DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today said that the strawberry growers around the state are nearly ready to welcome customers with an earlier than normal harvest and a good crop of berries. Strawberry growers from the western part of the state are reporting that strawberries will be ready to pick within the week. Reports from the other parts of the state are showing that harvest season for strawberries should arrive in about two weeks.

“Strawberries are the first fruit crop of the season. Visiting a local farmers market or going to a you-pick farm is a great way to find fresh berries that can be enjoyed fresh, used in backing or preserved as jellies or jams,” Northey said. “Regardless of where you get your berries, act fast as strawberry season in Iowa only lasts a few weeks.”

Once picked strawberries do not continue to ripen like some fruits and vegetables so select vibrant red berries. Also, shop early and often because strawberries have a short shelf life and should be eaten within a few days of being picked.

If taste alone isn’t enough to encourage you to indulge in strawberries, here are a few more reasons to consider:

· Strawberries are low in calories and fat-free: one cup of unsweetened strawberries has only 55 calories.

· Your kids will eat them; over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit

· Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C and good sources of folic acid, potassium, and fiber.

Support a local grower and treat your family to a fun-filled trip to the strawberry patch and make memories that will last a lifetime. If visiting a strawberry patch, be sure to call or check the website for their harvest information.

You can find strawberry growers by visiting our Fruit and Vegetable Farms Directory at https://www.idalsdata.org/fmnp/index.cfm or on the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association “farm search” page at http://www.ifvga.org/en/about_us/farm_search/.

Montgomery County 4-H and Extension will be holding several summer day camps throughout the month of June. Day camps will include: Animal Science Feed & Nutrition Workshop, Overnight 4-H Horse Camp, Outdoor Day, and the Clover Kids Day Camp.

The Animal Science Feed & Nutrition Workshop will be held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Gold Building on Wednesday, June 3rd from 1-4:30pm and is open to all youth who have completed grades 4-12. During this workshop youth will learn about feed, animal nutrition, the digestive system and more with many hands on activities! This workshop will cost $5.00 per youth and registrations will be due to the Montgomery County Extension Office by Friday, May 25th.

The Overnight 4-H Horse camp will be held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds on Friday, June 5 -6th with 4-H member’s horses present. This workshop is open to 4-H members from Southwest Iowa who have completed grades 4 – 8. During this camp youth will learn about safety, showmanship, moving their feet, improving your seat, and trail. This camp has a $50.00 per 4-H’er registration fee and registrations will be due to the Montgomery County Extension Office by Friday, May 22nd.

The Outdoor Day will be held at Viking Lake – Stanton on Tuesday, June 9th from 9am – 3pm and is open to all youth who have completed grades 4-8. Throughout the day, youth will learn about fishing, canoeing, leave and trees, nature, the environment, outdoor cooking, and much, much more! The day camp will be $20.00 per youth and registrations will be due to the Montgomery County Extension Office by Friday, June 1st.

The Clover Kids Day Camp will be held at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Gold Building on Tuesday, June 16th from 9am – 3pm and is open to all youth who have completed kindergarten – 3rd grades. Youth will learn about insects, bugs, nature, the environment, and much more! This day camp will cost $15.00 per youth and registrations will be due to the Montgomery County Extension Office by Friday, June 5th.

All registration forms are available on the Montgomery County Extension Website
www.iastate.edu/montgomerycounty/4h . All registrations can be dropped off or mailed to the Extension Office at 400 Bridge Street, Suite 2, Red Oak, Iowa 51566. If there is anything you would like to learn more about, see a presentation on, or attend a workshop for, we are always open to ideas and would love to hear your interests! For any other questions regarding 4-H contact Hallie Peck at the Extension Office (712) 623-2592 or email hpeck@iastate.edu.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced today that funds are available to help farmers install nutrient reduction practices. Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.

The cost share rate for first-time users of cover crops is $25 per acre, no-till or strip till are eligible for $10 per acre and farmers using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer can receive $3 per acre. Any farmer not already utilizing these practices will receive priority consideration for this assistance. Farmers that have used cover crops in the past may be eligible for $15 per acre for cover crops.

“We continue to hear from farmers interested in doing even more to limit nutrient loss and better protect water quality and these funds will help them try new voluntary science-based conservation practices on their farm,” Northey said.

Farmers are eligible for cost share on up to 160 acres. The funds will be made available in July, but farmers can immediately start submitting applications through their local Soil and Water Conservation District office.

Farmers are also encouraged to visit their local Soil and Water Conservation District office to inquire about additional opportunities for cost share funding through other programs offered at their local SWCDs.

“As farmers are busy planting, we wanted to get the announcement out as soon as possible so our staff and partners can prepare to sign-up interested farmers if there are rain delay or as field work is wrapped up,” Northey said.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received $4.4 million for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative in fiscal 2015. These funds will allow the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to continue to encourage the broad adoption of water quality practices through statewide cost share assistance as well as more intensive work in targeted watersheds.

In the last 2 years this program has been available, over 1,400 farmers put in new nutrient reduction practices on over 144,000 acres. The state provided about $3.4 million in cost share funding to help farmers try a water quality practice for the first time and Iowa farmers provided at least another $3.4 million to support these water quality practices.