(Radio Iowa) – A new report details the economic benefits of a proposed pedestrian and bike trail running from Washington D-C to Washington state, including an Iowa segment stretching from the Mississippi River to the Missouri. Kevin Belanger, project manager of the Great American Rail-Trail, says the ambitious effort could generate a major financial boost for the communities and states it serves. “Trails are super popular now especially during and since the pandemic,” Belanger says. “We’ve seen an incredible trail use increase and that number hasn’t come back down, so we’re seeing a lot of excitement about using trails in your local area but also doing long-distance trips as well.”

A study estimates the full trail could generate more than 229-million dollars in visitor spending every year, along with 104-million in labor income and nearly 23-million in new tax revenue. Iowa already boasts many hundreds of miles of walking and biking trails, but this proposed river-to-river route would run 465-miles through the state’s midsection, from Davenport to Council Bluffs. “There’s already 250 completed miles on the ground in Iowa and that’s about 53% of the route complete in Iowa,” Belanger says. “Completing more of that will see the full economic benefits. We’re projecting about $14.3-million in new annual visitor spending in Iowa once this trail is completed.”

The cross-country trail has the potential to bring visitors, businesses, jobs and spending to communities along its 37-hundred-mile route, he says, though it may be many years before it’s finished. “We’re projecting at least a couple of decades for full completion, but new trail comes on every year so people can go out and explore the segments that are already completed,” Belanger says. “Hundreds of miles, for instance, between Pittsburgh and Washington D.C., you’ve got 350 already connected miles and we’re working on making long-distance trips possible before this is completed.”

In recent weeks, a new pedestrian and cycling trail opened on the Interstate 74 bridge connecting Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois. It includes an observation deck and a giant glass “oculus” window at the bridge’s midpoint over the Mississippi River. That new addition would provide Great American Rail-Trail users another option for crossing the waterway.  “So right now, as you enter into Iowa from Illinois, you’re crossing at the Quad Cities there and we have mapped out on the Government or Arsenal Bridge that people can travel over,” Belanger says. “It’s an amazingly interesting bridge from a railroad perspective. So people can still cross that or if they’re looking to see the new shiny, exciting object on I-74, people can travel across that bridge, too.”

Here’s a full list of the Iowa trails that would be incorporated into the effort:
• Government/Arsenal Bridge
• Mississippi River Trail/Riverfront Trail
• Running River Trail System
• Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail
• Hoover Nature Trail
• Cedar Valley Nature Trail
• Gilbert Drive Trail
• Evansdale Nature Trail
• River Forest Road Trail/Cedar River Levee Trail
• Cedar Valley Lakes Trail
• South Riverside Trail
• Cedar Prairie Trail
• Sergeant Road Trail
• Pioneer Trail
• Iowa River Trail
• Linn Creek Recreational Trail
• Iowa 330/US 30 Trail
• Heart of Iowa Nature Trail
• High Trestle Trail
• Raccoon River Valley Trail
• T-Bone Trail
• Railroad Highway Trail
• Valley View Trail
• Lake Manawa Trail
• Veterans Memorial Trail
• Western Historic Trails Center Link
• Iowa Riverfront Trail
• Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge

https://www.railstotrails.org/greatamericanrailtrail/

• KJAN, Atlantic  .45″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .21″
• Massena  .37″
• Bridgewater  .3″
• Audubon  .34″
• Corning  .75″
• Avoca  .4″
• Neola  1.64″
• Oakland  1.5″
• Manning  .85″
• Guthrie Center  .19″
• Missouri Valley  .61″
• Villisca  1″
• Red Oak  .78″
• Clarinda  1.03″
• Carroll  1.3″
• Council Bluffs  1.88″
• Logan  2.44″

(Corning, Iowa) – Adams County ISU Extension and Outreach Summer Intern Haley Hart reports “AgSafety4u” is an online course designed for youth, 14 and 15 years of age who are seeking employment and must be certified to drive or operate tractors and machinery for hire. This program can be used for the classroom portion of the Hazardous Occupations Order for Agriculture (HOOA) safety certification program.

Extension Offices in Adams, Ringgold, Taylor and Union County are partnering with the Southwest Valley Ag Ed Program to provide the additional hands-on training that is required for issuing a US DOL certificate. Participants must complete the training online prior to attending the driving event on June 4.

Visit https://ag-safety.extension.org/ and scroll down to find the “Online Safety Course” option. You will receive a certificate upon completion of the course; you must bring it with you to the driving day.

