Gazette Daily News Podcast: Tuesday, January 30, 2024

– POET ethanol plants in Iowa and South Dakota sign on to Summit CO2 pipeline

– Legacy of 2023 drought plagues livestock producers this winter

– Democrats target Eastern iowa race in quest to regain U.S. House

Episode Transcript

You are listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast on Tuesday, January 30. This podcast gives quick bites from the latest headlines coming out of The Gazette newsroom. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Up first, an ethanol producer signs on to the Summit CO2 pipeline

And later, tight feed supply and high hay prices are putting pressure on Iowa’s cattle industry

POET announced Monday that it would link its Iowa and South Dakota ethanol plants to Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed carbon dioxide pipeline. POET is the world’s largest ethanol producer.

Summit has proposed a 2,000 mile, $5 billion pipeline that would transport CO2 to an underground sequestration site in North Dakota. Currently, the Iowa Utilities Board is considering a permit for the 680 miles of pipeline crossing Iowa. Because POET’s Iowa plants were not on Summit’s original route, they will need to be included in a future application.

A joint news release from both companies said quote, “This addition will facilitate the capture, transportation, and permanent storage of 4.7 million metric tons of CO2 annually from the 17 POET bioprocessing plants.” end quote.

Critics oppose eminent domain and worry about the safety of transporting CO2 underground. Biofuels supporters say these pipelines are critical to the industry’s survival. There is no timeline for when the state board must decide on Summit’s permit. POET is based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and has 12 bioprocessing facilities in Iowa.

High hay prices and and fixed feed supplies are putting pressure on Iowa’s cattle industry. 2023 marked Iowa’s third year in a row of drought.

This contributed to low hay yields and poor hay quality. This year, yields dropped 18% to 2.95 million acres. Hay conditions reached their lowest quality since at least 2019. This has caused ranchers to buy more hay–at above normal prices–to supplement their homegrown stocks. Additionally, non-feed costs are rising.

Iowa State University beef field specialist Christopher Clark said quote, “Winter feed tends to be one of the biggest costs for producers, and so it has a big effect on the bottom line if you have to buy a lot of feed.” end quote. Many livestock producers started cutting into winter feed reserves as early as August.

Beyond hay, Iowa’s cattle industry is facing other pressures. Read the full story by Brittney J. Miller at The Gazette dot com or find the story link in this episode’s description.

Next, national Democrats have targeted an Eastern Iowa congressional district in an effort to regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

U.S. House Democrats announced its “red-to-blue” program Monday. The program works to help Democrats running against Republican incumbents flip their districts. Among the first slate of 17 candidates is Iowa City congressional candidate Christina Bohannan. Bohannan is challenging Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa. Another Iowa Democrat received the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee stamp of approval. That was Lanon Baccam, who is running for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. That district is currently represented by Republican Rep. Zach Nunn of Bondurant. Nunn narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Cindy Axne in 2022. Bohannan and the DCCC say they are planning to highlight Miller-Meeks’ support of a nationwide abortion ban. Bohannan told The Gazette she supports a return to Roe. v. Wade. Additionally, Bohannan said one of her top priorities if elected is to pass a Farm Bill.

You can find a link to each of the stories featured in today’s episode in this episode’s description or at the gazette dot com.

Now let’s take a look at today’s weather in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Today will be cloudy with a high of 37 degrees. Temperatures will drop to 28 degrees tonight. Looking ahead to tomorrow, Wednesday will be sunny. Anticipate a high of 43 degrees and a low of 28 degrees.

Thank you for listening to The Gazette’s Daily News Podcast. Stay up to date with the latest news from Eastern Iowa at the gazette dot com. I’m Bailey Cichon.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com