Governor proclaims Dec. 4-10 as "Iowa Farm Bureau Week"

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - Nov. 15, 2011 - Members of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) will gather for the organization's 93^rd annual meeting Dec. 7-8 at the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines to discuss the many aspects of food and energy production and the important role Iowa farmers play as international leaders in ag technology, innovation and environmental sustainability.

To celebrate the annual gathering, Governor Terry Branstad has declared the week of Dec. 4-10 as "Iowa Farm Bureau Week."

"This year, our annual meeting theme 'Setting the Table for the World,' focuses on how our Iowa farmers, our members, help feed and energize a growing world," said Craig Lang, IFBF president and a fifth-generation dairy farmer from Brooklyn. "The world population will grow to more than 9 billion people by 2050, and these people will need food and energy. Iowa farmers lead the nation in the production of corn, soybeans, livestock, ethanol and wind energy. We must be at the table to discuss how our farms can support our nation and the world in a sustainable way. It's a huge task and one that can be met if we continue to focus on developing technology, production efficiencies and conservation practices."

Lang added that food production discussions also need to address consumers and their needs and demands.

"More than ever, people want to know more about the food they eat; where it comes from, how antibiotics are used by livestock farmers or how waterways and soils are protected," said Lang. "Farmers want to be transparent about why they do what they do. I know that we'll have some enlightening discussions that will benefit farmers and consumers, alike."

The IFBF annual meeting educational seminars will discuss the environmental, health and economic aspects of today's food production system and will be kicked off with a luncheon panel discussion of ethical food production. Moderated by Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, the panel will include experts from Pioneer, Elanco and Hy-Vee.

The three seminar topics include : 1."Environment: Optimizing Resources to Feed A Hungry World," with Marv Wilson , Pioneer, and Craig Chase, from the Leopold Center; 2. "Health: Meeting Consumer Demand for Safe and Healthy Food," featuring Scott Hurd with the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Bahia Nightengale of the Golden Hills RC&D, and Ellen Reis, HyVee dietician; and 3. "Economics: The World Food Economy," with Grady Bishop, Elanco swine business unit director; Frank Mitloehner, ag researcher from the University of California-Davis; and Daniel Whitley, deputy director of the U.S. Foreign Ag Service.

Lang will address members and special guests on Thursday, Dec. 8, at 9 a.m. In addition, Dave Miller, IFBF director of research and commodity services, will lead a session focused on farm revenue risk and the Food Security Act of 2012 on Dec. 8. The organization will celebrate the contributions of dedicated Farm Bureau members with a recognition banquet on Dec. 7 and a young farm leaders' achievement luncheon on Dec. 8.

Farm Bureau will wrap up its annual meeting with a voting delegate session and elections.   The following directors are up for re-election this year: IFBF President Craig Lang, District 2 board member Charles Norris, District 7 board member Andy Hora, and District 9 board member Jim McKnight.

Members can register for the 2011 IFBF annual meeting at their county Farm Bureau offices.  For more information about the annual meeting, visit www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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Asks state to consider more online training for rural EMTs

GALESBURG - November 15, 2011. As chair of the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, Lt. Governor Sheila Simon asked a state task force today to consider expanding online training for rural emergency medical service (EMS) providers.

Simon said greater online training could improve recruitment and retention of paid and volunteer workers who must take 120 hours of continuing education every four years to remain certified. Rural emergency medical technicians often pay out-of-pocket for continuing education, which can require costly overnight travel and lost wages for volunteers who must take time off from their regular jobs, Simon said.

Simon's request came during a House EMS task force hearing at Galesburg City Hall. The 24-member House EMS task force, which is co-chaired by Reps. Don Moffitt (R-Galesburg) and Lisa Dugan (D-Kankakee), is holding public hearings across the state and will issue recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly by the end of the year.

"The EMS providers we rely on to handle life or death situations are finding themselves on life support," Simon said. "We need to find creative ways to help them attract qualified employees and manage the high cost of doing business in large areas with small populations."

Rural providers are facing revenue problems because reimbursement rates from third-party sources such as Medicaid do not cover the increased cost of providing services, Simon said. Rural providers also report that non-emergency calls for transportation or assistance, which may not be billable or go unpaid, place further strain on budgets.

"It is a privilege to work with Lt. Governor Simon, Rep. Moffitt, fellow task force members and all the EMS personnel on this important state issue," Dugan said. "It is imperative that we realize and help solve some of the problems EMS providers face so they can continue to serve the public."

Under the Governor's Rural Affairs Council, Simon is creating an EMS subcommittee to improve emergency services for rural residents. Dottie Miles, the executive director of Jackson County Ambulance Service, and Greg Scott, EMS coordinator for the McLean County Area EMS System, will serve as co-chairs of the subcommittee.

"This subcommittee will bring together a diverse group of volunteers from across rural Illinois with a variety of EMS experience," Simon said. "I look forward to working with the subcommittee, as well as the House EMS task force, to identify innovative solutions to the problems facing rural providers and residents."

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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, co-chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, today said House and Senate appropriators are restoring funding for Defense Department international counternarcotics programs.  Grassley, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, caucus chairman, had urged appropriators to restore the funding, which lapsed Oct. 1.

"The funding lapse was worrisome," Grassley said.  "It put counternarcotics efforts at risk of losing momentum and backsliding on progress in hotbed areas.  It's a relief that for the safety and security of the United States, funding for U.S. counternarcotics programs abroad will be restored very soon."

The appropriators' language restoring the funding is available here, p. 280.  Letters from Grassley and Feinstein to try to restore funding are available here, here and here.