Media Review 01-13-06 - Iowa State Universitynscentral/mr/06/01132006.doc · Web viewHome heating cost estimates are expected to be 25-40% higher than last winter," he says. "This

Index to University Clippings

Iowa State University

January 2, 2006 through January 13, 2006

University News

Dubuque Telegraph Herald – 1/8 - Many Happy Returns - Teresa Tsushima – Faculty/Research

Dubuque Telegraph Herald – 1/8 - Ruling Gives Big Packer Boys Yet Another Key Legal Victory - Roger McEowen – Faculty/Research

Omaha World-Herald – 1/7 - Beef Export Session Planned – General

Iowa City Press-Citizen – 1/6 - Mary Swander's Work Presented Sunday - Mary Swander – Faculty/Research

AgWeb.com – 1/5 - Economist: Pork Demand The Big Unknown - John Lawrencesays – Faculty/Research

Associated Press State & Local Wire – 1/5 - New TV Show Focuses On "Living The Country Life" - Paul Lasley – Faculty/Research

National Hog Farmer Online Exclusive – 1/5 - Sow Herd Training - Locke Karriker – Faculty/Research

National Hog Farmer Online Exclusive – 1/5 - NSIF Honors Two Iowa Stater's - Max Rothschild – Faculty/Research

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette – 1/2 - Experts See The Decline Of Rural U.S. Quickening Federal Farm, Development Programs At Risk - Paul Lasley- Faculty/Research

Begin In-House Media Review, 01-13-06

Ag Web – 1/5 - Economist: Pork Demand the Big Unknown – John Lawrence – Faculty/research

Agri News, IL – 1/11 - Western bean cutworm now migrating east - General

Agri News, MN – 1/10 - Lawmakers consider tax incentives for beginning farmers

- General

Associated Press – 12/31 - ‘Water for Iowans’ coalition formed – Retired - Stanley Johnson - John Miranowski – Faculty/research – Also ran in: Iowa Farmer Today

Associated Press – 1/3 - Snowmobilers push for higher fines - General

Bismarck Farm & Ranch Guide – 1/5 - Elevators will be among first inspected when FDA starts enforcing bioterror law – Charles Hurburgh – Faculty/research

Crookston Daily Times, MN – 1/9 - Annie's Project aims to boost farm women's – Bob Wells, Extension

Daily Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, IA – 1/4 – Drought likely to follow mild winter – Elwynn Taylor – Faculty/research

Des Moines Register – 1/5 - Yepsen: One legislator making a drive at raising pickup fees - General

Des Moines Register – 1/5 – Editorial – Encourage snowmobiling - General

Des Moines Register – 1/6 - Wrestler pins hopes on trip to Japan – Neal Isaak - Student

Des Moines Register – 1/6 - ISU senior to deliver speech honoring King – Cameron Creighton - Student

Des Moines Register – 1/6 - Many upward swings in Des Moines area – David Swenson – Faculty/research

Des Moines Register – 1/6 - Areas picked for MyEntreNet - General

Des Moines Register – 1/8 – Money Management – ISU offers finance course for women- Cynthia Fletcher – Faculty/research

Des Moines Register – 1/8 – For more Iowans, it pays to give - General

Des Moines Register – 1/8 – Iowa top 10 - General

Des Moines Register – 1-9 - Sagario: Turn a deaf ear to those auditory assaults – Paul Lasley – Faculty/research

Des Moines Register – 1-9 - University online donations soar - Foundation

Des Moines Register – 1/10 – Letters to the Editor - Athletics

Des Moines Register – 1/11 – Carillonneur to perform tribute concert – Tin-Shi Tam – Faculty/research

Des Moines Register – 1/11 - Proposal to increase beer taxes upsets distributors, restaurants - Ajani Thomas - Student

Des Moines Register – 1/11 - Woodbury supervisors approve organic ordinance – Rich Pirog - Administration

Farm News – 12/23 - Poll finds farmers pleased with current farm policy – Paul Lasley – Faculty/research

Farm News – 12/23 - Wintersteen named named ISU ag dean – President Gregory Geoffroy – Wendy Wintersteen – Administration – Also ran in: Iowa Farmer Today

Farm News – 12/23 – Locally-grown foods remain in demand – Steve Adams - Extension

Farm News – 1/5 - Conference addresses grain handling, bioterrorism - General

Farm News – 1/6 - Cutworm makes its presence known in Corn Belt – Joel DeJong - Extension

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/24 – FYI – ISU water-quality projects funded - General

Iowa Farmer Today – 12.24 - Web links specialty goods, market - General

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/24 - Iowa’s past reveals rich food history – Rich Pirog - Administration

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/24 – Good yields have room to improve – Jim Rouse – Faculty/research

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/31 - ISU ag school ‘player’ in development: Wintersteen – Windy Wintersteen - Administration

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/31 - 2005 soybean crop quality: Oil up, protein down - General

Iowa Farmer Today – 12/31 - WTO ag proposal includes radical subsidy changes - General

KCCI.com, IA – 1/4 - Grad Student to attend Pro Wrestling Camp – Neal Isaak - Student

Lincoln Journal Star, NE – 1/7 - Fun facts for a not-so fun 2006 – Roger McEowen – Faculty/research

MIT Technology Review, MA – 1/5 – Plant Power – Robert Anex – Faculty/research

Phhilly.com – 1/9 – A fresh idea for USDA – General – Also ran in: FreshPlaza, Netherlands

Pork Net – 1/9 – Ag Briefs - General

Quad City Times, IA – 1/8 - Lobbying scandal fallout felt in area - Steffen Schmidt – Faculty/research

Radio Iowa – 1/9 - Students send old textbooks overseas – Craig Buske - Student

Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD - 1/11 - Pop. 144,600 - and booming – Tim Borich – Faculty/research

The Dickinson Press, ND – 1/1 – Pursuing a Dakota Dream – Neal Isaak – Student

The Hindu, Hindu, India -1/10 - Farmers should be made aware of benefits of BT: Minister – Wendy Wintersteen - Administration

Times Online, UK – 1/8 - Gory games that can warp your brain – Craig Anderson – Faculty/research - Also ran in: Earthtimes.org

Wisconsin Ag Connections – 1/11 - National Ag Electric Seminar to be Held in Wisconsin - General

Dubuque TelegraphHerald

Go to top……….January 8, 2006 Sunday Tristate; Pg. a1

Many Happy Returns'Boomerang kids' find that there's no place like their parents' home

EMILY KLEIN

With the ever-increasing cost of higher education and an unreliable job market, many 20-somethings are turning to the one place they know will never turn them away - home.

Children who leave home to enter college, the work force, military or just to find independence and then return home often are called "boomerang kids."

In 2002, 55 percent of men and 46 percent of women ages 18 to 24 lived at home with at least one parent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Bev and Steve Kraus, of Dubuque, welcomed their 20-year-old daughter Lindsay back home in October to help her save money and plan her wedding.

Lindsay was living alone in a Dubuque apartment, following a year at

Kirkwood Community College, when her boyfriend proposed. Bev and Steve encouraged Lindsay to move back home so she wouldn't have to pay rent.

"It was more of a suggestion on our part," Bev said. "She didn't know if she wanted to come home to the rules."

But after explaining that she was an adult and would be treated as one while in their home, Lindsay decided that moving back in with her parents would be an ideal way to save money, plan her May wedding and learn to cook.

Lindsay does her own laundry and generally takes care of her belongings in the house, Bev said. Occasionally she asks her parents to care for her dog while she's away, but the family has grown attached to the pet and Bev said she will miss the

dog when it leaves with Lindsay.

If a child helps with chores or even tempers his or her behaviors to accommodate the family's lifestyle, it can decrease stress in a boomerang household, said Teresa Tsushima, assistant professor of Sociology at Iowa State University.

Because the parent-child relationship has become more friendship-based than it had been historically, Tsushima said parents might be more willing to welcome adult children home.

"Parents who are empathic and able to demonstrate warmth are more likely to have closer relationships with their children, and their children may then feel in turn that they can return home," Tshushima said.

Bev said she and Lindsay have always had a strong relationship, so having her home while planning the

CompetitivEdge 1-888-881-EDGE www.clipresearch.com Electronic Clipping

details of the wedding has been a positive experience for them both.

Tsushima said several factors contribute to the boomerang trend.

"This generation that's graduating from college isn't facing as good of an economic market as their parents were at that age," she said.

Today's college graduates are facing a labor market that often does not pay enough for them to uphold the lifestyles their parents have provided, Tsushima said. Baby Boomers have typically been more indulgent than their parents, but by living a more lavish lifestyle, their children have grown accustomed to it as well.

Generally, she said, it's easier for upper and middle-class families to handle a boomerang

because they have the resources to accommodate another adult living in the home.

Research on the phenomena is limited and Tsushima said it is likely that researchers have not examined the trend more closely because it is not perceived as a social problem. But that does not mean that kids who boomerang come without conflict.

Several factors can indicate whether an adult who moves back in with their family will cause tension and turmoil.

If the child's return is a surprise, it will likely cause some stress on the family. Parents who have no idea that their adult child might be planning to come home have a more difficult time accepting it when it happens, Tsushima said.

"If parents have fully paid for a child to go to college, parents might not always expect them to turn around and come home," she said.

But if a child graduates with stacks of college loans, parents are more likely to be understanding of the situation and see it as a transition period for the child.

When Lindsay marries, Bev expects to get used to an empty house again quickly.

"It's different because we had an empty nest for two years," she said. "You get used to your own ways."

GRAPHIC: Liz Noon, (left) 27, helps her mom, Joan Noon, get ready for a gathering at their Dubuque home. Liz returned to live with her parents after graduating from college and working a couple of years.


Dubuque TelegraphHerald

Go to topJanuary 8, 2006 Sunday Agriculture; Pg. b7

Ruling gives Big Packer Boys yet another key legal victoryA court finds anti-corporate law in Nebraska unconstitutional

ALAN GUEBERT

Under the pile of wrapping paper left from the holidays and newspapers left from 2005 lurks some not-so fun 2006 items for the nation, farmers and ranchers.

* Item One: On Dec. 15, the Federal District Court for the District of Nebraska ruled the nation's toughest anti-corporate farming law, Nebraska's Initiative 300, unconstitutional because it violated the "dormant commerce clause" of the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ruling, which will be appealed by the state, now leaves just nine states with varying levels of anti-corporate farming laws.

It also cracks the door for the Big Packer Boys to declare open season on independent livestock producers in the Cornhusker State, the nation's largest red meat producer (despite 20-year-

old claims that I-300 would kill beef and pork production there), and one of the last bastions of cash cattle and hog markets.

More darkly, however, the ruling gives agbiz three legal wins in a row over state anti-corporate farming laws - South Dakota, Iowa and now Nebraska.

All pivoted on one, crucial hinge: smart lawyering that led a more business-pliant federal judiciary to an ever looser interpretation of the federal dormant commerce clause that forbids states from enacting "discriminatory" laws to impede interstate business.

That pliancy is now hardening into case law, notes Roger McEowen, an associate professor of ag law at Iowa State University, in an Agricultural Law Digest article co-authored with ISU colleague Neil Harl, because none of the three courts examined "the

actual impact" of the anti-corporate farming laws before tossing them out.

While the Nebraska "opinion appears to be seriously flawed," McEowen holds little hope for reversal through appeal. Instead, Congress should "address the anti-competitive effects of concentrated agricultural markets and vertically integrated production supply chains" these court-approved assaults continue to bless.

A second, important hinge to these cases is that agbiz found farmers to front the corporate court challenges. In short, farmers loaded the gun; agbiz pulled the trigger.

* Item Two: Just days before Christmas, congressional scrooges agreed to cut nearly $3 billion in ag spending over the next five years. The path was greased by opinion makers like the Washington Post which, on


Oct. 19, used the upcoming budget fight to note:

"As with Hollywood Mafiosi, the farmers' lobbying muscle is based on a combination of charm, thuggery and bribery. They exploit urban sentimentality about the pastoral idyll. When sentiment and charm don't work, farmers get their way with other tactics. The American farm lobby ... makes slightly more than $50 million worth of political donations in each election cycle."

* Item Three: Despite all the D.C. sanctimony over federal farm subsidies, 31 percent of 805 farms in a statewide University of Illinois study pocketed less than $20,000 in income in 2005.

Additionally, noted the U of I study released in December, in three of the past five years, net income on the Illinois' farms

surveyed was less than the government payments received. Indeed, without government payments, 40 percent of the farms in the survey would have logged negative incomes in the past six consecutive years.

* Items Four and Five: If the already put-in-place 2009 federal estate tax exemption of $3.5 million was the law in 2000, only 65 farms nationwide would have paid any estate taxes that year, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Using the same 2000 IRS data for 2006, when the exception rises to $2 million, only 124 farm estates across the country would have paid taxes.

According to an Aug. 31 survey by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 56 percent of all land buyers in the state during the first six months of 2005 used 1031 Tax-

Deferred Exchanges to avoid federal capital gains taxes while pushing land prices to more than $5,000 per acre in many prime farmland areas.

As such, why aren't farm groups - and their expensive lobbyists - fighting for tax changes to drain the 1031 price pressure that affects every working farmer and rancher as hard as they are for estate tax changes that affect only a handful?

Guebert's weekly column is published in more than 75 papers in North America. Contact him at [email protected].


Omaha World-HeraldGo to topJanuary 7, 2006 Saturday Iowa; Nebraska, Sunrise Editions NEWS; Pg. 02B

Beef export session plannedElizabeth Ahlin, WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Iowa cattle producers will have a chance to learn more about exporting beef to Japan during a Webcast from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.

Japan recently relaxed its two-year ban on U.S. beef, but not all cattle qualify to be exported. Japan will not accept beef from cattle older than 20 months.

Specific procedures must be followed to prove the age of cattle, said Doug Doty, Fremont County extension education director.

The program will break down the procedures, which are not widely understood, Doty said.

Speakers also will address the possible market and price changes that may result from resuming beef exports to Japan, once the biggest importer of American beef.

The Webcast will originate from the Fremont County Extension Office in Sidney.

More than 40 Iowa State extension offices will host the Webcast, which requires a $5 registration fee. Cattle producers should contact their local extension offices to register.


Iowa City Press-CitizenGo to topJanuary 6, 2006 Friday LIFE; Pg. 5B

Mary Swander's work presented SundayA dramatic presentation of Mary Swander's "Driving the Body Back" will be from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center, 120 E. Boyson Road in Hiawatha.

The work dramatizes the stories of a family of eccentric characters with funny and moving scenes of immigrant pioneers, bootleggers, butchers and bird watchers. Fiddle music underscores the themes and provides transitions.

The writers are Mary Swander of Kalona, a professor at Iowa State University, and Teri Jean Breitback, the artistic director of the Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre Co. in West Liberty.

Admission is $20. For information, call 319-395-6700.


AgWeb.comGo to topJanuary 5, 2006

Economist: Pork Demand the Big UnknownHIGHLIGHT:

John Lawrence looks at demand prospects

From Pro Farmer

Julianne Johnston

Iowa State University ag economist John Lawrencesays the big unknown in the lean hog price outlook is pork demand. He notes demand for pork was very strong in late 2003 and 2004, with some quarters posting an increase in supply and an increase in price at the same time.

"For the year of 2004, per capita pork consumption decreased 1% and Iowa farm level prices increased 33%, an approximately ten times bigger impact than was expected," he notes.

However, it appears that 2005 is returning to reality, he adds. "Preliminary data indicates that per capita

pork consumption decreased 2.9% and prices also fell 4%. The question is what will happen to demand in 2006. Unlike supplies that can be tracked from inventories and biology, demand is difficult to predict. Economists generally believe that demand is a function of the number of consumers, the price of substitutes, consumer income, and consumer preferences."

"While total supplies are expected to increase, per capita domestic consumption may increase only slightly thanks to continued strength in pork exports. Supplies of competing meats are expected to be close to 2005 levels setting up a supply scenario similar to 2005 but with slightly more pork," says Lawrence.

Lawrence says exports are expected to increase in 2006, but perhaps not at the 25% growth rate

seen in 2004-05 due in part to expansion of beef exports. "That leaves consumer income and their preferences," he says.

