Agriculture – Week of April 7, 2011

STAFF CONTACT:  Kerry Wright

HF 557—Pseudo-rabies Testing

HF 592 – Ag Education Council

FLOOR ACTION:

HF 557 eliminates language that was needed when Iowa was trying to eradicate pseudo-rabies. It is no longer needed and now creates an unreasonable barrier to hog producers wishing to participate in multiple hog shows over the summer season. The current requirement of 30-day to 60-day isolation and retesting is expensive and not needed. It was part of 1989 comprehensive legislation. Iowa has been pseudo-rabies free since 2004. [4/6: 49-0 (Greiner excused)]

HF 592 establishes the Council for Agricultural Education as it was repealed in 2010. The Council will consist of nine voting members appointed by the Governor, along with five persons representing all areas of agriculture and diverse geographical areas, an individual representing agriculture on the state council for vocational education, a secondary school program instructor, a postsecondary school program instructor and a teacher educator. The Council may also include these ex officio nonvoting members: state Future Farmers of America president, the current state Future Farmers Of America alumni association president, the current postsecondary agriculture students president, the current young farmers educational association president, a state consultant in agricultural education, the Secretary of Agriculture or the secretary’s designee, and two members of each house of the general assembly. The bill provides that the legislative members shall be bipartisan in composition and sets out procedures for their appointment. The bill sets out duties and procedures for the Council, including reviewing, developing and recommending standards for secondary and postsecondary agricultural education and issuing an annual report to the State Board of Education and the House and Senate Agriculture and Education committees. The term of membership for the council is three years. [4/6: 45-0 (Greiner excused, Behn, Chelgren, Feenstra “no”)]