A new report from the U-S Food and Drug Administration links consumption of soybean oil to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Iowa Soybean Association president Rolland Schnell says it’s great news for the state’s soybean growers — and for consumers. “Hopefully, it’s going to put to rest some of the naysayers who like to paint soybean oil as a bad food ingredient,” Schnell says. “It’s not and there’s all kinds of research to back up that it is beneficial, looking at it from a health standpoint.”

Schnell says the cooking oil market is important for soybean farmers and the new report will enable manufacturers of soybean oil to tell consumers about the heart-healthy benefits. “It’s very positive and hopefully, the general public will take this report by the FDA to heart and realize its a valuable product for their health,” Schnell says, “and the volume of (sales) will continue to increase.”

Schnell says sometimes soybean oil gets a negative rap, but this move by the F-D-A may change that. “The social media always tries to paint it as a bad thing when it’s not,” he says. “Research will verify over and over that it’s a good thing and to have the government agency come out and support that is real welcome news.”  The F-D-A report recognizes the ability of soybean oil to provide a superior omega-three fatty acid profile while also lowering “bad cholesterol” levels.

(Radio Iowa)

The latest U-S-D-A report estimates the value of Iowa farmland now averages eight-thousand dollars an acre. Farmland values in Iowa were up nearly two percent in the past two years according to the U-S-D-A. The other “corn belt” states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri all failed to see an increase in land values. The U-S-D-A calculation includes the value of homes and farm buildings along with pastures and cropland in its value measurement. The national average price for farmland is about three thousand dollars. That means the value of farm property in Iowa is more than twice that.

The U-S-D-A calculates the average price for an acre of Nebraska farmland has declined by one-point-seven percent from 2015 values. Farmland values are UP nine-and-a-half percent in Wisconsin and UP by about one percent in Minnesota. The other neighboring states of Illinois and Missouri saw a decline of about one-and-a-half percent. In South Dakota, the drop was about three percent.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The latest farm real estate values are out and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says the average acre of farmland in Iowa rose 1.9 percent from a year ago to $8,000 an acre, returning to the same value posted in 2015.

Iowa is the only state in the five-state corn belt region which also includes Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Ohio to see an increase in value. The USDA’s farm real estate value includes all land and buildings on farms. The report was released Thursday.

Midwest farmland values fell or leveled off in many states from 2015 to 2016 but Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Dakota also saw increases this year. Nebraska saw a 1.7 percent decrease to $2,900 an acre. The national average is up 2.3 percent to $3,080 an acre.

Birdwatchers in the Lower Loess Hills region may soon see a greater diversity of species. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources proposes a bird conservation area of nearly 90-thousand-acres. Such areas are created through a targeted effort on public and private lands to plant bird-friendly habitats. Bruce Ehresman is a wildlife diversity bird biologist for the D-N-R.

“If you think about what Iowa looked like historical with about 27- or 28-million acres of prairie, it was a huge landscape of habitat and we’ve carved that up into little tiny pieces,” Ehresman says. “We’re trying to put back some of the pieces into larger pieces because they will benefit more species.” Ehresman says this proposed bird conservation area in western Iowa is ecologically diverse.

“We’ve documented 282 species that have occurred at one time or another within this proposed area and of those, 128 are nesting species,” Ehresman says. “It actually may not sound like a very high number, but it really is, and so a high proportion of those species that nest throughout the state actually nest in this one area.” If approved, this conservation area would be Iowa’s 24th. Ehresman says it will contain the most bird species of all the conversation areas in the state.

(Radio Iowa w/report by Sarah Boden, Iowa Public Radio)

The U-S Ag Secretary has started a tour of five Midwestern states that will pass through Iowa this weekend.  U-S Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue plans to gather input for the 2018 Farm Bill during his stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Perdue says he’ll be able to “hear directly from people in agriculture…as well as consumers” who “know best what the current issues are.” Perdue is a former veterinarian who served as Georgia’s governor. He’ll be a leading voice for the Trump Administration as congress writes the next Farm Bill.)

Perdue is in Wisconsin today (Thursday) and he’ll be in Minnesota tomorrow (Friday). On Saturday, Perdue will deliver the keynote address at the Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines. The event’s organized and hosted by Iowa agribusinessman Bruce Rastetter. Early Saturday, Perdue plans to be in Sheffield to tour Sukup Manufacturing, which makes grain handling equipment. Perdue also will hold a midday roundtable discussion on Saturday in Des Moines with an invited group of farmers, then visit Living History Farms. On Sunday afternoon, Perdue will visit the Mississippi Valley Farm in Davenport.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Monsanto Corporation report the  America’s Farmers Grow Communities program has returned. The goal of the program is to give farmers in Cass County and across the State, an opportunity to enroll for a chance to win a $2,500 donation to direct to their favorite local eligible nonprofit organization. Through the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, farmers across rural America will donate more than $3 million to nonprofit organizations in 2018 – helping farmers to give back to and support their local communities.

New this year, all farmers are now eligible to enroll in the program, as long as they meet the requirement of being 21 years old and actively engaged in farming at least 250 acres or more.