"Consumer income has been impacted by rising energy prices. Gasoline is down from its $3/gallon peak early in the fall, but appears to have settled in the $2/gallon range compared to $1.79/gallon national average a year ago. Home heating cost estimates are expected to be 25-40% higher than last winter," he says. "This increased pressure on consumer spending will likely impact their purchasing decisions including for food. Higher priced and away-from-home food will likely be impacted more than the lower priced and at-home meals. Thus, bacon cheeseburgers may be replaced with ham sandwiches or a pork loin roast may be


replaced with pepperoni pizza."

"Most analysts credit the low-carb trend with supporting demand in 2003 and 2004. Indicators suggest that while protein consumption is higher than before the low-carb

craze, the rate of growth of new high protein dieters has slowed and perhaps even declined," he adds.

In conclusion, Lawrence says, "Thus, pork demand, while still above its pre-2003 levels, will likely be below its 2003-

04 level in the year ahead. Because it is difficult to predict, the market may have trouble anticipating weaker demand. Add in larger and expanding pork supplies and 2006 looks like a year to be more aggressive on locking in prices."


The Associated Press State & Local WireJanuary 5, 2006, Thursday, BC cycle

Go to topNew TV show focuses on "Living the Country Life"

By AMY LORENTZEN, Associated Press Writer

DES MOINES, Iowa

As suburbs spread ever farther from the city, more American families find themselves "Living the Country Life" - the title of a slick new television show offering tips on gardening, livestock and pastoral panache.

Meredith Corp.'s 30-minute show, which airs four times a week through April on cable network RFD-TV, targets the growing number of homeowners who live on rural acreages.

The show offers tips on property upkeep, gardening and cooking, said Betsy Freese, the show's creator and host. It covers such topics as weed control, raising llamas and outdoor meat smoking. Segments on "cool country tools" showcase hedge trimmers to horse trailers.

Patrick Gottsch, RFD-TV president, said such programming is viewers' No. 1 request.

"They have got this land now and they have got a fence to build and want to get a couple of horses or raise some animals, do something with the land," he said. "They are hungry for information and news and features on living in rural America."

Paul Lasley, a sociologist at Iowa State University, said there is a trend of people moving to acreages, especially near cities. Some do so for privacy, others to be more in touch with nature, he said.

"This is a lifestyle choice that people want to have the amenities of rural living, but they want access to the amenities offered by urban or city life," Lasley said.

According to 2000 Census figures, about 15.3 percent of Americans - or about 43 million - live in rural areas that are not on a farm, and are not part of a town or other incorporated area.

In Iowa, about 15.1 percent, or 443,000 people, fit that same criteria.

"Clearly, Meredith is targeting this as a set of interest that is a viable market," Lasley said.

Freese is editor of Living the Country Life magazine, a spinoff of Successful Farming, Meredith Corp.'s first magazine.


She said the show isn't aimed at farm families, but could appeal to them as well. About a third of the segments are shot outdoors on her family's 36-acre spread south of Des Moines, where her big red barn serves as a backdrop.

Her three children can be seen tending goats and pigs. Her husband, Bob Freese, a veterinarian, even helped her book some of the guests, who walk viewers through the process of installing wire fencing, learning to ride an all-terrain vehicle or buying a horse.

"Obviously, we're not on a set. It's probably more freewheeling than Martha Stewart would be," Betsy Freese said.

Freese, who also serves as livestock editor at Successful Farming, said her favorite segments involve animals: how to raise pigs, exhibit calves or train a stock dog to shepherd sheep.

One segment of the program, focusing on small machinery, is hosted by Deere & Co., maker of John Deere tractors and mowers. Spokesman Michael Gustafson said his company has high hopes for "Living the Country Life."

Country homeowners have been hard to reach because there are few magazines and radio outlets targeting the rural lifestyle, he said.

RFD-TV, which takes its name from the U.S. Postal Service's old "rural free delivery" routes, reaches more than 29 million households via Mediacom, DirecTV, the DISH network and other cable systems.

"I hope what it will do is it will elevate the RFD-TV programming to the point where this becomes almost a Home & Garden TV for the rural market," Gustafson said.

Trying to reach acreage owners with how-to information isn't a new concept for Bob Hamblen, Colorado State University Cooperative Extension director for Boulder County.

He said the extension service there began developing programs and educational materials for such landowners, including a seven-state effort in the late 1990s called "Living on the Land."

It includes instructional materials on topics such as weed management, water quality and how to care for pasture and livestock.

New acreage owners are often highly educated, higher-income and in their late 30s and up, he said. Most don't have a background in farming or ranching, and many don't realize just how much time and money it will take to care for their property.

"It's almost like the old show 'Green Acres,"' Hamblen said. "They are a very receptive individual group that wants information, they are very technologically astute ... It's a whole new clientele base."

On the Net:

Meredith Corp.: http://www.meredith.com/


RFD-TV: http://www.rfdtv.com/

Living the Country Life: http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/

Successful Farming: http://www.agriculture.com/ag/sfonline/

Colorado State University Cooperative Extension: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/


National Hog Farmer Online ExclusiveGo to topJanuary 5, 2006

Sow Herd Training

Farrowing and breeding/gestation personnel in Nebraska can improve their skills by using a convenient and low-cost format to connect with University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Iowa State University (ISU) experts.

Producers can review a CD-ROM, meet for three phone bridge/polycom (audio and visual communication) conferences, do homework, take tests and grade themselves on the materials, says UNL swine specialist Duane Reese.

Meetings will be held in the UNL Extension offices in Gage, Cuming or Madison counties.

Group names and dates are: Niche/Alternative Production System Farrowers ? Jan. 18, Feb. 1 and Feb. 15; Conventional Farrowers ? Feb. 8, Feb. 22 and March 8; and Conventional Breeding/Gestation ? Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and Feb. 24.

Instructors include Reese; Don Levis, UNL Extension educator; Locke Karriker, ISU swine veterinarian; and Dave Stender, ISU area livestock specialist.

To register, call (402) 472-6430 or for more information contact Reese by phone (402) 472-6425 or e-mail [email protected].


National Hog Farmer Online ExclusiveGo to topJanuary 5, 2006

NSIF Honors Two Iowa Stater's

A faculty member and a graduate student from Iowa State University's animal science department were honored last month at the National Swine Improvement Federation (NSIF) annual meeting.

Max Rothschild, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, received the Charles Stanislaw Memorial Distinguished Service Award. Clint Schwab received the Lauren Christian Memorial Graduate Student Award.

The faculty award honors achievement in performance testing programs.

Rothschild is recognized as a foremost animal geneticist and for his work coordinating research on the U.S. pig genome. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses as well as heads an extensive research program.

Schwab's graduate work focuses on the effects of long-term selection for reduced backfat and increased loin muscle area on meat and eating quality traits, and selection for intramuscular fat in live pigs using real-time ultrasound.


Arkansas Democrat-GazetteGo to topJanuary 2, 2006 Monday FRONT SECTION

Experts see the decline of rural U.S. quickening Federal farm, development programs at risk

BY PAUL BARTON ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

WASHINGTON - Despite 70 years of federal effort to address the imbalance, rural America remains significantly less prosperous than urban America, prompting new thinking about how to stem its decline.

Arguments over rural development will likely intensify, observers say, as the Bush administration readies next year's budget proposals, Congress prepares for a 2007 rewrite of farm programs and world trade talks continue to take aim at crop subsidies.

At stake is the use of tens of billions of dollars in tax money as well as the well-being of 59 million Americans, including 1.15 million Arkansans, who the Census Bureau says live in "nonmetro" areas.

"With the exception of rural areas close to metropolitan areas, much of rural America is in decline," Paul Lasley, sociologist

at Iowa State University, said in an interview.

It is an observation repeated often in recent years.

A 2001 study published by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City stated: "Significant portions of rural America are in trouble. For some parts of rural America, the slow slide to no longer being viable - economically, socially or politically - is within sight." A 2005 analysis by the National Rural Network, a coalition of dozens of advocacy groups, described rural America as made up of places "where poverty has persisted for decades, where populations have been declining for half a century, where private sector growth has been minimal and where local schools, hospitals and churches are often only a memory of its aging residents." A wealth of national statistics back up such gloomy assessments.

Median family income in rural areas is 25 percent lower than in urban areas,

and rural poverty is 28 percent higher. Moreover, 88 percent of the nation's "persistently poor" counties are rural, reports the Rural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri.

"The percentage of poor that is in rural America is increasing. That is our challenge," said Charles W. Fluharty, director of the institute.

The South, in particular, suffers. While 20 percent of Americans reside in rural areas, 34 percent of Southerners do, according to the Southern Growth Policies Board, a research and planning organization located in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Poverty rates in the rural South are almost 50 percent higher than in metro areas, while educational attainment remains "markedly lower," it added in a recently released report. Infant mortality rates are higher and access to physicians lower.

FEDERAL NEGLECT?


What's more, rural advocates say, rural areas get the short end of federal spending, at least $100 a year less per capita than urban areas, resulting in a $6.5 billion "funding disadvantage," the National Rural Network contends.

Of the money that does go to rural areas, it says, at least 70 percent is in transfer payments - Social Security, Food Stamps, Medicare and other programs - rather than in funds that help communities build water and sewer systems and other infrastructure needed for economic development.

Behind all these studies is the continued belief by politicians and regional development experts that it is inherently in the national interest to revitalize rural America - despite disagreements over how to do it.

"This nation is not going to be able to compete unless all of its people, regardless of where they live, are able to compete," said Elaine Matthews of the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center.

"I think most of us are not ready to imagine an America without viable smaller communities," added Jim Clinton, director of the Southern Growth Policies Board. "Not everyone should have to live in cities." And Mitch

Chandler, spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Economic Development, said, "We can't give up on our small towns." Aside from that, the economic benefits to the country would be enormous, writes Mark Drabenstott of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. "Vibrant regional economies" are a key to future growth of the overall national economy, he said in a paper released in May.

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Totaling the dollars committed to rural development depends on who's counting. Many lawmakers, for instance, consider highway construction a rural economic development program.

Annually, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a ruraldevelopment budget of about $12 billion, but the overwhelming majority of that comes in loans made for such things as utility services and housing. Only about $1 billion is direct spending, according to an analysis by the Center for the Study of Rural America, part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Another $1 billion to $2 billion a year goes to rural communities through Community Development Block Grants. Rural areas

in Arkansas got about $22 million in 2005.

One of the Arkansas groups funded is Universal Housing Development Corp., run by Patricia Atkinson in Russellville. Since 1976, the program has helped low-income rural Arkansans build their own houses, establishing "sweat equity" that makes them become owners. The program averages 20-25 houses a year.

Affordable housing remains "a huge part" of rural development, the Rural Policy Research Institute's Fluharty said. Not only does it help attract residents to rural areas, it helps them build wealth that can open other opportunities, such as college educations.

But for the most part, Fluharty and others say, federal community- and rural-development programs remain an uncoordinated hodgepodge of programs spread throughout the government. Agencies as disparate as Treasury, the Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense, to name a few, offer more than 180 combined economic-development programs.

Said Drabenstott: "Simply put, federal economic development is a soup concocted by many chefs."


Numerous other think tanks have described them as redundant and wasteful, at times prompting small towns to separately acquire assets that they could share.

FARM BILL DEBATE

The Bush administration proposed as part of its 2006 budget the consolidation of 18 major development programs, including the always popular Community Development Block Grants, under the Department of Commerce. It also proposed to reduce funding for those programs from $5.6 billion to $3.7 billion. It would have eliminated the Economic Development Administration, an agency that Arkansas lawmakers have long pointed to as helpful to rural areas.

Bush called it the "Strengthening America's Communities Initiative," but it was quickly rejected by Congress because it altered too many popular programs.

The administration has signaled that it plans to repackage the proposal as part of its 2007 budget proposal.

While Bush's plan draws fire, there remain plenty of advocates for reshaping federal rural economic-development programs. The debate is expected to

help shape the 2007 farm bill.

Groups such as the Rural Policy Research Institute and the Center for Rural Affairs, located in Lyons, Neb., contend at least some of the $15 billion to $20 billion the federal government spends annually on crop subsidies be reallocated to other parts of the rural economy, especially to "microbusinesses," firms of five or fewer employees.

That's the future of the rural economies, they add, not farming driven by subsidies. That money, they say, often is siphoned off by landlords that live in other states rather than put into local economies.

"The greatest indicator of economic lag is the degree to which a community is dependent on commodity agriculture," said Fluharty.

And, sooner or later, world trade disputes, where subsidies are taking center stage, will force a reduction in the federal payments American farmers receive, he said.

The American Farm Bureau Federation begs to differ. Spend more money on rural development, the group says, but don't take it from crop subsidies.

"You take money out of the pocket of farmers, you take it out of the rural

community as well," said Dana Brooks, head of congressional relations for the federation. "Commodity producers continue to need that safety net." The Center for Rural Affairs applauds the debate.

Said Chuck Hassebrook, director of the group: "The good news I see is a growing recognition among policymakers that if we want these communities to survive, we have to do something."


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Ag Web01/05/06

Economist: Pork Demand the Big Unknown

From Pro FarmerJulianne Johnston

Iowa State University ag economist John Lawrence says the big unknown in the lean hog price outlook is pork demand. He notes demand for pork was very strong in late 2003 and 2004, with some quarters posting an increase in supply and an increase in price at the same time.

"For the year of 2004, per capita pork consumption decreased 1% and Iowa farm level prices increased 33%, an approximately ten times bigger impact than was expected," he notes.

However, it appears that 2005 is returning to reality, he adds. "Preliminary data indicates that per capita pork consumption decreased 2.9% and prices also fell 4%. The question is what will happen to demand in 2006. Unlike supplies that can be tracked from inventories and biology, demand is difficult to predict. Economists generally believe that demand is a function of the number of consumers, the price of substitutes, consumer income, and consumer preferences."

"While total supplies are expected to increase, per capita domestic consumption may increase only slightly thanks to continued strength in pork exports. Supplies of competing meats are expected to be close to 2005 levels setting up a supply scenario similar to 2005 but with slightly more pork," says Lawrence.

Lawrence says exports are expected to increase in 2006, but perhaps not at the 25% growth rate seen in 2004-05 due in part to expansion of beef exports. "That leaves consumer income and their preferences," he says.

"Consumer income has been impacted by rising energy prices. Gasoline is down from its $3/gallon peak early in the fall, but appears to have settled in the $2/gallon range compared to $1.79/gallon national average a year ago. Home heating cost estimates are expected to be 25-40% higher than last winter," he says. "This increased pressure on consumer spending will likely impact their purchasing decisions including for food. Higher priced and away-from-home food will likely be impacted more than the lower priced and at-home meals. Thus, bacon cheeseburgers may be replaced with ham sandwiches or a pork loin roast may be replaced with pepperoni pizza."

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"Most analysts credit the low-carb trend with supporting demand in 2003 and 2004. Indicators suggest that while protein consumption is higher than before the low-carb craze, the rate of growth of new high protein dieters has slowed and perhaps even declined," he adds.

In conclusion, Lawrence says, "Thus, pork demand, while still above its pre-2003 levels, will likely be below its 2003-04 level in the year ahead. Because it is difficult to predict, the market may have trouble anticipating weaker demand. Add in larger and expanding pork supplies and 2006 looks like a year to be more aggressive on locking in prices."

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Agri News, IL01/11/06

Western bean cutworm now migrating east

DES MOINES, Iowa — Western bean cutworm, a destructive insect that can cause severe yield loss in cornfields, spread this past growing season into the northern half of Illinois and many counties in Wisconsin.Before 2005, the insect was confirmed in Iowa, southern Minnesota, northern Missouri, Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, western Kansas and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma. This leaves many growers wondering about WBC control measures for 2006.

