(Radio Iowa) – The bird flu outbreak throughout the state is helping to drive up egg prices. Economist Brian Earnest with CoBank, which is part of the Farm Credit System, says the nation already saw a significant decrease in egg layers due to the pandemic. The virus will only exacerbate the shortage. “If we continue to see these flock depopulations, especially at the rates we’ve been seeing, that continues to put pressure on availability even into this fall,” Earnest says.

The outbreak has already led to the culling of 24 million birds in commercial and backyard flocks across the nation. Earnest says the price of wholesale eggs rose to three dollars a dozen last month. He says prices are likely to fall in the summer but tight supply will continue to plague the industry. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says he’s concerned about seeing a repeat of the 2015 outbreak which took a one-point-two BILLION dollar toll on the state.  “We’re all interested in looking at the cost of food right now. There’s food price inflation for a lot of reasons. But we don’t want to add on top of that shortages because of high path,” Niag says.

Rembrandt Enterprises laid off more than 200 workers after the northwest Iowa egg producer lost its flock of more than five million chickens to the virus.

(By Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday, voted to adopt a 2022 Cass County Trail Plan in an effort to support trail development within the County. SWIPCO Planner Danielle Briggs addressed the Board, prior to the vote. She said the old trail plan was out-of-date, so they began fresh in 2020 efforts to update the plan that was delayed due to COVID and other matters. She said main reason for updating the plan is to use it as a tool for grant funding necessary to move the trails program forward.

Dave Chase, President of Nishna Valley Trails, thanked those who put in a considerable amount of time to develop the plan. Those persons included Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh, Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning, Conservation Director Micah Lee, and Danielle Briggs.

SWIPCO’s Danielle Briggs talks about the Cass Co. Trail Plan

Chase said “high on the list of trail projects was the connection of the T-Bone Trail to Atlantic.” As it is now, that trail terminates about three-miles northeast of town.

He said through donations and grant funding, “we’re funding new funding is coming on-line,” and they’re working with Golden Hills RC&D in Oakland, to connect the trail to the rest of western Iowa. Chase said there is no tax asking connected with a request for the plan to be adopted. In other business, the Board passed a Resolution to approve a bridge repair project on West 6th Street (The Airport Road). Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken says the joint County-City project is on west 6^th Street over the Nishnabotna River. The project’s cost is $392,414.00 to repair the abutments, replace the steel beams, and bring the bridge back up to its’ legal load rating of 80,000 pounds. Currently, the bridge is carrying a three-ton load limit. The project wouldn’t start until 2023.

And, the Board approved a Resolution for the use of ARPA funds to purchase an enclosed trailer for the Cass County EMA.