WASHINGTON - Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is seeking better oversight from the Department of Labor to prevent violence at federally funded Job Corps centers.  His inquiry comes amid two murders of Job Corps students in the last four months, one in St. Louis, another in Homestead, Fla., and long-standing disciplinary problems documented by the agency watchdog.

"The violence is shocking, yet it isn't new, and it's getting worse," Grassley said.  "Two murders involving Job Corps students have occurred in the past several months.   The inspector general has documented widespread problems creating an unsafe environment.  The Labor Department is responsible for the safety of these students.  If it can't ensure their safety, it needs to reconsider everything about the way this program is run.  The zero tolerance policy for violence needs to mean something.  It obviously doesn't at too many Job Corps centers right now."

Grassley wrote to the Job Corps administrator and Labor Department inspector general last month, citing an inspector general report on disciplinary problems including the downgrading and poor recording of violent offenses.  His letter came just before Homestead, Fla., Job Corps students were charged with killing a fellow Job Corps student.

The Job Corps program is designed to equip disadvantaged teens and young adults with education and vocational training.  There are 125 Job Corps centers across the country, including two in Iowa, in Denison and Ottumwa.

"The many success stories through the Job Corps centers across the country are undermined by the incidents of violence," Grassley said.  "The Labor Department has to protect the many students who want to learn and take advantage of what the program offers.  The good news is the inspector general is on top of this situation, and I hope the agency is taking the problem seriously."

Grassley's letter to the Job Corps administrator and Labor Department inspector general is available here.

The inspector general's report on Job Corps problems is available here.

News stories on the murders in St. Louis and Homestead, Fla., are available here and here.

Awards presented at Iowa State Fair to families that have lead the way on environmental stewardship

(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Iowa Sec. of Agriculture Bill Northey and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Chuck Gipp presented 95 Iowa farm families with the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award during a ceremony at the Iowa State Fair on Wednesday, Aug. 19.

"It is a pleasure to have the opportunity each year to recognize Iowans who go above and beyond to be good stewards of our land," said Branstad. "Farmers take pride in conservation efforts and preserving and protecting our natural resources. The Farm Environmental Leader award gives us all an opportunity to recognize their efforts as exceptional leaders."

"The passion and dedication exhibited by the farmers honored at this year's Farm Environmental Leader awards was inspiring. Many of the recipients remarked at how long they had been working to achieve such recognition," said Reynolds. "We know that across Iowa farmers are committed to protecting the land and we were pleased to be able to highlight the work of some farm families' exemplary work."

The award is a joint effort between the Governor, Lt. Governor, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources to recognize the efforts of Iowa's farmers as environmental leaders committed to healthy soils and improved water quality.  It seeks to recognize the exemplary voluntary actions of farmers that improve or protect the environment and natural resources of our state while also encouraging other farmers to follow in their footsteps by building success upon success.

This is the fourth year for the award program and to date more than 300 families have received recognition.

"Iowa is a national leader in conservation and water quality efforts and it is important that we recognize the farmers who are making a significant investment in conservation efforts and serving as examples in how we can continue to better care for our air, soil and water," Northey said.

Winners were presented a certificate as well as a yard sign donated by Monsanto and a commemorative program provided by the Iowa Ag Water Alliance.  Hagie Manufacturing sponsored a recognition luncheon following the ceremony.  Bob Quinn from WHO Radio served as the Master of Ceremony.

All winners were chosen by a selection group representing both conservation and agricultural groups.

The selection group that approved the 2015 winners included Jim Gillespie from the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, Bruce Trautman from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Jim Frederick from the Conservation Districts of Iowa, John Lawrence from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Sean McMahon from Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Jan Glendenning from The Nature Conservancy, Jeff Pape from the Iowa Farm Bureau, Jay Lynch from the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Jim Andrew from the Iowa Soybean Association, Pat Daufeldt from the Iowa Turkey Federation, Dan Wetherell from the Iowa Pork Producers Association and Haley Stalcup from the Iowa Cattlemen's Association.