Traps set by extension agents from the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin, as well as Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. agronomists in Illinois, confirm the spread of this insect into these states

Young WBC larvae feed on tassels and silks, but eventually tunnel through the silk channel to reach the developing kernels. Direct yield loss occurs as the larvae consume all or parts of developing kernels. Partially consumed kernels may be further attacked by ear molds or secondary insect feeders that enter the ear through the WBC feeding channel."When fields average several WBC larvae per plant, yield losses may be as high as 30 percent to 40 percent," said Paula Davis, senior marketing manager for insect and disease control traits at Pioneer.

Historically, management of WBC has been limited to careful scouting and timely application of insecticides. Growers now have access to in-plant control of WBC with the Herculex I and Herculex XTRA insect protection traits. Herculex XTRA contains both the Herculex I trait and the Herculex RW rootworm protection trait.

"Because of the labor intensive nature of scouting, the critical timing needed for insecticide applications and the possibility that multiple treatments may be necessary, insecticides may not be an economical or effective solution to the WBC problem," David added.

Although it is unclear why the WBC has expanded its area so quickly, several factors may be involved including mild winters, reduced use of foliar insecticides and increased use of no-till systems

Research conducted by Iowa State University in 2005 evaluated hybrids with the Herculex I technology at four locations in two Iowa counties – Hardin and Buchanan. The researchers counted the number of ears infested with WBC in hybrids with Herculex I and YieldGard Corn Borer traits compared to their base

genetics (isolines).

Counts found that 14.5 percent of the Herculex I ears were infested with WBC, whereas 78.4 percent of the YieldGard Corn Borer ears were infected and 56.5 percent of the isoline ears were infested. This research demonstrates that the Herculex I trait in corn hybrids significantly reduces risk of WBC damage.

Additional research conducted by Pioneer in 2002 and 2003 on field-sized side-by-side plots confirms those findings. In 2002, hybrids with the Herculex I trait were evaluated next to hybrids with similar base genetics at 16 locations. Hybrids with Herculex I had 4 percent ear infestation, whereas the base genetics were 25 percent infested.

In 2003, research compared Herculex I with YieldGard Corn Borer. The study found only 5 percent of the Herculex I ears were infested, while hybrids with the YieldGard Corn Borer gene were 37 percent infested.

Research conducted by Pioneer in 2004 evaluated whether hybrids with Herculex I reduced mold levels compared to their non-Bt counterparts in areas with heavy western bean cutworm infestation. Researchers sampled 10 random ears from hybrids with the Herculex I trait and a non-Bt and/or YieldGard Corn Borer hybrid at each of the six locations.

"Hybrids with the Herculex I trait greatly reduced the occurrence of WBC feeding and mold," Davis said. "In contrast, hybrids with the YieldGard Corn Borer trait and conventional hybrids had similar levels of feeding and mold."

As a result of these and other studies, Pioneer researchers confirm that hybrids with the Herculex I or Herculex XTRA trait offer very good protection against WBC feeding.

In addition to guarding against western bean cutworm, the Herculex I gene protects the corn plant against European and southwestern corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, corn earworm, sugarcane borer, southern cornstalk borer and lesser cornstalk borer. Herculex XTRA protects against western, northern and Mexican corn rootworms. Herculex XTRA guards against a broader range of above- and below-ground insects in corn than any other in-seed product on the market.

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Agri News, MN01/10/06

Lawmakers consider tax incentives for beginning farmers

By Jean Caspers-Simmet Agri News staff writer

DES MOINES -- Passing tax incentives to encourage landowners to rent land to beginning farmers is supported by both Republicans and Democrats.

Last year, a last-minute Senate amendment giving sales tax rebates for livestock equipment resulted in Gov. Vilsack vetoing a bill that created incentives to rent to new farmers. The governor said he would support the bill if the sales tax amendment was removed.

House Agriculture Committee chairman Jack Drake, a Lewis Republican, said beginning farmer incentives should easily pass.

Senate Agriculture Committee co-chairman David Johnson, an Ocheyedan Republican, expects the bill to pass swiftly in the Senate.

"We want to pass a beginning farmer tax credit that Gov. Vilsack will sign,'' said Charles City farmer and Democrat Rep. Mark Kuhn. "Entry into agriculture is limited by high capital costs. Drake expects some discussion of livestock regulations, a perennial topic.

Kuhn said he will continue to push for local control of large livestock confinement units.

The House Agriculture Committee will look at the rights of property owners, Drake said. He's heard from several people concerned about the June 2005 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Kelo vs. the City of New London, Conn. The court upheld the city's decision to condemn private property to give to a development because it would generate more tax revenue.

Kuhn wants the Legislature to substantially increase funding for the Iowa State University veterinary medicine college, a must if the state hopes to have a strong livestock industry. Kuhn said House Democrats support another round of tax credits to encourage wind turbine construction. The credits created last year were quickly used.


Johnson said the Senate ag committee will consider an Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship proposal to establish an equine development commission to promote the horse industry.

He will advocate for an additional $5 million for the Watershed Improvement Review Board. That board awarded its first round of grants late last year.

Eugene Fraise, Co-chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, has pre-filed a bill requiring that residential land owners soil test lawns before applying fertilizer.

"I'm concerned about phosphate getting in our waters,'' said Fraise, a Fort Madison Democrat.

Economic development in rural areas is a top issue, said Senate co-president Jack Kibbie, an Emmetsburg Democrat. He thinks the Values Fund may need to be changed to level the playing field for rural Iowa. He wants a venture capital fund created for rural businesses, and a mechanism to allow small businesses to pool resources to buy health insurance. Kibbie said there may be discussion about increasing separation distances between large livestock confinement units and public waters, residences and parks. Kibbie will offer a bill requiring that meatpackers buy 25 percent of their daily kill on the open market. The Legislature also needs to provide funding for energy assistance for low income Iowans.

House Majority Leader Chuck Gipp hopes to see property tax reform that ties residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial property together for tax purposes. The Decorah Republican wants increased funding for soil conservation efforts.

Go to topAssociated Press12/31/05

‘Water for Iowans’ coalition formed

DES MOINES (AP) -- What began as a shaky partnership between farmers and environmentalists has grown into an unlikely coalition to improve Iowa’s water.

A group called Water for Iowans, comprising 15 farm groups and 80 environmental organizations, is sending stronger messages these days after the two sides worked out differences.

The coalition has been meeting informally for a couple years but leaders initially did not speak publicly because they weren’t sure their ideas would mix.

“These are groups that had been lobbing grenades at each other,” said Larry Kallem, a representative from Iowa farm groups and the coalition’s first president. “The trust that has been built between the two groups hasn’t been there in the past. But, after talking with each other for some time, we’ve discovered we’re not as far apart as we thought.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held public hearings this fall to address its proposal for stricter standards for rivers and streams. Public response showed many people blame ag for the state’s water-quality problems.

Iowa has more than 200 impaired waterways, and DNR statistics show ag is to blame for 90 percent of the nitrogen in Iowa’s waterways and 80 percent of the phosphorus. The pollution can cause fish kills and health threats for swimmers.

The coalition is trying to find solutions, although group leaders acknowledge it will be a challenge.

Water for Iowans grew out of a presentation in April 2002 given by two Iowa State University faculty members — Stanley Johnson, the outgoing vice provost for ISU Extension, and economics professor John Miranowski. The two advised farm and commodity organizations to take a “performance-based” approach to water quality. Under that approach, water quality would be monitored to determine if conservation practices are working.

If they don’t work, find ones that do, Miranowski said. He criticized how state and federal programs have helped farmers with erosion control, although there were never indications controlling erosion improved water quality.

“The government is putting in money, yet the environmentalists keep saying

farmers are polluting the environment,” Miranowski said. “Producers are tired of always being called the bad guys, no matter how hard they’ve tried to be good stewards of the land and improve water quality.” The performance-based approach was not initially welcomed by farm groups, Miranowski said.

Coalition leaders said the performance-based approach is now catching on, and environmental groups are allowing farmers flexibility to test strategies.

“Farmers can come up with a lot of innovations,” said Linda Kinman, who succeeded Kallem as president of Water for Iowans. “That’s what they’re good at.”Also ran in: Iowa Farmer Today

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Associated Press01/03/06

Snowmobilers push for higher fines

DES MOINES, Iowa Iowa snowmobilers are expected to make a fresh push for changes this year at the Statehouse.They want lawmakers to increase the fines for riding violations and to put more tax money in the state's snowmobile fund.

Terry Durby of the Iowa State Snowmobile Association says they want to put more teeth into the fines to deter the "few" snowmobilers who are causing the problems. The association, which includes 65 clubs in the state, also wants Iowa to invest more money in its own trails.

Iowa has over 35-thousand snowmobilers. A recent study by Iowa State University shows they spend 56 (m) million dollars a year on equipment and activities.

Durby says if Iowa spent more money it might capture more of the 16 (m) million dollars that Iowa snowmobilers spend in other

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Also ran in: WHO-TV, IA; WQAD, IL; WOI-TV, IA

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Bismarck Farm & Ranch Guide1/05/06

Elevators will be among first inspected when FDA starts enforcing bioterror law

By TIM HOSKINS, For Lee Agri-Media

AMES, Iowa - Bulk grain elevators could be the first places to be inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under its bioterror law.

In June, the FDA will start enforcing the new bioterror law related to recordkeeping of food products.

UNDER THE law, human food and animal feed are considered food, according to Charles Hurburgh, an Iowa State University professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

Under the law, records for feed will need to be kept one year.

“It is time to start thinking about this,” he said.

At the recent Integrated Crop Management Conference here, Hurburgh said while listening to an FDA presentation, bulk grain elevators are on the FDA's radar.

He expects elevators to be among the first inspected because the FDA knows food processors and food companies can follow the paper trail.

Evidence of this is how food companies can issue a food recall, he said.

Under the FDA inspections or audits, they will likely look at ways to trace grain to where they got it. That could mean back to an individual farmer or a certain load.

HURBURGH SAID farmers are exempt from the law. Other exemptions are meat, poultry and eggs handled by the USDA.

“It is unclear how the FDA will look at scale tickets,” he said.

In the meantime, there are procedures for grain elevators to prepare for enforcement of the law.

Some suggestions include: Put the initial bin assignment on scale tickets, date

and time stamp scale tickets, record date and time of in-house transfers, and record load-out information, such as time to fill and percent gate openings.

Hurburgh said the recording the initial bin assignment could eliminate half to two-thirds of the bulk grain to help determine where it came from if they had to trace a problem.

After the first audits, the practice with the best traceability standard will likely become the industry standard.

In addition, Hurburgh suggests elevators develop a flow chart and written procedures of their operations.

While the suggestions are made because of the bioterror law, he said the process could help elevators improve their efficiency.

A flow chart and written procedures could help a company see overlaps of steps in their chain.

Hurburgh has been working with F.C. Stone, a Des Moines-based commodity trading company, on details of implementing a new law.

They ran a mock recall to test their traceability system. Under the trial recall, Hurburgh took information of grain loaded onto train cars. They were able to trace the grain to 10 farmers.

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Crookston Daily Times, MN01/09/06

Annie's Project aims to boost farm women's management skills

A Times Report

Northwest Minnesota farm women have an opportunity to improve their farm management skills by participating in a six-session program called Annie's Project. Participants will receive information and management training in financial and production record keeping, grain marketing and financial risk management, human resource and time management, retirement, farm transfer and estate planning.

Annie's Project was developed by Ruth Hamilton a University of Illinois Extension Farm Business Management educator based on the experiences of her mother, Annie Fleck. Annie was a city girl and school teacher who married a dairy farmer. She kept the books for the farm but lacked the farm management skills to feel confident in helping her husband with management decisions. When her husband died unexpectedly, Annie was forced into the management role. Through a grant from the USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA) Annie's Project was developed to help other farm women wanting to improve their farm management skills.

Annie's Project has been offered in Illinois and Iowa for the past two years. According to Bob Wells, Iowa State University Extension educator, Farm women enjoy meeting and learning as a group. They mentor each other and become close friends through the process. Wells also states,

'While the curriculum is provided to cover important risk management topics, the sessions allow participants to discuss farm related topics that are most important to them." Finding answers quickly to farm management problems while trying to balance family, farm chores and off-farm work is a challenge. Participants will learn where to look for answers and will also examine some decision making tools that will help them make good decisions.

In Thief River Falls, each three-hour session will be taught by educators from the University of Minnesota Extension Service and from the Northland College Farm Business Management program. Since computers are such an important tool to aid the decision making process on the farm, a portion of the 18 hours of study will take place in the computer lab at Northland. A $50 registration fee includes farm management computer software and other class materials provided to

participants for the six session program.

Annie's Project is being sponsored in the region by the Minnesota Association of Wheat Growers through an Outreach Partnership grant from RMA. Like Annie, many farm women are employed off the farm, so evening classes are scheduled to accommodate their work schedule. The sessions in Thief River Falls will be held on Monday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. beginning on Jan. 23 at the Northland College on Highway 1 East in Thief River Falls.

To register for Annie's Project contact Colleen Harris at 1-888-241-4527 or for more information, including other locations in the region where Annie's Project sessions are being held, contact your local or regional Extension offices. Class size is limited to 20 participants so call today to reserve your spot.

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Daily Nonpareil, Council Bluffs, IA01/04/06

Drought likely to follow mild winter

PHIL ROONEY, Staff Writer01/04/2006

Earlier predictions of a less-than-dramatic winter are largely proving true.

So are concerns about a possible drought in southwest Iowa.

Dale Mohler, a forecaster with Accu-Weather, the private company that provides weather information to The Daily Nonpareil, and Iowa State University's Elwynn Taylor said a slightly warmer-than-usual and a drier-than-usual winter was predicted.

Temperatures in the Central Plains are milder than normal, and that might have been the case for December if not for an early cold spell that left the month's average 1 degree below normal at around 24.4 degrees. December precipitation was about 10 percent less than normal.

Mohler said January is likely to end up slightly colder than normal if current weather patterns give way as expected to a northwesterly flow. That change in the pattern would bring colder air in from Canada to replace the warmer Pacific flow that has been setting the tone.

"It is possible to get a pretty bitter cold air mass to come down later in the month or the first part of February," Mohler said.

Taylor also looks for alternating warm and cold periods, caused by the rotation of low-pressure areas around the Arctic Circle.

Winter weather has been pretty boring in the Central Plains, Mohler said, but that's not true everywhere as California has experienced heavy rains and snow while dry conditions have led to grassfires in Oklahoma and Texas.

"It's not a Dust Bowl yet, but it's heading that way," he said.

Different farming methods, including irrigation, would make it difficult for another Dust Bowl to happen, Mohler said. Producers also plow their fields with the idea of reducing possible wind erosion.

"There wasn't any conservation - little or no conservation," Mohler said.

Very dry conditions are found on three sides of southwest Iowa, and a couple of weeks without precipitation could put the area into a drought, he said.

ISU's Taylor said several eastern Iowa counties received more than an inch of moisture early this week, but December, January and February remain the three driest months of the year.

"We are definitely in danger of serious drought," he said, adding that four of the past six years have found much of Nebraska and its neighbors in that situation.

A southerly air flow could bring some moisture to southwest Iowa from the Gulf of Mexico; but Taylor said that will be a hit-or-miss situation until March, and this area will not see any significant moisture until there is some gulf air.

"This airflow becomes a common thing in May," he said. It's also something that southwest Iowa, northwest Missouri and Nebraska depend on during that month.

"The rule of thumb ... if the rain fails, the non-irrigating crop fails."

The current dry situation has been associated with warmer-than-usual temperatures north of Hawaii, known as PDO for Pacific Decadal Oscillation.

"History shows this type of event has persisted about 10 years," Taylor said.

A second situation that could compound the dry conditions is colder than usual ocean temperatures near the equator that are leading toward La Niña conditions. Those years tend to be drier than usual from Illinois west, starting in the spring and through the summer.

La Niña could be in place by early March, Taylor said.

"La Niña often results in drought Corn Belt-wide," he said. "Doubles the risk, almost exactly."

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Des Moines Register01/05/06

Yepsen: One legislator making a drive at raising pickup fees

By DAVID YEPSENREGISTER POLITICAL COLUMNIST

At least one Iowa legislator wants to do something about urban cowboys and their boutique pickups taking advantage of a break intended for farmers.

