The Atlantic Police Department reports permit applications are currently being accepted for bow hunting within the City limits (in accordance with the City’s Urban Deer Control Ordinance). The permit will allow hunters to harvest antlerless deer. Once you have reported the harvest to the Atlantic Police Department, you’ll be allowed to harvest a Buck. Applications may be picked up at the Police Department from 8-a.m. to 4-p.m., Monday through Friday.

Bow hunters that qualified last year with the Police Department do not need to do so this year, but you still need to pick up a permit application and have it filled out. New hunters will need to contact the A-PD and set up a time with Lt. Dave Erickson, for you to qualify.

Land owners who would like to allow a bow hunter to hunt on their land, should contact the Police Dept. at 712-243-3512 during business hours, and sign-up.

The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today (Wednesday), seeking to block Deere & Company’s proposed acquisition of Precision Planting LLC from Monsanto Company in order to preserve competition in the market for high-speed precision planting systems in the United States.

The Antitrust Division’s lawsuit alleges that the transaction would combine the only two significant U.S. providers of high-speed precision planting systems – technology that is designed to allow farmers to plant crops accurately at higher speeds.  The acquisition would deny farmers throughout the country the benefits of competition that has spurred innovation, improved quality and lowered prices.  The department filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

“High-speed precision planting technology holds out the promise of improved yields for American farmers by enabling them to plant crops more accurately at higher speeds,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.  “Precision Planting has been a key innovator in high-speed precision planting and Deere’s only significant competitor in developing and selling these technologies.  If this deal were allowed to proceed, Deere would dominate the market for high-speed precision planting systems and be able to raise prices and slow innovation at the expense of American farmers who rely on these systems.”

High-speed precision planting is an innovative technology that enables farmers to plant corn, soybeans and other row crops at up to twice the speed of a conventional planter without sacrificing accuracy.  Planting at higher speeds can be highly valuable to farmers, many of whom have a limited window each year to plant their crops to achieve the highest crop yields.  As a result, Deere and Precision Planting view high-speed precision planting as “revolutionary technology” that represents a “True Gamechanger for Agriculture” and expect it to become the industry standard in the coming years.

According to the department’s complaint, Deere and Precision Planting are the only two effective competitors in high-speed precision planting, conservatively accounting for at least 86 percent of the market.  Deere and Precision Planting both introduced their respective high-speed planting systems in 2014, after years of research and development.  The complaint details how the intense head-to-head competition between Deere and Precision Planting since that time has directly benefitted farmers through aggressive discounts and promotions, lower prices and innovative product offerings.   The complaint alleges that Deere’s proposed acquisition of the company it has described as its “number one competitor” would allow it to control nearly every method through which American farmers can acquire effective high-speed precision planting systems and provide it with the ability to set prices, output, quality and product features without the constraints of market competition.

Deere & Company, a Delaware corporation headquartered in Moline, Illinois, is the largest manufacturer of planting equipment in the United States, including its ExactEmerge high-speed precision planting system.  In 2015, Deere’s U.S. sales for planter-related equipment were approximately $900 million.

Precision Planting LLC is a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Tremont, Illinois.  It is a leading innovator in planting equipment, including its SpeedTube high-speed precision planting system.  In 2015, Precision Planting’s U.S. sales for planter-related equipment were approximately $100 million.

Monsanto Company is a Delaware corporation headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.  Monsanto is a leading global provider of agricultural products and is the ultimate parent company of Precision Planting LLC.

(US-DOJ News Release)

(Malvern, Iowa) – Local women landowners and farmers wanting to learn more about ways to improve the health of their soil can attend a workshop on September 13^th at 6:00 p.m. in Malvern. The event, co-hosted by Soil Health Partnership and Women, Land & Legacy of Southwest Iowa will focus on the basics of soil science, soil health resources and land management discussion.  This is one of at least nine field days planned by The Partnership throughout the state through September.

Elyssa McFarland, Soil Health Partnership field manager for Iowa, says “Iowa has some of the richest, most productive farmland in the world. By understanding the basics of soil properties and soil health we can gain a better understanding of implementing new practices to prevent nutrient loss and erosion and improve soil structure.”

The soil health workshop will take place at Classic Cafe, located at 317 Main Street in Malvern.  Dinner will be provided by Soil Health Partnership and is limited to the first 25 registrants.  This event is open to anyone, with pre-registration required by Friday, September 9^th at 4:30 p.m.  To register, call Iowa State University Extension & Outreach-Mills County at (712) 527-3316, Fremont County at (712) 374-2351, or Montgomery County at (712) 623-2592.  Special accommodations may be requested by contacting these offices.

WLL events are sponsored through a partnership of Fremont, Mills and Montgomery counties Farm Service Agency, Soil and Water Conservation District, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, and Women, Land & Legacy of Southwest Iowa.  Women, Land & Legacy is committed to offering learning opportunities for rural women in areas such as business, management, agriculture and family.

About the Soil Health Partnership:
An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, the SHP works closely with diverse organizations including commodity groups, federal agencies and well-known environmental groups toward common goals. The Partnership is in its third year with 65 partner farms across eight Midwestern states.

The Soil Health Partnership brings together diverse partner organizations including commodity groups, federal agencies, universities and environmental groups to work toward the common goal of improving soil health. Over a period of at least 10 years, the SHP will identify, test and measure farm management practices that improve soil health and benefit farmers. We believe the results of this farmer-led project will provide a platform for sharing peer-to-peer information, and lend resources to benefit agricultural sustainability and profitability. An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, we provide the spark for greater understanding and implementation of agricultural best practices to protect resources for future generations. For more, visit soilhealthpartnership.org.

