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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has identified a record number of trumpeter swan nests. D-N-R waterfowl biologist Orrin Jones says the species was reintroduced in Iowa in 1993. “Their population has been slowly recovering since then,” he says, “and we’re really pleased to see them continue that recovery.”
According to the D-N-R’s website, unregulated hunting and the draining of wetlands after European settlers arrived in Iowa led to the species’ demise here. Now, in the 29th year of the restoration effort, the latest count indicates there are at least 135 pairs of adult nesting swans in Iowa. “Trumpeter swans are traditionally associated with the Prairie Pothole region of Iowa, which is a geographic formation in north central and northwest Iowa where historically pothole wetlands were very abundant,” Jones says.
Jones says restoration of wetland areas has helped the species get re-established. The D-N-R began its trumpeter swan restoration program in 1993, then in 1998, three wild cygnets — baby swans — hatched from a next in Dubuque County.
(Greenfield, Iowa) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning, received updates on the County employee Wellness Program, and Conservation Department activities. Supervisor Jerry Walker reported on the Wellness program participation and data regarding employee physicals. Data from the physicals helps the County in its efforts to obtain the best insurance rates it can in a points-based system. Walker said that, as of Monday, 60% of the physical reports had been turned-in.
Auditor Mandy Berg said the County stands to lose money if there is no change from last year’s data.
Rates have skyrocketed this year in Iowa, for both personal and group insurance. In other business, the Adair County Supervisors acknowledged and approved the GAAP Annual Financial Report. GAAP stands for Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and are a collection of commonly-followed accounting rules and standards for financial reporting.
And, in his report to the Board, Adair County Conservation Director Dominic Johnson said they have awarded a contract for the Mormon Trail Shower House to Caliber Concrete, LLC out of Adair, in the amount of $174, 250, which was under budget by about $750,
The good news, he said is that they’ll have the site already prepped for the shower house before it arrives.
Johnson said he’s pleased by the number of campers they’ve had this year and the funds those persons bring to the county for camping fees.
He said this Fall has been especially busy. At Orient, they have been a lot of weekends this month where the campsites are full. Dominic said also, shower houses were officially closed and winterized last week. The docks are out of the water at most of the lakes in Adair County. Johnson said also, there were 27 people who attended the Conservation Department’s Hunter Education Class, last month.
Walleye fish, he said, have been stocked at four different county lakes, but there is concern about the lakes being as low as they are.
DES MOINES, Iowa (October 25, 2022) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has been notified that Global Processing, Inc., based at 945 150th Street in Kanawha, IA, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the State of Iowa effective October 24, 2022. Global Processing, Inc. holds grain dealer and warehouse licenses in Iowa, which were suspended earlier this month.
Anyone with unpaid grain sold to this dealer and/or grain delivered for storage before October 24, 2022, may file a claim with the Iowa Grain Depositors and Sellers Indemnity Fund. Claims must be made in writing and filed with Global Processing, Inc. and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Grain Warehouse Bureau, within 120 days (February 21, 2023).
Claims can be mailed or personally delivered to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Grain Warehouse Bureau, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, Iowa, 50319. Failure to file a claim within 120 days relieves the Iowa Grain Depositors and Sellers Indemnity Fund of its obligation. Failure to make a timely claim against the Iowa Grain Depositors and Sellers Indemnity Fund does not relieve Global Processing, Inc. of its liability to the claimant.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Grain Warehouse Bureau regulates and examines the financial solvency of grain dealers and grain warehouse operators to protect Iowa farmers. The Grain Warehouse Bureau is responsible for administering the Iowa Grain Depositors and Sellers Indemnity Fund, which was created in 1986 to provide financial protection to farmers with stored grain. The indemnity fund covers farmers with grain on deposit in an Iowa-licensed warehouse and grain sold to a state-licensed grain dealer. In the case of a failure in a state license warehouse or grain dealer, the indemnity fund will pay farmers 90 percent of a loss on grain up to a maximum of $300,000 per claimant.
If claimants have questions, they can contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Grain Warehouse Bureau at 515-281-5987.
[COUNCIL BLUFFS, 10/25/22] – An open burning ban is in place for Pottawattamie County, effective immediately. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, including all incorporated city limits within the county. Scott Manz, Pott. County Emergency Management Director, said “Despite yesterday’s (Monday’s) rainfall and forecast chances later in the week, accumulation amounts will yield little to no relief from the continuing moisture deficits in the county and region.:
Manz said with the dry and windy conditions, the risk of a fast-moving wildfire is increased, as witnessed recently in Lancaster County, Montgomery County, and Harrison County; large, rapidly advancing fires proved difficult to contain and prompted evacuations. Such conditions put the public and first responders at significant risk. The ban will remain in place through the harvest and/or until environmental and weather conditions improve to a level that doesn’t significantly diminish fire containment and suppression efforts. 
