Iowa

Iowa’s Apple Comeback: How Modern Science Is Reviving a Pre-War Legacy

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 19:36:41 GMT

Before World War II, Iowa ranked among the top apple-producing states in the country. Today, researchers at Iowa State University are working to bring that legacy back, using modern orchard systems that help growers produce more fruit on less land.

“It’s an orchard packed with more than just fruit,” says Suzanne Slack, assistant professor of horticulture at Iowa State. “This orchard has rows of research — with each tree bearing lessons on the best way to grow apples in the state.”

Building on a Storied Apple History

Iowa has a long relationship with apples, and Slack wants to see that history blossom again.

“Iowa, like I said, has a rich history of producing apples,” Slack explains. “Before World War II, we were one of the top apple-producing states in the nation, true story, and we wanted to see what we could do to help bring back some apple production in Iowa.”

Where Slack stands isn’t just any orchard. It’s a research station that’s been part of Iowa State since the 1960s, founded by renowned apple breeder Spencer Beach.

“He developed quite a few different apple cultivars that we still eat today, like Cortland apples are one of his most favorite ones, or Chieftain, which are the yellow ones behind us,” Slack says. “We’ve had a legacy of apples in Iowa ever since.”

A Modern Orchard for a Modern Era

Slack joined Iowa State in 2021 with a clear mission — to help Iowa growers produce more apples from every tree. Her latest project is a 2-year-old orchard that looks very different from traditional Iowa orchards.

“This orchard here was planted in ’23, so it’s 2 years old,” Slack says. “As you can see, it’s full of apples. The one behind us is a Blondie — aptly named — apple, very cute. And what this is, it’s called a high-density trellising system.”

The design, known as a modified super spindle system, is common in places like Washington state and the Northeast — but rare in Iowa.

“Basically, what we’re doing is we are trying out some of the Midwest heritage apples, or apples that people expect to find in Iowa, on this system to see if they can produce apples at the same rate as a larger tree,” Slack explains.

High-Density Systems: Doing More with Less

Across Iowa, about 300 apple varieties are grown by nearly 500 growers. Slack and her team hope their research will help those growers decide whether high-density planting can work in the Midwest.

“It’s easier to pick, easier to manage, it’s easier to spray, you have less disease problems, you get actually more apples faster,” Slack says. “An apple tree, if you plant it like a standard one, it could take five to six years to make your money back. You’ll make your money back pretty quickly on this one, even with the added cost of the trellis.”

And this orchard isn’t even planted at full density.

“You can actually plant a tree in between every single one of these for 18-inch spacing, like a tomato,” she says.

The trees are pruned constantly to stay compact and productive.

“These branches actually are pruned in a renewal style, so every branch you see with an apple on it is eventually going to be removed,” Slack explains. “We don’t have any permanent scaffolding. The only thing that’s actually permanent is the stem or the main leader of the tree, and the way we can keep them small is we’re just constantly doing pruning on them.”

Finding What Works in Iowa

Not every variety adapts equally well to the trellis system.

“Honeycrisp and Gala love this system of growing,” Slack says. “They make their apples on spurs — so the branch comes out, then they make their little spurs and you see these big clusters of apples. Easy to pick, it’s great. They can make a lot of apples in a little space.”

Others, however, don’t perform as well.

“Granny Smith is probably the most popular household name that doesn’t like this system,” Slack says. “It’s because they make their apples actually on the tips of the branches, and I just said we cut all the branches off. We do all this renewal pruning on them, so we’re actually removing a lot of our fruit whenever we try to grow them on this system.”

A Future for Iowa’s Apple Growers

For Slack, this research isn’t just about science; it’s about creating opportunity for more Iowa growers.

“I hope that they can get more bang for their buck,” Slack says. “They can have apples, people can pick them, they can sell them. They can also reduce their space, have less labor costs, less pesticide costs. And I think it could make it more commercially viable for more folks in the state.”

High Iowa Water Nutrients Come Down to (and With) Rainfall

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 20:10:13 GMT

The equivalent of 70 nurse tanks of nitrogen per day and one truckload of phosphorous per hour is flowing through the confluence of the Des Moines and the Raccoon rivers in central Iowa. This represents an estimated $50 million annually in agriculturally valuable nutrients lost as water pollutants. So says the “Currents of Change” analysis recently released by Iowa’s Polk County.

