Mexico issues permits for GMO corn
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities are allowing 22 experimental plots of biotech corn to be grown in several northern states of the ancestral homeland of the crop, over protests from environmental activists.

In a joint announcement Oct. 27, the Agriculture and Education secretaries said the permits to grow genetically modified corn require that the experimental plots be kept “totally isolated” from other crops. Environmentalists say modified genes could spread and contaminate genetically valuable native varieties of corn, which originated in Mexico.

Indiana farm worker dies, trapped in auger
POINT ISABEL, Ind. (AP) — Authorities say a central Indiana man died while emergency workers were trying to free him after his leg became trapped in a grain auger.

The Grant County coroner said Daniel Shock, 58, of Fairmount died Oct. 29 at a farm near the community of Point Isabel. Coroner Stephen Dorsey said Shock’s co-workers found him in the grain auger’s conveyor with his leg badly injured and pinned under a support bar.

Sheriff’s Sgt. Mike Moore says Shock was conscious when emergency crews first arrived. Firefighters were using blowtorches to free him when he died. Dorsey said he believed an artery in Shock’s leg burst, causing him to go into shock.

Indiana, Ohio open section of ‘Fort to Port’
WOODBURN, Ind. — Gov. Mitch Daniels joined Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland at the Indiana-Ohio state line Oct. 29 to open new sections of the U.S. Highway 24 “Fort to Port,” fulfilling a commitment by both states to “meet at the line in 2009” and marking another step toward connecting Fort Wayne with the Port of Toledo.

The Fort to Port project is part of Daniels’ Major Moves jobs and transportation program and will eventually connect with the Hoosier Heartland Corridor to provide access to cities and towns across north central Indiana to major highways and transportation outlets.
“The waiting is over. Thanks to our Major Moves transaction, a safer road and countless new jobs are finally on their way, without a dollar of new taxes or new borrowing. Hoosiers are showing America how to solve big problems and protect taxpayers at the same time,” said Daniels.

The 2.9-mile section of new highway and interchange is the first section to be open to traffic in Indiana. This will immediately connect at the state line to a 45-mile section extending to the east side of Napoleon, Ohio. In all, 11.5 miles of divided, limited-access highway, including three new interchanges, east of Interstate 469 to the Ohio state line will be built.

DNR investigates runoff into Iowa stream

HALBUR, Iowa (AP) — Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials are investigating a manure runoff from an open feedlot in Carroll County that affected at least five miles of a stream.
The DNR began investigating the situation Oct. 29 after receiving a report from Des Moines Waterworks about Brushy Creek. The creek eventually flows into the Raccoon River, which is a source of drinking water in the Des Moines area.

Inspectors found a feedlot near Halbur, about 70 miles northwest of Des Moines, where manure was flowing through a harvested field and into Brushy Creek. Dirt was moved to stop the manure from entering the creek. The DNR is analyzing the water and considering taking action against the feedlot operator.

ODA reaffirms ag relationship with Hubei

REYNOLDSBURG, Ohio — Ohio Department of Agriculture Director Robert Boggs joined China’s Deputy Director General of the Hubei Provincial Department of Agriculture Wang Dunsheng in signing a memorandum of agreement, which highlights both parties’ pledges to continue a longstanding alliance in promoting and advancing their agriculture industries.

The visit commemorates 30 years of diplomatic effort between Ohio and Hubei officials to increase agriculture-related communication and education.

“It is an honor to host Deputy Director General Wang Dunsheng and his delegation as we celebrate 30 years of agricultural collaboration,” Boggs said. “As technological advances occur in the agricultural field, it is beneficial to have a strong relationship with our partners from Hubei to further advance our respective agriculture industries.”

The memorandum of agreement highlights the many ways agriculture connects Ohio and Hubei through trade opportunities, agricultural genetics and educational outreach.