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Northwest Iowa — A near-record number of travelers will be on the highways this Christmas holiday, due in part to falling retail gasoline prices.  It will cost less to fill up this Christmas than last year, according to the AAA.

The national average for a gallon of unleaded 10% ethanol blend in $2.01 per gallon, while prices here in northwest Iowa are even below that level.

In a brief survey of area gasoline prices Wednesday morning, we discovered the price of unleaded 10% ethanol blend ranged from a low of $1.85 in Rock Rapids to an area high of $1.99 in the Alton/Orange City area.

Prices by area town are as follows:  Sheldon, $1.89 a gallon; Sanborn $1.95; Alton/Orange City $1.99; Rock Rapids $1.85; Hull $1.89; Sibley $1.94; and George $1.89.

So, at least for motorists, it looks like it will be a very Merry Christmas.

Northwest Iowa — Almost one in every three Iowans is expected to take a trip for the year-end holidays, according to a survey.

Gail Weinholzer, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says if the weather isn’t too frightful, a record number of people will be on the nation’s roads and bustling through airports, train stations and bus depots.

She says the boost in holiday travel is being driven by continued improvement in the labor market, rising incomes and low prices, including gasoline prices, which remain well below last year’s levels.

Gasoline prices in Iowa have been steadily dropping for several weeks and now are averaging just under two-dollars a gallon statewide. While many Iowans will be taking buses, boats or planes to their holiday destinations, she says most of us will be on the road.

Triple-A says airfares for the top flight routes are six-percent lower this holiday season, car rental rates are up three-percent from a year ago, while lodging at most of the nicer hotels is up between four and 11-percent.

Cherokee, Iowa — Area pork producers need to prepare for a new way of doing business.

Pork producers today need to participate in an audit program called the Common Swine Industry Audit. According to the National Pork Board, the goal of the common audit process is to provide the consumer greater assurance of the care taken by farmers and pork processors to improve animal well-being and food safety.

We talked to Iowa State University Extension Swine Specialist Dave Stender. He says that years ago, it was just assumed that every pork producer took good care of his hogs. But a number of years ago, people started wanting more proof about how hogs are treated before they become pork.

So, says Stender, the industry came up with a common audit. They say they’re going to be starting those audits early in 2016.

The audit is currently available to the public and packer-employed auditors are already using the audit system.

Stender says producers need to know that the common audit is actually going to happen, and that they need to be prepared for it. He says the National Pork Board has several resources available on their web site.

Stender says the audit is fairly all-encompassing. He says ISU Extension is also planning some workshops to help producers prepare for an audit.

Call your local county Extension and Outreach office to find out when the next workshops are scheduled. Visit www.extension.iastate.edu. Click on “Locate a county office” to find the office nearest you.

Stender says the workshops will start already in January and there will be a workshop about every four to five weeks all through the summer.