Man killed in Iowa farm accident with corn picker TOLEDO, Iowa (AP) — The Tama County Sheriff’s Department in central Iowa said a man has died in what appears to be a farm accident.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported emergency crews were called to a rural area near Toledo around 3 p.m. Thursday. Authorities said the man was working on “an old corn picker” when it fell on him, pinning him underneath it.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s name has not been released pending notification of family members.
Farmer drops plans for big Indiana hog operation SEYMOUR, Ind. (AP) — A southern Indiana farmer is dropping plans for a 4,000-hog operation, saying he’s frustrated over ongoing opposition from nearby property owners.
Nathan Newkirk said he’s withdrawing his request for permission to build the hog barn in a rural area northwest of Seymour that a Jackson County zoning board was to consider on Tuesday. Some neighbors have changed their minds about his hog farm plan since he first talked with them about it in April, Newkirk told The Tribune of Seymour.
“Some of their concerns were so far off of reality, I just couldn’t answer them,” he said. “I would sure like to put one there or on another piece of property, but I think you’re going to run into the same problem.”
Complaints from neighbors about possible odors and pollution led another Jackson County farmer in September to withdraw his zoning request for a similar hog farm, known as a confined animal feeding operation. Newkirk had planned to construct an 80-by-412-foot building on land he and his wife own with his parents in the area, about midway between Indianapolis and Louisville, Ky.
Michigan pickle farm accused of cheating workers
COPEMISH, Mich. (AP) — The federal government is accusing a northern Michigan farm of failing to pay minimum wage to migrant workers who picked pickling cucumbers.
A lawsuit filed in Grand Rapids federal court also accuses Darryl Howes and Ron Howes of providing inadequate housing to workers during the 2011 season. The Howes farm in Manistee County grows cucumbers that are turned into pickles.
In a court filing this month, the Howeses denied the allegations. The farm wants the lawsuit dismissed and is asking a judge to award legal fees.
Ohio fish kill blamed on dairy
LONDON, Ohio (AP) — A large-scale fish kill in central Ohio has been blamed on malfunctioning equipment at a dairy. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Wildlife estimated at least 6,900 fish and tadpoles died when a newly installed manure system at the Rising Sun Dairy in Madison County developed a blockage.
The Columbus Dispatch reported it happened less than a week after time expired for local officials to file a last-ditch appeal to stop a major expansion at the dairy. The dairy, south of London, is allowed to have no more than 921 cows. It has been granted state permits to expand to as many as 2,588 once new construction is finished. |
