(Radio Iowa) – The Democratic Party’s nominee for state ag secretary says the Iowa Department of Agriculture needs to represent both producers and consumers. “We have to have an eye on the world and where the world is going and maybe think about the secretary of agriculture as the secretary of food, land and water.” John Norwood is a business consultant and currently serving as a Soil and Water Commissioner in Polk County.

Norwood says Iowa’s ag industry is tremendously productive, but there’s an imbalance and the state’s voluntary approach to reducing farm chemical run-off isn’t working. “We send a billion pounds of nitrates down our Mississippi and Missouri River systems and into our reservoirs like Saylorville Lake here and that creates major drinking water issues, water recreation issues, access to water issues,” Norwood says. “Over half of our state waters are impaired.”

Norwood’s first job out of college was at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority which handled drinking water and wastewater. Norwood has not proposed specific limits on nitrogen and phosphorus application on cropland. He says innovative thinking is needed to improve Iowa’s water quality AND reduce top soil loss. “We have among the richest soils in the world here in Iowa and in some cases we’ve lost a third of the top soil, ten times the rate of loss that we make in any particular year,” Norwood says. “That’s unsustainable.”

Norwood says if Iowa is to weather more frequent floods and droughts, it needs healthy soil — and more acres planted with cover crops like oats, barley, rye and hay. “That might mean bringing more livestock, outdoor livestock which are important to soil health,” Norwood says. Norwood says Iowa needs to dedicate more ag land to crops that aren’t corn and soybeans. “We should be thinking about how do we feed 3.2 million Iowans and the 80 million people who live within a day’s drive Iowa,” Norwood says, “because places like California, which supply more than half of our fruits and vegetables is facing…drought.”

Norwood worked with cattle ranchers, nut growers and other farmers in California before settling in Iowa in 2002. Norwood made his comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. Current Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig (NEGG, rhymes with “egg”), a Republican, has been in office since the spring of 2018 and in this year’s election he’s seeking a second full term.

(Radio Iowa) – While parts of Iowa saw up to two inches of rain on Monday, it may be too little, too late for many of the crops that have been critically damaged by the long string of hot, dry days. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says there are big differences in corn crop conditions across the region, especially compared to areas in northwest Iowa that are in extreme drought.

“We really have done the damage already and things are looking pretty bleak in some places,” Todey says. “We have some places that we could maybe still help limp through a little bit, but it’s interesting because in contrast, you go up to northeast South Dakota or eastern Iowa, parts of Minnesota, conditions are pretty good.” While any more rain that falls on Iowa this week may green up our lawns a bit, Todey says precipitation at this stage on the calendar will be of limited help to farmers.

“There are still some chances for some rainfall, some hit-and-miss rainfalls, that could help some soybeans still, but we’re late enough now, the chances of being able to help much are not great,” Todey says. “Then the overall outlooks, they’re not terribly optimistic for great improvement.” The latest map from the U-S Drought Monitor shows moderate drought now stretches all the way from Iowa’s eastern border to the western border and that about 64 of the state’s 99 counties are in some form of drought.

“The other thing we’re concerned about now is starting to look towards fall soil moisture recharge,” Todey says. “We’re going to need some rainfalls in the fall to get some moisture back in the soils.” The climate outlooks show above-normal temperatures and below-normal rain for most of the region through much of September.

Jim Field visits with Dave Chase of Nishna Valley Trails about a community forum on Cass County recreational trail planning on Monday, August 22.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .88″
• Massena  .46″
• Elk Horn  .61″
• Anita  .83″
• Corning  .69″
• Audubon  1.35″
• Avoca  .5″
• Oakland  .57″
• Adair  .9″
• Underwood  .3″
• Bridgewater  .7″
• Villisca  1.6″
• Missouri Valley  .34″
• Logan  .41″
• Bedford  1.72″
• Creston  .35″
• Clarinda  1.69″
• Shenandoah  2.09″
• Red Oak  1.4″
• Carroll  1.03″

(Radio Iowa) – A district court judge has ruled the list of landowners who haven’t agreed to voluntary easements for the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline must be released to the public. The Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club sued after the Iowa Utilities Board said the names would remain secret at the developer’s request.

Summit is still working to secure agreements with landowners for about 60% of its proposed carbon pipeline route through Iowa. If the Iowa Utilities Board grants eminent domain authority for the project, the list would be used to determine which properties could be seized without negotiations between Summit and landowners.