State Sen. John Putney, a Gladbrook Republican, said he will introduce a bill in the coming legislative session to plug the loophole.

Good luck, senator. There are enough political ruts in this road to, well, break an axle.

At issue is an Iowa law that specifies pickup trucks pay a registration fee of only $65. Car owners and sport-utility vehicles pay up to several hundred dollars more. The break on pickup-truck fees dates to the days when about the only people who had pickups were farmers.

That's no longer true. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, there are 694,000 pickups in Iowa. Only 80,000 are driven by farmers.

It's one thing to give a tax break to a farmer driving a beat-up International so he can haul seed to the field or feed to his cattle. It's another to give it to some insurance-company executive driving a froufrou machine so he can fantasize of fording rivers or surviving snake bites.

It would be easy to dismiss this issue as nothing more than a petty abuse of the law, except this practice is costing Iowa's road fund between $50 million and $70 million a year in lost revenues. That means fewer roads get repaired or built in the state, and that cheats us all.

Farm groups have finally figured out they're not doing rural communities — which need highways — any favors by defending a break used by some guy in West Des Moines.

Here's how Putney's plan works: His bill wouldn't take effect for two years, and it would grandfather current owners under the present system. So, if you've got a pickup, you'll pay $65 for as long as you own the vehicle. And you've got two

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years to buy another and lock in that bargain.

But pickups purchased after the two-year cutoff will pay a fee based on a formula that factors in the vehicle's weight and value. So, if you want to buy a brand-new tank complete with satellite radio, TVs, video games and global-positioning systems, you will pay more than the guy who buys a used Japanese import.

What you do with the truck will be irrelevant. You can drive it to feed cattle or to feed your ego.

Putney said his approach will work for several reasons. It gives everyone fair warning this is going to change. It won't go into effect until after the election, which should make it easier for politicians to withstand the heat. It will change gradually. You won't pay the higher fee until you buy another pickup. Eventually, all owners will be treated alike.

He admits his bill will have an uphill fight. A few years back, Republican legislators attacked some Democrats after they raised fees paid by mini-vans. And, a number of non-farmer lawmakers also drive macho machines.

But Putney understands the politics of this is changing. He lives northeast of Marshalltown. Every day, he sees constituents drive on a nice new four-lane road to good-paying jobs in Des Moines and then return on that same road (with their paychecks) to the quiet life of small-town Iowa.

Iowans who want nice highways for their communities should object to pickups that pickpocket the road fund.

• Mark Your Calendar: The Legislature opens Monday, and the lobbyists are planning their annual welcoming reception for Tuesday night at the Quality Inn and Suites (better known to the political community as the old Starlight Inn). Admission is free, but donations are being accepted, and the proceeds will go to a new political-science scholarship fund the "Third House" is endowing at Iowa State University. This year's event will honor the late Serge Garrison, the well-regarded former director of the old Legislative Service Bureau who later became a lobbyist.

The Third House hosts the reception to celebrate the start of each legislative session. The group also sponsors a golf tournament each June to mark the Legislature's adjournment, which is an even greater cause for merriment.

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Des Moines register01/05/06

Encourage snowmobiling . . .

but crack down on scofflaws

By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD

The definition of recreation is "enjoyable, leisurely activity." What frequently comes to mind are bicyclists, walkers and bird watchers. Add snowmobile riders to your mental picture.

Iowa doesn't have mountains or oceans, but it gets its fair share of snow. Snowmobile riders try to make the most of it, and Iowa should encourage and welcome them. An Iowa State University study found snowmobile riders spend an estimated $53.6 million per year on equipment and activities.

Terry Durby, president of the Iowa State Snowmobile Association, has suggested that the state dedicate a portion of fuel-tax money, earmarked for Iowa roads, to the snowmobile fund. The fund, managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, pays for services such as maintaining the trails and ditches snowmobile riders recreate in.

But Iowa can support and welcome an activity without siphoning off fuel-tax dollars.

Instead, the state can generate additional dollars by increasing snowmobile registration fees. Riders now pay $15 a year, which adds up to about $500,000 for the snowmobile fund, according to David Downing of the DNR. A $30 registration fee would double the fund, to $1 million.

Other ways to support snowmobile riding: Local communities can try to accommodate requests for land use from any of Iowa's 65 snowmobile clubs. So can farmers, other owners of private land and government entities with jurisdiction over recreational trails.

Snowmobile enthusiasts should come together with other groups, including bicycling clubs, to work toward the goal of expanding recreational trails in Iowa that cyclists could use in the summer and snowmobile riders could use in the winter. They also should work toward the common goal of increasing public land in the state.

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Lawmakers should consider another of Terry Durby's suggestions: raising fines for snowmobile violators. Snowmobile riders who break the law pose a risk to other Iowans and Mother Nature.

Bigger penalties wouldn't be a big boon to state coffers — the Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued only 92 snowmobile citations in 2004 — but higher penalties might discourage irresponsible behavior.

Steve Fairbanks of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said snowmobiles illegally riding on recreational trails chip asphalt and damage the shoulders, leaving the area devoid of vegetation in the spring. There's also a lot of illegal snowmobile use in the Cottonwood Recreation Area adjacent to the Des Moines River, he said.

Iowa snowmobile enthusiasts have 5,000 miles of trails to ride in this state. They should stick to their designated areas or pay a high price. That's if the authorities can catch them.

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Wrestler pins hopes on trip to Japan

By RICKY RUDREGISTER CORRESPONDENT

Neal Isaak is taking this semester off from classes at Iowa State University in search of international wrestling fame, far from the campus that once was home to Olympic wrestlers Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson and Chris Taylor.

Isaak, a 28-year-old civil engineering graduate student, leaves today for Tokyo to train and compete as a professional wrestler known as Dakota. While the stage in Japan is different from the Olympic spotlight, Isaak said he is making the trip for a chance to live out a childhood dream.

Promoters from a Tokyo-based pro wrestling company selected him to train at their martial arts center and perform in Japan for three months, Isaak and ISU officials said.

Other U.S. wrestlers will come and go in three-week increments, but Isaak is the only one staying for three months straight, he said. Isaak, who is 6 feet, 215 pounds, will be making the trip alone. Eventually, he will be joined by wrestlers from Minneapolis, Chicago and New York City.

Isaak's Japanese venture doesn't surprise his mother, Gladys Isaak.

She watched her son's passion for pro wrestling grow during the years, she said, recalling that he would spend Thursday nights with his father, who died Nov. 28, watching professional wrestling together in their home in southwestern North Dakota.

"I thought he was crazy when he was little and that as he got older, he'd grow out of it," she said.

Gladys Isaak said Neal's father was aware of his son's opportunity to go to Japan before his death and was proud of him.

"I love to go and watch, but it still makes me nervous," she said.

Isaak began his pro wrestling career in 1999 when he enrolled at Ken Patera's All-Star Wrestling Alliance Training Camp, a promotion and training school for wrestlers, in Minneapolis.

Then, he wrestled under the name Dakota Kid, which has been shortened to Dakota. Both names were chosen to show pride in his home-state heritage, he said.

In January 2001, Isaak enrolled at North Dakota State University in Fargo. During that time, he continued wrestling at high schools, county fairs, charities and fundraisers.

Isaak said family and friends would describe him as usually quiet and reserved. While performing, though, it's a different story, he said.

"When you get in front of a crowd, the goofier you act, the more they like it," Isaak said.

In 2002, Isaak established a training relationship with pro wrestling legend Harley Race, who operates an academy in Missouri. Race's popularity in Japan landed Isaak the opportunity he has now, Isaak said.

As his coach, Race sees a bright future for Isaak.

"He's a wrestling talent and is as charismatic as anybody wrestling today," Race said of Isaak. "The fans love this kid and he performs for them."

While Isaak is in Japan, he will go through a cycle of traveling for three weeks of competing, followed by three weeks of training.

He will return to the United States on April 1. What happens after that depends on how well he performs, he said.

Isaak still plans to get his master's degree in the spring or summer of 2007. "Wrestling is my passion, but engineering is a pretty reliable job," he said.

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ISU senior to deliver speech honoring King

By DANA BOONEREGISTER STAFF WRITER

Cameron Creighton feels nervous and privileged at the prospect of delivering a speech next week during a celebration honoring late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

The 21-year-old senior industrial technology major at Iowa State University said his speech will encourage teens to study black history. He said he'll also tell the audience what he thinks King would say about the progress of blacks today.

"He would be proud . . . but he would probably be a little upset that we're kind of relaxed at this stage," he said. "That, as a people, we're not really pressuring society and the government to change some of their ways."

Creighton said Hurricane Katrina, many of whose victims were black and too poor to leave ravaged areas of New Orleans, illustrates race and class problems that still exist.

"It took a disaster like that to show us the light and how things are in terms of a racial divide that wasn't really visible, but it was there," he said.

Creighton is the keynote speaker at the second annual King birthday celebration, sponsored by the Des Moines branch and youth council of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Black Ministerial Alliance.

"First the Dream, Now Where Are We?" will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at Corinthian Baptist Church in Des Moines. Youth choirs from Maple Street Baptist Church, Mount Hebron Baptist Church and Union Baptist Church will be featured, said Gretchen Woods , youth council adviser.

King was born Jan. 15, 1929. The federal King holiday this year is on Jan. 16.

Creighton, who helped reactivate Des Moines' youth council in 2001, said the lack of black history in school curriculum hinders blacks. But blacks haven't pushed enough for curriculum changes, he said. An African-American studies course in college helped raise his awareness about black history and the social and cultural climate of America, he said.

Creighton hopes those who attend next week's celebration will be inspired to learn more about King's life and black history.

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Many upward swings in Des Moines area

Better business tied to improved economy

By PATT JOHNSONREGISTER BUSINESS WRITER

Jason Anderson is taking a quick breath from the busy holiday season at his Ankeny gift basket shop, Caught by Surprise, before he begins hauling out merchandise for Valentine's Day.

For now, he and partner Steve Burns are basking in the glow of a successful Christmas selling season.

"It was phenomenal," Anderson said. "It was our first holiday and we expected to be busy, but we were very busy every single day."

Retailers generally are reporting increased holiday sales in the Des Moines area from a year ago, signaling an improving economy in Iowa and greater consumer confidence, a state economist said.

"The indications going into the holiday season were for reasonable increases based on the rate of income growth" in the state - about 3.5 percent, said David Swenson , an economics professor at Iowa State University. "People's willingness to buy was higher, and that should have warmed the hearts of mall operators."

Holiday sales totals for most retailers won't be available for several weeks, and state sales tax figures will be tallied at the end of January. Some of the major national chains reported mixed December sales on Thursday, suggesting high energy costs were having an effect.

Among those recording a strong showing was Target, where sales increased 4.7 percent in stores open at least a year.

Christmas shoppers at the SuperTarget in Urbandale scooped up electronics with fervor, said Craig Coughlin , a store manager.

"The Xbox 360s went out of the store as fast as we got them in," he said of the video game consoles. "Sales of all electronics keeps getting bigger and bigger."

Nationally, Wal-Mart recorded its weakest December performance since 2000.

Shoppers at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Ankeny waited until the two weeks before Christmas to do most of their shopping, store manager Chad Sloat said . While the store

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had strong post-Thanksgiving receipts, holiday sales, especially for toys, kicked in right before Christmas, he said.

"I think people were holding back a little and doing more comparison shopping," Sloat said.

Some local merchants saw bigger increases, including Fair World Gallery, a shop in West Des Moines' Valley Junction that sells merchandise made by growers and craftsmen in poor countries.

Overall sales were up 10 percent at the small store, which completed its second holiday season. "We are definitely headed in the right direction," co-owner Christine McNunn said . She also is hoping to continue improving Internet sales, a new segment of her business.

Merle Hay Mall's overall sales likely increased in the "solid double digits," predicted Elizabeth Holland , asset manager at Merle Hay. Mall tenants are not required to report sales figures until mid-January, but from comments she's heard from store managers, Holland said, sales were strong for most merchants.

Traffic at the mall was up compared to the same time last year, with the center's parking lot full more days during the holiday shopping season than last year, Holland said.

Gift-card sales were strong, retailers said.

Holland said Merle Hay had a 20 percent increase in dollar volume in mall gift certificates this season. About 80 percent of the certificates will be redeemed at mall stores and restaurants within three months, she said.

At the Urbandale SuperTarget, a majority of the gift cards are redeemed in a week or two after Christmas, Coughlin said.

Why holiday sales matter

Holiday sales in Iowa, which are tabulated in the last three months of a year, account for about 30 percent of total annual retail sales tax receipts, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue.

Gift card tips

Iowa Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald recommends using a gift card soon after it is received to avoid possible service fees or expiration. Other tips concerning gift cards:

• Some gift cards depreciate in value month-by-month if a card has been inactive for a certain period of time.

• Read cards carefully for fees and expirations. Iowa law requires these to be printed on the card or certificate.

• Some retailers are able to reissue a lost gift card if consumers have the original receipts.

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Areas picked for MyEntreNet

Regions will get training and money as part of the entrepreneur program.

By JERRY PERKINSREGISTER FARM EDITOR

Four areas have been selected as the first communities to work with MyEntreNet, an entrepreneurship development system that organizers hope will spur business growth in rural Iowa economies.

The four areas are Carroll, Decatur and Poweshiek counties and the Red Rock area in Marion County. They were selected through a competitive application process.

MyEntreNet seeks to create community support networks for entrepreneurs, startup assistance for businesses and advanced technical assistance and training for existing companies. It also links rural entrepreneurs with financial resources needed to launch or expand small companies.

It is run by the University of Northern Iowa's Regional Business Center/Small Business Development Center through a $155,000 grant from the Iowa Board of Regents' $5 million allocation from the Grow Iowa Values Fund, a $50 million-a-year program to boost Iowa's economy.

The four regions will receive two years of customized technical assistance, training and networking assistance from Iowa business development organizations, including UNI's Regional Business Center, the Iowa Small Business Development Center System, UNI's Institute for Decision Making and the University of Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Centers.

Each region also will receive a $2,500 grant from the Iowa State University Community Vitality Center to support its business-assistance efforts.

"We were looking for communities poised for change and ready to create a culture to support entrepreneurship," said James Hoelscher , MyEntreNet program manager. "These four regions understand how locally owned business can help transform their economy and they will see some exciting changes in the coming year."

Carroll and Poweshiek Counties will begin the two-year startup phase in February and Decatur County and the Red Rock area will begin in the fall.

More communities will be added each year with Grow Iowa Values Fund support through 2015.

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For more Iowans, it pays to give

Two programs aim to keep wealth in communities

By DONNELLE ELLERREGISTER BUSINESS WRITER

Youngsters in St. Ansgar will attend preschool. Uninsured families in Story County will have greater access to a dentist. Homebound residents in Mitchell County will see regional concerts.

Across the state, two sister programs are making it easier for Iowans to help communities in need. And they're helping keep wealth from leaving Iowa, supporters say. Over the next 10 to 15 years, as much as 50 percent of Iowa's farmland — about 28 million acres, representing about $73 billion in value — will be sold or passed on to another generation.

The two programs:Endow Iowa: This gives residents a 20 percent tax credit — up to $100,000 per individual — for their donations to permanent community endowments.

The program is so popular, the $2 million allocated in tax credits for charitable contributions in 2005 has been tapped out.

Iowans who missed last year will be first in line for $2 million in tax credits this year. The program, which began in earnest in 2004 with $1 million in tax credits, runs through 2008.

The incentives will pull $10 million annually into community foundation treasure chests across the state.

The donations help build endowments, the income from which is used annually to finance groups seeking to improve the community — from education and human services to recreation and historic preservation. State law requires that no more than 5 percent of an endowed fund be spent each year.

The County Endowment Fund: This divvies up 0.5 percent of state gaming revenues among community foundations in 85 counties that have no gambling. This year, each county will receive nearly $64,000, 75 percent of which will go for charitable work. The groups will build endowments with the remaining 25

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percent.

To qualify for money, many of the county foundations have affiliated themselves with larger foundations, gaining administrative savvy and investment power. For example, the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation is working with 30 county foundations. Twenty more groups are affiliated with the Community Foundation of Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Northeast Iowa.