Do you have a love for gardening, a desire to learn more about the world of gardening, and a commitment to being a positive part of your community? If so, the Master Gardener program may be right for you! Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in any type of gardening and have a desire to share their knowledge through education and community involvement. Cass County Extension will be hosting a Master Gardener training course for the fall session in 2016, but the deadline for registration is September 1!

Master Gardener trainees attend 40 hours of classes taught by Iowa State University Extension & Outreach staff and specialists on topics including lawn care, flower and vegetable gardening, ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit crops, and houseplants, insect, disease, and weed control, soil and plant nutrition, and pesticide safety. No previous gardening experience or expertise is necessary to become a Master Gardener, just a willingness to learn and give back. In 2015, 30 Master Gardeners reported over 1250 hours of volunteer service in and around Cass County!

In exchange for training, participants are asked to volunteer 40 hours of service to their local communities. The service opportunities are wide-ranging. Master Gardeners speak to local groups, teach youth about gardening, plant/maintain community gardens, staff plant clinics or displays, and provide horticulture therapy activities for the elderly, to name a few. Cass County has an active Master Gardener group that meets regularly to coordinate volunteer and educational opportunities for members. Membership in this group is optional, but open to anyone who has completed the training.

Classes will be held at the Cass County Extension office, located at 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic, Tuesday evenings, from September 20 through November 15.  There will also be three Thursday evening sessions held locally, and one Saturday in October spent on the ISU campus for hands-on training in the horticulture department.  The cost for the entire program, including reference materials and all training, is $195 per person. Registration deadline to ensure consideration for the class is this Thursday, September 1^st.

Persons interested in becoming a trained Master Gardener in Cass County are encouraged to contact the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132, or stop in the office for information on signing up for the fall certification classes, or to learn more about Iowa Master Gardeners. A printable application form can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.  Applications can also be completed online by visiting http://mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/application-form.php to fill out an online application that will be immediately submitted for consideration. For more information about the application process and classes you can also visit www.extension.iastate.edu/mastergardener/become-master-gardener.

w/Kate Olson.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .8″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic, 1.19″
• Elk Horn  .98″
• Avoca  .45″
• Oakland  2″
• Audubon  1.12″
• Guthrie Center  1.2″
• Irwin  .26″
• Underwood  .88″
• Neola  .25
• Red Oak  .28″
• Clarinda  .95″
• Villisca  .5″
• Glenwood  .45″
• Missouri Valley  1.71″
• Woodbine  1.75″
• Logan  1.13″
• Council Bluffs  .73″
• Bedford  .95″
• Creston  .66″
• Shenandoah  2.51″

The central Iowa town of Boone is gearing up to welcome many thousands of visitors to the 63rd annual Farm Progress Show. Event spokeswoman Dena Morgan says the nation’s largest outdoor farm show is scheduled to open this morning (8 A-M). Morgan says it will feature the latest ag technology, including new products to be unveiled by many of the industry’s largest manufacturers.

“We’ve got a great lineup, of course, lots of things happening out in the demonstration fields,” Morgan says. “We’ve got corn combining at 11 every day, tillage at 1. If you’re a livestock producer and you’re in the market for a chute or some other kind of cattle-handling equipment, we have working cattle demonstrations every day at 10 and at 2.”

The show will host more than 600 exhibitors displaying new farm equipment, seed and crop protection products, farm supplies and services. Since the last day of the 2014 show had to be cancelled due to lightning, Morgan says there are two ways you can be updated, by using the website Farm Progress Show-dot-com, or by using a free smart phone app.

“All you have to enter is ‘Farm Progress Show 2016’ and that should bring up the current year app,” Morgan says. “You can search for exhibitors, you can look at the show fields, all kinds of things.” For about 50 years, the show rotated between locations in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, but now, it’s held every other year in Boone or Decatur, Illinois.

“We started the rotation that we have now in 2005 when we moved the show up into August,” Morgan says. “It used to be later in September and we moved it almost a month earlier and went to the rotation of just two sites and then having permanent sites.” The show runs three days, closing on Thursday.

(Radio Iowa)

Iowa’s corn and soybean crops, on average, are ahead of their normal stages of growth. The USDA’s latest crop conditions report (issued today/Monday) states above normal rainfall last week left Iowa farmers with just over four days that were suitable for field work. Record flooding occurred in portions of northeast Iowa as more than eight inches of rain fell in a 24 hour period in a few locations.

The report places 83 percent of the state’s corn and 82 percent of soybeans in good to excellent condition. Ninety-four percent of the corn crop has reached the dough stage, which is eight days ahead of the five year average. Soybeans setting pods reached 96 percent, or about four days ahead of the five year average.

The report notes heavy rain and winds last week damaged some Iowa crops, while sudden death and white mold are causing problems in some soybean fields.

(Radio Iowa)

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Terry Branstad says he’ll authorize the Iowa State Patrol to deal with protesters who could try to stop construction of a $3.8 billion oil pipeline. The Des Moines Register reports Branstad told reporters at his weekly news conference, held this Monday in Pella, that the state patrol would ensure the safety of those building the pipeline, and that could helping local law enforcement respond to protests. The Iowa Utilities Board has approved construction of the pipeline, which will run 1,172 miles through Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota and South Dakota.

The route will cut through 18 Iowa counties. Pipeline opponents have promised to engage in civil disobedience to stop the construction, but Branstad says they should accept the board’s approval of the project and not break the law.