DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds, Friday, issued a statement in response to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship requesting resources from the United States Department of Agriculture and announcing additional response measures: 

“Earlier today Secretary Naig informed me about the plan to test dairy cows in areas where cases of HPAI have been confirmed in poultry flocks. I appreciate his and the department’s proactive response. Because Iowa farmers produce 10 percent of the nation’s food supply, protecting the health of our livestock is one of our highest priorities.

 “Additionally, last week I sent a letter to Sec. Vilsack urging the USDA to prioritize and expedite the approval process for animal vaccines designed to combat diseases threatening the agriculture industry. I will continue to advocate for these vaccines to help prevent and control future disease outbreaks.” 

You can find the full press release from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship here.  

You can find Gov. Reynolds letter to Sec. Vilsack here.  

(Radio Iowa) – The same strain of bird flu has recently hit a flock of laying hens in Sioux County and dairy cattle in O’Brien County. Iowa State University Extension veterinarian Dr. Phillip Jardon says Iowa is the 11th state where bird flu has been reported among dairy cattle.

Bird flu has been reported in 24 herds of dairy cattle in Michigan and one in Ohio. Jardon says biosecurity issues are key, as investigators believe a poultry flock in Michigan struck by bird flu may have been infected by an employee who also worked at a dairy operation.

So far, bird flu has been confirmed in over 80 U-S dairy cattle herds. Jardon says the impact may reach dairy cattle shows at county and state fairs.

Jardon grew up on a small dairy farm in southwest Iowa. He got his medical degree from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. Last July, Jardon joined Iowa State University Extension as a dairy specialist after working 11 years as a technical consultant to a company that produces vaccines and medicines for pets and livestock.

Volunteers, Atlantic Parks & Rec Personnel & Trees Forever Representatives gather gather to plant trees at the Schildberg Recreation Area Campground in Atlantic, Iowa (6-7-2024)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A little more than a dozen volunteers and Parks and Rec personnel gathered at the Schildberg Recreation Area RV campgrounds this (Friday) morning, in Atlantic, to help plant a variety of 32 trees. Local Trees Forever representative Dolly Bergmann, said Alliant Energy provided funding for the project in the form of a $3,000 grant.

Trees Forever also made the trees available through a grant. Bergmann said City employees did some prep work before today’s (Friday’s) tree planting.

She informed the volunteers (and for that matter, anyone who wishes to plant trees on their own property), of the right and wrong ways to plant a tree.

Schildberg RV Park playground

RV’s fill the camping pads at the Schildberg Rec Area RV Park (6-7-24)

Schildberg Campground Shelter House

She advised putting three-to four-inches of mulch for each tree, but not right up against it. “Leave a little doughnut hole around [the tree].” City employees will water and eventually place stakes and protective barriers around the trees to keep the deer away. The RV Pads at the Schildberg Campground were mostly full this (Friday) morning, with campers taking advantage of the Schildberg Recreational Trail, the fire pits, playground and shelter-house amenities. (Ric Hanson – Photos)

(Radio Iowa)  – An analysis released by the Sierra Club and landowners who object to the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline suggests the project will require drawing well over three BILLION gallons of water from Iowa’s aquifers each year. Jess Mazour is the conservation coordinator for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club.  “This is not a good use of our public water supply,” Mazour says. “We need to ensure we have water for generations to come and not squander it on a private company.”

Mazour says ethanol plants already use a significant amount of water and the pipeline would be an even bigger drain on Iowa’s water supply. “We have no idea how much water is below us underground,” Mazour says. “…Our bottom line is we need Iowa to take a long, hard look and study our aquifers and we need to deny water for carbon capture and storage for any company.”

Jess Mazour of the Sierra Club’s Iowa Chapter speaking during an online news conference June 6, 2024.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has already granted Summit a permit to withdraw up to 55 million gallons of water each year from a new well near an ethanol plant in Chickasaw County. Wally Taylor, the attorney for the Iowa chapter of the Sierra Club, says the agency has been handing out water use permits like candy, without considering the impact on groundwater resources.

“The DNR sees its role as serving its customers and the customer is the applicant for a permit,” he says. “In fact, they used to call that portion of the DNR the Environmental Protection Division. Now it’s the Environmental Services Division. That tells you all you need to know.”

According to federal reports, it takes between 10 and 17 liters of water to produce ethanol. More water would be required at each ethanol plant site to cool carbon so it can be compressed, liquefied and pushed through a pipeline. More than half of Iowa’s corn crop is used to produce ethanol. Summit and corn growers who support the project say the pipeline is crucial to the survival of the ethanol industry, as more consumers demand fuel that has a low or no carbon footprint.

Summit’s pipeline would sequester carbon from 57 Midwest ethanol plants, including 30 in Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] — Bridgestone will be laying off some employees at its Des Moines plant. In a statement, Bridgestone confirmed the layoffs but would not specify how many workers would be impacted.

“Bridgestone regularly evaluates all aspects of its business to ensure we remain competitive and resources are allocated in a manner that best supports our business strategy,” the company said in a statement.

Bridgestone says it notified United Steelworkers (USW) leadership in Des Moines about the workforce reduction, citing “demand constraints in the agriculture tire sector.”

(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Adair County, Wednesday, were introduced to the County Conservation Department’s Summer, seasonal Naturalist. Ashlynn Schubert talked about what some of the plans she has for this Summer.

Ashlynn Schubert

A full list of the activities can be found on the Adair County Conservation Board’s Facebook page. Schubert teaches 6th through 8th grade science at the Coon Rapids-Bayard School District during the school year. She’s originally from Cherokee, in northwest Iowa, but she and her husband moved to Adair last Summer, for the opportunity to work in the same school district.

Adair County Conservation Director Dominic Johnson reminds citizens of the County about the free fishing weekend this weekend, in Iowa.

Johnson said $700 in door prizes have been donated for the fishing clinic, which runs from 9-until 11-a.m., Saturday, and includes lunch, with all you can eat hot dogs. The event begins with at 8-a.m. with registration, followed by a presentation from DNR officials. The clinic is free to kids of all ages.

Fishing clinic door prizes

The next meeting of the Adair County Board of Supervisors is Tuesday, June 11th, at 9-a.m.

Jim Field visits with Lauren Livingston of Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter about June Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month.

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(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture says preliminary testing has found a case of Avian Influenza in a dairy herd in O’Brien County. Final testing is pending at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames. This is Iowa’s first reported case of Avian Influenza within a dairy. There have been 80 confirmed dairy cases in eight other states.

The Iowa Ag Department says it will soon be announcing additional response measures. Diary cows appear to recover from the disease, while birds who are infected have to be destroyed.

(Radio Iowa) – A very rainy May set Iowa farmers back on planting, and all that moisture also put crops at risk. Pools of standing water can still be found in low areas of fields throughout the state, leaving nearly a quarter of Iowa’s farmland topsoil holding surplus moisture. Besides keeping farmers from finishing their planting, U-S-D-A Midwest Climate Hub director Dennis Todey says the standing water could hurt already-planted crops down the line, if it dries out.

Todey asks, “Will root development be appropriate so that if we turn drier in the summer that can we still get at moisture that’s in the soil?” Todey says he has several concerns for planted crops in areas where there’s still standing water.

“The concern always at this point is, one: yield, can we get it along enough in the season to get a yield,” he asks, “and then two: will it get to mature in time before the fall freeze?” June is typically Iowa’s wettest month, and current climate projections show more rain is likely, with drier conditions possible by the middle of the month.