(By Atlantic FFA reporter Aspen Niklasen) – On Thursday October 7, 2021, Atlantic FFA members attended numerous fall contests at Northwest Missouri State University. This year, the chapter had seven members compete in the Livestock Evaluation contest, placing 9th out of 31 teams. In this contest, members had the opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge of various livestock breeds. Those who competed had to place breeding and market classes of beef, swine, and sheep, while also doing three classes of oral reasons.

(Left to right) Livestock Judging
Andrew Derby, Cooper Jipsen, Dylan Comes, Logan Eilts, McKenna Sonntag, Malena Woodward, Maddie Richter

(Left to right) FFA Knowledge
Haley Hansen, Sofia Mendez, Kate Ottechen, Keith Archibald

Individually, Dylan Comes placed 30th, Malena Woodward placed 32nd, Cooper Jipsen 34th, McKenna Sonntag 40th, Logan Eilts 52nd, Maddie Richter 137th and Andrew Derby 138th out of 175 contestants from Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. Cooper Jipsen said, “It was a very fun experience and it was a lot different than every other livestock judging I have participated in. All in all a great learning experience”.

(Left to right) Dairy
Charles Klemmensen, Charli Goff, Daniel Freund, Colton Rudy, Brett Dreager, DJ Shepperd

In the Horse Evaluation contest, Atlantic FFA members did not get a chance to complete the event but still placed 14th out of 34 teams. The event gave students the opportunity to learn agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of equine science. Competing FFA members evaluated halter and performance equine classes. Aspen Niklasen placed 40th, Lola Comes placed 57th, Callee Pellett placed 58th and Colton Becker 80th placed out of 120 contestants. FFA Advisor Eric Miller said, “Its a shame these kids did not get a chance to compete oral reasons. They got docked up to 100 points each because we needed to leave to come back for after school events. I would like to see what this team could have scored if we had more time.”

(Left to right) Agronomy
Torrie Steinhoff and Kaitlin Jensen

In the Dairy Cattle Evaluation contest, the chapter placed 11th out of 26 teams overall. The purpose of the District Dairy Cattle CDE is to enable students to develop skills in dairy animal selection and dairy herd management. They evaluated and ranked dairy animals based on visual factors of selection. Daniel Freund placed 52nd, Charles Klemmensen placed 68th, Colton Rudy 72nd, Brett Dreager 76th, Charli Goff 78th and DJ Shepperd 80th out of 121 individuals. Daniel Fruend said, “it was a fun experience and I had the opportunity to meet lots of new people. The contest was also more challenging this year, so that was fun. ”

At the Farm Business contest the Atlantic team of Bryan York and Wyatt Redinbaugh competed individually. Bryan was 3rd and Wyatt placed 11th. This contest is designed to stimulate instruction of economic and agricultural business management principles in the secondary agriculture curriculum. These principles include the following: the ability to apply the economic principles and concepts listed in analyzing the farm business and making farm business management decisions, the ability to analyze and select the most appropriate type of farm business organization for a given farm situation, the ability to develop the ability to use records and manage resources for optimum returns to resources.

In the Advanced FFA Knowledge test, Atlantic FFA finished 3rd overall out of 16 teams. Haley Hansen placed 8th, Keith Archibald placed 11th, Sofia Mendez placed 16th and Kate Ottechen placed 20th out of 48 individuals. The contest consisted of a 100 question written examination covering general FFA knowledge. Keith Archibald said, “I really enjoyed being on campus. I had a fun time seeing people I already know and meeting new people. We all did pretty good on our test and I hope Atlantic FFA can continue their success at the fall contest. ”.

Finally in the Agronomy contest individuals Torrie Steinhoff placed 53rd and Kaitlin Jensen placed 58th out of 68 individuals. The Agronomy CDE is designed to motivate students to learn about crop production and factors that influence the quality of seed and forage crops. Students participating in the Agronomy CDE should develop the following skills and abilities: To identify weeds and crops by the seed or plant parts. To evaluate the quality of crop seed and hay samples for feeding, planting, or processing for food. To identify weeds as prohibited, noxious, or common, and length of life cycle. Finally be able to develop an understanding of the biological principles underlying production practices of major crops and of their handling for further marketing.

(All photos submitted by Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Organizers with the “Festival of Trees,” report the longstanding tradition is returning to Cass County this holiday season. The multi-day event, sponsored by the Cass County Unit of the American Cancer Society, is set for December 2nd-5th of this year and will again be held at the Catholic Parish Center,105 West 5th Street in Atlantic. Cancelled last year due to the pandemic, co-chairs Deb Schuler and Vicki Nordskog say they are looking forward to welcoming back decorators and visitors alike when doors open on Thursday December 2nd at 10 AM. The last event, held in 2019, featured 52 trees, decorated in a variety of themes, as well as 10 other holiday themed displays such as a tribute to 100 years of Women’s Voting Rights, a sleigh collection in all sizes and varieties, and an operational Christmas train and village display.

