DES MOINES – The popular Trees for Kids grant program is accepting applications through August 26.

Grantees can be awarded up to $2,500 to purchase trees and mulch. All trees for this program must be planted on public community grounds (park, community center, public school, etc.)  Youth are required to be engaged in the process, most often helping to plant the trees on site.

“Planting trees is a fun way to connect kids to nature, build on their sense of wonder and explore the benefits trees provide at their school and in their community,” said Chip Murrow, urban forestry program specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Studies show trees planted around schools and in neighborhoods give youth increased levels of concentration, lower levels of aggression, lower levels of obesity and fewer symptoms of ADHD.

To apply for the grant, visit: www.iowadnr.gov/UrbanForestry.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds believes the burgeoning market for hemp-infused candies, drinks and other products is taking advantage of the 2018 Farm Bill’s hemp provision. “I had issues with this bill from the beginning. It was never designed to do that, it was the intent of the hemp bill. It was actually another commodity for our farmers. That was actually the intent,” Reynolds says. New regulations on these products begin in July that only allow people who are 21 and older to buy the hemp infused items. And the state will restrict the potency of these products to four milligrams of T-H-C per serving or ten milligrams per container.

Reynolds visited Alcohol & Drug Dependency Services of Southeast Iowa in Keokuk, and says the state regulations address the issues that the Farm Bill didn’t. “It didn’t deal with minors and their access to T-H-C. This mixing T-H-C with alcohol. That’s a dangerous combination. I’m at a recovery center and we want to make sure people are informed,” she says.

Hemp infused products (IPR photo)

Two Iowa companies which make the hemp infused products are suing the state over the new regulations. The lawsuit says the regulations would criminalize 80 percent of their current inventories. Neither company sells products that mix T-H-C and alcohol.

(Radio Iowa) – The longer Independence Day holiday had boaters looking to spend more time on the water, but heavy rains and flooding could interrupt those plans. Iowa D-N-R Boating Law Administrator, Susan Stocker, says continued rain has caused water levels and conditions to change daily.  “Make sure wherever you’re going you check to make sure the ramps are open because with the high water there certainly should can be some ramps that are closing,” she says. The flooding has washed all kinds of debris into the water and it may be tough to tell what is lurking below. “You may only see a small what appears to be a small log but that is now a potentially 30 foot tree that is under the surface,” she says.

Stocker says a lifejacket is always important, and even more so in high water conditions where you could be thrown from the boat. “Wearing the lifejacket is very, very important because in an emergency situation you won’t be able to find it and or you’re thrown in one direction and the lifejacket is thrown and or the water current is taking it downstream,” Stocker says. She expects the waterways that are accessible to see a lot of traffic.”We do anticipate good crowds we may see that there is a shift in where people are traveling because some of the areas are flooded but it’s also going to depend on the weather, Stocker says.

Stocker says officers will be looking for drunken boaters, so if you are going to drink, don’t get behind the wheel of a boat.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – For 4th time in the United States, the CDC has identified a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a human being. Officials say that as with previous cases, the person is a worker on a dairy farm where cows tested positive for the virus.

The person reportedly only showed symptoms of the virus in their eyes, and after receiving treatment, has recovered.

Based on the information available, the CDC says the infection does change the health risk assessment for the U.S. general public in relation to HPAI. However, officials do say that the development underscores the importance of taking precautions when exposed to infected animals.

The CDC recommends:

• People should avoid close, long, or unprotected exposures to sick or dead animals, including wild birds, poultry, other domesticated birds, and other wild or domesticated animals (including cows).
• People should also avoid unprotected exposures to animal poop, bedding (litter), unpasteurized (“raw”) milk, or materials that have been touched by, or close to, birds or other animals with suspected or confirmed A(H5N1) virus.
• Using personal protective equipment (PEE) to reduce a person’s and the overall public’s health risk.

More information on the virus and health recommendations can be found here.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reminds all boaters and anglers to check for unwanted hitchhikers on their boats and equipment this Fourth of July to help protect Iowa lakes and streams. Aquatic invasive species move from one water body to another by hitchhiking on boats, in bait buckets and on other equipment used in the water. They can create serious problems for Iowa waters and negatively impact the quality of outdoor recreation experiences. Kim Bogenschutz, aquatic invasive species coordinator for the Iowa DNR, says “Aquatic invasive species can reduce native species and make lakes and rivers unusable for boaters, anglers and swimmers.”

These invasive species often grow quickly and spread fast when brought to another lake or stream due to a lack of natural predators or competitors. Boaters and anglers can help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species to new water bodies by cleaning, draining and drying their boats and equipment after each time on the water.

• CLEAN any plants, animals, or mud from your boat and equipment before you leave a waterbody.
• DRAIN water from all equipment (motor, live well, bilge, transom well, bait bucket) before you leave a waterbody.
• DRY anything that comes into contact with water (boats, trailers, equipment, boots, clothing, dogs). Before you move to another waterbody either: Spray your boat and trailer with hot or high-pressure water; or Dry your boat and equipment for at least five days.
• Never release plants, fish or animals into a water body unless they came out of that waterbody and always empty unwanted bait in the trash.