Cost: The online certificate course costs $10/person, and must be paid online before completing the course. There is no additional cost to attend the drive date.

Details: Driving to Complete US DOL requirements: Saturday, June 4 2022, from 8-a.m. to Noon at the Lenox Rodeo Grounds, 205 E. Iowa Street, Lenox IA. Registration deadline: Tuesday, May 31st. Contact a County Extension office listed below for the driving day. No late registrations will be accepted, due to scheduling.

Sponsored by:

• Adams County Extension & Outreach, (641)-322-3184
• Ringgold County Ext. & Outreach, (641)-464-3333
• Taylor County E & O, (712)-523-2137
• Union County E & O, (641)-782-8426
• Southwest Valley Agricultural Education program.

(Radio Iowa) [UPDATED] – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that will significantly expand the number of Iowa gas stations that sell E-15 — fuel that has a 15 percent ethanol blend. “This historic bill makes Iowa the first state in the nation to adopt an E15 standard, setting the stage for the single largest expansion of biofuels in our state’s history,” Reynolds said, adding a whoop as the crowd around her applauded.

Stations that sell less than 300-thousand gallons of gasoline annually or have older tanks and pumping systems that are not compatible with ethanol can apply for waivers — but the rest will have to start selling E-15 by 2026. The law also requires most retailers that sell diesel to start selling B-20 — diesel with 20 percent of a soybean-based additive. Reynolds signed the bill on a farm near Prairie City.

Representatives of the biofuels industry and farm groups as well as several legislators were there. “For well over a year we’ve been working on different versions of this bill,” Reynolds said, “and the final product is truly a statement to the idea that good faith discussion, negotiation and compromise can pay off in a big way.” Reynolds says rather than electric vehicles, biofuels offer energy independence and security for the United States.

“Biofuels account for $4 billion of Iowa’s GDP and supports tens of thousands of jobs in our state. It powers our economy and fuels the world and this position of global leadership means this reverberates far beyond our borders,” Reynolds says. “When we talk, people listen and we’ve never spoke more loudly and more clearly than we are today.” Will Cannon, a district director in the Iowa Corn Growers Association, hosted the event at the century farm where he’s grown crops for the past 20 years.

“As a farmer here in the state of Iowa, this bill means a lot to me,” Cannon said. “Ethanol means a lot to me…Ethanol is one of those markets that helps to get good prices so someone like me has an opportunity to farm.” The law requires any gas stations that are built after January 1st of 2023 to sell E-15 immediately. The plan also includes additional state grants for stations that install blender pumps and equipment that can handle higher concentrations of ethanol and biodiesel. Tax credits for fuel retailers are in the legislation and it also doubles the biodiesel production tax credit.

“It makes needed improvements to our renewable fuels infrastructure program and, honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Reynolds said. “Iowans are anxious for alternatives.” The price of E-15 is about 10 cents less per gallon — sometimes lower in rural areas. E-15 is often identified at “Unleaded 88” on a pump — and someone from the Iowa Corn Growers Association brought cookies to the event that were decorated with the number 88.

(Radio Iowa) – Farmers finally got a chance to spend some extended time pulling their planters last week. The U-S-D-A reports dry warm weather gave farmers five days suitable for fieldwork and they made use of them. Corn planting advanced from 14 percent to 57 percent completed. Soybean planting went from seven percent in the ground to thirty-four percent. Corn and soybean planting are both still two weeks behind last year’s progress. Beans are a full two weeks behind the average planting schedule and corn is nine days behind.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to sign a bill into law at around 10-a.m. today (Tuesday), that establishes an IOWA Renewable Fuels Mandate. Legislators provided some exceptions for small gas stations and those that have older equipment. However, most Iowa gas stations with storage tanks and pumping systems that can handle higher blends of ethanol will have to offer E-15 from at least one pump by 2026.

New gas stations that open after January 1st of 2023 will have to sell E-15 from at least half of their dispensers. Governor Reynolds first proposed the concept last year and, after changes, it got bipartisan approval in the legislature this spring — with 123 legislators voting for it. Just 16 legislators voted against the bill. One critic said forcing a business to sell a product violates the principles of free enterprise. Backers designed the bill to boost sales of soybean based biodiesel as well.