Please find spreadsheets that list all the 2015 winners of Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards here.  Photos were taken of families that came to the ceremony and the final column lists the families for which there is a picture available.  High resolution copies of the photos by the recipients' last names can be found here. Please email Dustin.VandeHoef@ if you have other questions.

Department to Invest Additional $211 Million to Help Ranchers Adopt Proven Conservation Methods

PORTLAND, Ore., August 27, 2015 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced a four-year strategy that will invest approximately $211 million through 2018 in conservation efforts to benefit the greater sage grouse. The strategy, known as Sage Grouse Initiative 2.0, will build on successful public and private conservation efforts made since 2010 to improve sage grouse habitat. The new plan will provide additional assistance for ranchers to make conservation improvements to their land, which mutually benefits the iconic bird and agricultural operations in 11 Western states.

"The Sage Grouse Initiative has proven itself as a model for how wildlife and agriculture can coexist and thrive in harmony, and that is why we are announcing steps today that will expand this important initiative throughout the life of the 2014 Farm Bill," said Vilsack. "I applaud America's ranchers for their initiative in improving habitats and outcomes for sage grouse and other wildlife, and for their recognition that these efforts are also good for cattle, good for ranching operations, and good for America's rural economy."

Since its launch in 2010, public and private partners engaged in the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) have conserved 4.4 million acres, an area twice the size of Yellowstone National Park, using voluntary and incentive-based approaches for conservation. Between 2010 and 2014, USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) invested $296.5 million into SGI, which partners matched with an additional $198 million. By the end of 2018 with implementation of the SGI 2.0 strategy, NRCS and partners will invest approximately $760 million and conserve 8 million acres, an area more than seven times the size of the Great Salt Lake.

NRCS leaders from California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming worked with conservation partners to develop the four-year strategy.

The wildfires devastating Western communities also impact habitat for wildlife like sage grouse. Under the SGI 2.0 strategy, NRCS will focus on reducing the threat of wildfire and spread of invasive grasses after fires to restore wildlife habitat and quality livestock forage. The strategy will also focus on removing encroaching conifers, protecting rangeland from exurban development and cultivation, protecting mesic habitats like wet meadows, and reducing fence collisions.

While in Oregon, Vilsack will meet with conservation partners, ranchers, and government officials who have worked through SGI to conserve sage grouse habitat. Oregon has seen success in sage grouse habitat conservation, especially through the targeted removal of conifer trees that invade sagebrush habitat. Through SGI, NRCS has helped Oregon ranchers address more than two-thirds of the conifer problem on private lands in the state's priority areas, and with SGI 2.0, anticipates 95 percent removal on priority private lands by 2018.

"The Sage Grouse Initiative is making a difference because private landowners voluntarily work with us to produce results on the ground," Vilsack said. "The decisions Western ranchers and other private landowners make every day about what to do on their land will continue to have a critical impact on sage grouse."

SGI conservation practices are targeted to ensure maximum benefits in the areas where they are implemented, and this focus will continue in SGI 2.0. During the past five years, SGI has increased conservation easements 18-fold and strategically located them in priority landscapes that contain the majority of the birds. These easements not only protect important lands but help stitch together the broader landscape, connecting public and private lands into a footprint of healthy habitats.

These voluntary conservation practices work. Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) determined the Bi-State sage-grouse, a subpopulation of the greater sage-grouse along the California-Nevada border, did not require listing because of the conservation efforts of NRCS and partners proactively working to conserve the species. This success is seen nationwide, evidenced in the recent decisions not to list the Arctic grayling in Montana, the proposed delisting of the black bear in Louisiana, and the recent delisting of the Oregon chub.

The deteriorating health of the sagebrush habitat and the greater sage-grouse has sparked an unprecedented, collaborative federal-state partnership. This comprehensive approach includes strong conservation plans for state and private lands, strong federal conservation plans, and an effective strategy to reduce rangeland fire risk.

Learn more about NRCS' sage grouse conservation efforts. To get started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

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