(Radio Iowa) – Cold, wet weather delayed farmers from getting into the fields this spring, but Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig, says they have been quickly working to catch up. “We had a significant week of progress last week on corn and soybean planting. You know, farmers are having to dodge some rain clouds this week but I think we will once again see a significant progress change in the in the planting progress,” Niag says. “And of course, it’s great to see the sunshine because once you get the seed in the ground, of course you want it to germinate and get up and we think conditions that are conducive to that.” 

You may have seen lights in the fields late into the night this past week as farmers kept planting after dark. “With technology and the equipment that we run today you know we can run long hours folks can run overnight where they didn’t used to be able to do that,” according to Naig. “So you know when the conditions are right we can get a lot of acres covered in a pretty short time.” Niag says it’s the time of year when many farmers put in lots of hours.

Working late, working overnight and you know getting just a few hours of sleep, that’s what we’ve got this year. The late start has kind of pushed people to have to do that,” he says. The U-S-D-A reported a 43-percent increase in corn planting last week and a 27 percent increase in bean planting. The numbers for this week will be released Monday.

(Lewis, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board held a 120 Hours Outdoor Challenge all year long in 2021. The program ran from January 1, 2021 through Jan. 1, 2022. During that time frame, Cass County residents were encouraged to get out and explore the natural features the county has to offer, and more. People were encouraged everyone to explore Nature by hiking, birding, walking, but also through meditation or sitting in spots outside, because, they say, “Everything you do outside counts!” Studies that show the benefits to spending around 2-to 3-hours outside per week include lower stress levels, decreased blood pressure, and a boost to your mental health.

Individuals who reached milestones of 30, 60, 90, and/or 120 hours were entered into drawings for prizes over the course of the year. In order to be entered for prizes, a photo of your tracker were due on the check-in dates of May 1, September 1, and Jan 1, 2022. All three check-ins must be completed for the grand prize! Naturalist Lora Kanning says they were excited to see everyone check in and complete the challenge. She says there were more than 30 children participating in the Challenge, so there were separate prizes for them.

(Pictured Emily K accepting for Zac, and Clara K. on the right) Courtesy Lora Kanning

Kanning says “Emma B. was our first winner, reaching our May check-in. Michelle A. was our September check-in. Debbie S. was our 60 hour check-in winner. The children’s drawing winner was Jacob R.” The final listed of winners who completed the Challenge include: The Childrens – Will K. They also drew three prizes with all of the participants who completed the challenge: Monica B., Kelly M., Clara K.

Kanning says “Our grand prize winner of $200 in outdoor gear donated by Nishna Valley YMCA, was Zac K. Cass County Conservation Board would like to thank our partners who donated to the challenge: Nishna Valley YMCA, Brown’s Shoe Fit Atlantic, Jazzersize Atlantic, Anita Wellness Center, and the Bike Farm.

LaVon Eblen visits with Tova Brandt of the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn.

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(Radio Iowa) – Deere and Company saw net sales and revenue rise 11 percent in the last quarter and the company’s executives are predicting even higher sales of tractors and combines in the months ahead. Deere and Company’s net income in the last quarter was more than two billion dollars — about 300 million dollars more than in the same period last year. Deere’s chairman and C-E-O says it’s due to strong demand even as the company faces supply chain pressures on equipment production and delivery schedules.

Deere projects demand for farm equipment will remain strong through the rest of the year. Deere sales of ag equipment rose 13 percent in the past three months. Sales of John Deere lawn products and small ag equipment were up five percent and Deere’s construction and forestry division saw sales increase nine percent during the last quarter.

Jim Field visits with Jeff Hoker, Assistant State Coordinator of ABATE of Iowa, about Motorcycle Awareness Month.

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(Des Moines, Iowa) – The nation’s largest recreational boating safety event of the year, National Safe Boating Week, takes place May 21–27, and serves as a reminder to boaters to keep safety front and center all season long. The BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water offers three tips for boaters to be safety heroes on the water.