“Those nutrients would be much better spent as fertilizer applied to crops that are actually helping our plants grow and producing food that feed people,” says Eliot Anderson of University of Iowa, one of the analysis’ 16 contributing scientists, who spoke at a livestreamed public event presenting the findings.

The analysis highlighted several key findings about the central-Iowa watershed that supplies drinking water to the Des Moines metro area. These included ecological issues like declining biodiversity, fish kill events and harmful algal blooms and water safety problems like antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing pathogens, PFAS and pesticides.

But excessive nutrients, namely agriculturally-sourced nitrogen and phosphorous, were a key focus.

Awash in Nutrients

According to both the analysis and the scientists who presented the findings, the watershed’s normal nitrate levels sit at around 6 to 8 milligrams per liter. While this is lower than EPA’s nitrate standards for drinking water at 10 milligrams per liter, it still ranks the rivers as having among the highest nitrate concentrations of the country. The analysis and presenters note nitrate concentrations regularly spike up to double that level, especially following rain events. Too-high nitrate concentrations in drinking water can have severe health consequences, including “blue baby syndrome” and various cancers.

Concentrations of total phosphorus in the watersheds ranged from roughly 0.2 to 0.7 milligrams per liter depending on location. These levels were above the national average for comparatively sized watersheds. High total phosphorus can result in harmful algal blooms.

Jerald Schnoor of the University of Iowa, another of the analysis’ contributing scientists who spoke at the public presentation of the findings, says stakeholders might well ask where the nutrients are coming from.

“Most of it is from agricultural land — roughly 80% — and of that, 40% of the nitrate is coming from fertilizers applied directly onto the land, about 20% is coming from manure onto the land, and another 20% from soybeans and other legumes that can fix nitrogen and make more nitrate available to run off into tile drainage,” he answers for nitrogen.

For phosphorous, roughly three-quarters of what is in the rivers came from “the state’s extensive corn and soybean production,” overwhelmingly from applied fertilizers, according to the analysis. It cites 2019 data from the U.S. Geological Survey sourced from monitoring sites across the Midwest in identifying the sources of nutrients in the waterways.

However, the problem of high concentrations of nutrients in the Des Moines and the Raccoon rivers is not new. The analysis itself shows nitrate concentration rates regularly getting into current ranges going back to the early 1980s. A 1992 essay from Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture notes high nitrates was a long-running problem at the time. It points out that concentrations going back to the early 1980s were quite close to those of the mid-1940s, back before commercial fertilizer use.

A History of Nutrient Control Efforts

Agricultural efforts to curb nutrient runoff in the area isn’t new either.

Greg Wandrey, director of sustainability at the Iowa Corn Growers Association, points to the 2013 Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy as just one example.

“The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goal for phosphorus has been met,” he says. “Farmers have done a tremendous job reducing soil erosion with different practices like cover crops and less tillage and strip-till.”

Wandrey also describes the work of the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative , a public-private partnership run by Iowa State University. The initiative does on-farm trials to try to determine the agronomically-optimum application rate. He says the results of the hundreds of trials is the realization that application rate recommendations of a couple of decades ago — roughly 1.2 lb. of nitrogen per bushel produced — are too high for modern corn production practices and needs.

“The number of pounds of nitrogen per bushel is down to about 0.85 to 0.9,” he says. “The nitrogen use efficiency of farmers has improved dramatically over the last 15 to 20 years.”

And those improvements shouldn’t be surprising, he points out.

“[Farmers] don’t just put on a bunch of nitrogen just for the fun of it because nitrogen is, if you own your land, probably the second-highest input cost behind seed. And if you rent, it’s probably the third-highest behind rent and seed,” Wandrey says.

Iowa corn growers aren’t the only ones involved with controlling nutrient runoff into the watershed.

