Agriculture

It has tracks and is the biggest, most powerful ever made

New U.S. Department of Agriculture data reveals that some counties, especially in Northeast and East-Central Iowa, produced millions less bushels last year.

Across the country, when farmworkers arrive at employer-provided housing, they often face similar problems of dead smoke alarms, moldy rooms and empty first aid kits, according to Investigate Midwest’s review of more than 6,600 inspections of H-2A housing and migrant labor camps from 19 states.

The project, which would require around $500,000 upfront, would congregate hordes of drought-related data for residents to easily access.

The Labor Department asked a federal judge for an injunction to halt the employment of minors by Tennessee-based Fayette Janitorial Service LLC, saying it believes at least four children were still working at one Iowa slaughterhouse — Seaboard Triumph Foods — as of Dec. 12.

Drivers in eight Midwestern states will be able to fuel up with a higher blend of ethanol throughout the year under a final rule announced Thursday by the Environmental Protection Agency.

The latest Ag Census data show alarming trends in the upper Mississippi River basin, one of the most intensive agricultural areas in the country: Less diverse farmers, more and more farms are going out of business, and farmland is being consolidated, making it even more difficult to get into the industry.

Here’s an update on 12 bills that remain open for passage by the Iowa Legislature -- and two that did not survive -- after the first funnel deadline.