IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds auctioned off an afternoon of her time to the highest bidder to raise money for her top campaign donors’ charity. It’s a striking example of the Republican governor’s close relationship with Iowa’s powerful pork industry. The 2019 auction surfaced recently when her office released emails detailing her alliance with Iowa Select Farms, which is among the nation’s largest pork producers.

Iowa Select is owned by Deb and Jeff Hansen of West Des Moines, who have given nearly $300,000 to help fund Reynolds’ campaigns. Company staff also run the Deb and Jeff Hansen Foundation. Pork executive and Reynolds donor Gary Lynch won the auction with a $4,250 bid.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa –  An Atlantic woman was one of 106 lucky persons to win a $200 gift card for meat, during the “Fill your freezer” contest sponsored by the Iowa Farm Bureau and Fareway. Sheryl Buroughs won the Atlantic Fareway contest. She joins other winners from around western Iowa including (participating store/winner):

• Carroll – Nancy Lemker
• Clarinda – Jackie Meier
• Council Bluffs – Renee Anderson
• Creston – Karen Jones
• Denison – Shari Clausen
• Greenfield – Kim Bakerink
• Harlan – Sharon Gross
• Red Oak – Kaitlin Suchting
• Shenandoah – Jeremy Christiansen
• Winterset – Heidi Bindel.

The month-long contest was part of Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) Real Farmers. Real Food. Real Meat. initiative, which showcases the nutritional benefits of meat and the innovation of Iowa livestock farmers who raise it.

ATLANTIC, IA (February 4, 2020) – Produce in the Park’s Sweetheart Market has officially opened for preorders (as of 10-a.m. Thursday). Shoppers can visit https://produceintheparkatlanticiowa.weebly.com/, to see a full list of all participating vendors and product offerings, and to pre-order online. Pre-orders will be accepted through midnight, Thursday February 11. Purchases will be available for drive-through pick up on Saturday, February 13 between 12:00 – 3:00 PM at the Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022).

Sweetheart Market is being held the day before Valentine’s Day so customers can get treats and gifts for all their loved ones. The market offers Danish pastries, cookie bouquets, cookie decorating kits, date night meal bundles including local produce and meat, Valentine’s Day soaps and candles, Valentine’s Day pet bundles, syrups and jellies, Valentine’s Day gift certificates, and more. Sweetheart Market is pleased to announce Miss Nini’s Fine Desserts is joining Sweetheart Market and offering a full range pies, in addition to macaroons—a Valentine’s Day special.

Sweetheart Market will not offer indoor in-person shopping. If a shopper isn’t comfortable ordering online, they are encouraged to contact the vendor about alternative payment and
ordering options. Vendor phone numbers can be found on the website. For more information on Sweetheart Market visit Produce in the Park’s website (Mentioned above), the Produce in the Park Facebook page, or contact Market Manager Brigham Hoegh at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or 712-249-5870.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst questioned the man nominated to lead the Environmental Protection Agency in a Senate hearing. Ernst asked nominee Michael Regan (Ree-gan) about issues surrounding renewable fuels — including the Renewable Fuel Standard. “R-F-S is definitely a priority for this administration… the reality is that I want to sit down with my staff, sit down with legal counsel. There are a number of things that are caught up in litigation, there are a number things that we more transparency around how we arrived at those decisions,”Regan says.

Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says transparency has been lacking the agency. Regan says he will take the same approach when it comes to all of these issues. “We need to be sure that the agency actually applied the latest letter of the law in some of the decisions that have been made,” he says. Ernst says she wants to be sure that farmers and supporters of biofuels have input. “What I can promise you is — we will take a no surprises approach — we will be extremely transparent. We will be forthcoming with the science and the data and the legal determinations that we come to in in order to make those decisions, and we will share those decisions with you,” Regan says.

Ernst also asked him about the repeal of the Obama Administration “Waters of the U-S” rule and the support for its replacement among farmers. She asked Regan if he would repeal the new rule if he is confirmed. Regan says he will look at their options to address any kind of “lingering concerns.” “And take a look at what we need to do to move forward to provide some certainty to our farming community — especially our small farmers — so that decisions can be made and investments are not stranded on the sidelines,” according to Regan. “But I also want to be sure that we do that in a way where we are protecting our water quality, our wetlands, and our base.”

Regan told the Senators he wants everyone to have a voice on these issues if he is confirmed. The Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee hearing was Wednesday.

(Radio Iowa) – Teenagers between the ages of 14-and-a-half and 16 could get a special state permit for driving to and from work on a farm if a bill that’s cleared the Iowa Senate unanimously becomes law. It would let kids in that age range drive alone, between the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., for farm work within a 50 mile radius. Senator Dan Zumbach is a farmer from Ryan.  “This bill reflects the needs and the wants of the folks here in Iowa,” Zumbach said.

The teen would have be driving to do chores for their family’s farming operation or being paid to work on someone else’s farm. Iowa has a graduated licensing system for young drivers. It starts at age 14 with an “instruction permit” to drive, but only when an adult is in the vehicle. There are also permits for 14 and 15 year olds to drive alone to and from school and school activities. At the age of 16, Iowa teenagers can get an intermediate license to drive without adult supervision.

The Cass County Conservation Board’s Common Feeder Bird Identification and Owl Prowl Programs scheduled Sunday, February 7th 2021 at the Outdoor Educational Classroom near Massena have been postponed to a later date that will be announced soon. They appreciate your understanding with the change. See the program details below.