“Iowa pig farmers care deeply about clean water and clean air, and we always have, because we live here too,” says Pat McGonegle, CEO of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, in a public statement. “We’re constantly improving how we manage nutrients and care for the environment, from using advanced manure management practices to investing in research and conservation partnerships.”

Ag retailers also have been working on fertilizer best practices for some time. In a news release celebrating its 25^th year, the Iowa-based Agriculture’s Clean Water Alliance (ACWA) announced its official adoption of the 2025 Fertilizer Code of Practice . It describes the code as “a voluntary agreement between 12 ag retailers statewide to prohibit sales and application of nitrogen in early fall when conditions make nutrients more volatile.”

“Over the course of 25 years, we as an ag retail community have adopted numerous practices like nitrogen stabilizers, cover crops, reduced tillage, the 4R’s and many other practices to maximize the nutrients we are applying to be as efficient as possible,” says Dan Dix, ACWA board president. “The Code of Practice is just one tool we collectively implement to meet these nutrient goals.”

Dealing With Weather Problems

With these long-running efforts at reducing nutrients in the central-Iowa watershed, why do the levels continue to be so high? Wandrey points to weather when it comes to nitrogen.

“The single biggest factor in nitrate moving is rainfall,” he says, explaining nitrates are mobile in water, meaning that rain leads to more ending up downstream. “The last couple of years when we had literally no rainfall after June 15, there were no nitrate problems just because it wasn’t moving. It was staying in the soil and being used, and it wasn’t leaching down out of the fields.”

The inverse is also true, Wandrey notes.

“When we had all of this rainfall this year, way above average rainfall, you’re going to get more leeching,” he says. “Rainfall is the No. 1 factor.”

The analysis notes: “The greatest episodic nitrate events tend to occur in the days or weeks following heavy rain in the spring and summer.” It also highlights that, during the same time as improving farmer nutrient efficiency, climate change has meant more and more intense rain during that time, increasing 16% over the past 30 years. Not only can rainfall mobilize nitrates, the analysis notes it can increase erosion, a major contributor for phosphorous in the watershed.

Since rain cannot be controlled, farmers are working with what they can control. Wandrey points to shifting trends in nutrient application times as one example of farmers adapting to changing needs.

“We’re seeing farmers go to more in season [application] because during mid-May to July 1, that’s when that plant is rapidly growing,” he says. “Getting that nutrient, nitrogen in this case, applied when the plant is using it at that rapid rate has been found to be much more effective compared to just a fall application.”

Used Farm Equipment Swindle Alert: BBB Warns Virtual Vendor Vehicle Scams on the Rise

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 16:50:12 GMT

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning used equipment buyers nationwide about another sophisticated scam involving used farm equipment.

This particular grift, according to a press release from BBB, involved a fake online heavy equipment retailer impersonating a legitimate Missouri dealership, Cook Equipment & Trucking (Marble Hill, Mo.).

Buyers from across the U.S., some even from as far away as California and Arizona, reported losing a total of $223,000 after attempting to purchase heavy equipment and farm machinery through fraudulent websites and Facebook Marketplace ads.

Related: Essential Advice for Safely Buying Used Farm Machinery

Victims say they were “ghosted” after wiring money for equipment that never arrived. The BBB does not say whether the victims were able to dispute the fraudulent charges and claw back the proceeds from the scammers.

The reported fraudulent transactions include:

$45,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Oak Hills, Calif.
$32,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Hancock, Mich.
$29,500 for a trailer from a buyer in Amanda, Ohio
$29,000 for a trailer from a buyer in Greenville, N.C.
$28,000 for a skid steer loader from a buyer in Eastman, Wis.
$31,000 for an excavator from a buyer in Des Moines, Iowa.
$29,000 for a skid steer from a buyer in Blue, Ariz.

BBB says the real Cook Equipment & Trucking, a small business operating since 2010, confirmed it has no website and is not affiliated with any online sales. The impersonators registered three fake websites, the most recent on July 14, and continue to run deceptive ads on social media.

“Those shopping for heavy equipment and farm machinery online should do their due diligence so they don’t fall victim to a virtual vehicle vendor scam,” says Michelle L. Corey, president and CEO, BBB St. Louis. “If an item is priced well below market value, that’s a red flag.”