1. The best life jacket is the one you will wear, meaning one that’s comfortable. There are many lightweight inflatable life jackets that fit the bill. Check the jacket’s label to ensure it’s approved for your type of boating. If the kids are visiting, don’t be tempted to put a child in an ill-fitting adult life jacket.
2. Boating safety reports indicate that operator inattention, improper lookout, operator inexperience, excessive speed, and alcohol rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents. Focus on eliminating these factors by putting down the cellphone, practicing using S.C.A.N. procedures to avoid distracted boating, taking a free boating safety course, slowing down, and driving more defensively, especially in congested boating areas. Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents, so save the celebration for after the boat is safely tied up for the night. Boat operators also need to recognize they are responsible for the safety of their guests, including inebriated ones.
3. Remember to wear an engine cutoff switch if your boat is less than 26-feet, traveling on plane or above displacement speed. Engine cutoff switches can prevent boat strike injuries after an operator has been ejected from the vessel or displaced from the helm.

What Is SCAN?

SCAN: Search, Concentrate, Analyze, and Negotiate. This is something every attentive skipper does continually, and probably without thinking about it, while underway. Simply put, “scanning” is looking from side to side – and behind you – for boats, people, and objects on the water that may pose a risk of collision. Repeat whenever you’re underway.

Search the area all around your craft. This is a 360-degree examination of everything around your boat. Distances away will close or open depending on your speed or the speed of the observed boat or object. The faster you’re operating, the farther out you’ll need to search.

Concentrate on what you’re seeing. Is it a boat? What type? What is it doing? What is its relative speed? Is it a stationary object? Drifting or anchored? Things can happen fast out there, so these are questions you must consider while you look at the various observed boats or objects.

Analyze what you’re watching. Is it closing in on your position or going away from you? Remember, if the object you’re observing is getting closer to you and its relative position to you is not changing, it is on a collision course. Never assume you’re seen by other boat operators, who may or may not be distracted. Determine this by the way and direction they’re operating. Analyze how far away the boat or object is and how fast it is closing the distance between you and it.

Negotiate. What are you going to do? Slow down, turn away from the boat or object, and head in a different direction? Remember the Navigation Rules. Learn the proper action to take while meeting head on, crossing, or overtaking another boat.

(Radio Iowa) – Portions of Red Haw State Park will reopen today (Friday), more than two months after a deadly tornado swept through Lucas County and the Chariton area, destroying much of the park’s infrastructure and foliage. Park manager Bonnie Friend says the March 5th twister killed a man who was camping at the park and storm damage to the park itself was significant. “We lost probably 75% of the campground as well as we lost all five docks, three shelters and the storage building,” Friend says. “So over this time since March 5th, we’ve had amazing progress.” The National Weather Service says the E-F-3 tornado that hit the park was on the ground more than 16 miles, with peak winds of 138 miles an hour.

(Pics from the Red Haw State Park fundraising page)

Friend says her park crew, as well as D-N-R staffers from elsewhere around the state, have worked long hours to clear hundreds of downed trees. “We’ve also had a volunteer day where we had 229 people from across Iowa help us to clean the north side of any metal or debris, limbs, etcetera,” Friend says. “Then, an amazing disaster group by the name of Team Rubicon came in April for three days and what we were able to accomplish was just mind boggling.” Parts of the park will be opening this morning, including day use areas, the beach for swimming, and one boat ramp. Friend hopes to get a kayak launch put in place next week, too.

“We’ve been able to make the north side of the park safe for the public to visit, but the south side, all the trails, the campground and all the shelters are still closed,” Friend says. “We still have a tremendous amount of debris and trees to take care of in order to make it safe on the south side.” No dollar estimate is being released on what it’s taken to get the park partly restored and Friend says it’ll be well into summer, perhaps fall, before the rest of the property can reopen.

