Latest news with #ChooseIowa
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Siouxland schools awarded grant for locally sourced foods
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — A new pilot program in Iowa will help dozens of schools buy more locally sourced foods, with a few of those recipients being right here in Siouxland. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig has announced that 33 schools or school districts have received grants to participate in the Choose Iowa food purchasing program for schools. The one-year program connects schools with Choose Iowa members to encourage school food service programs to buy products from local farmers and businesses. Choose Iowa is a state branding and marketing program that promotes food and beverages that are grown, raised, and made in Iowa. The local school districts that were awarded the grant include: OABCIG, Sheldon, Hinton, West Sioux, and Westwood Community School Districts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers approve budget for agriculture, natural resources
The Iowa Capitol on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capitol Dispatch) State representatives approved a budget from the Senate on Tuesday that would increase funding for agriculture and natural resources departments by $682,000 compared to the current fiscal year. The budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year prioritizes funding to prevent the spread of foreign animal disease, supports state park maintenance and continues the Choose Iowa program, along with operations for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Senate File 646 would appropriate $46.6 million from the general fund and appropriate an additional $99.4 million from other funds for fiscal year 2026. The bill would put $1.8 million into the Choose Iowa fund for use on promotion, dairy innovation and value-added grants for Choose Iowa participants, which is on par with 2025 expected figures for the program. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Choose Iowa is a network of producers selling Iowa-grown goods and has nearly 300 members across the state. The bill also ends the Choose Iowa pilot purchasing program and creates the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program, with an appropriation of $200,000 to help food banks purchase locally produced foods. The pilot program previously had two divisions, one that helped local food banks and another that helped Iowa schools purchase from local growers. Local farmers and food-security advocates hoped the program would have substantial funding this year following the cancellation of funding from a similar federal program. Rep. J.D. Scholten, D-Sioux City, proposed an amendment to expand the purchasing program to include schools, but the House did not adopt the amendment. Scholten said the amendment would have made 'sure that (Iowa) kids are properly fed.' The appropriations bill would also eliminate the Brucellosis and Tuberculosis Eradication Fund in favor of creating an Iowa Animal Disease Prevention fund, which fulfills requests from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and other stakeholders for increased funds to protect against the threat of foreign animal diseases. Those funds would go toward animal disease equipment, vaccine research and updates to state technology to track an outbreak. Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, tied the need for funding to the ongoing impact of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which since 2022 has killed more than 169 million birds in the United States. The bill also appropriates $200,000 to the Iowa Geological Survey to research and map the state's aquifers. The bill allocates $12 million from the Environment First Fund, in lieu of a standing $20 million appropriation from the general fund, to extend the Resources Enhancement and Protection, or REAP, program through 2028. This program funds county conservation, city parks and open spaces, historic preservation, conservation education, soil and water enhancement, and other projects related to natural resources. Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, proposed an amendment, which failed, to fund the project at the full $20 million. 'It's a long time program that has never received the full amount of money for which it was authorized,' Kurth said. The bill also has a special general fund appropriation for state park maintenance, floodplain management and forestry health management. The budget bill faced some pushback from Democrats in both the House and Senate who said it did not adequately prioritize local food, water quality and conservation efforts. The bill advanced from both chambers, and with no adopted amendments in the House it now goes to the governor for final approval. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What you need to know before you go: April 23, 2025
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Here are the top headlines from this morning. A new city government is officially in place in North Sioux City, South Dakota. North Sioux City holds last council meeting and first commission meeting A couple of businesses here in Siouxland are receiving grants through the 'Choose Iowa' program. Siouxland businesses awarded 2025 'Choose Iowa' grant funds Local conservation experts urge Siouxlanders to avoid the Bradford pear when choosing their next tree. Residents advised not to plant more Bradford pear trees A local non-profit stepped up to help keep Sioux City clean in honor of Earth Day. Big Brothers Big Sisters participate in 10th annual Earth Day clean up Check out these headlines and more in the video above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Siouxland businesses awarded 2025 ‘Choose Iowa' grant funds
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has awarded 33 Choose Iowa value-added grants to farms and small businesses in 28 Iowa counties. The grant recipients include four businesses in the Siouxland region. Iowa Gov. Reynolds signs bill to help 2024 flood, tornado victims Country Pines Tree Farm in Marcus is receiving $20,064.86 to go toward an addition to the farm's store, allowing for expanded Christmas tree sales. The project has a total budget of $41,585.31. Lone Oak Honey Company here in Sioux City is receiving $1,164.54 to go toward the purchase of a honey extractor and chest freezer to improve honey production efficiency. That project has a total budget of $2,329.09. Mockingbird Hill Kettle Co. in Archer is receiving $2,800 to go toward a seed cleaning machine and seed bag sewing equipment for popcorn production, a project with a total budget of $5,714.38. Lastly, Nieland Custom Meats in Newell is receiving $25,000 to go toward renovating an existing business facility to create a modern retail space for meat products. That project has a total budget of $60,209.14. Residents advised not to plant more Bradford pear trees In all, the 33 grants awarded this year amount to $463,000, equivalent to those disbursed in both 2023 and 2024. The Choose Iowa value-added grant program launched in 2022 and has awarded nearly $1.64 million in state funds to 100 projects, with total budgets amounting to $5.6 million. You can find the full list of this year's grant recipients here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Food Bank of Siouxland facing challenges after USDA cuts
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — The recent removal of two federal programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to impact not only local farmers and ranchers, but schools and food banks as well. The USDA has cut more than $1 billion in funding for local food banks. KCAU 9 spoke with Food Bank of Siouxland Executive Director Jacob Wanderscheid to see what changes have had to be made for this year because of the funding cuts. How FEMA money is impacting flood recovery process 'Over the next little bit of summer here, early spring, over the summer, the Food Bank of Siouxland will lose about 70,000 pounds of product,' Wanderscheid said. 'That represents about $140,000 worth of value to the food bank.' With the Iowa Local Food Purchasing Assistance Program being cut, officials with the food bank say they will need to remove the majority of their protein products. 'We'll just have a little less choice, a little less fresh product,' Wanderscheid said. 'A lot of what's being cut is milk, eggs, cheese, a lot of that more expensive piece in their diet, which we really highly value. So getting it will be less choice for the residents that did seek food assistance.' Wanderscheid said that this sort of issue is not new to them, but wishes they could have known a little sooner so they could be prepared. 'I think the biggest thing for us was just the swiftness of the cuts,' he said. 'Instead of saying this money had been allocated through this fiscal year during the summer, let that money still stay there and then plan that in the new budget for it not to renew. So the suddenness is the hard thing to kind of adjust to.' Iowa AG Bird moves to strip county of all state funding The Food Bank of Siouxland is currently making a plea to state officials to reinstate the Choose Iowa program. 'We have an ask to the Iowa state legislature to continue the Choose Iowa program that will essentially pick up where that program left, which will allow us to buy local produce and products from Iowans to give back to Iowans,' Wanderscheid said. The Food Bank of Siouxland is also still looking for volunteers to help participate in the upcoming food drive. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