To avoid getting swept up in an online virtual vehicle vendor scam the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

Research the business at bbb.org or call 888-996-3887
Be skeptical of deals that seem too good to be true
Verify the website and contact the business directly
Read all terms and understand refund policies
Use a credit card for added protection
Report scams to BBB Scam Tracker, your state attorney general, the FTC, and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center , and notify the social media platform where the fraud was discovered

To learn more about how to avoid online fraud in the used equipment auction world, check out BBB’s 2024 study on virtual vehicle vendor scams.

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Agriculture in the Bull's-Eye: Raids Reportedly Resume on Farms, Meatpacking Plants

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 18:40:22 GMT

After President Donald Trump reportedly ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE ) to pause raids on farms and meatpacking plants last week, new reports say the administration is reversing course again. The on-again, off-again reports regarding ICE raids is sowing confusion for those who rely on immigrant labor and already causing labor shortages due to employees not showing up for work.

There was an update again late Friday, with President Trump saying he’s looking at new immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

The Washington Post first reported Monday that ICE officials told leaders representing field offices across the country they must continue to conduct raids at worksite locations, which is a reversal from guidance issued just days earlier.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wouldn’t confirm the Washington Post’s report, but an agricultural association told Farm Journal the article is accurate based on their discussions with the administration.

Instead, DHS told us this:

“The president has been incredibly clear. There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” says DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safe guard public safety, national security and economic stability. These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”

By Friday, there was another update. Reuters reported President Trump said he was looking at immigration policy steps that would allow farms to take responsibility for people they hire.

“We’re looking at doing something where, in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business,” Trump told reporters. “And at the same time we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals.”

According to Farm Journal’s Michelle Rook, the recent ICE raids are already creating absenteeism and labor shortages that could severally disrupt the U.S. food supply. Ag groups are again calling for immigration reform with hopes the issue will finally come to a head.

Ripple Effect of Immigration Crackdown

Joe Del Bosque, owner of Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif., is experiencing the rollercoaster with labor, saying the shifting policy strikes fear in farmers and workers.

“There’s so much uncertainty as to what the administration’s going to do,” Del Bosque told Rook on AgriTalk this week.

Del Bosque says the raids on California produce farms are disrupting the harvest of perishable produce.

“They haven’t been really huge sweeps. They’re usually picking up a few people. But it creates a lot of fear, and people don’t show up to work. That’s just as bad as if they were taken away,” he says.

According to an exclusive report by Farm Journal’s The Packer , the ripple effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown on agriculture could be far-reaching — if the administration revives its focus on ag.

Kevin Kelly is the CEO of Emerald Packaging — the largest flexible packaging supplier to the leafy greens industry. Based in Union City, Calif., the company has been in the packaging business for 62 years. Kelly says the immigrant workforce in California is feeling uncertain and afraid.

“We’ve certainly heard folks aren’t turning up to work in the fields, and we’ve seen it in our facility. We verify everybody, so we know everybody in our facility is documented and can legally work in the United States,” Kelly tells Jennifer Strailey, editor of The Packer. “In our case, it’s brothers and sisters being deported, and other family members being afraid. Our employees are staying home to help their family members move, to take care of them or to take them to see an attorney — that kind of thing.”

Dairy operations in several states have also been raided recently. Dairy producers say they rely on immigrant labor to provide a stable year-round work force and to keep the U.S. food supply stable.

“We need these people to take care of our animals so we can produce food. Without animal care, we won’t have milk, cheese, butter — nothing,” Greg Moes, MoDak Dairy in Goodwin, S.D., told Rook.

The recent ICE arrests at Glenn Valley Foods of Omaha, Neb. have also led to absenteeism at meat processing plants.

“At the beginning of the Trump administration, we had this same worry with the crackdown — whether this was going to impact absenteeism and things like that,” says Brad Kooima, Kooima Kooima Varilek in Sioux Center, Iowa. “So, hopefully we can put that in our rearview mirror.”

