Indiana ACRE triggers met for wheat, oats, barley, sorghum
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Julia A. Wickard, executive director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Indiana, announced that wheat, oats, barley and grain sorghum met the state trigger for payment under the 2009 Average Crop Revenue Election Program (ACRE) for Indiana.

Corn and soybeans did not meet the state trigger and will consequently not be eligible for 2009 payments for those crops.
Those who signed up for ACRE in 2009 will receive payments if state and farm revenue criteria are met. A listing of the states that meet the revenue triggers for the 2009 crops of corn, grain sorghum, soybeans, peanuts, lentils, dry peas and upland cotton is available at http://go.usa.gov/a5MRevenue triggers for other commodities will be determined after the 2009-10 marketing year average price is published by the National Agricultural Statistics Service. The scheduled publishing date is Nov. 30 for large and small chickpeas, sunflower seed, canola, flaxseed, mustard seed, rapeseed, safflower, crambe and sesame seed.

Pork plant could bring 2,500 jobs to Illinois
PEKIN, Ill. — City, county and state officials are in talks to bring a Colorado-based hog processing plant to the Pekin area that could create up to 2,500 factory-level, union jobs, according to the Peoria Journal Star.

Negotiations continue with Swift & Co., though a decision could be imminent, numerous sources confirmed Oct. 20. A possible location being eyed for the plant is near Pekin’s Riverway Business Park, off Illinois Route 29.

Tazewell County Board Chairman David Zimmerman would only say details are “time sensitive” and there are “things in the works right now.” Sources said there are a lot of moving parts to the potential deal. Officials reportedly are hurrying to close it.

The new, yet-to-be-built facility, a pork processing plant, would be a different venture for the company. Several communities in several states are vying for the plant, sources said. If located in Illinois, the plant would have to apply for certain permits through the state’s Environmental Protection Agency, whose spokeswoman Maggie Carson said Swift has been in “fairly recent” contact with the state’s Bureau of Water regarding permits it would need to open such a facility.

“This is all very preliminary,” she said.

Iowa soybean farmers eligible for USDA crop aid

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Federal officials in Des Moines said Iowa soybean farmers who suffered weather-related losses are eligible for disaster assistance. John Whitaker is director of the USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency and said the program is under way and Iowa soybean producers can take advantage until Dec. 9.
Officials say producers in disaster counties who had 5 percent or greater crop loss during 2009 will get a soybean payment rate of $15.62 times the planted acres. Officials say because of funding limitations, farmers will receive 75 percent of the payment and may receive up to an additional 25 percent.

Farmland in 30 Iowa counties qualifies for the program.

3 tornadoes confirmed in Ohio storm last week

WILMINGTON, Ohio (AP) — The National Weather Service said Ohio saw at least three tornadoes as part of a storm that destroyed homes and barns. The Oct. 26 confirmed tornadoes all rated a zero, the lowest level on a scale for rating tornadoes, and meaning that gusts ranged as high as 85 mph.

A tornado in northwestern Ohio’s Van Wert County tore the roof off a house, flattened a barn and carried a large windmill 40 yards. The other confirmations were south of Columbus in Groveport and in Fayette County, about midway between Columbus and Cincinnati.
The weather service is still checking out other possible tornadoes, including in the northwestern Ohio village of Cridersville. Authorities there said several homes were a total loss.

$95 million approved for storm relief in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than $95 million in federal funds have been approved to help Iowans recover from tornadoes and flooding earlier this year.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has accepted Iowa’s plan to use $84.1 million under the Disaster Recovery Enhancement Fund. Most of that will be used for public infrastructure programs such as flood mitigation strategies, health and safety of water systems and revitalization of infrastructure and levees.

More than $11 million in U.S. Small Business Administration loans also have been approved for Iowa to help homeowners, businesses and private nonprofits repair or replace property damaged in tornadoes, severe storms or flooding between June 1-Aug. 31.

Iowans have until Nov. 12 to register for federal disaster assistance. State and federal officials are reminding Iowans about the deadline for homeowners, renters and business owners who had damage and live in one of the declared disaster areas.
Officials say so far, more than 12,800 people have registered. More than $24 million has been approved through FEMA’s individual and household programs.