March 26, 2015 - Agribusiness Association of Iowa

TAKE FIVE
A five-minute summary of AAI, regulation, and industry activities for members of the largest
state agribusiness association in the nation.
Inside this Issue:
Page 1:
Registration Open for Soil
& Water Workshops
Help Improve Our Show!
2015 Showcase Surveys
Now Open
AAI Co-Signs Request to
Re-Authorize Federal STB
Nine Urban Water Quality
Projects Selected to
Receive Funds
Page 2:
Emerald Ash Borer
Confirmed in Clinton
County, Iowa
ISU Center for Ag Law &
Taxation: Analysis of
DMWW Suit
AAI in Action
Calendar of Events
Registration Open for Soil & Water Workshops
Iowa County Soil and Water Conservation District and
Iowa County Farm Bureau will team up to offer a series
of workshops that address the latest in soil
conservation and water quality topics.
It will feature Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and
four local producers who will discuss the Nutrient
Reduction Strategy and conservation practices that are
working on Iowa County Farms.
What: Bringing Water Quality Home to Us
Time: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m (Registration at 9:30 a.m.)
Date: April 2, 2015
Location: Kinze Innovation Center, 2172 M Ave.,
Williamsburg, IA
The public is invited to attend. Lunch will be provided
free of charge to all attendees who R.S.V.P. by March
27 by calling: Iowa County Farm Bureau
319-668-1331 ext. 4.
Help Improve Our Show! 2015 Showcase Surveys Now Open.
We could not thank the exhibitors and sponsors
enough for helping us provide a great Showcase &
Conference to our attendees. And without the
attendees we would not have a show! Thank you to
everyone who participated at the 2015 Showcase!
Please select which survey applies to your
900 Des Moines Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515-262-8323
800-383-1682
Fax: 515-262-8960
www.agribiz.org
participation: 2015 Attendees; Career Day ; Exhibitors
& Sponsors; Leadership Forum; or the Job Fair.
Surveys close April 1, 2015. Select yes to the last
question of the survey and you will have a chance to
win a $25 Amazon Gift Card or a Free Leadership
Forum Attendance for 2016 Showcase.
AAI Co-Signs Request to Re-Authorize Federal STB
Des Moines – The Agribusiness Association of Iowa,
along with 34 other State and National Organizations,
recently signed onto a letter to Senator John Thune
and Bill Nelson regarding the re-authorization of the
federal Surface Transportation Board (STB).
The Letter to Thune/Nelson on STB Legislation was
submitted on March 24, 2015. Included in the letter
submission was a full STB Bill document and a full
2015 STB Section Analysis .
Full letter available here.
Nine Urban Water Quality Projects Selected to Receive Funds
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today
announced nine Urban Conservation Water Quality
Initiative Demonstration Projects have been selected to
receive $655,194 in funding. Partners and landowners
participating in the projects will provide $2.43 million to
support urban conservation efforts.
Agribusiness
Association of Iowa
March 26, 2015
The communities participating in the projects
are Ames, Calmar, Cedar Falls, Des Moines, Granger,
Storm Lake, Webster City, West Des Moines and three
sites in Calhoun County.
Projects will focus on conservation measures that
capture and allow storm water to be absorbed into the
ground and reduce a property's contribution to water
quality degradation, stream flows and flooding.
These new projects join 16 Water Quality Initiative
demonstration projects in targeted watersheds that are
focused on helping farmers implement and
demonstrate water quality practices. The state has
provided $7.4 million in funding to support these
projects and has leveraged an additional $11.7 million
in
additional
funding
from
partners
and
landowners.
More than 95 organizations are
participating in these projects.
“This is an exciting next step for the Iowa Water Quality
Initiative as we work together with communities,
businesses and homeowners in our towns and cities,”
Northey said. “Expanding the Water Quality Initiative to Projects located in Ames, Calmar, Cedar Falls, Des
include these projects builds on the important Moines, Granger, Lake City, Storm Lake, Webster City
partnership of urban and rural areas working together and West Des Moines were selected.
to protect and improve water quality.”