A spokeswoman for the Sierra Club’s Iowa chapter says reluctant landowners should be able to see the list so they can communicate with like-minded Iowans and organize unified opposition to the pipeline.

Summit could appeal the judge’s ruling. The company says it’s reasonable that landowners themselves get to choose whether their names and contact information are made public and Summit aims to protect landowners from harassment.

Earlier this month a Summit executive said about 750 Iowa landowners have voluntarily agreed to let Summit’s pipeline run through their property. Two other companies are proposing carbon pipelines through Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – State Agriculture Secretary, Mike Naig, says the drought continues to be an issue as the state’s crops head into the final stages before harvest.  “There’s a lot of things that can happen here, as we get through the end of August and into fall that can still make or break that crop,” he says. “But really, it’s about how can we catch a rain or two and try to finish things off.” Naig sums up the outlook right now among farmers. “I think things are very strong in the ag economy, with the caveat being that uncertainty ahead,” Naig says.

Naig says farmers are used to dealing with the uncertainty, and this year has some of that as well. “Commodity prices have been strong. We expect pretty good yields across the state that bodes well for the farm economy. But there’s one caveat. And that, of course, is the cost of everything and the uncertainty around that,” according to Naig. “And so, you know, input costs, the cost of fertilizer, the cost of fuel, the impact of inflation, and continued supply chain disruptions.”

He says farmers can’t do anything about the rain — but can take some actions on the other factors. “This double whammy, if you will of supply chain disruption, can I get what I need when I need it? And then too what is the price that I’m going to have to pay,” he says. “And that applies to equipment, fertilizer, fuel, all of the above. So those are the things farmers are trying to manage through their risk. You know, and we’ve got some tools to do that.”

Naig says every family in the state is facing some of the same challenges with supply chain issues and inflation. Naig spoke with Radio Iowa at the Iowa State Fair.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is sponsoring a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program! The program will be held at Sunnyside Park, Camblin’s Addition Shelter in Atlantic, IA on August 20th 2022 at 9 am. Free will donations accepted! Kay Neuman, rehabilitator and Educator at S.O.A.R., Saving Our Avian Resources, will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild!!

Kay Neuman, SOAR Executive Director

Please help the CCCB support raptors and education! The Board hopes you will join Conservation staff for this popular event.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Nishna Valley Trails is holding a Kids Bike Ride this Saturday, August 13^th, 2022.  The event starts at 10:30 AM, from the Schildberg Rec. Area West Parking lot. Check in and start the ride at the West Parking lot of the Schildberg Rec. Area. Three age groups, ride length according to age. FREE, and all ages welcome.

Co-sponsored by Atlantic Parks and Recreation, Cass County Conservation, Fareway, and West Side Diner in Atlantic, IA.

Questions: Call Atlantic Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen at 712-243-3542. After the ride check out Atlanticfest going on downtown!

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa State University researcher’s pilot study shows chickens who view virtual reality scenes might be healthier. Associate professor, Melha Mellata says she knew of studies that showed viewing certain things calmed humans, and decided to see if it worked with chickens by showing them scenes of free-range animals.

“We measured the immunity in the blood, we measure the microbiota. There are compounds of the body that are usually involved in fighting infectious disease,” she says. She says they had a control group and the group of chickens which watched the virtual reality scenes. She says the blood of those exposed to virtual reality could kill bacteria more than the blood from the chickens not exposed to the virtual reality — which let them know there’s something in the blood that was stimulated to fight infectious disease.

They also tested the microbiota in the gut that helps to digest food and also fight infections. “We did see some impact, we did see some changes. So it’s possible to use virtual reality, to trigger chemical changes in to help fight infection,” she says. The virtual reality video also showed the chicken’s behavior where the other chickens were not pecking each other.
“We were hoping when we show them positive behavior, they will mimic this positive behavior, reduce aggressivity in chickens, which is a big problem in the commercial poultry farm,” Mellata says. 

She says there were positive results there, and that combined with the changes in the ability to fight disease is a big plus.
“It will reduce infection, reducing the stress will increase productivity, and it will improve the welfare of animals in general,” she says.

Mellata says they are now trying to raise more funding to continue the study and try to build on what they have already found.