(WASHINGTON, D-C June 28, 2023) – U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will travel to Des Moines, Thursday (June 29), where he is expected to announce a major investment by USDA to expand meat and poultry processing capacity in Iowa and across the country. The investment is intended to increase competition, support producer income, strengthen the food supply chain, and create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas.

Secretary Vilsack will also highlight other efforts under the Biden-Harris Administration to build more, new and better markets and strengthen farm and food businesses. The announcement reflects the goals of the President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to rebuild our economy from the middle-out and the bottom-up and create transformative new economic opportunities for families and businesses.

Jim Field visits with Abby Rasmussen, President of the Exira Community Club, about the 158th 4th of July Celebration “Hometown Pride.”

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w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A is distributing grants to 10 gas stations in Iowa to replace fuel pumps and storage tanks. U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says the new equipment will be able to dispense a higher volume of ethanol and biodiesel. “This grant program can essentially pay up to 75% of the cost of installing these dispensing systems and storage facilities,” Vilsack says. “That’s a deal pretty difficult to say no to.”

Last week, the biofuels industry blasted the Biden Administration for the E-P-A’s final ethanol and biodiesel production targets. This week, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is thanking the U-S-D-A for aggressively implementing this incentive program — and for announcing applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in July.

The Iowa gas stations getting grants in this latest round of federal funding are in Baxter, Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Falls, Chester, Kalona, Marengo, Rockwell City, Waterloo and Van Horne.

Jim Field visits with Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson about the Grow Another Row program.  This year, stands are located at 10 different spots around Cass County:

Atlantic: 

• Midtown Apartments – 1209 East 8th St.
• Atlantic Public Library – 507 Poplar St.
• Mollett Park – 1020 East 3rd St. Pl.

Cumberland:

• United Methodist Church – 317 Monroe St. (near the alley behind the church)

Marne:

• Masonic Lodge – Washington St.

Massena:

• Southwest Iowa Egg – 74851 Richland Rd.

Anita:

• Anita Food Pantry – 208 Chestnut St.

Griswold:

• United Methodist Church/Food Pantry – 100 Cass St.

Lewis:

• Lewis Public Library – 412 West Main St.

Wiota:

• White Pole Road between Pioneer Ave. and Prospect St.

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(Radio Iowa) – The number of insects flying around has picked up as we head into summer. Iowa State University insect specialist, Zach Schumm, says he’s heard reports of one in particular. “Small black flies that actually bite. You can call them buffalo gnats, you can call them biting midges, there’s different names for them as well so they tend to be an annoying one too that has been seemingly particularly bad in some parts of Iowa this year,” Schumm says.

Some areas got much needed weekend rain — but the trade off will be more mosquitoes. “For mosquitoes in particular they really need standing water to reproduce,” he says. “So if we have a lot of standing water around or if you know if rain is replenishing puddles of water that are on the side of the street or replenishing water in ponds and there’s more standing water there then that’s going to allow for more reproduction of mosquitoes.”

Schumm says you should take a look around your yard and empty any of the water sources that might provide a place for the mosquitoes to breed.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s two U.S. senators say NASA’s lunar research may help improve food production and resource conservation on Earth. The lawmakers joined NASA astronaut Raja Chari for a discussion at Grinnell College this (Monday) morning. Chari, who was raised in Cedar Falls, says as astronauts learn to live on the moon through NASA’s Artemis Project, they’ll need to learn to grow food.

“I think it’s important that we invest in the technology in getting there so that we can continue to lead as a nation and lead the world,” Chari says, “just as we did during the Apollo era.” Chari is the leader of astronaut development and testing for the Human Landing System for NASA’s Artemis Program. Republican Senator Joni Ernst says what astronauts learn from living on the moon may wind up influencing a wide range of federal policies.

“It’s important not just for the Farm Bill, but it’s important for other departments as well as we’re moving forward doing research on crops, on protecting our water — water purification,” Ernst says. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says NASA’s ag research may be more quickly adopted by the private sector. “What we learn from research out of gravity is very important for agriculture research,” Grassley says. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, was also at the event in Grinnell.

“My key takeaway is that collabortation is essential to making sure we can continue to collaborate,” Hinson says. “Hearing about the work happening on the International Space Station down to the work we’re going to be doing on the Farm Bill to make sure that research and that innovation is supported, I think it’s absolutely critical.”

NASA’s Artemis crew has begun training, with a target date in 2026 for landing on the moon and spending nearly a month living on the surface.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Fair doesn’t begin for another month, but that’s not stopping the fairgrounds from being used for an event this weekend. West Central Iowa Pullers and West Central Iowa Garden Tractor Pullers are hosting tractor pull activities this Saturday, at the Cass County Fairgrounds, in Atlantic. Alan Zellmer, with West Central Iowa Pullers, says once again the fairgrounds will serve as the location not only for the sights, sounds and smoke from the tractors as they roar down the track, but for some great food, and fireworks.

Activities begin at 10-a.m., with the Western Iowa Garden Tractor Pulls, out of Denison.

The big tractors are expected to travel on the track at around 4-p.m. Zellmer says there’s a new twist to the tractor pulls this year.

File photo from Western IA Pullers Facebook page

The working tractors will be allowed to pull the skid so that it won’t be hard on the tractor. The main (Sanctioned) tractor pull event will last about three-and a half hours. There are four Classes (categories) of tractors participating: Farm Stock; Altered Farm Class; 3,000 RPM Class, and the 3,200 RPM Class.

The track will be illuminated when it gets dark, for safety reasons. Duke Aerial, in Atlantic, is providing the lights. Zellmer says participants in the big tractor pull event come from all over, including the Sioux City area. The day concludes with a fireworks display by “Wild Willie’s Spectacular Fireworks Show.” In addition, there will be a beer garden, two food trucks, and the Cass County Pork Producers will be serving-up some delicious food and drinks.

There is NO CHARGE to attend the Tractor Pulls, but free-will donations will be accepted. Any leftover proceeds will benefit a fund for the Atlantic Splash Pad Project.

Jim Field visits with Alan Zellmer about the tractor pull event coming up this weekend in Atlantic.

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Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about all things outdoors. This week they discuss safe boating over the upcoming holiday, hunter education classes set in Atlantic for September, Master Conservationist program and more.

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