A dozen community foundations have qualified on their own. State law requires the money in all foundations meet federal requirements on financial oversight. Depending on the size of the fund, the groups must undergo an audit or financial review annually.

In many parts of the state, it's the first time a countywide foundation has been established. And it comes at a critical time, as Iowa's population ages and shifts from rural areas.

Iowa State University's Community Vitality Center says cities and towns must figure out ways to capture wealth before it disappears. Community foundations can persuade landowners and others to leave portions of their estates to their hometowns, instead of heirs living elsewhere.

"People can leave their money in the place where they raised their families and earned their money," said Suzan Shierholz, president of the Community Foundation of Greater Story County.

The requests for Endow Iowa tax credits have been pouring in over the last two months, said Mike Miller, who leads the investment management team at the Iowa Department of Economic Development. He hadn't yet tallied how many donations missed out on the tax credits this year.

"We have more demand than supply," Miller said. "I anticipate much greater demand in the next few years as these community foundations become more active."

Foundations already are seeing greater contributions.

"We're getting donations from people who have never given to our foundation before, and it's because of the tax credits," said Mary Ann Burk , chief executive of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls foundation. "It's really encouraging private investment and donations to benefit the different communities across Iowa."

The Des Moines area foundation said it has received about $3 million in donations that will receive Endow Iowa tax credits. Eleven of those 18 contributions are from new donors. The foundation, with a $90 million endowment, provides $7 million to $8 million annually for projects as varied as

rehabilitating Gray's Lake to beautification of Fleur Drive and Circles of Support, a project that matches low-income families with mentors to help improve their lives.

Most donors already have a "charitable intent," said Johnny Danos, president of the Des Moines foundation. The tax credits encourage families to leave money "quicker and in larger amounts."

"The biggest problem we have is with people following through. People plan to write wills to leave something to charity and they never do," he said.

Des Moines lawyer Mark Feldmann said the tax credits prompted him and his wife, Dr. Teri Wahlig, to think beyond annual capital drives and giving.

"Endow Iowa really got us thinking in a much longer-term view," said Feldmann, who declined to say how much money was donated. The couple is setting up a "donor-directed" plan, allowing them to decide which groups to benefit.

Doug and Debbie Reichardt and Holmes Murphy, the West Des Moines insurance agency that he heads, provided their "largest single contribution of any one time," in part because of the tax credits.

Reichardt said he strongly believes in the program's intent, but he'd like to see lawmakers "remove the handcuffs" that limit the amount of money that can go into communities for improvements. Allowing foundations to spend up to 25 percent from their endowed funds, instead of 5 percent, would make a greater difference in communities, he said.

Even with the smaller amounts, the money seeds initiatives and leverages greater investment in communities. "As we do good in communities, it will entice others to leave their wealth," said Danos.

For example, Winefest Des Moines, sponsored initially by the Greater Des Moines foundation, this year "will return $100,000 to the arts and cultural community," said Danos.

A $3,000 grant to the Story County Community Dental Clinic will be used to match a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant and hire a part-time dentist, said Cecelia Nassif, a nurse who manages the clinic. The dentist will work with patients before their dental problems become emergencies.

Deciding how to divvy up money has been a tough job in communities new to the effort.

Shierholz and her Story County board worked to assess the needs in 14 mostly rural towns. The group received requests for three times more than the $50,000 it

had to award. "All the grants were worthwhile," she said.

The same was true in Mitchell County, said Brenda Dryer, executive director of the county's economic development group.

The group provided funding for initiatives ranging from offering screenings for depression to providing furnishings for St. Ansgar's new rescue center to providing transportation to housebound residents who want to attend cultural events.

Mitchell and Story are among the first counties to award their share of the gaming money. Others will grant the money over the next year.

The community assessments have inspired Shierholz and Dryer to work on building their endowments, they said.

In Story County, one initiative calls for developing the next generation of philanthropists.

A grant going to the Volunteer Center of Story County will be used to teach students — from middle school through college — how to build their own self-sustaining endowment. "We really want to stir an interest in volunteerism and giving," said Sue North, executive director of of the Volunteer Center of Story County.

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Iowa top 10

Cool things to do this week

1. SPACE SPECTACULAR SPECIAL EVENT: Saturday at the Science Center of IowaThe Science Center of Iowa and the Iowa Space Grant Consortium present space expert and author Andrew Chaikin as he provides three interactive programs on the future of the U. S. space program. Visitors can try telescope viewing and galaxy counting with the Iowa State University Astronomy and Physics Department, launch Stomp-Rockets 50 feet in the air in Founder's Hall and explore the cosmos in the SCI Star Theater. Tickets can be purchased for the IMAX movie "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon," with footage shot by the 12 Apollo astronauts who have walked on the moon. The movie will be shown throughout the day. Admission to the special event is included with paid admission to the Science Center and is free for members. (515) 274-6868; www.sciowa.org.

http://www.sciowa.org/

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Sagario: Turn a deaf ear to those auditory assaults

By DAWN SAGARIOWORKBYTES COLUMNIST

It's a couple of weeks after Christmas, but the auditory assault, courtesy of Britney Spears, is still fresh in Emily Marchino 's mind.

Marchino, who works at clothing store New York & Company at Merle Hay Mall, had to listen to one music tape (sent from headquarters) during every eight-hour shift she worked — for about a month. The Britster sang three of the songs piped throughout the store for the holiday season.

"I was like, 'Can other artists make Christmas music?' " recalled an irked Marchino, 19.

Thankfully, yuletide Britney has since been banished. On a recent morning, Marchino was enjoying a mixed tape with renditions from Maroon 5 and Jason Mraz .

But the novelty of the fresh set of tunes, too, will probably wear thin soon, Marchino said.

"I like this music, but when I hear it repeated in the car, the last thing I want to hear is 'work music.' "

Marchino has company among those nettled by a Britney-fest.

Proud new mama Federline tops the list as the most annoying musician that British retail workers have to endure while at work, according to online recruitment site Retailchoice. The company polled about 1,400 employees and assembled a Top 10 list of auditory offenders that included Usher and Kylie Minogue.

A third of the respondents said they too had been abused by the same CD played up to 20 times a week, according to the press release.

For some workers like Marchino, being subjected daily to a loop of mind-numbing music (or even worse, Muzak) is just part of the job. But it's easy to see how

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listening on the radio to Mariah Carey's "Don't Forget About Us" for the 23rd time would send anyone screaming from her work station.

There's a conflict of interests when specific music is piped into businesses, said Paul Lasley, an Iowa State professor and chairman of the sociology department. At issue is finding a balance between the ambience a business wants to create, and the varied musical tastes of workers and customers.

"You might find the perfect set of music to create exactly the kind of mood you want to create," Lasley said. But "perfection" played several times over often spells monotony for employees. Monotony can breed unhappiness.

A deeper issue is choice, he said. Employees subjected to specific music at work don't have a say in the tunes they listen to. That lack of choice could inevitably impact productivity.

Lasley pointed to workplace studies done in the early 1900s. The "Hawthorne studies," conducted at the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago, analyzed how a variety of working conditions (i.e. lighting, group size, etc.) affected productivity.

The result? "They found . . . essentially. . . . that whatever you did that demonstrated to the employees that you were paying attention to them increased the productivity," Lasley said. "Which is somewhat commonsensical — that if you have happy employees, then they'll be more productive than unhappy employees."

Variety is one solution, Lasley added.

Some workers at Merle Hay Mall say it's just a matter of tuning the music out.

PacSun sales associate Travis Ramsey, 18, listens to satellite radio piped into the store. The catch: It's set to one station.

"It's good music, but after a while you learn to block it out," Ramsey said.

Marchino concurred. She said after three weeks of the same music, you "space it all off."

Roger Stanley, who works at the Global Cellular kiosk in the mall, sits at a musical crossroads — in the center of a cacophony of sounds coming from the radio at the nearby Merle Norman shop, mall music emanating from speakers, plus the techno music from the Personalized Gifts kiosk adjacent to Stanley's.

"Sometimes, I'll get two or three different music sources here," said Stanley, 35, who, personally, is a rock 'n' roll kind of guy.

At Personalized Gifts, Thomas Thammavong was quietly enjoying some mellow Korean music. Thammavong said he likes to start off his day by playing slow music to stay relaxed and "thinking straight."

In the evening, he shifts to R&B and techno music. The beats reflect his clienteles' taste and also energize Thammavong, 25, to create his custom T-shirts and picture-engraved dog tags.

"The music makes you happy. And when you're happy, you can do more stuff — you can sell, work on your projects," Thammavong said.

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University online donations soar

U of I, with $1.4 million, leads other state schools

By ERIN JORDANREGISTER IOWA CITY BUREAU

Online giving to Iowa's public universities has skyrocketed, particularly at the University of Iowa, where Web donations for 2005 reached nearly $1.4 million.

Online donations still represent only a small portion of all university giving, but the ease and flexibility of giving online may be a key to snagging younger donors, foundation officials and donors said.

"I love it when there's an opportunity to donate online," said Sean Davison, 39, a U of I graduate who lives in Carson City, Nev. "I can control the timing and I can control where (the money) goes."

Davison and his wife, Nancy, 34, use the U of I Foundation's Web site to donate about $1,500 a year to the College of Business, where he earned his master's degree in 1998, and the physical therapy graduate program, where she earned her master's degree in 1997, he said. The couple also give online to Wartburg College, where Nancy earned an undergraduate degree.

In 2005, the U of I, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa brought in more than $1.5 million from almost 5,500 online donations, according to preliminary year-end figures from the schools.

Online giving has not replaced phone and mail solicitations, said John Glover, director of annual and special gifts for the ISU Foundation.

"You must ask to receive," he said, noting that the biggest gifts come from donors cultivated over time through phone calls and visits from university officials.

But the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and natural disasters around the world brought online fundraising to the foreground, Glover said.

"This is an arena that has really exploded in the last few years," he said. Online donors, who tend to be younger and more affluent, may not be wooed to donate

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by more conventional methods, Glover said.

The U of I has seen a greater share of online giving than ISU and UNI. The U of I, which ranked 15th among schools across the country for online giving in 2004, brought in $1.4 million online in 2005. That was nearly 0 .9 percent of the total $156 million raised by the foundation that year, said Hilery Livengood, director of Web strategies for the U of I Foundation.

"We started early on and we've worked really hard to grow our program," Livengood said about online giving.

The U of I Foundation's Web site, which includes a feature that allows donors to designate multiple programs as recipients, has brought in $2.4 million since it debuted in 2000. New U of I donors gave $100,000 online in 2005, Livengood said.

ISU raised about $160,000 in online donations for 2005, which is 0.2 percent of total donations of $81.2 million, according to preliminary year-end numbers from the foundation and WOI radio. These figures do not include the athletic department, which doesn't distinguish between online and other types of giving.

UNI's online giving — $16,000 in 2005 — was also about 0.2 percent of the school's preliminary year-end total of $8.6 million.

Fundraising experts expect online giving will continue to increase as donors become more comfortable using credit cards online and learn to appreciate the ease of point-and-click philanthropy.

"A lot of it depends on how much an institution promotes it as an option," said Rae Goldsmith, vice president for communications and marketing for the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.

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Letters to the Editor

By REGISTER READERS

Same old story on Register's bowl headline

What a disappointing and unnecessary "cheap shot" in the Jan. 1 front-page headline, "Same Old Story." How pathetic to discredit the effort of the ISU players, staff and fans. They could have folded in the first quarter and did not.

-George Wood, West Des Moines.

* * *

When I went out to purchase my Sunday Register on Jan. 1, instead of plunking down my money, after seeing the headline, I decided to boycott that issue. I have come to expect political bias in the Register, but I was unaware that its bias carried over onto the football field.

The headline, "Same Old Story," was rude and insensitive to the ISU collegiate athletes who played their hearts out in that game, as well as their loyal fans.

We should be proud of all of our state university football teams this year. Two teams played in bowl games, and one in a national championship. What's wrong with a headline that exhibits pride in that accomplishment rather than a put-down?

-Kathy Ford, West Des Moines.

* * *

Comparing the two bowl game front-page headlines reveals some interesting differences.

Jan. 1, "Same Old Story: Cyclones Lose Lead, Then Lose Game on Late Field Goal."

Jan. 3, "It Was That Close: Huge Hawkeye Rally Falls Short After Offsides Penalty."

So the 'Clones were the same old losers while the Hawks came so close but for a penalty. What an interesting and subtle difference.

Both teams made errors. Both teams rallied. Both teams suffered questionable calls. And both teams played tough football that should make any Iowan proud. Yet Iowa State gets negative front-page put-downs and Iowa fans and players get hugged once again by the Register.

It would be nice if the Register headline writers could recognize Iowa has two great football programs and both deserved a positive headline after their bowl games.

-Gary Knox, Eldora.

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Proposal to increase beer taxes upsets distributors, restaurants

Legislative leaders aren't enthusiastic about the proposed change, either.

By TIM HIGGINSREGISTER STAFF WRITER

A six-pack of beer would probably cost about 6 cents more under Gov. Tom Vilsack's proposal to increase the tax on the alcoholic beverage, state officials say.

Gov. Tom Vilsack proposed a beer tax increase Tuesday as a way to help craft his state budget. He said 10-cent-per-gallon increase would raise about $7 million for the state's general fund.

The Democratic governor said the idea is in response to critics who have said it was unfair of him to seek a tax increase on cigarettes but not beer.

The idea left many foaming.

Beer distributors and restaurant associations said that such a proposal would hurt business and that the tax paid by retailers would get passed on to the customer.

"One of these days, they're going to try to force a lot of people out of business," said Doug Alberhasky, manager of John's Grocery in Iowa City.

Ajani Thomas, 21, an Iowa State University senior from Natchez, Miss., said he doesn't like the idea of raising so-called sin taxes. "Taxing alcohol and cigarettes isn't like taxing people who make more money. It's just because you do something other people may not approve of. I understand it, but I don't necessarily agree with it."

Vilsack has also called for an 80-cent-per-pack increase on cigarettes to raise $130 million for health care programs.

A top GOP Statehouse leader, meanwhile, says the proposed tax increases won't go anywhere this session.

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"Joe Six-Pack can count on the speaker of the House to protect him," House Speaker Christopher Rants, a Republican said. "And I don't even drink — go figure."

Under the plan, the 19-cent-a-gallon tax collected on beer that wholesalers sell to retailers would increase by 10 cents a gallon to 29 cents.

The beer tax was last increased in 1986, by 5 cents.

The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division estimates the increase would amount to about 1 cent extra for a 12-ounce beer.

"I think there is broad public support for a cigarette tax increase — I am less enthusiastic about a beer tax increase," said Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal.

The Iowa Wholesale Beer Distributors Association wasn't pleased to hear the proposal. The group's executive director, Sheila Douglas, said a tax increase would hurt small businesses in Iowa, in particular ones that compete with companies in neighboring states.

"We will oppose that," she said. "Iowa wholesale beer distributors are small, family-run businesses. One-third of Iowa's population lives in border communities. If there is an increase, the beer wholesalers would not be competitive."

Bob Fahr of Fahr Beverage Inc., who distributes Anheuser-Busch beers throughout central Iowa, echoed those comments. He said history has shown customers will cross the state line to buy cheaper beer if prices increase.

Doni DeNucci of the Iowa Restaurant Association said any increase in the tax to retailers would surely find its way to customers.

Scott Carlson, managing partner of Court Avenue Restaurant and Brewery, agreed. "Brilliant. Brilliant," he said sarcastically of the governor's proposal. "I am not a fan of any tax. It makes everything more expensive."

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Woodbury supervisors approve organic ordinance

Vendors will have to buy organically grown foods from nearby areas.

By JULI PROBASCO-SOWERSREGISTER STAFF WRITER

Woodbury County supervisors approved a measure Tuesday that they hope will boost organic farming in western Iowa.

Food vendors working for the county will now have to purchase as many organic food products as possible within a 100-mile radius of Sioux City, according to the new policy.

