. He will discuss raising venture capital from the investor’s point of view. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at the Greater Des Moines Partnership, 700 Locust St., Suite 100, Des Moines. For more information, contact Cathy Spenceri at caspenceri@dmacc.edu.

Meredith Corp. has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Climate Leaders program. As part of this program, Meredith has committed to reducing its environmental impact by completing a corporate-wide inventory of greenhouse gas emissions, setting reduction goals and annually reporting its progress to the EPA. This month, Meredith also published its 2009 corporate sustainability report online; it’s available at www.meredith.com/meredith_corporate/sustainability.html.