The funds being awarded are used to provide support to a variety of rural nonprofit organizations that reflect the makeup and character of their local communities, including food banks, emergency response organizations, youth agriculture programs and many others. Since the program began in 2010, the program has awarded more than $26 million to nonprofits in rural America, such as emergency response organizations, schools, and youth agriculture programs.

Farmer enrollment began August 1st and runs through Nov. 1, 2017.  Winners will be announced in January 2017. Iowa farmers can enter for a chance to win online at www.GrowCommunities.com or by calling 877-267-3332 toll-free.

About the American Farmers Campaign: The America’s Farmers campaign highlights the importance of modern US Agriculture through communications and community outreach programs that partner with farmers to impact rural America. To learn more, visit America’s Farmers at www.AmericasFarmers.com.

• KJAN, Atlantic  .27″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .17″
• Massena  .65″
• Elk Horn  .18″
• Avoca  .2″
• Neola  .2″
• Bedford  .31″
• Glenwood  .1″
• Red Oak  .05″
• Shenandoah  .75″
• Carroll  .89″
• Denison  .4″
• Corning  .05″
• Creston  .07″
• New Market  .73″

(OAKLAND, Iowa) August 2, 2017—Local farmer-owned cooperative officials today announced a purchase agreement has been signed for the sale of the Oakland, Iowa Landus Cooperative agronomy plant to be sold to Farm Service Cooperative (FSC). The purchase between Ames, Iowa-based Landus Cooperative and Harlan, Iowa-based FSC is slated to close Aug. 31, 2017.   As a result, all physical assets and the property at 41938 Industrial Drive just north of Oakland, Iowa will join FSC’s local operations.

“FSC is excited to add this state-of-the-art agronomy site to better serve our members and customers in Pottawattamie County,” stated Gary Jahn, Executive Vice President at FSC. The soon-to-be-acquired site includes an automated dry fertilizer blending system, automated seed system, 42,000 gallons of NH3 storage, a variety of bulk agronomy storage and the office. Current inventory, application machines, tender trucks and NH3 rolling stock are not part of the purchase agreement.

“This sale is a good move for both cooperatives,” stated Milan Kucerak, CEO of Landus Cooperative. “The acquisition of our Oakland site aligns well with FSC’s current customer base while allowing us to focus our capital in core geographies of our business.”

FSC’s focus will remain in the farm supply business, maintaining eight agronomy locations, an energy division, feed division, and a retail computer store. Landus Cooperative has three full-time and four part-time employees who will end their employment on Aug. 31, 2017. They have been offered an opportunity to apply for employment with FSC.

Growers who are members of either cooperative will not see a change in their membership status as a result of the change. Landus Cooperative will work with its Oakland-area customers to finalize work and invoicing on or before August 31, 2017 at which point those customers may choose to do business with FSC at the same location. Landus Cooperative and FSC have a multi-year grain marketing agreement for FSC’s locations in Harlan and Denison which is unchanged by the Oakland sale.

An annual survey of the state’s pheasant population was launched Tuesday and will continue through the middle of this month. Todd Bogenschutz coordinates the survey for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. He suggests this could end up being the highest statewide pheasant count since 2006. “If we see a 40-percent increase like we did in 2015, I think that would be true,” Bogenschutz said. “That’s kind of what we’re hoping for I guess, but we’ll have to see.”

In 2015, the statewide pheasant count increased by 40-percent following a mild winter. Much of the state had very little snowfall this past winter, which likely resulted in good hen survival. “We brought more hens into the spring and more hens putting eggs down always gives you good potential,” Bogenschutz said.    

Iowa’s statewide snowfall average for this past winter was 20.4 inches, but most of the snow fell over northwest and north-central Iowa. Sections of central and southern Iowa received snowfall totals that were up to a foot BELOW normal. Bogenschutz says the pheasant HUNTER numbers in Iowa have increased as the BIRD numbers have improved. “If you go back to 2007, before our numbers crashed with that five years of bad weather we had, we were at about 100,000 hunters. We plummeted down to around 40,000 by 2011,” Bogenschutz said.

The number of pheasant hunters in Iowa last year climbed to roughly 60,000. The roadside pheasant population survey runs for 15 days. Data is collected from 208 30-mile survey routes around the state. In addition to pheasants, the survey also collects information on cottontail rabbits, jack rabbits, quail and Hungarian partridge. Results of the survey will be released in early-to-mid September.

(Radio Iowa)

STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) – Tyson Foods has settled a 10-year-old class-action lawsuit and will disburse nearly $6 million to more than 3,900 current and former employees at a northwest Iowa pork plant. The Sioux City Journal reports that Storm Lake employees sued the Arkansas-based company in 2007 to collect back pay for the time they spent putting on and taking off protective work clothes and equipment before and after their work shifts.

A Sioux City federal jury ruled in favor of the workers in 2011, a decision the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld in 2014. Tyson appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court rejected the company’s appeal in March 2016 to limit workers’ ability to challenge pay and workplace issues.

Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson says each worker will receive about $1,700.