The program breaks ground in this part of the country, said Rich Pirog, marketing and food systems program leader for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University.

"We've been helping Woodbury County with this initiative and I believe it's the only one of its kind in the Midwest," he said.

County officials want to stimulate economic development in rural areas by adding value to agriculture and spending the taxpayers' money in the county, said Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Monson.

"Organics is a mechanism that would create small businesses," he said.

"Organic farming is something that is booming right now. I'm thinking if we got 1 percent of the agricultural market to go into organic foods it would stimulate a new venue for young folks.''

The economic benefit for the county could be thousands of dollars, said Rob Marqusee, rural economic development director for Woodbury County. He is the person who proposed the measure.

The county spends about $462,000 per year on food vendors, with $281,000 of that being actual food costs. The organic food policy would increase those costs by about $9,000, Monson said.

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But the local economy would benefit as a result of the dollars spent and re-spent in the region, said Marqusee, who added the policy could be abandoned if costs become prohibitive.

Monson said he has heard a few concerns voiced by traditional farmers worried about chemical use next to organically farmed ground.

Organic farmer Cyril Venner of rural Arcadia said organic farmers usually plant a buffer crop along their property when it adjoins a traditionally farmed field.

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Farm News12/23/05

Poll finds farmers pleased with current farm policyBy KRISTIN GREINER- Farm News staff

AMES — It appears that Iowa producers believe that the basic direction of the 2002 farm bill should continue and serve as a model for the 2007 farm bill, according to results from the 2005 Iowa farm and rural life poll.

Producers also noted in the poll—which most in the industry already know—that rising land values have become a hurdle and meth has become a problem.The questionnaires in this year’s poll were mailed to more than 1,800 farm operators on April 1, with more than 1,200 farm operators responding. In that survey, producers expressed their opinions about the 2002 farm bill on 12 statements by using a five-point scale ranging from strongly disagreeî to strongly agree.î

The majority of Iowa farmers responding said that the income protection the current farm bill offers is adequate and that, overall, the program has been successful. Producers also expressed support for developing markets through the promotion of exports and alternative energy development, as well as support for conservation through the continuation of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the need to address environmental issues and general support for conservation.

Producers were evenly split on supply management policies, with 29 percent agreeing, 26 percent disagreeing and 25 percent saying they are not sure. Producers also were divided in their opinions about the cost of the 2002 farm bill, with 33 percent agreeing it has been too expensive, 34 percent disagreeing and 33 percent saying they are not sure.

Similar to the responses gathered in the 2001 farm poll, this year’s results found continued high levels of support for export promotion, CRP and alternative energy development. In fact, 61 percent or respondents indicated that they felt the 2002 farm bill should be continued in the 2007 legislation and 60 percent felt it had provided adequate income protection for farmers. Fifty-seven percent felt the 2002 farm bill was successful.

However, there is no consensus on whether supply management should be pursued. Farmers were divided in their opinions about the expense of the

program and 45 percent felt the farm bill did not provide enough assistance to beginning farmers.

“In spite of their continuing support of the 2002 farm bill, farmers recognize that it has artificially supported land prices. The conservation provisions of the farm bill, specifically the CRP program, enjoy wide support. Farmers also would like more emphasis in the new farm bill to address alternative energy development and promoting exports,”î said Paul Lasley, chair of Iowa State University’s sociology department and co-investigator of the study.

The 12 statements about the farm bill on the 2005 survey on which producers were asked to rate their opinion on a five-point scale were:

The government should devote more efforts to the promotion of exports through the 2007 farm bill.

The Conservation Reserve Program should be continued. The 2007 farm bill should provide incentives to allow farmers to participate in alternative energy development.

The basic directions in the 2002 farm bill should be continued in the 2007 farm bill.

The 2007 farm bill should provide better income protection.

Overall, the 2002 farm bill has provided an adequate income protection for farmers.

The 2007 farm bill should do more to address environmental issues in agriculture.

Overall, the 2002 farm bill has been successful.

Overall, the 2002 farm bill has provided good support for conservation efforts.

Grain production policy should return to supply management (acreage set aside and deficiency payments.)

The 2002 farm bill has proven to be too expensive.

The 2002 farm bill has adequately addressed the needs of beginning farmers. Survey respondents also indicated that while rising land values are often used as a measure of the health of farming, 95 percent agreed that farmland prices are a significant barrierî for beginning farmers.

“Almost nine out of 10 agreed that farmers should be wary of buying land at

current prices. Over three-quarters agreed that government subsidies have artificially raised farmland prices,”î Lasley said.

Methamphetamine addiction was widely acknowledgedî as a major national and state issue, in the poll, with 60 percent of the respondents seeing the negative impacts in their communities.

“Almost 80 percent supported the recent state law requiring the retailer lock up cold medications that are the primary ingredient in meth making,î” Lasley said. “Eighty-six percent reported that they are using all the recommended practices to safe guard against the theft of anhydrous ammonia, which is also an important ingredient in meth manufacturing.

“The high level of agreement of the meth problem in the nation, state, county and neighborhood stands out as a very serious social problem,”î he added. “Nearly 100 percent defined this as a very serious problem for the nation and state, and even 60 percent defined meth as problem in their own neighborhood.î”

While 67 percent of farmers are using herbicide-tolerant crops and 66 percent are using genetically modified seeds, according to poll results, much fewer farmers are using other innovative technologies available. Only one-fourth of livestock producers responding to using production stimulants on a regular basis and only one-fifth of the respondents are using insect growth regulators as an integral part of their operations.

Furthermore, e-commerce is the least used technology, with only six percent polled reporting its use on either a regular or trial basis.

Iowa State University Extension received high marks from survey respondents. Lasley said 70 percent of the respondents rated the quality of assistance/information from Extension as good or very good. Three-fourths of the respondents indicated that Extension had been beneficial to their farm operation, their family and to rural Iowa.

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Farm News12/23/05

Wintersteen named named ISU ag dean

By RANDY MUDGETT- Managing Editor

AMES — Wendy Wintersteen was named the dean of Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture after acting as interim dean since the departure of Catherine Woteki in August.

Wintersteen will permanently assume the title on Jan. 1, 2006.Wintersteen was selected from a field of five finalists identified through a nationwide search.

‘‘Dr. Wintersteen has been an exceptional faculty member aAnd administrator in our College of Agriculture, and she will make an outstanding dean,’’ said Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy in a statement. ‘‘She is very knowledgeable about agriculture, and she has excellent relationships with people throughout the agricultural community. We’re extremely pleased that she has accepted this very important position for Iowa State University and for agriculture nationally.’’

Prior to becoming interim dean, Wintersteen was senior associate dean of the college and associate director of the experiment station from 2000 to 2005. In other ISU positions (1979 to 2000), Wintersteen was entomology professor; director of Extension to agriculture and natural resources; coordinator of pesticide management and pesticide applicator training programs; and Extension associate in the entomology department and two Extension area offices. From 1989 to 1990, Wintersteen also was acting national pesticide education program leader for the USDA-Extension Service in Washington, D.C.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge said in a statement, “I am pleased that Dr. Wendy Wintersteen was selected as the new dean of the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University. Dr. Wintersteen brings knowledge, experience and dedication to her new position and we look forward to continuing our work with Dean Wintersteen in her new capacity.î”Also ran in: Iowa Farmer Today

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Farm News12/23/05

Locally-grown foods remain in demand

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Farm News, Fort Dodge, IA01/05/06

Conference addresses grain handling, bioterrorism

By KRISTIN GREINER- Farm News staff

DES MOINES — The clock is ticking for grain handlers who have just five months to put an approved recordkeeping process in place in order to comply with the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, an issue that will be addressed at the upcoming Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference, Tuesday in Des Moines.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials and Iowa State University (ISU) experts will discuss the record maintenance requirements and how they will affect the commodity-based grain flow during the session entitled Bio-Terrorism Act Grain and Feed Wednesday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Howard Shepherd, program coordinator with the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative, will be one of the ISU speakers. Shepherd said those grain elevator operations that receive, hold and ship raw agricultural commodities of corn and soybeans are mandated by the Bioterrorism Act of 2002 to register all of their facilities where the food is received or held. They are mandated to keep records of all grain received and shipped through the facilities, because of acts of contamination either by terrorists or by natural contamination, such as aflatoxin.

Feed mill operations that receive raw agricultural commodities and manufacture animal and pet feed also are required to comply with this law. The recordkeeping process must be in place by June 2006 and records must be available to the FDA as soon as possible, Shepherd said, and no longer than 24 hours after a request is made if an act of contamination is tracked to a grain handling operation.

“The most confusing aspect is the recordkeeping of grain received, held and shipped,î” Shepherd said. “Grain is co-mingled in the elevator, so how large must the list be to satisfy the record keeping request? Grain in the elevator can be turned several times, and who does that process affects recordkeeping. When grain is shipped, what records must be kept for the load and who is responsible for the records? What format must records be kept in to comply? What obligation is there if there are no records?î”

Those questions and more will be addressed at the session. Shepherd said FDA officials will present information on the act, while ISU experts will present information on the act and recordkeeping requirements for grain elevators and feed mills. ISU also will present information on quality management strategies that will help address the FDA record-keeping requirements and quality management traceability for identify values. “Some people may see this as overkill, but it is a mandated law to protect our food safety. Food safety is and must be a reality and responsibility by all who work in the agriculture and food as it moves from the farm to your table,”î Shepherd said. “This act for food safety validated what the world is asking for in traceability of commodities as they travel from the farm to the processor to the store to your table.”î Those attending the AAI Annual Meeting and Leadership Conference will get first choice on attending the bio-terrorism session. The conference is open to AAI members and non-members. More information on the conference is available at http://www.agribiz.org/. If there are extra seats available, those interested in attending the bio-terrorism session, but not attending the conference, should send an e-mail to Lisa Klobank at lisak@ agribiz.org. Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address. You will be notified if there is space available. There will be a $20 charge for those attending only this session.

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Farm News, Fort Dodge, IA01/06/06

Cutworm makes its presence known in Corn Belt

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Iowa Farmer Today12/24/05

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Web links specialty goods, market

By Gene Lucht, Iowa Farmer Today

A new Web calculator helps growers find markets for goods, such as these Iowa-grown vegetables.

AMES -- A pair of new Web tools could help Iowa farmers not only figure out what an increase in state market share for specialty crops would mean for Iowa, but could also connect them directly with places to market their products.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University recently launched its Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator aimed at providing general information about consumption and production of a variety of produce items.

That tool is to be joined on Jan. 1 by the Market Maker for Iowa, which will allow farmers to register and use information from a variety of sources to pinpoint possible specific markets for their products.

“Using this program, you will be able to pre-sort information,” explains Ray Hansen, a specialist with the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at ISU.

“You need to register but then you could get specific information to help you market your products.”

As an example, a farmer who grows and markets his sheep could use the program to find areas where certain demographic groups live, then look for specialty grocery stores or restaurants in those areas.

He or she could get contact information for those target markets.

And, that doesn’t just apply to Iowa.

“Markets don’t know state boundaries,” says Andy Larson, a research specialist in agriculture at the University of Illinois, where the Market Maker was started.

The system is running in Illinois, and Iowa is heading a long list of states looking to link into the system and localize it for their own farmers.

“My bias is toward small, family farmers,” Larson says, explaining the program

could be a useful tool for small niche producers to find new markets and make a better living.

But, a key to the program’s success is getting farmers to register. Much of the other information is either generated by the government through the census and other programs, or it has been purchased from various business and industry groups.

Therefore, many businesses and potential buyers of agricultural products are included.

But, many farmers who produce specialty grains or meats or fruits or vegetables might still be flying under the radar.

So, Larson and Hansen are looking for farmers who are trying to find new markets for a whole host of products, from asparagus to zinnias.

Meanwhile, anyone may go the the Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator and plug in more general scenarios to get a better picture of what Iowans are doing in growing produce. And, it provides what the potential earnings would be if Iowa expanded its production of any of the 37 fruits and vegetables listed on that site.

For example, Iowa grows only about 1 percent of the broccoli eaten in the state. If the state’s farmers managed to increase that figure to 20 percent, it would mean $1.04 million more to the state’s farmers.

Users of the calculator may plug in any of the products and get statewide or county-by-county figures of production and usage.

Then, they may plug in any percentage of increase to see what it might mean for acres or dollars.

“These are only best averages but they can get a picture,” says Rich Pirog, the Leopold Center’s marketing and food systems program leader.

Farmers may check out the produce calculator at www. leopold.iastate.edu/research/calculator/home.htm.

The marketmaker product is expected to be running after Jan. 1.

The Web address for that will be www.marketmakeriowa.com.

To take a look at the Illinois version of marketmaker, go to www.marketmaker.uiuc.edu.

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Iowa’s past reveals rich food history

By Jeff DeYoung, Iowa Farmer Today

Today’s Iowa farms are known primarily for growing corn and soybeans, and raising hogs and cattle. Production of the Big Four occurs statewide.

But, 85 years ago, many areas of the state were known for regionally produced commodities such as grapes and cherries.

A report released last fall by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University examined Iowa’s geography of taste.

Rich Pirog, marketing and food systems research program leader at the center, says regionally produced, or place-based, foods are popular in Europe. He believes with Iowa’s food heritage, growers could capitalize on the trend.

“Place-based foods reflect the geography, ecology and culture of a region,” Pirog says. “It has allowed producers and communities to receive higher premiums that are consistent over time, because that brand of food, like a Bordeaux wine, is tied to that region.”

There are many place-based foods throughout the United States, Pirog says. One of the most well-known is the Vidalia onion.

“Those onions are grown in one of 19 counties in Georgia, because the soil type is what gives them their sweet taste,” he says.

Perhaps Iowa’s best-known regional product is the Muscatine melon. Pirog says products like that melon can be protected through trademarks.

“The Muscatine melon is very site-specific but some competitors were growing melons and calling them Muscatine, when in fact they were not grown there,” Pirog says. “Those growers petitioned the state Attorney General’s Office several years ago to get some protection.”

The report looks at how Iowa’s regions were known for specific commodities. Pirog cites a table in the report that says in 1920, 34 commodities were produced for sale by at least 1 percent of Iowa farms.

Those items included such commodities as apples (84 percent), cherries (57

percent), grapes (28 percent), pears (17 percent) and raspberries (7 percent).

Today, only 10 commodities are grown for resale on at least 1 percent of Iowa farms.

“If you look at it, Iowa really has a unique food history,” Pirog says. “By looking at this, it could help identify some areas where we could grow these products and take advantage of that history.”

Examples cited in the report:

= The Delicious apple was developed by Madison County farmer Jesse Hiatt in the 1870s. He called it the Hawkeye apple, and the name was changed when Hiatt sold the rights in 1894.

= The grape and wine industry in the Loess hills of Western Iowa was known for its high quality. In 1926, members of the Council Bluffs Grape Growers Association received a $16 per-ton premium over the average U.S. price.

= Sac County continues to be known for popcorn production. It began in 1888 when a farmer near Odebolt tried growing several acres of popcorn.

= An Iowan named Robert Fullerton brought back several squash seeds from Denmark and gave them to the Sestier Brothers, master growers in Des Moines. Once known as the Des Moines squash, today it is better known as acorn squash.

“There are many, many stories of different types of foods being produced in certain locations,” Pirog says.

“What we need to do is find ways to link specific foods with different agri-tourism projects around the state,” Pirog says.

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ISU ag school ‘player’ in development: Wintersteen

By Gene Lucht, Iowa Farmer Today

As the new dean of the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University, Wendy Wintersteen is the new kid on the block. But, she’s been hanging around the neighborhood for a long time.

Wintersteen, named dean of the ag college on Dec. 19, was already serving as the interim dean before that date and has been at ISU since 1979.

A graduate of Kansas State University with a degree in crop protection in 1978, Wintersteen came to ISU soon after that, eventually earning a doctorate degree in entomology. She has served at one time or another as an entomology professor, director of Extension to agriculture and natural resources, coordinator of pesticide management and pesticide applicator training programs, and Extension associate in entomology and two Extension area offices. Just before being named interim dean, she was senior associate dean from 2000 to 2005.

