The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will conduct its annual spring wildlife surveys this month. Wildlife research biologist, Jim Coffey says the surveys start around one hour after sunset and can last until just about sunrise. “It’s going to cover what we call our nighttime animals or nocturnal animals — we kind of call it the second shift,” Coffey says.

“It started out in the 70’s as a raccoon survey in a response to that we were over harvesting raccoons — or people thought we were — and they were going to become extinct. And we started to do this survey at that time.” The survey then expanded to include deer and eventually all animals they would see. The information helps them chart how each species is doing.

“What we look at is trends over time and are we seeing animals in the same places or are we seeing animals in different places than we have in the past. How do we see comparatively numbers from not just from last year — but from maybe the last five or tens years — so are we seeing more or less in those areas,” Coffey explains. He says they can used all the statistic to make some predictions about where they should see the various animals. Coffey says the deer survey is one that everyone always pays attention to, but he says the fun part is the diversity of wildlife you can see on a survey run.

“You pick up the occasional animals that we’re not used to seeing. So, we might see a bobcat in a county where we are not used to seeing it in, so it becomes documented that. It’s always fund to get to see some of those odd creatures. If you get to see a grey fox — that’s an anomaly — we know they are out there, we just don’t get to see them very often,” according to Coffey. The surveys are always done in April as Coffey says they try to do them in the same type of weather conditions each year to take that variable out of the equation. They often begin in southern Iowa.

He says they want to be in line with an early spring or late spring. Coffey says they are seeing some green grass and buds appearing in southern Iowa, indicating it’s time to start the surveys. “We also want to time it with the actual humidity and the temperature. Because what we know is animals like raccoons and possums usually don’t like to come out until it gets into the mid 30’s. If it’s too cold they are not going to come out,” Coffey says. He says each D-N-R staff member has their own way of keeping track of the animals they see.

“I’m kind of an old schooler — I still use a pen and paper and I document it on my map. We’ve got some guys who use G-P-S locations and we’ve got some guys who are actually stepping up into the 21st century and are using I-Pads now that will download the data directly into our computer and actually saves us some calculation times,” he says

Coffey says each county has a pre-selected route covering 50 miles of varying habitat. Surveyors will follow the route shining spotlights from both sides of the vehicle to document the animals they see.

(Radio Iowa)

w/Kate Olson.

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Republican Congressman Steve King says he is “uneasy” about the Trump Administration’s moves on trade. “Where we are today is we’re in the beginnings of an all-out trade war,” King says, “and I hope and pray that it is not.” China slapped import duties on dozens of U.S. products Monday, including a 25 percent tariff on pork, as a response to President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese steel and aluminum. King says he had a “direct conversation” over the phone with Trump “several months ago” about the importance of trade, including the “complex negotiations” over the North American Free Trade Agreement. “I’m uneasy about where we have gone,” King said. “I would not have initiated any of this, actually. I’ve always been working towards the most stable trade situation we can have that’s going to allow us to increase our exports of agriculture and our exports of manufacturing.”

King says he hopes China concludes it needs the American market and the Trump Administration decides American consumers want cheap Chinese goods, but if neither side “backs off,” King says agriculture will be hurt “a lot.””This is an escalating thing that has the looks of how a trade war begins,” King says. And King predicts a trade war will lead to fewer family farms. “We’ve lost about half of our market value in our commodities from the peak about 10 years ago and that’s caused our producers to spend some of their equity down, especially our young guys that are trying to build that equity so they can sustain themselves through the hard times,” King said. “This is hurting them the most.”

King also says it’s ironic that since a Chinese company bought U.S.-based Smithfield Foods, pork processed in the U.S. by Smithfield will be charged the tariff.

(Radio Iowa)

China’s new tariffs on U-S goods took effect Monday and include pork imports, which could create significant financial trouble for Iowa producers. National Pork Producers Council spokesman Jim Monroe says last year China imported more than one-BILLION dollars worth of American pork. “China is a very important market for us,” Monroe says. “It’s the number-one pork-consuming nation in the world and our industry’s growth is coming from exports.” China’s tariffs are in response to the Trump administration imposing higher taxes on steel and aluminum. Iowa State University economist Wendong Zhang says pork had been slated for a possible second round of tariffs, but in the end, China did just one wave of 128 products — including pork. “I think what the Chinese government wants to do is send a clear message that they are willing to fight,” Zhang says, “and they’re willing to target agricultural products.”

