FDA: Iowa company’s eggs OK to sell after recall
WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — One of two Iowa farms that recalled millions of eggs this summer will start shipping its products to stores again, but the second farm could be shut down if it doesn’t clean up, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated.
In an Oct. 15 letter to Hillandale Farms, the FDA said the company has adequately cleaned up its facilities after it was linked to 1,600 salmonella illnesses earlier this year. The FDA said an additional inspection of Hillandale this month showed no evidence of salmonella in the laying houses that are open for business.

Four other houses at the farms are undergoing further testing before they can be reopened, the FDA said. The company has also committed to do more frequent testing for salmonella. A spokeswoman for Hillandale, Julie DeYoung, said the company began shipping eggs Oct. 18.

The FDA letter to Wright County Egg’s owner, Austin “Jack” DeCoster, urged him to take “prompt and aggressive actions” to eliminate salmonella from his farms. The FDA said it will re-inspect the farm and could seize products or shut down the company if corrective action hasn’t been taken.

HSUS gives nod to Ohio’s incumbent governor
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The political arm of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has made its first-ever foray into the Ohio governor’s race, endorsing Gov. Ted Strickland over Republican opponent John Kasich.

The nation’s top political organization for animal rights cited the Democrat’s role in negotiating a June agreement between animal-rights and agriculture interests. The deal called for the HSUS to pull an anti-animal cruelty measure off the fall ballot in exchange for tougher rules governing farm animal care and a host of other animal protection measures.

Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said Strickland deserved the endorsement. He said he placed the HSUS among “left-coast and Washington-based groups that wage war against Ohio’s farmers.” The election is Nov. 2.

DiPietro chosen as new University of Tenn. president

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — University of Tennessee trustees voted Friday to name Joe DiPietro, the chancellor of the UT Institute of Agriculture, as the UT system’s new president.

The board in an 11-10 vote selected DiPietro, 59, over West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Brian Noland, 43. Jim Murphy, vice chair of the board, said after a search panel unanimously nominated both of the finalists Oct. 20 that he expected the vote to be close. He said he supported DiPietro because of his success at multiple land-grant institutions and his ability to lead his staff.

The UT system includes campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga and Martin; the Health Science Center in Memphis; state Institutes of Agriculture and Public Service; and the Space Institute in Tullahoma. DiPietro was dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Florida from 1997-2006 and a former administrator at the University of Illinois.

The UT system’s 24th president succeeds John Petersen, who abruptly resigned last year. UT-Knoxville anthropology professor Jan Simek has worked as interim president. A university statement said no decision had been made about a timetable for DiPietro to take office.

Smelly, invasive bug found in Indiana for first time

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) — Indiana wildlife officials say a smelly, fruit-munching insect that originated in Asia has been found in the state for the first time.

State Entomologist Phil Marshall said an insect found in northern Indiana’s Elkhart County has been confirmed by a Purdue University laboratory as a brown marmorated stink bug. The discovery is the first record of that insect in Indiana. But the invasive insect with a marbled, streaked appearance has been found in adjacent Ohio and Kentucky.

The stink bug gets its name because it releases a pungent chemical as a defensive mechanism when threatened. Officials warn that the insect could become a serious crop pest. It feeds on most fruit crops, some vegetables, corn, soybeans and various ornamental plants.

The bug is a native of Japan, Korea and China and was first reported in the United States in Pennsylvania in 1998.

Illinois extension names directors in restructuring
URBANA, Ill. (AP) — The University of Illinois extension has named new directors for its multi-county-unit offices as part of a cost-saving move.

Extension officials announced earlier a plan to reduce the number of multi-county extension units from 76 to 27. The new directors start on Nov. 1.

Ginger Boas is named to direct Champaign, Ford, Iroquois and Vermilion counties. Doug Harlan will direct DeWitt, Macon and Piatt counties. Cynthia Baer is named to head Livingston, McLean and Woodford.

Jim Looft will direct Coles, Cumberland, Moultrie, Douglas and Shelby counties. Stacy Larson is director for Clark, Crawford and Edgar. More directors may be viewed online at www.aces.uiuc.edu/news/stories/news5445.html

The three positions yet to be filled are for the following offices: Adams, Brown, Hancock, Pike and Schuyler counties; Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion and Washington; and Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Pope, Saline, Wayne and White.

New extension educators will be announced in early November and begin in their new positions on July 1, 2011.

Ohio farmer gets three months for feed spill and fish kill
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio pig farmer will spend three months behind bars for a feed spill that wiped out fish in a creek.
The federal prison sentence William Ringler received Oct. 19 in Columbus includes another three months of electronic monitoring. Ringler previously agreed to pay $69,000 in penalties. He pled guilty in June to violating the Clean Water Act.

The government says a tank of liquid feed leaked twice in 2007 at Ringler’s farm in Ashley, in central Ohio. Authorities say the spill killed more than 36,700 fish and small aquatic animals in Alum Creek.

Federal prosecutors say Ringler will begin serving his sentence within 30 days. Messages seeking comment were left for attorneys representing Ringler.