AMES, Iowa—Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop and no-till field day next week, in Adair County. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal. It takes place on Tuesday, November 29 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at the Randy Caviness Farm, near Greenfield. Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms conservation and cover crop outreach specialist, will share results from on-farm cover crop demonstration trials and resources available to help farmers and landowners make a successful transition to a cover crop and no-till system. That includes information from Randy Caviness on the success he’s had with the method.

Caviness says “Many people talk about building up their soil, but then they don’t do anything about it. No-till actually does something about it. The more you leave the soil alone, the better it does. Some people think that if they till every four or five years, that they will get the benefits of no-till. No-till should be called never-till.” Ripley says….

Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil. When paired with no-tillage additional benefits include increased water infiltration and reduced erosion during heavy rain events. Among the other experts planning on attending the meeting, is Iowa NRCS State Soil Health Specialist Hillary Olsen, and Ruth Blomquist, SW Iowa Soil Health Specialist.

The field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops to maintain yields during the transition to a higher residue system of no-tillage and cover crops. The field day will be held at the Caviness Farm, 2476 260th Street, Greenfield, IA 50849 and will be held rain or shine. The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, although they do require reservations, to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu.  Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.

ATLANTIC, IA (November 21, 2022) – Harvest Market 2022 is today, Monday, November 21 from 3-7 PM at the Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022). This year, Pim’s Thai Food Truck will be set up outside the Community Center selling Thai food to go. Inside the building, over 25 local food and craft vendors will be selling at today’s market. Just inside the door, new vendor, Spirits of the Faire, will be selling gourmet hot cocoa for shoppers to enjoy while the browse. The market offers lots of late fall produce such as a variety of squashes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, spinach, and lettuce, in addition to a great selection of local meat including beef, chicken, lamb, and pork.

Holiday farmers markets offer lots of desserts and sweet treats. Expect to find pastries, cookies, cupcakes, jams, holiday popcorn, sweet breads, freeze-dried candy, caramel apple bites, chocolate covered cherries, and more. Customers looking for pies are encouraged to show up early. Artisan and craft vendors at today’s market will be selling lots of items that prepare your home for the holidays and make for great gifts. There will be lots of seasonal candles, soaps, and beauty products, in addition to jewelry, wood crafts, holiday ornaments, children’s books, potted plants, tie blankets, knitted hats and scarves, and more.

Harvest Market is sponsored by Cass County Tourism, Deter Motor Co., First Whitney Bank and Trust, Cass Health, Cass County Farm Bureau, the Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, and the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce. For the latest information on all Produce in the Park farmers markets, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/) or sign up for the Produce in the Park newsletter at www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com.

Harvest Market 2022 Final Vendor Lineup:

Food truck: Pim’s Thai Food; Atlantic Atlas Cinema – Gourmet Popcorn; Bridgewater Farm – Organic Produce, Meat, Eggs; Brun Ko Farm – Pork, Lamb, Chicken, Herb Salts; Claire’s Cinnamon Rolls (preorder only) – Frosted Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Pecan Rolls; Corn 4 a Cause – Popcorn on the Cob; DezaRae Farm Soaps – Goat Milk Soaps; Donna’s Jewelry – Jewelry and More; Frosting Inc.  – Cupcakes, Cookies, Holiday Treats; Harrisdale Farmstead – Sweet Potatoes; Holaday Baking – Homemade Baked Goods, Jellies, and Holiday Crafts; Hygge Cottage – Children’s books; Imagine at Zellmer Century Farm – Fairy Garden Items, Potted Plants, Holiday Ornaments; JD Crafters – Handcrafted Culinary and Ornamental Products, as well as House/Barn Quilts; Johnna Joy Designs – Jewelry, Prints, and Original Art; Kringle Man – Danish Kringle, Pastries, Letters, Cream Horns, Stroopwaffels, Rye Bread, Krispies; Matilda Dawn Creations – Homemade Greeting Cards, and Customized Wall Scrabble Tiles; Midwest Candles by Brit – Candles, Wax Melts, Bath Salts; Miss NiNi’s Fine Desserts (preorder only) – Handcrafted Cheesecakes, Layer Cakes, Pies, Flourless Chocolate Torte, and Raspberry Danish Butter Cookies; Noble Provisions – Beef, Pork, and More; Piper’s Brae Farm – Aronia berries and Aronia Products; Rolling Acres Farm – Squash including varieties Small Butternut, Acorn, Delecata and Spaghetti; Smudge – Bath and Body Products and Candles; Spirits of the Faire – Gourmet Hot Coca; Sue’s Country Garden – Jams (taste tests!), Sweet Breads, Crisps, Tie Blankets, Potholder/Towel Combo, and More; Sweet Sisters Vegan – Vegan Health and Beauty Products; Unicorn Clouds – Freeze-dried Candies; Viether Creations – Knitted Hats, Dish Clothes, and More; Wud Bi Tek – CNC Router Carvings and Laser Art.

