• July 7 – Rox Ridge, Dike
• July 8 - Emerald Hills, Okoboji
• July 14 - Legacy, Norwalk
• July 29 - Lake Panorama, Panora
• September 16 – Riverside Casino & Golf Course, Riverside

You can download a PDF of our registration form here, or better yet CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE

Lunch for all of the golf outings will be served at 11:00 am and tee off will be at 12:00 pm.

Route: South Eastern Iowa

Riders will meet in Oskaloosa and have a scenic ride through South Eastern Iowa. A dinner will be held at Pzazz! Resort & Catfish Bend Casino. Riders will continue the ride through Southern Iowa the next day.

Register Online Here

Lodging

The AAI Foundation has 30 rooms blocked at Pzazz! Reort Hotel. The address is 3001 Winegard Dr., Burlington, Iowa. Rates are $79 (plus tax). This includes a $10 Catfish Bend Casino cash card per person. Phone 319.237.1253 and be sure to ask for the Iowa Agribusiness Association Foundation Run block of rooms.

We encourage everyone to attend.  Bring your friends and family to help celebrate the future success in Iowa agriculture.  Please call the AAI office at 800.383.1682 or 515.262.8323 for more information or any questions you may have.

Click here to download a registration form.

Attendees will be presented with the latest information on grain quality.  Inspectors will address and display may different grain samples, but will emphasize mainly corn and some soybeans.

Class size for these workshops will be limited to 30 pre-registered students, no walk-ins will be admitted.  Tuition for these workshops is $85 per AAI member and $95 per non-member for each session.  This fee includes all educational materials, all breaks and lunch for each student.

Download a registration form here or REGISTER ONLINE.

This pilot program will be the basis for gathering data and information that will be used to determine ACRC’s role in mini-bulk recycling in 2011 and beyond,” according to Ron Perkins, Executive Director of the industry council. “The pilot gives retailers and end users an excellent option for disposal of IBCs that fail to meet the requirements of the 2006 EPA Container and Containment Rule that takes effect in August 2011.

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa, working with Root Communications, will be responsible for program promotion and publicity. The ACRC will oversee collection and recycling operations which will be performed in Iowa by Container Services Network LLC.

ACRC will use this program to develop training documents and videos that will illustrate methods and processes that are needed for successful cleaning, collection, transport and recycling of these larger capacity (56 to 330 gallon) containers. A brochure: “Safely Cleaning Refillable Pesticide Containers for Recycling” has already been developed through cooperation from representatives of ACRC, CropLife America Stewardship committee and EPA.

Conducting the Iowa pilot will also provide the experience needed for identifying and approving end uses for the various plastic types (other than HDPE) which are sometimes used to manufacture mini-bulks.

The recycling pilot program will run through the remainder of 2010.

For more information on the pilot program contact Ken Root at 515-306-9777 or ken.root@agribiz.org

Representatives from EBS/Holmes Murphy will begin the workshop by discussing the health care reform’s impact on employers. After lunch representatives from MorganStanley SmithBarney will discuss how to better manage the risk profile for you and your company in the coming year.

The Risk Management workshop will be held on July 27, 2010 at the AAI office from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. Tuition fees for this workshop are $75 per participant. Please call the AAI office at 515.262.8323 with any questions you may have.

Click here to download a registration form.

“This bill means trucks will be able to carry more freight in fewer trips, increasing economic efficiency for farmers and businesses,” Governor Culver said. “Every driver will benefit from this law because it will mean fewer trucks and less wear and tear on our roads, plus increased safety.”

Representative Andrew Wenthe (D-House District 18), a key advocate in passing this legislation and floor manager of HF 2512 said, “It’s an important piece of legislation because it’s going to support the agriculture industry in the state of Iowa. It’s going to allow farmers and folks that deal in ag commodities to haul heavy loads, but also do so in a safe fashion that protects Iowans who are on the roadways.”