Full article and project summary here.
TAKE FIVE
Page 2
AAI
Meetings & Events:
Emerald Ash Borer Confirmed in Clinton County, Iowa
Office Closed
April 3, 2015
*Office Closed to observe
Good Friday
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has been positively identified
in the city of Clinton, making this the twentieth county
in Iowa where this wood boring pest of ash trees has
been found. EAB kills all ash tree species and is
considered to be one of the most destructive tree pests
ever seen in North America.
Mike Kintner, Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land
Stewardships EAB and Gypsy Moth Coordinator. “This
find came during the dormant part of the year when
woodpecker activity is often detected. This Clinton
discovery is not too far from a previous finding in
Morrison, Illinois.”
Iowa NREC Board
Meeting
April 6, 2015
10 AM
AAI Board Room
An ash tree with evidence of recent woodpecker
activity was discovered by a member of the Iowa EAB
Team. A branch was removed and bark peeled,
resulting in the collection of a suspect larva that was
confirmed as EAB by federal identifiers.
Twenty Iowa counties now have confirmed EAB
infestations. A statewide quarantine, issued on Feb. 4,
2014, remains in place, restricting the movement of
hardwood firewood, ash logs, wood chips and ash tree
nursery stock out of Iowa into non-quarantined areas of
other states.
Agronomy Committee
Meeting
April 16, 2015
10 AM
AAI Board Room
“Clinton unfortunately is another sizable city along the
Mississippi River that has fallen victim to EAB,” said
Full article & FAQ available here.
ISU Center for Ag Law & Taxation: Analysis of DMWW Suit
DMWW has been very vocal in stating that the state agencies to rewrite their regulations and change
voluntary Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy will not be their enforcement practices.
effective. Three county boards of supervisors are the
first direct targets of this advocacy.
This is a case of national significance. Even if the court
dismisses the claims, the case will likely drag on for
What DMWW seeks, however, is to change agricultural months, generating unfortunate animosity and costing
practices nationwide. It seeks a declaration that farm thousands of dollars that could be spent implementing
drainage tile is a public nuisance in its “normal and clean water solutions.
intended operation.” It seeks to compel federal and
Full article available here.
AAI in Action
Membership Committee Meeting Review:
Be social with AAI!
final
2016
membership
and
sponsorship
dues
recommendation to present to the AAI Board of Directors at
The AAI Membership Committee met at the AAI headquarters their July meeting.
on March 20, led by Committee Chairman, Mike Moellenbeck,
If you have questions or comments about AAI’s membership
River Valley Cooperative.
or sponsorship structure, please contact Reilly Vaughan,
The committee reviewed the membership list of 2015 non- Director of Membership Programs
renewals, as well as new members to date in 2015. The
committee has been charged with the responsibility of AAI Welcomes New Staff Member:
reviewing the current membership dues structure and rates, to
ensure the best possible process for future AAI
AAI
would
like
to
welcome
Shawn Richmond to the team. Shawn
membership. The committee agreed that any new structure
needs to be as equitable as possible to “like kind” members,
was previously the Senior Environmental
should be helpful in engaging current members as well as
Specialist for IDALS for 12 years. Shawn
attracting new membership to the association. All dues rates
received his MS in Water Resources in
should be as fair as possible to all members, recognizing that
2003 and a BS in Environmental
the association is very diverse in its makeup, both in
Sciences in 1999, both from ISU.
membership types as well as size of businesses.
Shawn will be the Director of
The committee also reviewed the current AAI sponsorship
Environmental Technology for AAI. As
programs and structure, and will continue to discuss ideas
part of his duties, he will provide
that provide the best value for all of our sponsors at AAI
environmental services to the Iowa
events and activities. The committee will continue their work Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC)
through the spring and early summer with the goal of having a Organization.