DES MOINES –Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website will make additional information about its Fiscal 2009 budget available to the public.  The Department also plans to place its Fiscal 2010 information online after the Governor signs the Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations bill into law.  The Department’s website is www.IowaAgriculture.gov. “This is the people of Iowa’s money, so they deserve to know how and where we are spending it,” Northey said.  “We take our responsibility to spend every dollar we receive responsibly and this format should make it easier for Iowans to see and understand how we are spending their tax dollars.” The information online show how much funding each of the Department’s Bureaus receive and gives a short explanation of the bureaus activities. The Department’s FY2009 budget of $22 million was cut by $755,000, or 3.4 percent, in Fiscal Year 2009.  The Department is facing an addition 12 percent cut in FY2010, which will cut General Fund spending from $22 million at the start of FY 2009 to $18.7 million in FY 2010. The State of Iowa’s Fiscal Year 2009 runs from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009. In response to these cuts the Department has undertaken a number of cost saving efforts, including not filling open positions, greatly limiting out of state travel, altering cell phone contracts to reduce costs, and other measures. “The work of the Department impacts all Iowans, and this new feature will help Iowans better understand all that we do,” Northey said. The Department is responsible for a wide variety of consumer protection and agriculture promotion programs.  This includes regulating meat processing, commercial feed and fertilizer, pesticide application, and dairy production and processing.  The Weights and Measures Bureau makes sure both buyers and sellers are treated fairly at the gas pump, grocery store or grain elevator. The State Climatologist, Entomologist, Horticulturalist and Veterinarian are also all part of the Department.  Other areas of responsibility for the Department include Agriculture Statistics, the Iowa Horse and Dog Breeding program and helping promote the more than 170 farmers markets located across the state. Land stewardship is also central to the work of the Department.  The Division of Soil Conservation provides farmers with expertise and funds to help them install practices that preserve our highly productive soil, prevent erosion and protect our critical waterways.  The Department is focused on making sure future Iowans can experience the same high quality of life that past generations have enjoyed in our state. - 30 -