This bill eliminates existing commodity based weight restrictions for six and seven-axle commercial motor vehicles traveling on non-interstate highways. Currently, most vehicles or combinations of vehicles are subject to a gross weight limit of up to 80,000 pounds; however, the gross weight limit for a livestock or construction vehicle with six or seven axles ranges from 90,000 pounds for six axles, and up to 96,000 pounds for seven axles. The bill extends the same weight limits that apply to livestock and construction vehicles to all commercial vehicles of similar size.

“This was a hard fought win for AAI and the entire trans axle coalition,” stated Mark Reisinger, CEO of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa. “Different attempts by trade and commodity associations had been made over the past decade to establish equity for all transported agriculture commodities, but despite the ‘uphill fight’ AAI’s membership felt it was important to re-introduce the topic and build a coalition strong enough to pass this legislation.”

Spreading trucks’ weight over more axles reduces the stress on the roads trucks travel, making the law beneficial to Iowa’s infrastructure. Additionally, allowing for greater sized shipments means that less fuel will be used, due to fewer trucks on the road. The law will also help make roads safer: increased stopping power due to additional brakes means drivers will have the ability to stop quicker.

The provisions of the bill will go into effect July 1, 2010, and do not apply to vehicles operated on interstate highways.

For additional photos and information from the trans axle bill signing, please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/govculver/sets/72157623736398129 or http://iowahouse.org/2010/04/16/governor-signs-expansion-of-road-weight-limits-for-farmers/.

March 22, 2010
For Immediate Release

Contact Information:
Laura Sinnwell, Communications Director
Telephone: 515-262-8323
Email: laura@agribiz.org
GOVERNOR CULVER SIGNS BILL TO MODERNIZE IOWA’S GRAIN INDEMNITY FUND

Des Moines, IA – Iowa’s Grain Indemnity Fund (GIF) Assessment is over 20 years old and was in desperate need of modernization. Today Governor Culver signed into law Senate File 2299, a bill that updates the GIF and holds all participants accountable.

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) has researched and discussed the GIF for nearly three years. Modernizing the GIF as it relates to the grain industry became AAI’s top legislative priority heading into the 83rd Iowa General Assembly. The bill Governor Culver signed into law today creates a more relevant and equitable assessment formula, if the GIF is subjected to significant liability or default. Every bushel that could pose a liability for the Iowa GIF will now be counted if an assessment were necessary, as opposed to the old system that failed to include more than 60% of the grain produced in Iowa.

Representative Andrew Wenthe (D-House District 18), a key advocate in passing this legislation said, “This is taking care of an inequity that had resulted for the past 23 years. It was time to modernize this fund.”

“AAI’s intent was to create a legislative remedy that would modernize the assessment and hold all Grain Indemnity Fund participants accountable if there is a future need to replenish the fund,” stated Agribusiness Association of Iowa CEO Mark Reisinger, “The bill signed into law by Governor Culver finally creates equality so that everyone who benefits from the Grain Indemnity Fund is also responsible for replenishing the fund if there is a future need.”

The Agribusiness Association of Iowa exists to advocate, communicate and educate on behalf of the agribusiness industry. AAI represents over 1,000 ag retail and wholesale locations in Iowa that supply feed, seed, crop protection chemicals, grain, fertilizer, equipment and other agriculture products. For more information, please go to www.agribiz.org.

In addition, the new rule clears up much of the confusion regarding the duty of the commercial applicator working with the aerial applicator.  The rule states that an Iowa-based commercial applicator may apply for certification to be an aerial applicator consultant.  The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has created two checklists to clarify the aerial applicator consultant’s duties and procedures.  Click here to view the aerial applicator consultant checklist. Click here to view the checklist for the application job.

IDALS is already offering consultant certification exams across the state, test schedules can be found at:  http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/Pesticide/pesticidetesting.asp .  Please contact the Pesticide Bureau at 515-281-8590 with any questions or for more information.

The amendments outline the requirements for the supervision of aerial pesticide applicators, the qualifications and duties of the aerial applicator consultant, and the procedures for aerial application.  The amendments also outline the license, certification, and continuing instruction requirements for aerial applicators operating in Iowa.  Click here for a complete copy of the new rule.