By the Numbers: A Heavy Reliance on Immigrant Labor
The news this week of the Trump administration putting a pause on raids of farms and meat processors is welcome news for those in agriculture. From dairies and produce farms, to meatpacking plants across the U.S., these sectors rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Immigrant labor makes up a substantial portion of the meat processing workforce, with estimates ranging from 37% to over 50%. However, states like South Dakota and Nebraska have even higher concentrations of immigrant workers in meat processing — reaching 58% and 66%, according to the nonprofit Migration Policy Institute.

And a large portion of U.S. dairy farms rely on immigrant labor, with estimates indicating that over half of all dairy workers are immigrants. Specifically, these workers account for 51% of the total dairy workforce and are responsible for producing 79% of the U.S. milk supply.

Farmworker Justice estimates 70% of the produce industry’s farmworkers are immigrants. USDA’s estimates are lower — closer to 60%.

Iowa State Farming Lab Brings Real World Skills to Students

Tue, 14 Sep 2021 20:42:47 GMT

Iowa State University hosts more than 30,000 students from across the globe each year. Many of those students choose to make the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences their home during the four-year stay. For some of these students, that means spending a semester or two on the farm.

(Farm Journal)

Each semester, about 60 students farm roughly 600 acres, helping to do the work and make the decisions that go into keeping this Iowa farming business afloat.

It’s a real-life, real-world experience that comes complete with the option to try new things and work with of the country’s biggest companies.

Iowa State’s Assistant Teaching Professor Skyler Rinker says AG 450 students have many opportunities to interact with large agricultural companies.

“Relationships are key with industry partners to help improve your operation. To continue learning and grow as an operation, to me, is a very critical component when we’re talking about production agriculture,” says Rinker.

(Farm Journal)

Companies like Pivot Bio offer products and plots for students to test those new ideas.

“In terms of fertilizer and our practices, it’s about not always doing things just because they’ve been done that way for 40 years and looking to be more sustainable and adapt new and modern technologies as they become available,” says Rinker. “I think looking at fertilizer and nitrogen alternatives to synthetics was something that fit very well in looking toward the future.”

Rinker says the farm is self-funded and like a real Iowa farm, is subject to the ups and downs of the ag economy.

From the Editor

As a recent graduate of Iowa State University (Agricultural Studies, May 2020), I can attest to the benefits the AG 450 Farm brings to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

At the beginning of the semester, students are assigned to a committee – crops, machinery, public relations, buildings and grounds, customers and swine, or finance and marketing—and they work to maintain their subject area each week in lab.

(Farm Journal)

Once a week during lab, the class is split into teams. Each team includes one person from each committee. Teams are advised to work together to complete weekly teachings.

During the course of my semester in AG 450, my team and I measured grain bins, hauled out finished pigs, completed an in-person farm safety course, and selected spring 2021 corn and soybean hybrids suitable to our soil profiles as well as any crop insurance we saw fit.

(Farm Journal)

COVID-19 did put an end to our in-class lab sessions. However, had we completed our spring semester in person, my team would have many more experiences under our belt. A few of those being spring plant and spray, overseeing plans for a bike path to run through our farm and fields, and laying the groundwork for the possibility of a new, on-farm classroom.

Had the AG 450 Farm course not been required for my major, I’m certain I would not have been given the opportunity to harness these skills, nor would others who make their way through the College of Agriculture.

Jenna Hoffman

Content Creator, Agriculture & Food Policy and Innovation

Chiropractor Makes Field Visits to Help Farmers Find Relief

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 18:15:30 GMT

Need a chiropractic adjustment but can’t make it to the office? Ask your doctor to come to the field.

Dr. Blake Wayson, owner of Wayson Family Chiropractic in Cedar Falls, Iowa, hauls his portable adjustment table to the field to help farmers find relief in the busy seasons.

“As humans, we’re designed to move,” he says. “Whether you’re a farmer or somebody who works at a computer desk all day, that amount of sitting is too long.”

Finding Relief

Alleviating an ackey spine between appointments is easy to do in and out of the cab, according to Wayson. He says it’s all about extension.

“People think when they want to stretch their lower back, it’s good to bend over and touch their toes. But that’s the opposite of what you want to do,” he says. “You want extension, not flexion.”