“There’s just so many unknown variables and so many things to take care of, and then there’s supply and demand issues as well,” Friend says. “I haven’t really been given a time. I just know that it’ll be at least three to four months just to remove trees that are broken and dangerous before we can even look about moving forward as far as repair.” A GoFundMe page is raising money to help with clean-up, repair and reforestation. (https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-tornado-cleanup-of-red-haw-state-park)

Checks can also be sent to the DNR at Red Haw State Park, 24550 US Highway 34, Chariton, IA 50049. For updates, visit the Iowa DNR’s Alerts and Closure page: www.iowadnr.gov/parkclosures

(Radio Iowa) – The State Agriculture Department announced today (Thursday) that bird flu restrictions have been lifted for three commercial poultry sites in Franklin, Hamilton, and Humboldt County. The Iowa Turkey Federation’s Gretta Irwin says this is the start of a recovery.

“This shows that the farms have completed their sampling and the infected premises no longer have the virus on the farms. It is a step in the right direction to get back into full production,” Irwin says. Bird flu restrictions had kept poultry and poultry products from being moved in or out of a farm with an outbreak of avian flu. Farmers at those sites will now be able to bring turkeys and chickens back to their barns and get back to production. Irwin says the process has been faster than recovery from bird flu seven years ago.

“I really attribute that to better plans, better communication, and better preparation by the farmers,” Irwin says. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig (like egg) says this is a key step. “It’s a notable event in the outbreak because of course for the first time since the beginning of March we have been able to lift quarantines on some of the infected premises,” he says. Naig says the three sites completed several tasks to get their restrictions lifted.

“Disposing and cleaning and disinfecting and they have tested negative for the virus in their buildings and so they have been released from quarantine — which means they can restock and get on with business,” Naig says. “So, there’s a lot of work left to do to finish cleaning up the remaining sites.”

There were 19 confirmed outbreaks across the state. Niag says the thought early on the spread of the bird flu was caused by migrating birds. “The evidence supports the fact that these have been wild bird independent introductions, which is different than 2015,” according to Naig, “Where Yes, it was carried by wild birds. But then, as we got into that outbreak, it was moving from farm movement between farms. And we really haven’t seen that. Certainly not to the extent that we did in 2015. That’s a testament to the biosecurity that our poultry producers have been implementing on their farms.”

The site in Franklin County raises young chickens, the one in Humboldt County riases breeding chickens, and commercial turkeys are raised at the site in Hamilton County where the restrictions were lifted. More than 13 million birds in Iowa have died from the latest round of virus or have been killed to stop its spread.

Anita, Iowa – Iowans interested in the results of a DNR study to improve water quality in Lake Anita in Cass County can view a presentation on the Iowa DNR’s YouTube channel. Lake Anita is on the state’s list of impaired waters for high levels of algae. The current study, or DNR water quality improvement plan, shows how these problems are caused by too much phosphorus in the lake. The problems impact recreation on the lake and aquatic life.

The plan explores the amounts and sources of phosphorus entering the lake and offers potential solutions to reduce those levels and work toward fixing the problem. The document is designed as a guide for local resource agencies, partners, stakeholders and residents to improve the lake.

The presentation is available now at youtube.com/iowadnr through June 20. The full document can be downloaded on the Iowa DNR’s website at the following: http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WaterQuality/WatershedImprovement/WatershedResearchData/WaterImprovementPlans/PublicMeetingsPlans.aspx.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Farm Credit Administration (FCA) finished-up a two-day Midwest Farm Tour swing though Minnesota and Iowa, Wednesday, with a stop at Lindeman Tractor, in Atlantic. FCA Board Chairman and CEO Glen Smith, from Atlantic, said the tour was meant to get the two busloads of several dozen FCA employees, out to meet the people they serve.

Bob Lindeman talked about the history of the family business, which his father started in 1914, and shared stories about the rural hardships of the 1930’s and the 1980’s. Glen Smith said it’s critical for his staff to understand how important local businesses like Lindeman Tractor are, to the economy.

Smith is using the trip to help promote the Young, Beginning and Small Farmers and Ranchers lending program through the Farm Credit System.