(Radio Iowa) – As we approach Thanksgiving a turkey teaching and research facility that is the first of its kind in the U-S is now operating on the Iowa State University campus. Dawn Koltes in the I-S-U Animal Science Department says it is a joint project with the industry to improve how they operate. “What’s really cool about this building is it came from a need from the producers to understand some basic questions that they had in terms of management practices, even including some of the feed and feed additives that are on the market,” Koltes says. She says producers won’t have to use their own flocks to test various practices, while I-SU does the testing. There’s another benefit of having a turkey lab to show off the process.

“The other thing that is really much a need, as in most of our animals sectors, or even ag sectors, more generally here is the need to increase understanding about where food comes from, as well as finding kind of labor stream or labor pool for that next generation,” she says. Koltes says they’ll do that by encouraging the public and groups to visit and see how things work. “Because we have viewing windows in what’s called our vestibule area, and it’s a public space. So people can come in and right now even go in and see the poults as they are in their environment,” Koltes says. “We have a lovely mural on the wall that Greta Irwin at Iowa Turkey Federation and Morgan Pothoven, also with Iowa Turkey Federation, helped put together to explain what the turkey industry is and what it means to the state of Iowa.” She says they have some things set up to let visitors understand the growing process.

Turkey poults (ISU photo)

“What should we see, when we start looking at these birds? What should we hear when we listen to these birds and what should we be looking for? And so we have kind of those questions so that a stand by the window, you can ask those of yourself,” she says. “And then not only do we have it from the outside, but we also have it on our grower finisher side, which is where those birds after they reach about five or six weeks of age will be moved to.” The research will cover a variety of issues that are facing the industry. “Microbes and diseases that we know a there cause harm to our birds — or even on the human side. So, salmonella would be one that the birds can host, but then don’t necessarily have an immune response to but unfortunately, we do,” Koltes says. They will also look at new technologies such as air handlers, and other things that can impact the health of the turkeys.

“How do we maximize our water vaccination strategies? How do we provide supplements in the feed or the water? So for instance, during bouts of heat stress, people can put electrolytes in,” Koltes says. “So just like when we get hot and sweaty, and you know, we’ve been working out we go have a Gatorade or some other fluid that has electrolytes in it. We’re trying the same types of things to ask, does it really help with the turkey production? So is it worth spending the money to put that into the water lines?” The are classrooms where animal science students can work and study some of these issues. The facility is called the Balloun Turkey Teaching and Research Facility after the main donor, Julia Balloun. It was dedicated in May 2022 and the first set of turkey poults were recently delivered.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Department of Parks and Recreation Board, will meet 5:15-p.m. Monday (11/21), in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. During their regularly scheduled session, the Board will receive a Splash Pad Project update from Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm, and act on a location for the pad.

Elsewhere under “Old Business” on their agenda, the Board will hear reports on Trees Forever, from Board Member Erin McFadden, and the Trails, from Board Member Shirley Jensen. They will also discuss any new developments on the Hotel/Motel Tax.

New Business includes a Board Vote/action on:

• The appointment of Erin McFadden, Board Chair Jolene Smith, and Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen, to the Splash Pad Executive Committee.
• The appointment of Board Member Jeremy Butler as Splash Pad Fundraising Committee Chair with the authority to form the Committee and Recruit Volunteers.
• Ross Camblin Shelter repairs
• and other matters.

The Board will also receive an update on filling the position of Parks and Rec Director that was vacated by the resignation last month of former Director Bryant Rasmussen, who has accepted a position with the USDA. A committee in charge of searching for a park director will be interviewing four candidates for the position by Zoom, next month. The hope is they can narrow the field down and hold in-person interviews after that.

In his report, Assistant Director Jeff Christensen will talk about the Bill Reilly Talent Show, Zombie Run, Maintenance Building Cleaning & Security, and the Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway.

(Radio Iowa) – The sale of 73 acres of farmland near Sheldon appears have set the record price for Iowa agland. Mark Zomer of Zomer Company Realty and Auction of Rock Valley handled the sale last Friday. “We had several bidders for the farm and all of them were local farmers,” he says. “The farm sold for $30,000 per acre. I believe that might be a new record for the state of Iowa for agland only.”

A month ago, 53 acres of Plymouth County farm ground between Marcus and Remsen sold for over 26-thousand dollars an acre. Zomer says the parcel he sold in Sioux County on Friday is highly-rated cropland. “An older gentlemen once told me if you could order a farm and have it perfect, this farm would be as perfect as you could get. It had just a little bit of slope to it, so the drainage was excellent and it had very good soil types to it,” Zomer says. “It was what we call an inside parcel of land, so it was land with road on only one side, so it was virtually all tillable except for the road and ditch.”