Wayson suggests two extension stretches to use in the field:
1. Sit forward on the cab seat, put one hand on the wheel and elongate the back
2. Before climbing into a machine, grab the stair handrails and lean in to open the chest

Time to Call the Doctor

When the pain gets to be too much, Wayson says it’s time to see the doctor. While not all chiropractors make field calls, he says it’s something he’s willing to make a priority.

“I really miss my family farm and I could see how more of these 10-min. field calls would be appealing to me,” he says.

Wayson is more than willing to see existing patients in the field but says new patients should plan an initial office visit, as x-rays are a large part of his team’s analysis and care.

Farmers should consider pitching the field call idea to their chiropractor, according to Wayson. If the doctor has a portable adjustment table and the farmer is willing to stop for 10 minutes, he says, “relief is available.”

More on health:

Farmers’ Back Pain: Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
Here’s Why You Need to Find Time for A Nap During the Busy Season

13 States Launch New Legal Challenge to California Egg Law

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:04:58 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — More than a dozen states banded together Monday to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block a California law requiring any eggs sold there to come from hens that have space to stretch out in their cages.

In a lawsuit filed directly to the high court, the states allege that California’s law has cost consumers nationwide up to $350 million annually because of higher egg prices since it took effect in 2015. The lawsuit argues that California’s requirements violate the U.S. Constitution’s interstate commerce clause and are pre-empted by federal law.

A federal appeals court panel rejected similar claims last year in a separate case brought by six states, ruling that they failed to show California’s law would affect more than just individual farmers. The latest lawsuit seeks to address that by citing an economic analysis of the California law. It also asks the Supreme Court to take up the case directly instead of requiring that it first move through the lower courts.

Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley, a Republican who is running for U.S. Senate in 2018, is leading the lawsuit. Other plaintiff states are Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. All have Republican attorneys general except Iowa, which has a Democrat.

The California attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

California produced about 5 billion eggs and imported an additional 4 billion from other states in 2012, according to the lawsuit. Thirty percent of those out-of-state eggs came from Iowa, the nation’s top egg producer. About 13 percent of California’s egg imports came from Missouri, the second highest percentage cited in the lawsuit.

The number of eggs produced in California dropped to 3.5 billion last year despite rising nationally, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Missouri’s egg production was up 60 percent since 2012 to 3.2 billion last year.

Hawley asserted in a statement that California’s egg law is “a clear attempt by big-government proponents to impose job-killing regulations” on other states.

California voters approved a ballot initiative in 2008 that requires that hens in cages spend most of their day in spaces large enough that they can lie down, stand up, turn around and fully extend their limbs. The measure gave farmers until 2015 to comply.

After California egg farmers raised concerns that they would be put a competitive disadvantage with those elsewhere, state legislators in 2010 expanded the law to bar the sale of eggs from any hens that weren’t raised in compliance with California’s standards requiring at least 116 square inches of floor space per chicken. The industry standard had been 67 square inches.

The California law cites concerns about protecting people from salmonella and other illnesses. But the suing states say such health concerns are unmerited and merely a pretext for protecting California’s agriculture industry.

The lawsuit cites a study from a University of Missouri economist who concluded that the national price of a dozen eggs has increased between 1.8 percent and 5.1 percent since January 2015 because of the California cage requirements. The study said the price increase has added thousands of dollars annually to states’ costs for supplying eggs to prisoners.

The study also estimated that California’s egg regulations have cost U.S. households up to $350 million annually, including about $97 million for those whose incomes are in the lowest one-fifth nationally.

Copyright 2017, The Associated Press

Loffredo Fresh opens Minneapolis distribution center

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:51:02 GMT

Loffredo Fresh Foods , Des Moines, Iowa, is branching out to Minneapolis, delivering to customers from a new distribution center.

The company began deliveries of fresh produce, fresh-cut items and specialty foods from the Minneapolis facility on Aug. 10.

The new location allows Loffredo Fresh to better serve customers and expand opportunities, according to a news release.

“It’s exciting to continue to execute on our strategic plan, including expanding our reach into new geographic areas,” Brian Loffredo, president and CEO, said in the release. “While the foodservice industry has been greatly changed during the pandemic, Loffredo is uniquely positioned to emerge stronger than ever, benefiting our team members and business partners for years to come.”

