As the state house gets ready to wind down for the year, and tractors and farms get ready to wind up, we have decided to take a look at a few of the initiatives that the Iowa government looked at concerning agriculture policy. Two of those come right to the forefront, and that concerns poultry processing and guidelines around foreign land ownership.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig talked with us about the initiatives, and he first looked at the issues surrounding poultry processing and the way it hampers the process of folks who want only a few birds processed.
The bill would allow for custom work to be done in the same facilities, much like it can be for red meat.
As for foreign land ownership, Iowa has some of the strictest state laws on the books, but Naig says this bill was more about going back through the laws, strengthening them, and modernizing them.
Now as the budget process goes forward, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is going to be asking for funding on several projects as well.