Zhang says the U-S ag sector doesn’t have the political clout in China that it has here to push for exceptions or reductions to the tariffs. China is also upping its taxes on a long list of products, including wine, nuts and fruit, to as much as 25 percent. Financial analyst Russell Barton with UrnerBarry says the new pork tariffs announced by China add up quickly. He says existing import duties and value-added tax were 25 percent and the new duty added to that equals 50 percent. “That’s significant. That probably prohibits quite a bit of trade,” he says.  But Barton says U-S pork producers might not see much of a difference in sales to China, with or without the new tariffs. He says China is not necessarily relying on U-S pork because their domestic supplies have grown and imports were likely to drop a bit regardless of the tariffs.

Barton says China relies on a lot of pork, but China accounted for only about seven percent of U.S. pork exports, totaling about one-point-five percent of the U-S pork supply. And, he says the European Union sells China more than double what U-S does. Barton says the U-S has seen slow expansion in other developing markets, and he’s encouraged by the recent trade agreement with South Korea. Barton says Mexico and Japan continue to be solid markets for U-S pork.

(Radio Iowa; Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio and the Brownfield Network both contributed to this story)

Several Iowa state parks are hosting spring clean-up events to get ready for the summer season this April and May. Events will be tailored to each park’s needs and could include activities such as litter and branch pick-up, painting, trail work, and clipping back limbs and plants. Todd Coffelt, State Parks bureau chief, says “We greatly appreciate the time and energy our volunteers provide to help take care of Iowa’s parks. Even if you haven’t visited one of these parks, we invite you to come out for an event and spend time outdoors lending a hand.”

Here are some of the (local) state park volunteer events for April and May:

• Lake Anita State Park, Cass County – April 20, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. Join a DNR naturalist on an earth hike to pick up litter. Participants can also make plant pots from recycled newspaper to plant milkweed seeds and take home. Meet in the campground near the popcorn stand. Contact Anne Riordan at (641) 747-8383.
• Springbrook State Park, Guthrie County – April 21, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Help remove weeds and a newly established pollinator plot. Activities that day will also celebrate Earth Day week, including art projects and family activities. Meet at the campground gazebo. Contact Anne Riordan at (641) 747-8383.

Kellerton, Iowa – The first rhythmic and haunting cooing begins as the night sky fades and sunrise begins. The short grass prairie booming grounds prepares for a display found nowhere else in Iowa. This is prairie chicken country and on April 7, it will be the 15th Annual Prairie Chicken Day at the Kellerton Wildlife Management Area, in Ringgold County. Activities originate from the viewing platform on 300th Avenue, southwest of Kellerton. The annual ritual begins as early as mid-March and lasts through April. Male prairie chickens meet at the booming grounds every morning to display, spar and fight with other males trying to catch the eye of the females watching nearby.

“They will be out there until 8 or so, when they begin to slow down,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Diversity Program. She said there are typically 20-40 birds that use the lek at Kellerton, and they will display each morning regardless of the weather. The area has an elevated viewing platform to help see all the action. “Some mornings you can hear them and some you can’t. They are out there every day, but are less active if it’s raining or really cloudy,” she said.  While there will be some spotting scopes available to use, attendees are encouraged to bring their own or a set of binoculars.

The prairie chicken population at Kellerton has benefited from a collaboration between the states of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska, and the Nature Conservancy, Blank Park Zoo and the Ringgold County Conservation Board. The collaboration extended to area producers who help to manage 30 percent of the grasslands through grazing. Some of the partners captured and relocated prairie chickens from Nebraska to the Kellerton area and the Dunn Ranch in northern Missouri to increase bird numbers and introduce new genetics to the population. While others worked to reestablish the rolling grasslands in the area.

“There has been a lot of collaboration to improve the landscape across the state line to recreate 160,000 acres of rolling hills of grass with few trees,” Shepherd said. “This partnership benefits not only the prairie chicken, but other grassland species as well.” One grassland species in particular, the Henslow’s sparrow, has benefited from this partnership. The Henslow’s sparrow is listed as a state threatened species in Iowa but the population at Kellerton is so large the area has been recognized as globally important for this species.

Officials with the East Pottawattamie County Extension service said Monday, the Pottawattamie County Fair is now accepting applications for the 2018 Pottawattamie County Fair Queen and Junior Fair Queen.  All area youth ages 13-15 who are an active member of a service organization in the community may compete for Junior Fair Queen.  All area youth ages 16-21 who are an active member of a service organization in the community may compete for Fair Queen.