The company, founded in 1892, has seven distribution facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Wisconsin and Minneapolis, with more than 3,000 customers in the Midwest.

Related stories:

Loffredo Fresh Foods rebrands, expands offerings

Loffredo Fresh Produce rides convenience trend

Margaret Comito, of Capital City Fruit family, has died

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:50:57 GMT

Margaret Ann Comito, whose husband and children have overseen the growth of the family company, Norwalk, Iowa-based Capital City Fruit Co., has died.

Comito, who was diagnosed with cancer more than two years ago, died Sept. 29. She was 75.

“She was married to my dad for 55 years and supported him in building Capital City Fruit Co. over several decades,” her son, Brendan Comito, chief operating officer of the company, said in an e-mail. “She valiantly fought pancreatic cancer and is now at peace.”

In 1965, when she was 19 years old, she married Joseph M. Comito, whose father founded Capital City Fruit.

Margaret Comito enjoyed ballet and attended dance classes into her 60s, according to her obituary, and she enjoyed biking and remained active after her cancer diagnosis. She also enjoyed writing essays and attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

She returned to school for a n undergraduate degree from Drake University in 1991, and a master’s degree from Queen’s University in 2011.

Survivors include her husband, sons Brendan, Kieran, Damian and Christian, and daughter Amanda.

Joe Comito is chairman of the board of Capital City Fruit, and Brendan, Kieran and Christian own the company. Damian Comito is a key account manager for C.H. Robinson.

Visitation is Oct. 5 and a funeral mass is at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines Oct. 6. The service will be livestreamed at www.HamiltonsFuneral Home.com .

Donations can be sent to the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry , the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research , or Sacred Heart Church .

Allen Lund Co. acquires Des Moines Truck Brokers

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:00:18 GMT

The Allen Lund Co. , La Canada Flintridge, Calif., has acquired Des Moines Truck Brokers Inc.

The first day of operation under the new ownership for Des Moines Truck Broker’s (DMTB) was Feb. 17, according to a news release. DMTB is a brokerage that was founded more than 50 years ago.

“With this acquisition, company culture was an important factor for ALC,” Eddie Lund, president, said in the release. “While doing our research, the executive team was very impressed with the people and the culture they have created at DMTB.”

Lund listed attributes of the company and employees, including strong work ethic and customer service.

Jimmy DeMatteis, DMTB president and CEO, said the values of the two companies are ideally aligned.

“I have always admired the Lunds and the business they have built,” DeMatteis said in the release. “As we have grown, I would be lying if I said we didn’t try in some way to emulate ALC.”

Des Moines Truck Brokers, Norwalk, Iowa, was co-founded by DeMatteis’ father, James DeMatteis, in 1969 with Joseph M. and Joseph T. Comito, whose family owns and operates Capital City Fruit, Norwalk, according to the release.

“I have been blown away with the many talented people behind the scenes and that we’ve interacted with,” Jimmy DeMatteis said in the release. “I feel blessed that our two teams will come together, and I am eager to see what we can achieve as one.”

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Allen Lund Co. wraps up Act of Kindness with 86 events

Allen Lund Co. supports Navidad en el Barrio

Allen Lund Company one of fastest-growing private companies in LA

Citizen Scientists Tackle Indiana Water Quality

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:03:07 GMT

Many hands make light the load. This sentiment has inspired hundreds of volunteers to participate in the twice-annual “Wabash Sampling Blitz,” which collects water samples from 206 sites across the Wabash River Watershed.

Under the oversight of the Wabash River Enhancement Corp (WREC) and Purdue University researchers, these so-called “citizen scientists” have been doing the blitz since 2009, collecting samples to measure water temperature, PH, cloudiness, nutrient runoff and pathogen concentrations.

Skeptical they’re not professionals? Purdue researchers determined the volunteers have consistently estimated nitrogen concentrations with “moderate to substantial agreement to lab values,” according to Indrajeet Chaubey, Purdue professor of ecoydrology, the principal author of the study.