Any diesel fuel pumps installed after January 1st of next year will have to be able to dispense diesel that contains 20 percent of a soybean-based additive. It’s called B-20. Federal records indicate there are about three-thousand gas stations in Iowa and about 300 stations sell E-15 according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. B-20 is sold at about 100 locations in the state.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department is struggling to find life guards to serve at Sunnyside Pool during the upcoming season. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said during the Parks Board meeting Monday evening in the Rotary Shelter at the Schildberg Rec Area, the pool is nearly ready to go, as far as any potential leaks are concerned. Last year, he said, they had some major leaks to fix.

He says it probably won’t be until next Friday before they can begin filling the pool. Rasmussen said the kicker is, they still need lifeguards.

Bryant says they need four lifeguards, and if they only have two, there would be some changes in the how many people would be admitted.

The Parks and Rec Board previously approved an hourly rate of $11 for certified lifeguards, plus certification reimbursement and a $500 sign-on bonus if the guard stays the entire season. Rasmussen said there is a lot of competition for lifeguards in Iowa, with some pools staying closed because of a lack of staff, and/or, in the case of Harlan, water restrictions. Even Omaha is considering ways to deal with the lack of staff.

In other news, the Parks and Rec Summer Program guides have been delivered to the schools, with others set to be dropped-off elsewhere in the area. Rasmussen said it’s unclear at this time if slow-pitch softball will be offered at this point in time.

Summer Swim and tennis are currently underway. Something new that’s being offered this summer is the “Yard Olympics” on June 4th.

Bryant said the City of Atlantic’s Street Department will handle the mowing tasks around the Schildberg Rec Area campground. He said also, the fruit garden is in a Mollett Park (at the end of East 3rd Street Place), but with a few changes from the original plan.

Those trees are set up around the trail at Mollett Park.

(Radio Iowa) – The invasive insect that kills ash trees has been detected in all but eight Iowa counties. State officials have confirmed the emerald ash borer has been found in Dickinson and Humboldt Counties for the first time. Mike Kintner is the emerald ash borer coordinator for the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Kintner says emerald ash borer larvae was found just outside of Arnolds Park after getting a tip from a professional who works in the landscaping industry.  “Basically what he saw and a lot people see this time of year is the woodpecker activity on the tree,” he says. “…There was some woodpecker flocking and mobbing where the woodpeckers will come and feed on the emerald ash borer that’s underneath the bark.”

The destructive beetles were also found outside of Dakota City. In addition to woodpecker activity, Kintner says a thinning leaf canopy at the top of an ash tree is a clue because the insects attack the top third of the tree first and then progress downward. “Bark splitting is one thing, too,” Kintner says. “There’s vertical splits on some of the larger branches and even smaller branches if you look up into the tree. That’s caused by the larvae feeding on the bark and sometimes the bark will split.”

Kintner says if you have an ash tree on your property and you live within 15 miles of a confirmed emerald ash borer infestation, now is the time to consider whether you’ll start treating the tree. “Preventative insecticides do work and those can either applied as a homeowner if the tree is under a certain amount of size,” he says, “…or basically you can go with a certified applicator, a professional method, too.”

The pest was first discovered in the United States in 2002, in southeast Michigan. It was confirmed in Iowa eight years later. The eight Iowa counties where emerald ash borer infestations have not yet been identified are Emmet, Kossuth, Mitchell, Monona, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth and Woodbury.

Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about all things outdoors. This week they discuss the end of turkey season, fishing opportunities improving, winter burn on evergreens, and World Migratory Bird Day.

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(Radio Iowa) – If you see green cans of Busch Light for sale, it’s part of a fundraiser sponsored by John Deere and Anheuser-Busch for Farm Rescue. It’s an organization that plants and harvests crops for farmers who’ve had a major illness, injury or natural disaster. Matt Blaylock, a manager at Deere for fundraising events like this, says the limited edition beer cans feature a Deere tractor – the 8RX model with tracks instead of wheels. “It represents modern agriculture, agriculture in the Midwest, in the areas in which we are,” he says, “and also gives more to the general public, lets them see the technology and how modern agriculture is done.”

Deere has supported Farm Rescue since it was founded in 2005. Blaylock says the group has helped more than 850 farm families in need in the past 16 years. “When you’ve got planting to be done or harvesting to be done and in a lot of farm families there’s a main person and if they have an illness or something goes wrong you only have a small window to go ahead and get a crop in the ground,” Blaylock says.

Several retired Deere employees from the Quad Cities are now helping Farm Rescue plant crops for farmers in North Dakota and western Iowa. Deere and Anheuser-Busch will each donate one dollar for each case of Busch Light sold, up to a total of 200,000 dollars.