INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — A federal inspector found two strains of salmonella and unclean conditions at an Indiana cantaloupe farm’s fruit-packing plant during visits following a deadly outbreak linked to its melons.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) posted a report on its website on the inspector’s findings during mid-August visits to Chamberlain Farm Produce, Inc. in Owensville. The inspector reported finding improperly cleaned equipment and algae growing in standing water beneath conveyer belts in the plant. One of the two salmonella strains was found on cantaloupes that had been processed and boxed.

The FDA said the farm is the source of at least some of the salmonella outbreak that sickened 270 people in 26 states this summer. Officials say 101 people were hospitalized, and three deaths were reported in Kentucky.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Lawyers representing farm groups and home builders asked a judge to block a federal plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay, arguing it tramples on states’ rights and uses erroneous data to set pollution limits.

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Assoc. of Home Builders were among the groups in federal court Thursday fighting against the bay’s “pollution diet,” which is designed to improve water quality and wildlife habitat.

Attorneys for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contended without strong federal oversight and threat of sanctions, states had repeatedly missed their pollution-reduction goals over the past 30 years.

The case could determine how water cleanup efforts proceed elsewhere nationwide, as federal officials have said they’re considering similar plans for other degraded waterways.

Clair Esbenshade, who raises crops and livestock on about 200 acres in central Pennsylvania, attended the hearing because he said it would affect livelihoods for generations to come. Growers aren’t getting proper credit for what they’ve already done to keep fertilizer and animal manure from washing into nearby streams and, ultimately, the bay, said Esbenshade.

“I don’t see there’s much more we can do,” he added, “other than get out of business.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether the owners of a dairy farm can be sued by an adult chaperone who was injured during a kindergarten class trip.

The court said it would hear the case Oct. 11 at Waterloo West High School. Justices will be asked to decide whether a lawsuit filed by Kimberly Sallee is barred by a law that gives immunity to landowners who open their property to others for recreational purposes.

Sallee fell through the floor of the hayloft and onto the barn below when she was chaperoning a trip of her daughter’s class from Sacred Heart School in Oelwein to the farm owned by the Stewart family. A district judge has dismissed the claims, and Sallee is asking they be reinstated.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced it is issuing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Direct and Counter-cyclical Program (DCP) payments during the first few weeks of October.

CRP and DCP payments could be affected if producers have not submitted the required Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) forms. Affected producers will need to submit the proper AGI forms before payments can be issued.

In addition, producers who signed up for CRP emergency haying and grazing and did not pay in advance will notice that their annual rental payment was reduced by the acreage that was hayed or grazed. For more information on CRP and DCP payments, contact your local county FSA office.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) — A Chinese-owned company has added President Barack Obama as a defendant in a lawsuit alleging the U.S. government exceeded its authority in blocking the firm’s planned wind farm projects near a Navy base in Oregon.

In an amended complaint filed late Oct. 1, Ralls Corp. said Obama “acted in an unlawful and unauthorized manner” in citing national security grounds to order it to halt construction of four wind farm projects near the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility. The base is used by unmanned drones and electronic warfare aircraft.

Ralls said Obama provided no evidence of security risks in his use of a national defense law ordering the firm to halt its projects and divest the four wind farms.

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Demolition is planned for five barns following an effort in recent years to save them as examples of Michigan’s agriculture heritage.

The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell reported the Hartland Township Board of Trustees last week approved a $19,600 contract to tear them down. The barns and three silos are on a site adjacent to the township hall, about 40 miles northwest of Detroit.

Tim Wiles of Howell, a member of the Michigan Barn Preservation Network, was active in efforts to preserve the structures. He said the decision is “sad.”

A demolition date hasn’t been set, but officials say it could happen soon. The site is expected to become parking and access to a planned park and trail system. The township bought the site in 1998.