It is illegal to possess or transport aquatic invasive species or to transport any aquatic plants on water-related equipment in Iowa.  Signs posted at public accesses identify infested waters and remind boaters to stop aquatic hitchhikers. Iowa law also requires boaters to drain all water from boats and equipment before they leave a water access and to keep drain plugs removed or opened during transport. It is also illegal to introduce any live fish or plants, except for hooked bait, into public waters.

Learn more about aquatic invasive species, including a list of infested waters in the current Iowa Fishing Regulations or at www.iowadnr.gov/ais.

A man from northwest Iowa who defrauded pork producers while working as the regional manager of an Iowa livestock dealer, “Lynch Livestock,” was sentenced on June 24, 2024, to six months in federal prison. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa reports 52-year-old Robert Harry Bickerstaff, from Rock Rapids, received the prison term after a December 1, 2023, guilty plea to one count of wire fraud. Bickerstaff was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on a date yet to be set.

At plea and sentencing hearings, and in his plea agreement, Bickerstaff admitted that he had worked as a regional manager for Lynch Livestock between 2018 and 2021  As a regional manager, Bickerstaff oversaw livestock buying stations in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota.  From time to time, Bickerstaff also personally counted, classified, and weighed swine at these stations.

Bickerstaff admitted he participated in a scheme to defraud livestock producers personally and by directing others to (1) falsely and fraudulently lower the weights and reduce the numbers and classifications of swine that producers and sellers had delivered to the dealer at its buying stations; (2) manipulate the weights of swine either manually or using a crowbar, paddle, or other similar object, and thus defeat the electronic scales on which livestock producers’ swine was weighed at his buying stations; and (3) create fraudulent “sort sheets” and scale tickets containing false numbers, classifications, and weights of producers’ swine for transmission to Lynch Livestock’s headquarters in Waucoma, Iowa.  Finally, concerned about a potential investigation into his conduct in early 2021, Bickerstaff instructed others to destroy anything with his name on it.

Bickerstaff held a degree in Agribusiness and was experienced in the pork industry.  Bickerstaff was a pork producer himself.  In February 2022, Bickerstaff won a “Hog Wild” award from a statewide pork producers’ association for his role in promoting pork in Lyon County. Bickerstaff is the fifth manager of Lynch Livestock sentenced in this livestock fraud scheme.

Billie Joe Wickham, of Waucoma, Iowa, pled guilty on July 15, 2022, to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  On January 13, 2023, Wickham was sentenced to six months of imprisonment and fined $3,000.  Wickham must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Charlie Lynch, of Fort Atkinson, Iowa, pled guilty on July 25, 2022, to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  On January 13, 2023, Lynch was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $3,000.

Leland “Pete” Blue, of Fredericksburg, Iowa, pled guilty on July 28, 2022, to one count of Conspiracy to Defraud the United States.  On January 13, 2023, Blue was sentenced to five years of probation and fined $1,000.

Tyler Thoms, of Fayette, Iowa, pled guilty on August 9, 2022, to one count of Causing a Livestock Dealer to Keep Inaccurate Accounts and Records.  On January 13, 2023, Thoms was sentenced to one year of probation.

Bickerstaff’s employer, Lynch Family Companies, Inc., of Waucoma, Iowa, also known as “Lynch Livestock,” pled guilty on July 29, 2022, to one count of Failing to Comply with an Order of the Secretary of Agriculture.  On February 10, 2023, Lynch Livestock was sentenced to five years of probation, fined $196,000, and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution to livestock producers and farmers.

Jim Field visits with Iowa DNR State Deer Biologist Jace Elliott about a deer population meeting in Atlantic on July 8 at 6:30 pm at the Venue.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .33″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .65″
• Massena  .79″
• Anita  .46″
• Manning  .28″

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio  Iowa) – Iowa State Fair C-E-O Jeremy Parsons says there will be a dairy cattle show at next month’s fair, but other activities involving dairy cattle may be changed or cancelled to protect the animals from the spread of bird flu.  “Our job is to showcase all of Iowa agriculture at its peak,” Parsons says, “and so we want to make sure we’re keeping those livestock safe.”

An Iowa Department of Agriculture order that went into effect Monday requires that dairy cattle be tested for bird flu within seven days of moving the cattle from the farm to a fair for a dairy show. Parsons says state fair officials are consulting with the state ag department about what’s best when it comes to how the dairy industry is showcased outside of the show ring.

“There will still be a dairy show at this year’s Iowa State Fair,” Parsons says. “Some of the other features, however, like the milking parlor and the Boulevard of Breeds might look a little bit different.” There are traditionally 70 different breeds of livestock featured in the State Fair’s Avenue of Breeds, including dairy cattle. There’s also a milking parlor on the fairgrounds that showcases the kind of mechanical equipment used in modern dairy operations, along with tutoring sessions for kids, who get to milk a cow themselves if they wish.

Keeping dairy cattle on the fairgrounds for the 11-day run of the State Fair could be an issue, however, during this year’s outbreak of avian influenza in some dairy herds. “We at the State Fair are evaluating our programming right now and we’ll soon be making some announcements,” Parsons says. The Iowa State Fair starts Thursday, August 8th and runs through the Sunday the 18th.

Parsons made his comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that will air Friday night on Iowa P-B-S.