Citizens are reminded to never throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles. The burning of yard waste piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides, trash, or other items are prohibited during the ban. Disobeying an active burn ban is a simple misdemeanor. can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban. You may also be liable for additional criminal charges, damages, losses, or injuries resulting from the fire.
For updated information on burn bans and the law you can find further information on the Emergency Management Agency website, Facebook, and twitter. While visiting the website, residents should sign up for Alert Iowa to receive alerts for fire warnings, evacuation orders, severe weather threats, and other emergency notifications for your community.
(Red Oak & Clarinda, Iowa) – Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman reports effective immediately, Montgomery County and Page County are placed into an Open Burn Ban by unanimous decision of all Fire Chiefs. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Montgomery County and Page County unless an official burn ban permit has been issued by the proper fire chief.
Citizens are reminded to not throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles and to discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides or other items during this ban. Small recreational camp fires are permitted only if they are conducted in a fire place of brick, metal or heavy one-inch wire mesh. Any camp fire not in an outdoor fire place is prohibited.
Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban.
(Radio Iowa) – The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows one part of the state is much closer to finishing up the harvest than others. The report shows the northeast and south-central regions of Iowa both are under 40 percent when it comes to the corn harvest — while 82 percent of the corn is already sitting in bins in northwest Iowa. The overall corn harvest is 59 percent complete — which is one day ahead of last year and eight days ahead of the five-year average. The report says the soybean harvest reached 88 percent complete — which is 11 days ahead of the average. 
(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University’s Extension Department is selling a 2023 calendar that seeks to address some of the “Garden Lore” that’s been circulating the state. Consumer horticulture specialist, Aaron Steil, says they hear a lot of folklore or home remedies that don’t have a lot of research or evidence supporting them. One involves a popular garden flower. “You know, we often get a question, if peonies need ants to bloom, and peonies will open with or without ants, the ants are not required for bloom, they’re just there because they’re collecting nectar,” he says. Another myth is you should plant your potatoes on Good Friday.
He says planting should happen in mid-April in much of the state for potatoes, and sometimes Good Friday is in mid-April — but the holiday can move around as much as a month — and it can be too early to plan when Good Friday is near the end of March. The internet is the origin of some of the gardening stories — including one Style has heard quite often. “Planting sweet peppers, or bell peppers next to hot peppers will make your sweet or bell peppers more spicy. And that’s just not how biology works,” Style says. “If you saved the seed from inside that pepper and planted it the following year, the pepper will probably taste different. But the fruit of the pepper is determined by the genetics of the plant. And that doesn’t change whether it’s pollinated by us a bell pepper or sweet pepper.”
Style says the questions have picked up as more people tried their hand at gardening. “Especially since the spring of 2020, and so we’ve been answering many questions like this, there’s lots of information out there and some of its good and some of its bad,” he says. “Hopefully this calendar can help kind of show people the difference between those two things.” The calendar addresses the lore, and he says it’s also a great way to keep track of your work. “The garden calendar is actually a wonderful gardening journal to keep track of things, when you planted things and take note of the things you put in your yard, those kinds of things. It makes a wonderful garden journal that way,” Style says. 
The calendar can be purchased from the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach online store, and you can also find it in most of your local county extension offices. It costs eight dollars.
(Radio Iowa) – A new report from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) tries to predict how climate change will affect Midwest crop yields in the next decade and beyond. E-D-F lead senior scientist Eileen McLellan says the report finds climate change will bring corn yields down more than five percent across all Iowa counties. “There’s no question that things are going to get much, much, much worse by 2050. But some of the adaptations, like shifting to a different crop, are going to take quite a few years to implement,” she says. The report’s climate models predict that by 2030, Iowa will see more warm days that are good for corn growth, but will see even more days of extreme heat that will stunt yields.
Iowa State University emeritus professor of agronomy, Gene Takle, says Iowa has had few heat waves compared to other parts of the country and the world. But the state has seen increasing rain. “The takeaway is, yes, there’s going to be some yield declines from the trend line. But because we’re starting at a more favorable condition, it’s not going to be as critical as it might be in some other parts of the world,” Takle says.
McLellan says farmers will have to scale up their climate-friendly practices after 2030 as climate change becomes more dramatic.
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