In addition to helping spread holiday cheer, the festival serves as a fundraiser to benefit the American Cancer Society. Admission to the festival is a free will donation, and raffle tickets are also sold for attendees to win a chance at a variety of seasonal home and gift items. A special feature for this year’s raffle is a quilt hand-made by local youth Paige Baier, in addition to donated items such as wreaths, gift baskets and more!

New this year, a separate raffle is being held for a vintage, life-sized mechanical Santa. This Santa, most recently housed at the now-closed Coca-Cola museum in downtown Atlantic, has graced many downtown windows as early as the 1950s. This raffle kicked off at the 2021 Coca-Cola Days celebration in Atlantic, and Santa has been traveling to store-fronts around the downtown ever since. Tickets for this unique raffle can be purchased at any time prior to the drawing on December 5th- either at Santa’s current downtown location, the Atlantic Chamber, or at Festival of Trees where he will be on display.

Festival organizers are still accepting entries for display at the 2021 Festival of Trees. Any individual, group, business, or organization interested in contributing a tree or display for this year’s Festival of Trees should contact Schuler (debschuler4@gmail.com) or Nordskog (vjnbob@icloud.com) via email for more information. All displays must be pre-registered by November 12th so the committee can assign spaces in the floor plan. No ‘drop ins’ will be able to be accommodated.

The dates to set up a tree or display are Tuesday, November 30th, from 9 AM to 8 PM and Wednesday, December 1st, from 9 AM to 3 PM. Light refreshments will be provided during decorating. Trees and displays will be open to the public for viewing Thursday, December 2nd, through Sunday, December 5th, and tear down of displays will be on Sunday, December 5th, starting at 3 PM. Additional information about setup, teardown, and registering a display can be obtained by contacting organizers using the emails mentioned.

For those interested in attending the Festival of Trees, currently planned hours for visitors are Thursday, December 2nd from 10:00 A.M to 8:00 P.M., Friday, December 3rd from 10:00 A.M. to 6:30 P.M., Saturday, December 4th from 10:00 A.M. to 5:30 P.M., and Sunday, December 5th from 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

DES MOINES – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and six other Midwest Governors, today (Thursday) sent a joint letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan requesting immediate guidance on how Iowa and other states can continue to sell year-round E-15 without restriction. (The Governors’ letter can be found HERE.)

In a statement, the Governor says “The disappointing DC Circuit Court ruling earlier this year again shows the inconsistency we continue to see from Washington, DC and the EPA on renewable fuels, and it is time for states to stand up and take action. As the Governor of the top renewable fuel-producing state, I am proud to lead a letter with my colleagues to send a clear message that we will pursue every avenue to ensure that consumers can have unrestricted and increased access to less expensive, cleaner-burning E-15.”

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw said “We all hope either Congress or EPA will take action to preserve nationwide access to E15 on a year-round basis. But if no timely national solution is found, governors have the authority to implement a state-by-state solution. We heartily applaud the Midwest governors for putting oil refiners on notice that their market obstructionism will not stand. The oil refiners may have created this problem, but all 50 governors can fix it”

(Radio Iowa) – Deere and Company says the second contract offer just rejected by union workers is the company’s last and final offer and representatives of Deere will not return to the negotiating table. Jennifer Hartmann, a spokesman for the company, says Deere listened to production and maintenance employees after the first tentative agreement was overwhelmingly rejected a month ago. “What is in this agreement now meets those concerns and issues that were brought to our attention,” Hartmann says.

Ninety percent of union workers rejected Deere’s first contract offer. The second offer, which included immediate 10 percent raises and a bonus of 85-hundred dollars, was rejected by 55 percent of U-A-W members. “We’re encouraged by the fact that seven out of the 11 units voted to ratify the contract,” Hartmann says.

According to social media posts, a majority of the U-A-W members at Deere plants in Ankeny, Davenport and Ottumwa voted to approve the deal, but it was rejected by workers at plants in Dubuque and Waterloo as well as two Deere facilities in Illinois. The tallies at other union locals out of state have not been made public. According to a statement from Deere, the company’s contract offer would provide workers with an additional three-and-a-half billion dollars over the next six years. The U-A-W issued a brief statement after the tentative agreement was voted down, saying the strike against Deere would continue as the union discusses next steps with the company.

The surging price of fertilizer is putting pressure on farmers as they look to the next planting season and what crops might they may grow come spring. Prices are two-to-three times higher than normal because of global supply chain problems. Plus, demand is up as farmers who are finishing up harvest prepare to fertilize their fields for next year. Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says the spike in prices will affect the choices farmers make for next year’s crop.

Dave Holm, with the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives, says co-ops are the middlemen between farmers and fertilizer manufacturers. They buy fertilizer several months in advance so farmers can have it by the time they need it in the fall. Shipping problems are reducing co-ops’ confidence that they’re able to get enough fertilizer meet demand.