Zomer says the buyer is adding the 73 acres to a family operation. There’s only so much farm ground for sale and, according to Zomer, that makes the land market very strong.  “I think, long term, people believe land’s a good investment,” Zomer says. “…I realize there can be ups and downs in the land market, but overall…I think people understand that the long-term dividends of owning a farm — receiving rent every year or crop income every year…over the 40 to 50 year history — I think land is proven to be a good investment.” The land that sold for 30-thousand dollars an acre last Friday is located between Sheldon and Boyden.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa deer hunters are often asked to donate venison to help feed the hungry, but they’re also urged to donate deer hides for use in the Veterans Leather Program. Lisa Widick, state spokeswoman for the Iowa Elks, says the state’s Elks lodges collected more than four-thousand deer hides for the program this past hunting season. The hides were trucked to a tannery in Missouri, then the finished leather is sent back to Iowa — and the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. “They use the leather as craft program and turn around and make moccasins, backpacks, gun cases, oh my gosh, all kinds of things,” Widick says. “It’s amazing to see, utterly amazing.”

The leatherworking program is used as therapy for recovering veterans, but she says it’s entirely reliant on the charity of Iowa’s deer hunters. “We talk to hunters and ask them, ‘What do you do with your deer hides?’ and most of them say, ‘We throw them in the ditch. Why would we want them?’ Or they’ll take them to Tyson and trade them for a free pair of gloves,” Widick says. “That’s all good and fine. I get it. People need free gloves, too, but look at what your deer hide can do for a veteran.”

Hunters who would like to donate hides should contact the nearest Iowa Elks lodge, and there’s a website (www.elks.org/lodges) where you can locate all 31 of them in the state. “Every time we mention the word ‘veterans,’ people’s ears perk up. It means a little bit more than just talking about a deer hide and that it’s going to make a pair of leather gloves for a guy in a wheelchair or a pair of moccasins you can buy to wear,” Widick says. “It’s about veterans and keeping them busy and helping them somewhat rehab and be able to have a little bit of production in their life.”

A wide range of veteran-made products, including leather goods, ceramics and beadwork, are available to the public through the Iowa Veterans Home Gift Shop.

On the web at: https://ivh.iowa.gov/about/gift-shop

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa trapping season is underway, and a D-N-R expert says the prospects are good. Furbearer biologist, Vince Evelsizer, says there shouldn’t be any trouble finding furs. “Most of our species of furbearers and Iowa are doing well, the populations are either stable, or increasing slightly,” Evelsizer says. “Examples of that would be things like coons and beavers, even red fox, that sort of thing.” Evelsizer says the only two species that they’re concerned about are foxes and muskrats — which have seen declining populations. He says making a profit from trapping is a little less certain.

“It does look like there continues to be a relatively weak, wild fur market going into this fall and winter. However, some species like bobcats, and beavers, have increased a little bit in value,” he says. Evelsizer says the price of the furs is influenced by several things. “In general, it has to do with the garment industry, and where supply and demand issues are. Right now, for example, in the past six, eight years, especially China and Russia, were two countries that were the bigger for buyers,”Evelsizer says, “and relations with those two countries in the U-S has been tense past few years, and that can affect trade on things like wild furs.” He says there’s been around 14 to 15-thousand licensed fur harvesters the past few years.

“When the fur market is weak, it does tend to lead to a lower harvest or effort from our harvesters,” Evelsizer says. “But that being said, there’s still a lot of fur harvesters that go out and do it. You know, your regardless of the fair market value, they go and do it because they love trapping or they love predator hunting or they love running their coon dogs.” Evelsizer says some trappers aren’t concerned about the fur price.” Some folks are interested in the meat, you know, things like a beaver, for example, can be actually very good eating,” he says.

Trappers don’t have to sell their furs this year — Evelsizer says they can keep them for one year and see if prices go up before they have to sell. He says there is one more beginning trapper event for the year this Saturday in St. Charles. It’s for beginner trappers of all ages and you can sign up on the Iowa D-N-R ‘s website to register.

• KJAN, Atlantic  1.2″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .7″
• Massena  .8″
• Audubon  Trace
• Oakland  .3″
• Bridgewater  1″
• Corning  2.7″
• Red Oak  1″
• Clarinda  .5″
• Creston  2″

(Radio Iowa) – The corn harvest is heading down the final stretch. The U-S-D-A report finds 95 percent of the corn had been combined by Sunday. That is eight days ahead of last year and 12 days ahead of the average. Farmers in northeast and south-central Iowa have the most work left — with more than 10 percent of their corn still in the fields. The report found the soybean harvest was virtually complete at 97 percent two weeks ago.