The 2018 Pottawattamie County Fair Queen and Junior Fair Queen will be crowned during Family Night at the Pottawattamie County Fair in Avoca, Iowa on Thursday, July 19, 2018.  The crowned 2018 Fair Queen will represent East Pottawattamie County at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa in August to compete for the 2018 Iowa State Fair Queen.

All candidates must complete an application, which can be found on our website, www.iastate.edu/eastpottawattamie along with a list of rules and expectations.  All queen candidates will go through an interview process with judges prior to crowning.  Applications are due to the East Pottawattamie County Extension Office, 321 Oakland Avenue, Oakland, Iowa by 5:00pm on May 15^th.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency says the outdoor Fire Danger Index will remain in the LOW category, through at least Thursday. Soil moisture is sufficient to keep controlled burns under control. Please be sure and notify your local fire chief, if you plan to conduct an outdoor burn, though, just in case things get out of control. The next update on burning conditions will be on Thursday.

BEIJING (AP) — China raised import duties on a $3 billion list of U.S. pork, apples and other products today (Monday), in an escalating dispute with Washington over trade and industrial policy.
The government of President Xi Jinping said it was responding to a U.S. tariff hike on steel and aluminum. But that is just one facet of sprawling tensions with Washington, Europe and Japan over a state-led economic model they complain hampers market access, protects Chinese companies and subsidizes exports in violation of Beijing’s free-trade commitments.

Already, companies are looking ahead to a bigger fight over U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval of higher duties on up to $50 billion of Chinese goods in response to complaints that Beijing steals or pressures foreign companies to hand over technology. Forecasters say the impact of Monday’s move should be limited, but investors worry the global recovery might be set back if other governments respond by raising import barriers.

The tariffs “signal a most unwelcome development, which is that countries are becoming protectionist,” said economist Taimur Baig of DBS Group. But in commercial terms, they are “not very substantial” compared with China’s $150 billion in annual imports of U.S. goods, he said. Monday’s tariff increase will hit American farm states, many of which voted for Trump in 2016. Beijing is imposing a 25 percent tariff on U.S. pork and aluminum scrap and 15 percent on sparkling wine, steel pipe used by oil and gas companies, and an array of fruits and nuts including apples, walnuts and grapes. American farm exports to China in 2017 totaled nearly $20 billion, including $1.1 billion of pork products.

There was no indication whether Beijing might exempt Chinese-owned American suppliers such as Smithfield Foods, the biggest U.S. pork producer, which is ramping up exports to China. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday on the television show “Fox and Friends” that Trump was “going to fight back and he’s going to push back.” Deputy Press Secretary Lindsay Walters said China’s “subsidization and continued overcapacity” were the root cause of low steel prices that have hurt U.S. producers. The dispute reflects the clash between Trump’s promise to narrow the U.S. trade surplus with China — a record $375.2 billion last year — and Beijing’s ambitious plans to develop Chinese industry and technology.

Ten Iowa youth organizations will receive funding from Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health (I-CASH) for a farm safety project.  Since 1999, I-CASH has designated funds for Iowa youth groups to promote farm safety awareness in their local communities.  The grants are awarded to the proposals that show the highest involvement by youth in the planning and carrying out of the project. Among this year’s grant recipients locally, is the Shelby County 4-H Youth Council, and the Ida County Farm Bureau. Since 1999, I-CASH has awarded 155 grants, investing more than $140,000 in youth safety projects.

According to I-CASH director Brandi Janssen, this year was especially competitive.  She said “We were pleased to have nineteen applicants, it’s exciting to have such interest in the grants.  I just wish we could fund more projects.” Ten groups received $500 to carry out their project.  Several of the projects are Farm Safety Days that will teach elementary students about electrical hazards, livestock safety, chemical safety, ATVs, and other topics related to rural safety and health.  In Shelby County, members of the 4-H County Youth Council will do a presentation at Farm Safety Day in June on the prevention and treatment of animal bites and insect stings. All youth participants will receive a 1st aid kit. A video of the presentation will be made available on the Shelby County Extension and Outreach website. Youth groups ranging from 4-H to FFA to County Farm Bureau groups were represented.

At the end of the season, grant applicants will submit a final evaluation that will again be judged by the grant selection committee.  One group will be awarded the “Outstanding Youth Grant Award,” which carries another $500 in funding and a trip to the Midwest Rural and Agricultural Safety and Health Conference (MRASH), which will be held in Council Bluffs, IA this November.

For more information about the Youth Grant program, go to www.i-cash.org.