Hart, meanwhile, says fertilizer prices haven’t been this high since 2009 and 2010. He expects the prices to remain high until after planting season in the spring.

(Radio Iowa) More than 10-thousand John Deere workers remain on strike. Fifty-five percent of U-A-W members have rejected a second contract offer from Deere and Company. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

This is the first strike at John Deere in 35 years and comes as the world’s leading farm equipment maker ends its fiscal year with record profits. In a written statement, Deere’s chief administrative officer said the offer would have significantly enhanced wages and benefits. The U-A-W issued a short statement, saying the strike will continue as union representatives discuss next steps with the company.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Pheasant hunters will hit Iowa’s forests and fields starting tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 8 o’clock, shortly after sunrise. Todd Bogenshutz, a wildlife biologist with the D-N-R in Boone, is predicting a busy morning as the forecast calls for a sunny fall day for much of the state. “We’re expecting a lot of hunters out. We had the highest numbers we’ve had in several years last year, partly due to COVID,” Bogenshutz says. “We’re expecting the same this year as (pheasant) counts are basically unchanged from a year ago.” Based on the agency’s roadside counts, northwest Iowa looks particularly promising for pheasant populations this year, while southeast Iowa may be lesser, though he says “they average out.”

Iowa’s growing seasons are wrapping up just as hunting season begins, which Bogenshutz says is ideal. “Crop harvest is well underway,” he says. “Last I saw, like 80-90 percent of the beans are out statewide and corn is up over 50, maybe 60 percent. When the crops are out when the season opens, that usually makes the birds easier to find, they don’t have as many places to hide.” Bogenshutz says there are some key rules to always follow during the hunt.

“The requirements of your pheasant and quail hunting is that you have to have at least one article of 50% or more blaze orange on your person,” Bogenshutz says. “That could be a hat, a vest, a coat or sweatshirt, anything that’s at least 50% blaze orange because we want everybody to be safe.” When hunting in groups, he says it’s vital to make a plan and follow it. Iowa’s pheasant season runs through January 10th. Learn more at www.iowadnr.gov.

Atlantic’s Joaquin Wailes and Corning’s Joey Oathoudt are making final preparations to compete this weekend on a national stage in Branson, Missouri at the Bass Cat Big Bass Zone Junior Championship, presented by Bassmasters. Wailes a freshman at Atlantic High School and Oathoudt a senior at Southwest Valley nabbed the biggest 5 bass limit at the state level, which propels them to the BBZ JC Finals this Saturday, Oct 30th on Lake Taneycomo.  They will compete against 54-state championships caliber anglers in the competition for the biggest bass, with the top prize being a Bass Cat boat and scholarships.

Over the last month both anglers have worked extremely hard studying contour lines, water conditions, and waypoints on Lake Taneycomo to figure out best spot to reel in the biggest Bass. In September they traveled to Branson to pre fish the lake to obtain vital information about the lake to help them be prepared for this weekend’s tournament.  “I am excited and pump to go compete,” explained Wailes. “This is a huge tournament and it’s a lot different than the local tournaments I’ve been in. I am glad we had an opportunity to pre fish the lake ahead of time because I will know how to adjust to the changing fishing conditions. I want to thank all our sponsors, my boat caption Rob Clausen and my family for supporting my fishing addiction.“

On Saturday Wailes has been paired with an angler from Pennsylvania and will be the 4th boat to launch at the start of the tournament. Oathoudt is paired with an angler from South Carolina and will launch 20th. The tournament is still a solo competition, and the competitors will spend the day fishing, as they take turns deciding where the boat goes, with one competitor steering it in the morning, and the other angler steering it in the afternoon.

“It will be a great experience and I feel honored to go to represent my family and sponsors at this once-in-a-lifetime event,” Oathoudt said. “I want to thank Bill Siemantel with the BBZ, my grandpa for finding this opportunity. It is going to be a grind, so I am going to focus on tight lines and good hook sets to reel in the biggest bass I can.”

Both anglers are members of the newly formed Southwest Iowa Fishing Team where they fished with other area student anglers. “I am so excited for the boys they definitely put in the work and time to earn their spot in the BBZJC,” Bob Harris the coach of SWIFT said. In our first year as a fishing team, we have had great success with a two SWFT high school teams placing 20th at the TBF/SAF World Championships and 50th in the National Championships, and our junior fishing 4th at the Junior World Championships. We have some great student anglers in Iowa, and I would also like to congratulate Jake Oathoudt and Owen Hoover who also competed hard in the BBZJC tournament but didn’t qualify for the finals.”

On Saturday at 3 pm CST be sure to watch the live weigh-in from Missouri and see who will become the next BBZ JC World Finals Champion. See it live on the Bassmaster Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/bass). Good Luck boys!