Content ID
Evening Edition | Tuesday, December 6, 2022
In tonight's Evening Edition, catch up with XtremeAg farmers Chad Henderson and Lee Lubbers, get an update on California's Prop 12, and read the latest news about avian influenza in Iowa.
All I want for Christmas ...
XtremeAg’s Chad Henderson’s Alabama wheat crop is off to a great start, while Lee Lubbers is concerned about emergence in bone dry South Dakota.
Henderson is on pace with herbicide application. He's spending his time cleaning out grain bins, moving corn and beans, and doing grain bin maintenance.
Meanwhile in South Dakota, Lubbers (pictured above) says his winter wheat is struggling, and some fields haven't even germinated yet. Even though temperatures are well below freezing, the ground isn't freezing because there's no moisture there. "All I want for Christmas is some moisture. It’s been ages since we’ve had measurable precipitation in west river region of South Dakota," he says.
Catch up with both XtremeAg farmers in their latest update.
Prop 12 put on hold
A California state judge has extended his ban on enforcement of voter-approved Proposition 12 until July 1 to allow time for the Supreme Court to rule on the constitutionality of the animal welfare law. Justices heard arguments on the farm-group challenge of Prop 12 in October and a decision is expected by the end of June.
Prop 12 requires hog farmers to provide at least 24 square feet of floor space for breeding sows and it bars the sale of pork produced on farms that do not meet those standards. The pork industry argues that Prop 12 sets unfair barriers to interstate trade.
A similar proposition approved by voters in Massachusetts is also on hold pending the Supreme Court's decision. Read more about Prop 12 and why pork producers say it is unconstitutional.
Bird flu isn't going anywhere
The fall migration of geese is expected to peak this month in Iowa with the potential to cause further infections of domestic flocks by a highly pathogenic and destructive avian influenza.
The most recent detection of the virus among those flocks was late last week at a Buena Vista County commercial turkey facility with about 40,000 birds, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. This was the fifth detection in the state this fall.
Wild, migrating birds are believed to be the primary source of the virus transmissions. Even though the fall duck migration is waning, the number of Canada geese doubled last month.
Get the latest on avian influenza and see how this year's number of affected birds compares with the 2014-2015 outbreak.
- READ MORE: Bird flu might persist for weeks in Iowa
More Business News
Tip of the Day
When you mow in a remote area