“Volunteers’ analysis of nitrogen levels were directionally correct,” he says. “When you hone in on exact numbers, the accuracy gets cloudier, but the values are generally true. This suggests that citizen scientists can provide meaningful and highly valuable data for watershed groups.”

Row-crop farmland is the primary land that drains into the Wabash River. The WREC is a nonprofit water-quality agency, and the citizen scientists help gather data quickly with field test strips that measure nutrient and contaminant concentrations. Researchers use the blitz to screen the watershed for areas that require additional attention and effort.

“We’d never seen the entire watershed in a six-hour period,” according to Ron Turco, Purdue professor of soil microbiology, who co-authored the study. “The blitz accomplishes that goal completely.”

Chaubey says the blitz is not just a data-collection effort – it is an educational opportunity as well.

“[We see] increased awareness of water quality issues and the opportunity to bring science to citizens and educate them on what they can do to protect water quality,” he says.

The Wabash River Watershed study was published in the first edition of the journal Citizen Science in May – visit http://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.1 for more information.

Loffredo Fresh Foods rebrands, expands offerings

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:18:28 GMT

Des Moines, Iowa-based Loffredo Fresh Foods — formerly Loffredo Fresh Produce — is rebranding and expanding its offerings.

“We have expanded our offerings beyond fresh produce over the years, and we are excited to announce this new company name to make clear the ways in which we can meet our customers’ needs,” James Loffredo, special projects manager of business development and marketing, said in a news release. “Our mission is to inspire healthier communities. This broader view and expertise allow us to also provide a wider array of fresh foods and ingredients to the communities we serve.”

The regional distributor will maintain its focus on fresh fruits and vegetables, according to the release, but will offer other items. That list includes fresh-cut produce, grab-and-go options, nuts, oil, eggs, dairy, spices and herbs, according to the release.

Founded in 1892 as Loffredo Fruit & Tobacco, Loffredo Fresh Foods operates six distribution centers in Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Wisconsin, and delivers to more than 3,000 business in the Midwest, according to the release.

With his son Brian Loffredo president and CEO, Gene Loffredo, the 71-year-old executive chairman, said it is gratifying to see the family’s fifth generation lead the business.

“We are pushing to generation five now, and we have 128 years under our belt,” he said.

Brian Loffredo said in an email that the company is working on new goals to chart the next 100 plus years.

“Our customers are asking us to provide innovative goods and services well beyond fresh fruits and vegetables,” he said. “Listening to our customers and helping them achieve their goals is our primary motivation and has led us to this point.” Loffredo said the company is focused on inspiring healthier communities.

“This involves working with our supply partners, customers, and other organizations that make an impact in the communities we service. The rebranding process has provided as a great opportunity to reaffirm this to our partners and team members,” he said.

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Iowa Expands Operation Area for Covered Farm Vehicles

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 20:01:41 GMT

People operating covered farm vehicles in Iowa can now travel farther from their home farm and qualify for other exemptions under federal exemptions adopted this month by the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Vehicles weighing less than 26,000 pounds and fulfilling other criteria can now operate anywhere in Iowa. They previously had to stay within a 150 air-mile radius of the home farm.

Meanwhile, operators of those vehicles are exempt from holding a commercial driver’s license; enrolling in a company-based controlled substance and alcohol testing program; getting a physical exam or holding a medical examiner’s certificate; and abiding by hours-of-service regulations, Iowa DOT says. Only the commercial driver’s license exemption existed earlier.

The changes result from the Moving Ahead for the Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) , a bill President Barack Obama signed into law July 6.

To be considered a covered farm vehicle, equipment must be operated by a farm owner, employee or family member to transport agricultural commodities, livestock, machinery or supplies to and from a farm, Iowa DOT says. It must also qualify as a commercial motor vehicle, meaning it is self-propelled or towed and meets specified weight requirements.

So far, only Missouri and Minnesota have agreed to immediately honor the exemptions for Iowa farmers.

Information about additional stipulations and an application for obtaining covered farm vehicle status is available by going to the Iowa DOT website. Or watch a video explaining MAP-21, then go to the federal government’s MAP-21 website for additional documentation .