IFT: You have said you have three broad goals for the college of agriculture. Could you elaborate on those for us?

Wintersteen: The first involves what we do with our students. We need to be a regional and national magnet. That means involving students in international experiences. You know, I read the book, “The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century” by New York Times Columnist Tom Friedman, and he makes some good points about the international nature of business and economics today. But, involving students also means more interaction with researchers. And, it means stressing entrepreneurship. Roger Underwood’s gift of money to the university to support entrepreneurship study gives us something special in that area, which most universities simply don’t have.

The second goal will be to maintain and build a strong faculty and to use that faculty to help the state through genomics research and other items.

The third goal is to build more partnerships within the state because ISU and the agriculture college in particular is a major player in economic development efforts in Iowa.

IFT: Tell us more about Friedman’s book.

Wintersteen: He talks about the Bangladore area of India and how that area has become a center for the computer and service industry because our communications systems can now move information almost instantly. Oddly enough, I’m going to India for an international biotechnology conference in January, so I may get to see some of that. The message is that as we use the new technologies available to us, information is transferred almost instantly. We have this new technology. Many businesses have largely adapted to that change, and we need to as well. People anywhere can now be in the game and we have to recognize that. The only way we will continue to be successful, both as a university and also in our Iowa business world, is through innovation and creativity. We need to recognize that. We need to be embracing opportunity and embracing change.

IFT: It sounds as if the old adage of teaching students how to think instead of teaching them some specific technical skill is becoming ever more important.

Wintersteen: Absolutely. We still need to teach the technical skills. But, teaching students how to learn and how to think and adapt is becoming more important all the time. The world is changing very quickly, and it appears that rate of change is only going to get faster.

IFT: Would this also mean international programs, both for ISU students studying or working abroad and for foreign students coming here, would be more important? And, was some of that lost in the security effort after 9-11?

Wintersteen: I think so on both counts. These international programs are extraordinarily important. You know, we’ve trained so many leaders in so many different countries. That is important, both for those countries and for the college. We need to be in that game. I think the government will eventually develop or adapt different policies to welcome that again but we’ve already lost many international students to universities in Europe or other parts of the world. That is a loss for Iowa State and for the state of Iowa. Those people both enriched our state but they also offered new perspectives for our students, and they extended the opportunities for Iowans and Iowa businesses around the world.

IFT: And what does this mean for farmers?

Wintersteen: Certainly, it all connects to agricultural trade and international business. But, when we look at programs it could affect other things. One thing we are working on already is genomics. I think that will be an emphasis. There is a book out there arguing we are entering the genomics age.

IFT: What do you see as ISU’s strengths as we look at these changes?

Wintersteen: Well, first and foremost, we have an outstanding faculty and staff. We also have a terrific group of students. They always impress me. And, we have a rich history and tradition which lays the groundwork for much of this. But, beyond those things, we also have worked in recent years to develop an interdisciplinary approach to research and other items. That puts us in a unique position to deal with some issues. And, we have always been strong in areas such as plant and animal breeding.

IFT: What about weaknesses?

Wintersteen: I think perhaps we need to pay more attention to the students themselves. That means more recruitment of the top students. It means making sure we have the right curriculum. It means continually working on new partnerships with government and business, and organizations such as the 4-H and FFA.

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2005 soybean crop quality: Oil up, protein down

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WTO ag proposal includes radical subsidy changes

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KCCI.com, IA01/04/06

Grad Student To Attend Pro Wrestling Camp

Wrestler Hopes Move Will Launch His Career

AMES, Iowa -- A graduate school student at Iowa State University is preparing to spend a semester abroad to pursue his dream as a professional wrestler.

One could say that Neal Isaak leads a double life.

During the week, Isaak is a civil engineering graduate student. On the weekends, he competes as a professional wrestler.

Isaak is leaving this week for Japan. He'll spend three months in Japan competing and training with the hopes that the experience will help launch his career.

Isaak's workouts are intense, but you won't find him strutting around or trying to show off -- he saves that for the ring.

In the ring, Isaak is better known as Dakota, his wrestler name is short for his home state of North Dakota.

"I walk out to the ring wearing coveralls and a straw hat, and have some wheat in my mouth usually and dance around a little bit," Isaak said.

Isaak said he's a different person when he competes.

"Once the wrestling match starts, all that comes off and it's all business," he said.

He's spent the past seven years balancing school and competing around the Midwest. Now, he's getting his chance to compete in overseas.

"You have got to pay your dues ... and stick it out long enough where an opportunity like this comes along is really satisfying," he said.

Isaak knows the training won't be easy.

"It's really intense. A gentleman went over earlier this year and he decided to come back after a week and a half so we'll see how it goes," he said.

It could be Isaak's big break into professional wrestling, but he is also staying realistic. That's why he's continued to pursue his graduate degree as a civil engineer.

"There's very few guys that get to do it and make a living at it and the opportunities are few and far between, and if you do get one it's not going to last forever because it takes its toll on your body," he said.

Isaak said his ultimate goal is to make a living as a professional wrestler. He said that right now he's just happy if he can cover his expenses. If the trip to Japan doesn't give him that big break, he plans to return to school in the fall.

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Lincoln Journal Star, NE01/07/06

Fun facts for a not-so fun 2006

By Alan Guebert

Under the pile of wrapping paper left from the holidays and newspapers left from 2005 lurks some not-so fun, 2006 items for the nation, farmers and ranchers.

Item One: On Dec. 15 the Federal District Court for the District of Nebraska ruled the nation’s toughest anti-corporate farming law, Nebraska’s Initiative 300, unconstitutional because it violated the “dormant commerce clause” of the U.S. Constitution and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The ruling, which will be appealed by the state, now leaves just nine states with varying levels of anti-corporate farming laws.

It also cracks the door for the Big Packer Boys to declare open season on independent livestock producers in the Cornhusker State, the nation’s largest red meat producer (despite 20-year-old claims that I-300 would kill beef and pork production there), and one of the last bastions of cash cattle and hog markets.

More darkly, however, the ruling gives agbiz three legal wins in a row over state anti-corporate farming laws—South Dakota, Iowa and now Nebraska.

All pivoted on one, crucial hinge: smart lawyering that led a more business-pliant federal judiciary to an ever looser interpretation of the federal dormant commerce clause that forbids states from enacting “discriminatory” laws to impede interstate business.

That pliancy is now hardening into case law, notes Roger McEowen, an associate professor of ag law at Iowa State University, in a Jan. 6, 2006 Agricultural Law Digest article co-authored with ISU colleague Neil Harl, because none of the three courts examined “the actual impact” of the anti-corporate farming laws before tossing them out.

While the Nebraska opinion appears to be seriously flawed, according to McEowen, he holds little hope for reversal through appeal. Instead, he said, Congress should “address the anti-competitive effects of concentrated agricultural markets and vertically integrated production supply chains” these court-approved assaults continue to bless.

A second, important hinge to these cases is that agbiz found farmers to front the

corporate court challenges.

In short, farmers loaded the gun; agbiz pulled the trigger.

Item Two: Just days before Christmas Congressional Scrooges agreed to cut almost $3 billion in ag spending over the next five years. The path was greased by opinion makers like the Washington Post which, on Oct. 19, used the upcoming budget fight to note:

“...As with Hollywood Mafiosi, the farmers’ lobbying muscle is based on a combination of charm, thuggery and bribery. They exploit urban sentimentality about the pastoral idyll... When sentiment and charm don’t work, farmers get their way with other tactics... The American farm lobby... makes slightly more than $50 million worth of political donations in each election cycle.”

Item Three: Despite all the D.C. sanctimony over federal farm subsidies, 31 percent of 805 farms in a statewide University of Illinois study pocketed less than $20,000 in income in 2005.

Additionally, noted the U of I study released in December, in three of the last five years net income on the Illinois’ farms surveyed was less than the government payments received. Indeed, without government payments 40 percent of the farms in the survey would have logged negative incomes in the last six consecutive years.

Items Four and Five: If the already put-in-place 2009 federal estate tax exemption of $3.5 million was the law in 2000, only 65 farms nationwide would have paid any estate taxes that year, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. Using the same 2000 IRS data for 2006, when the exception rises to $2 million, only 124 farm estates across the country would have paid taxes.

According to an Aug. 31 survey by the Illinois Society of Professional Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, 56 percent of all land buyers in the state during the first six months of 2005 used 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges to avoid federal capital gains taxes while pushing land prices to over $5,000 an acre in many prime farmland areas.

As such, why aren’t farm groups—and their expensive lobbyists—fighting for tax changes to drain the 1031 price pressure that affects every working farmer and rancher as hard as they are for estate tax changes that affects only a handful?

Alan Guebert is a freelance agricultural journalist. He can be reached at [email protected] or at 21673 Lago Dr., Delavan, IL 61734.


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MIT Technology Review, MA01/05/06

Plant Power

First mass-production of ethanol from corn waste planned

By Corie Lok

While ethanol made from fermented corn grain can boost the octane and reduce the tailpipe emissions of gasoline, its expensive, costing about five cents a liter more than gas. A Canadian biotech company, however, says that next year it will begin building the worlds first facility to mass-produce ethanol, not just from grain, but from a far more abundant source: agricultural waste, such as cornstalks, cobs, and leaves. That could help bring ethanols price closer to that of gasoline.

Iogen of Ottawa, Ontario, uses enzymes made by a genetically engineered fungus to convert cellulose in the corn waste to sugars, which are then fermented to make ethanol. Three sites in the United States, Canada, and Germany have been proposed for the new plant, which will produce about 200 million liters a yeara capacity similar to that of the largest existing ethanol plantsand should be operational by 2007, says Jeff Passmore, executive vice president of Iogen. A $54 million investment by Shell and Petro-Canada is making it possible.

Whether Iogen can actually reduce the cost of ethanol wont be clear until the factory is up and running, says Robert Anex, an agricultural engineer at Iowa State University. But what is clear is that using all of the waste from U.S. corn could theoretically increase the U.S. ethanol supply from about 11 billion liters a year to 95 billion liters, which is more than enough to blend with all U.S. gasoline at the current common proportion of up to 10 percent, says Charles Wyman, a chemical engineering professor at Dartmouth College.

If Iogen succeeds, the chemical that gives zip to beer could help a lot more cars run cleaner.

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Philly.com01/09/06

A fresh idea for USDA

Federal food programs would benefit from buying locally.

By Charles M. Kuperus

The various feeding programs under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service would do well to follow a simple mantra: When able, buy locally first and regionally second - and nationally or internationally only as a last resort.

With fuel costs escalating, it just makes sense for programs like the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Food Stamp Program to encourage the shortest line between consumer and producer. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program, directed by the Food and Nutrition Service, already makes the most of this principle.

Today's reality dictates that we make the most of our resources while trying to do even more to help Americans eat healthier. Shrinking the radius from which those foods come is one way to reduce the costs without reducing the benefit.

Recently, the Food and Nutrition Service invited those involved in public nutrition to comment on its programs. New Jersey's message of buying locally first was well-received during the session, which will help federal officials craft the 2007 Farm Bill.

Buying locally has become well-established in the general food-buying scheme as well. Time and again, consumers have shown a preference for buying fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products that come from as close to their homes as possible. Locally grown or state brands such as "Jersey Fresh" have become as much a staple of supermarket advertising as double coupons.

One of the best examples of shortening the chain from farm to consumer is the Community Farmers Market. Like many other states, New Jersey has seen dramatic growth in Community Farmers Market programs. Some in South Jersey - Collingswood and Woodbury come to mind - have become very successful and feature an array of farmers taking their products directly to shoppers. In 2000, there were about 45 Community Farmers Markets in New Jersey. Today, there are nearly 80.

This concept easily transfers to federal food programs, especially the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. Under this program, participants older than 60 who meet income guidelines receive vouchers for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. In 2005, Gloucester County gave out 3,500 vouchers, Camden County 1,500, and Burlington County 500. (To see if you qualify, visit www.state.nj.us/agriculture/markets/wic.htm.)

The annual limit for these senior recipients is $20, though a USDA proposal would raise that to $50. This shows how buying locally can stretch the federal food dollar. Instead of buying large quantities of commodities on a national scale and then trucking them all over the country, this program links residents with local farmers, keeping transportation costs to a minimum and strengthening the connection between producer and consumer.

This program also helps hold down health-care costs. The link between eating a healthy diet, including more fruits and vegetables, is undeniable. Eating more of these nutritious foods will help make these residents healthier, reducing medical costs, which typically increase with age.

Another area of potential savings across a variety of programs is in the costs of transporting commodities to distributors. "Food miles" are receiving more and more attention these days. This concept refers to the distance food is moved from its origin to a market. With fuel costs high, reducing food miles is essential in reining in the cost of getting food from farm to table.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University researched food miles for 16 fruits and vegetables. It found that 16 Iowa-grown crops traveled a total of 716 miles to get to market, compared with 25,301 miles for the same products bought from out of state. The difference in mileage, at today's gasoline and diesel costs, is substantial and underscores the value of buying locally first.

By keeping the cost of food miles low through a "buy locally first" approach, many of the federal programs - from the Emergency Food Assistance Program to the Commodity Supplemental Food Program - would be able to reach even more recipients and increase food-buy dollars through the reduced transportation costs.Charles M. Kuperus is the New Jersey secretary of agriculture. Also ran in:

FreshPlaza, Netherlands

http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/markets/wic.htm

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Pork Net01/09/06

Ag Briefs

4. NSIF Honors Two from Iowa StateA faculty member and a graduate student from Iowa State University's (ISU) animal science department were honored earlier at the National Swine Improvement Federation's annual meeting. Max F. Rothschild, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, received the Charles Stanislaw Memorial Distinguished Service Award. The distinguished service award honors individuals for their record of distinguished service to the pork industry through involvement in implementing, supervising and/or participating in performance testing programs. Rothschild is considered one of the world's foremost animal geneticists, as evidence through his unique and highly productive pig genome research, especially in the application of molecular genetics and immunogenetics to swine breeding. Clint Schwab received the Lauren Christian Memorial Graduate Student Award. The graduate student award recognizes a graduate student conducting research in the area of swine genetics, meats, nutrition or other disciplines that might have a swine genetic component. The award recipient may be rewarded for commitment to sound genetic principles or for the discovery of new concepts in the field of genetics and/or performance testing. Schwab currently is a lecturer and research assistant in animal science, and also serves as coach for the ISU Livestock Judging Team.

3. Zaabel Joins Pork Board as Swine Health DirectorDr. Pamela Zaabel has joined the National Pork Board as director of Swine Health Information and Research. Zaabel graduated as a doctor of veterinary medicine from Iowa State University in 1997. She has worked as a practicing veterinarian with experience in swine medicine and production at a mixed-animal veterinary clinic in Newton, Iowa until 2004. Zaabel and her husband raise sheep and cattle near Newton. While obtaining her veterinary degree, Zaabel worked at Iowa State University’s Department of Veterinary Pathology and Veterinary Medical Research Institute’s laboratories and taught in the Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology. Zaabel’s responsibilities for the Pork Checkoff will include coordinating the Checkoff’s PRRS Initiative, coordinating research and research programs in other endemic and emerging swine diseases and developing educational material for producers.

4. Larsen Joins Pork Board as Safety DirectorSteve Larsen has joined the National Pork Board to fill the position of director of pork safety. Until recently, Larsen worked as senior food technologist for Tyson

Foods Inc., where he was part of the company’s food safety and Salmonella task forces. Larsen also participated in research and projects studying product shelf-life and food safety. Larsen is a graduate of Iowa State University where he completed his bachelor’s degree in animal science, a master’s degree in meat science and a doctorate of philosophy in veterinary microbiology.