Get ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count by learning how to identify common Iowa birds that like to visit your feeders! Join Kelly McKay from ‘Building Better Birders’ as he shares about Common Feeder Bird Identification. Funding for this program is provided by the Resource Enhancement and Protection – Conservation Education Program (REAP – CEP). This workshop will be conducted by Kelly McKay (BioEco Research and Monitoring Center), with assistance from Mark Roberts (Clinton County Conservation) and Brian Ritter (Nahant Marsh Education Center). This program is the first of the “Building a Better Birder Workshop Series” and is brought to Cass County Conservation Board through the Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP-CEP) grant. The Common Feeder Birds session will be indoors. The Owl Prowl Hike will be outside. Pre-Registration is appreciated when a new date is set. Call 712-769-2372 or email to sign up lkanning@casscoia.us Take Hwy 148 south of Massena, Turn Left on Tucson Rd, Follow it East for about two miles, and then a right hand turn into the parking lot.   Of course this qualifies for our 120hrs Outdoor Challenge don’t forget to use #120hrsCassCoIA as a hashtag for your adventures.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa study finds people who work long-term in the agricultural industry have 46-percent greater odds of developing dementia than those in other fields. Professor Kanika Arora in the U-I College of Public Health, says hearing impairment, depression and isolation can all be linked to dementia and to farm work, but it’s possible pesticide exposure is also a culprit. “We did find that agricultural workers had lower scores on distinct cognitive tests related to memory and attention and processing speed,” Arora says. “While our data does not allow us to examine the role of pesticide exposure directly, previous work has found links between a history of such exposure and poor scores in these tests.”

The U-I research mined 16 years of data from a study of 20-thousand people over the age of 50. In addition to farming, similar results were also found for people who worked in the forestry and fishing sectors. There is a message, Arora says, for older Iowans who’ve worked in the ag industry for a good portion of their lives. “It is important to keep a lookout for early signs and symptoms which might include memory problems, subtle impairment in activities such as managing money, exercising financial judgment, handling medications, or just generally impaired reasoning or judgment,” Arora says.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, and six in ten Alzheimer’s patients might wander from home, which can be of particular concern for people who live in rural areas or on farms with manure pits and heavy machinery. A dementia diagnosis among farmers may be missed or delayed for a variety of reasons, she says, causing even greater safety concerns. “It is important to talk about Alzheimer’s disease whether it is with your primary care provider or family members and friends, early detection and adaptation to a diagnosis are critical,” Arora says. “It is important to be honest about being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, especially as an older farm worker in the capacity of an employer or an employee.”

The study is being published in the peer-reviewed Journal Gerontology: Social Sciences.

w/Kate Olson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa conservation officials say four people in Linn and Buchanan counties have been convicted of dozens of wildlife violations. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Monday that a routine inspection of taxidermy operations led authorities to issue search warrants, leading to the arrest of Jason Webster, of Quasgueton, and Jeremiah Pillard, of Troy Mills. Webster was charged with more than 20 violations.

Under a plea deal, Webster will pay $15,500 in civil damages plus criminal costs. Pillard pleaded guilty to illegal taking of animals and must pay $6,750 in civil damages and criminal fines. Two women from Quasgueton pleaded guilty to violations related to hunting tags and licenses.

(Radio Iowa) Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack’s nomination to be U-S Ag Secretary is moving to the full Senate after an Ag Committee hearing today (Tuesday) on his second stint in the job.”It’s not lost on me ironically that this is Ground Hog Day and I realize that I am back again,” Vilsack says,”but I also realize that this is a fundamentally different time — I am a different person and it is a different department. And we have to recognize that.”

Vilsack in his opening statement said there are some key areas he has to address — including fixing what he says are inequalities, unfairness and discrimination in farm programs. “Where there is zero tolerance for discrimination, where programs actually open up opportunity for all who need help. And lift the burden of persistent poverty for those most in need,” according to Vilsack. He says openness and competitiveness in trade needs to be addressed.

“I think we want to provide advice and counsel and direction and efforts to try to look at additional free trade agreements,” he said. Vilsack says he will also have to address climate change and food insecurity. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst asked Vilsack how the president’s executive order that government vehicles should be electric will impact biofuels like ethanol produced in Iowa. Vilsack says there is room for both.

“I think we look for expanded opportunities in a variety of different ways. At the same time, I think we recognize that there will be more and more electric vehicles that will be utilitized in the country — and we also recognize that’s going to require energy — where does that energy come from,” Vilsack asked. “I think there are opportunities within rural America to promote rural renewable energy .” The Renewable Fuels Standard or R-F-S which sets the amount of renewable fuels required in the country expires in 2022. Ernst asked Vilsack about his support for continuing the measure.

“What will you do in your capacity to make sure we get this done. Get the renewal of the R-F-S done when we are facing near-unanimous support among Democrats when it comes to electric vehicles.” Ernst asked. Vilsack says he will talk with the president about the need for different types of vehicles.

“The reality is that General Motors and Ford and all of those other care companies, they are not going to stop producing cars with combustion engines, they are not going to stop that process,” according to Vilsack. “So we need an alternative fuel source in addition to, and to complement our efforts on the electric. I don’t see why we can’t have both over a long period of time. We are going to need both.” Vilsack served as U-S Ag Secretary for eight years in the Obama administration.