5. Wintersteen to Lead ISU’s College of AgricultureWendy Wintersteen, interim dean of Iowa State's College of Agriculture and interim director of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station since August 2005, will permanently serve in these positions effective Jan. 1, 2006. Wintersteen succeeds Catherine Woteki, who left ISU last July to become global director of scientific affairs for Mars Inc., McLean, Va. Prior to becoming interim dean, Wintersteen was senior associate dean of the college and associate director of the experiment station from 2000 to 2005. In other ISU positions (1979 to 2000), Wintersteen was entomology professor; director of extension to agriculture and natural resources; coordinator of pesticide management and pesticide applicator training programs; and extension associate in the entomology department and two extension area offices. From 1989 to 1990, Wintersteen also was acting national pesticide education program leader for the USDA-Extension Service in Washington, D.C. Wintersteen earned a bachelor of science degree in crop protection (1978) from Kansas State University, Manhattan; and a doctorate in entomology (1988) from Iowa State.

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Quad City Times, IA01/08/06

Lobbying scandal fallout felt in area

By Ed Tibbetts

At 7:15 a.m. the day after Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to a second set of corruption and conspiracy charges, Brian Kennedy sent an e-mail containing his two-page plan to “clean up Congress.”

A Republican candidate for the U.S. House in Iowa’s 1st District, Kennedy proposed banning lobbyist contributions to congressional campaigns and political fundraising in the nation’s capital.

Even before the Abramoff pleas, corruption promised to be an issue in the midterm congressional elections. Democrats, sensing an advantage, are poised to drive it home, and polls show the public’s already low opinion of Congress is dwindling.

It still is too early to know whether Democrats can capitalize on the scandals rocking Washington, D.C., or whether it becomes a stew in which both sides are blamed. What is clear is that candidates in the 1st District are staking out positions on what should be done and, among Republicans anyway, they’re using the issue to distinguish themselves from their rivals.

Kennedy, a lobbyist himself who now lives in Bettendorf, concedes he is not the perfect messenger for reform, noting that he, too, has made donations to lawmakers he’s lobbied. In fact, he worked until late last year for DCI Group, which ranks among the top lobbying firms in terms of campaign donations. Its members gave more than $300,000 in donations during the 2004 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Still, Kennedy said he has worked in the halls of Congress and therefore can talk credibly about the issue. His client list includes universities and municipalities, according to Senate records. He also has had corporate clients, the records state.

“You talk to most lobbyists, they would welcome the change,” he said. “I want to reform Washington, D.C.”

Kennedy’s rivals say his plan is more about trying to inoculate himself from a culture that many outsiders, Republicans and Democrats alike, say is corrupt.

“It sounds to me like a D.C. lobbyist who is running from his profession,” Iowa Rep. Bill Dix, R-Shell Rock, said.

Dix said greater disclosure, not necessarily new laws, is the best answer. “We have laws on the books,” he said, adding they should be enforced.

Meanwhile, Mike Whalen, the chairman of Heart of America Restaurants & Inns, whose campaign has emphasized he’s a common-sense businessman with meat-and-potato ideas from the heartland, said a potential answer comes straight from Iowa where state legislators cannot take gifts valued at more than $3. “I think the rule for Iowa is a good rule for Washington, D.C.,” he added.

The Republicans do share common ground in saying their party is not solely to blame for what is happening. They note that Abramoff’s clients and associates gave to Democrats, too.

“I think it’s a problem with the culture of Washington. I don’t think it’s a problem with one party or another,” Whalen said.

Democratic leaders scoff at that. They say Republicans are merely trying to muddy the waters, noting Abramoff’s ties to indicted former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, as well as the resignation of U.S. Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Calif., for taking bribes in a separate matter. “Clearly, this culture of corruption has been coming from the Republican side,” said Jennifer Psaki, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“I’ve said for a long time there’s this unholy alliance between corporate America and wealthy individuals and politicians that has to be broken,” Democratic congressional candidate Bill Gluba of Davenport said last week. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Gluba proposes that, once elected, legislators be prohibited from soliciting anything of value, including campaign contributions.

Public money would pay for an incumbent’s campaign, he said, but only up to 85 percent of what a challenger raises. An incumbent would get less money than a challenger because a challenger has the cost of fundraising in the private sector, Gluba explained.

Bruce Braley, a Waterloo lawyer, says lobbyist-sponsored travel should be banned, enforcement beefed up and, eventually, the country should move toward publicly financing campaigns. He said voters are paying a lot of attention to what’s going on. “It’s just one more thing to frustrate voters,” he said.

Rick Dickinson, an ex-state legislator and economic development official from Sabula, said there should be a way to encourage, even require, candidates to

raise money from their home district. And he, too, said public financing should be part of the answer someday. “There’s a culture of corruption that everybody ought to be concerned with,” he said, but he also noted that voters are not as worried about the scandals as they are about health care and the economy.

It may be difficult for Democrats to drive the corruption issue home in a district where there are no incumbents, said Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University. In fact, he believes the impact of the Abramoff scandal will likely be confined to lawmakers who are caught up in the investigation.

At the same time, Democrats lost their majority in Congress in 1994 on the heels of controversy — notably the House banking scandal, which Republicans said was indicative of a party in control for too long.

To some extent, Republicans who have had their hands on the levers of government for the better part of a decade recognize the threat.

In taking his plan around the district last week, Kennedy toted a paper bag with him. It was a reference to the time in 1991 when U.S. Rep. Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, now a candidate for governor, put a bag over his head on the floor of Congress to protest the banking scandal. “I don’t want to find myself the second congressman from eastern Iowa who has to put a bag over his head on the floor of the Congress,” he said

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Radio Iowa01/09/06

Students send old textbooks overseas

by Matt Kelley

Students at two of Iowa's state universities spent part of the weekend gathering and crating up thousands of donated textbooks to send overseas. Craig Buske, a junior at Iowa State University, is helping spearhead the movement for an Iowa-based non-profit group called Pages of Promise.

Buske says the textbooks go to schools and universities in sub-Saharan areas of Africa that lack education infrastructure, where some schools have no textbooks at all or perhaps one to share with an entire class. Book drives were held over the weekend at I-S-U and at the University of Northern Iowa, with plans to add the University of Iowa next year. He says the phrase "One person's trash is another person's treasure" truly applies here.

Buske says American publishers put out new editions of textbooks every few years so the information isn't really outdated and the books are still of great value in poor nations. The effort he and other I-S-U students started in the spring of 2003 has brought in nearly 100-thousand textbooks. This weekend, another ten-thousand books were boxed for shipment.

Buske, a Johnston native, says the books come from publishers, community colleges and book stores but the majority come from students. Buske says the deflated refund is getting worse for college students, who may buy a book for a hundred-dollars and then the book store will offer to buy it back for maybe six-dollars at semester's end. When the return is that small, he says it's easy to convince students to donate the books as they'll have much more value to someone else.

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Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD01/11/06

Pop. 144,600 - and booming

January estimate means Sioux Falls has doubled since 1970

JON [email protected]

Sioux Falls' population has swelled to 144,600 as the city basks in the benefits of a humming economy, safe neighborhoods and a growth pattern that seems to feed on itself.

The new total, released Tuesday, shows a 2.5 percent hike the past 12 months and sustains a trend in which South Dakota's largest city has doubled in size the past 35 years. It will double again in the next 35 years, if City Hall projections hold true.

The city gained 10 people a day in 2005, such as Tara Friez, 27, an interior designer for Architecture Inc. who moved here from Houston when her husband, Matt, joined the residency program at Sioux Valley Hospital."It's just a nice place to live," she said.

Jobs in medicine, education and finance create a need for houses, and the resulting construction boom has fueled a demand for retail, restaurants and other services.

"As long as industry comes, we're going to need more housing," said Alan Amdahl, 48, a construction company owner who also remembers leaner days in the early 1980s.

Tim Borich, associate professor of community regional planning at Iowa State University, said Sioux Falls has become a regional growth center in the Upper Midwest, though not on par with the Twin Cities or suburbs near Chicago.

"Location is a battle Sioux Falls deals with" for reasons more than climate, he said.

The city is not on a major waterway or rail line and does not feed off larger metro areas. Those details make the growth all the more remarkable, said Borich, a 1971 graduate of O'Gorman High School.

The downside is that medical and retail consolidation pumps Sioux Falls but also siphons the cream off economies of smaller towns trying to survive, he said.

The numbers from previous studies do in fact show Sioux Falls growing faster, by percentage, than its own metro area and the state as a whole. About one-third of newcomers here are from six nearby counties, one-third from a three-state area, and one-third from across the country, said Jeffrey Schmitt, assistant city planner.

Dan Scott, president of the Sioux Falls Area Development Foundation, said his agency has helped other towns build their economies, but he doesn't think that issue relates to Sioux Falls' effort to attract new businesses.

"If a town is going to dry up, it's going to dry up whether we provide opportunities or not," Scott said.

A bigger issue is work force, the priority concern whenever employers show an interest in moving here, Scott said. Unemployment is 3.3 percent - below state and national rates - raising questions of an adequate labor pool.

"That's the number one thing on everybody's mind," he said. The work force is far more than adequate, he said, because medical, education and retail services continue to cause people to move here, increasing the labor pool and sustaining the cycle that builds the economy.

"The positive here is that people here want to work," Scott said.

Sioux Falls scores well among newcomers for its park system - the city's top asset, Friez said. And it ticks low on any study of crime rates in part because of a mind-set that small news is big news. "People have a tendency to pay attention to their neighborhoods. They don't ignore problems," said assistant police chief Patti Lyon.

Schmitt said a 200,000 population - probably about the year 2020 - might strike some potential newcomers as too big for Sioux Falls. But even hitting 301,000 in 2040, as he projects, won't change the city's identity.

"We're still not Omaha," Schmitt said. "We're never going to be Minneapolis. In 40 years, we'll be a big Sioux Falls."

Reach reporter Jon Walker at 331-2206 or 800-530-6397.

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The Dickinson Press, ND01/01/06

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The Hindu, Hindu, India01/10/06

Farmers should be made aware of benefits of BT: Minister

Special Correspondent

`Biotechnology can help reduce nutritional deficiencies among the poor'

BANGALORE: The controversies and misgivings about Bt cotton and biotechnology are on account of the failure to provide information about their benefits to farmers, Minister for Agriculture K. Srinivasa Gowda said on Monday.

Inaugurating a three-day international conference on "Biotechnology approaches for alleviating malnutrition" at the University of Agricultural Sciences (UAS, GKVK campus) here, the Minister said awareness of the benefits of biotechnology (BT) should be created among farmers.

Mr. Srinivasa Gowda said that in spite of remarkable accomplishments of the Green Revolution, there is a high level of malnutrition. Twenty-six per cent of farmers and 45 per cent of agricultural labourers suffer from deficiencies, including that of protein. Women and children are vulnerable to nutrient-deficiency disorders. Consumption data on cereals provide disturbing trends in food and nutrition security during 1990s. The per capita energy and protein intake declined sharply in the 1990s following a cut in subsidies and introduction of economic reforms. Calorie intake declined from 2,423 in 1988 to 2,277 in 2000, he said.

There is a need for improving the nutrient quality of the largely vegetarian diet of people in villages, the Minister said. BT has potential to reduce nutritional deficiencies among the poor.

Adoption of BT requires an understanding of benefits and potential risks by educators, policy makers and farmers, he added.

On the partnership between Purdue University of the U.S. and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, he said its main purpose should be to make people in villages aware of the potential of BT to improve nutritional levels. M.N. Sheelavantar, UAS Vice-Chancellor, said the conference is being conducted under the higher education partnership between Purdue University and the UAS.

V. Prakash, Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, said the level of nutrition among students has increased after the introduction of the midday meal scheme.

Randy Woodson, Dean, Purdue University, and Wendy Wintersteen, Dean, Iowa State University, spoke.

The police maintained tight security on the campus.

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Times Online, UK01/08/06

Gory games that can warp your brain

By Sam Lister

The links between computer images of brutality and the real thing may go further than first thought

VIOLENT computer games trigger a mechanism in the brain that makes people more likely to behave aggressively, research suggests.

A study of the effects of popular games such as Doom, Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto, which involve brutal killings, high-powered weaponry and street crime, indicates that avid users become desensitised to shocking acts of aggression. Psychologists found that this brain alteration, in turn, appeared to prime regular users of such games to act more violently.

Many studies have concluded that people who play violent games are more aggressive, more likely to commit violent crimes, and less likely to help others. But critics argue that these correlations prove only that violent people gravitate towards violent games, not that games can change behaviour.

However, the new research, carried out by scientists at the University of Missouri-Columbia, goes some way towards demonstrating a causal link between computer games and violence, rather than a simple association. When shown images of real-life violence, people who played violent video games were found to have a diminished brain response. However, the same group had more natural reactions to other emotionally disturbing images, such as those of dead animals or ill children.

The researchers, led by Bruce Bartholow, a psychologist at Missouri-Columbia, found that the particular reduction in response associated with violence was correlated with aggressive behaviour. A type of brain activity called the P300 response, which reflects the emotional impact of an image on the viewer, was measured in 39 experienced gamers.

The participants were shown a variety of real-life images interspersed with violent scenes and other non-violent negative images. In subjects with the most experience of violent games, the P300 response to the violent images was smaller, and delayed. “People who play a lot of violent video games didn’t see them as much different from neutral (images),” Dr Bartholow said.

While such de-sensitivity is well documented and has resulted in the use of video games to prepare soldiers for scenes of war, researchers detected more alarming trends. When the game players were then given the opportunity to “punish” a pretend opponent in another game, those with the greatest reduction in P300 brain responses meted out the most severe punishments.

According to an early report of the study, published on newscientist.com, the website of the scientific journal, even when the team took into account the subjects’ natural hostility, the games experience and P300 response were still strongly correlated with aggressiveness.

Many shocking crimes, mostly committed by teenagers, have been linked to violent video games in recent years. In 1999, two high-school students shot dead 13 people and wounded 23 at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. In 2002, a German teenager murdered 16 people as he walked through Gutenberg school in Erfurt brandishing a shotgun. Both incidents were later linked to violent video games: the American teenagers had enjoyed playing Doom, while the German youth was reported to have spent hours playing particularly brutal computer games.

In 2004, the game Manhunt was blamed by parents of a boy murdered in Britain for contributing to his death. Police found no direct links to the game, although some retailers removed it from their shelves.

Other psychologists said that Dr Bartholow’s findings, due to be published this year in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, offered further evidence of a worrying trend. Craig Anderson, of the Department of Psychology at Iowa State University, said: “These brain studies corroborate the many behavioural and cognitive studies showing that violent video games lead to increases in aggression.”

Some critics remain unconvinced by the findings, however. Jonathan Freedman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, who has prepared several government reports on media and games violence, said that all people “habituate” to any kind of stimulus. “All we are really getting is de-sensitisation to images,” he said. “There’s no way to show that this relates to real-life aggression.”

SO VIOLENT, IT’S ALMOST REAL

Last year’s most violent games, as assessed by the US watchdog Family Media Guide, included:

Resident Evil 4: Player is a special forces agent who is sent to rescue the President’s kidnapped daughter. Images include a woman pinned to a wall by

a pitchfork through her face 50 Cent: Bulletproof Loosely based on the gangster lifestyle of the rapper.

Player engages in shootouts and loots the bodies of victims to buy 50 Cent recordings and music videos

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Player is a criminal on a mission of murder, theft and destruction. Health is improved by visiting prostitutes, with bonuses for killing them

God of War: A warrior hunts the gods who tricked him into killing his family. Prisoners are burnt alive, victims torn in half. Also ran in: Earthtimes.org

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Wisconsin Ag Connection01/11/06

National Ag Electric Seminar to be Held in Wisconsin

An electrical code seminar for utility employees, electricians, builders, farm operators and agricultural advisers will be held February 15 in La Crosse. The seminar is being sponsored Iowa State University MWPS and the Midwest Rural Energy Council.

The seminar will focus on aspects of the 2005 National Electric Code for agricultural buildings. The featured speaker is LaVerne Stetson, co-author and technical editor of the revised "Wiring Handbook for Rural Facilities."

The forum precedes the 44th Annual Rural Energy Conference, which is scheduled for February 16-17 at the same location. The conference topics include transmission and distribution technology, stray voltage testing and energy efficiency.

For more information or to register, call 608-263-1672.

Documents

Media Review 01-13-06 - Iowa State Universitynscentral/mr/06/01132006.doc · Web viewHome heating cost estimates are expected to be 25-40% higher than last winter," he says. "This