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Firefighters from Atlantic were called to the scene of a tractor fire Tuesday evening, north of town. The tractor was burning near some anhydrous tanks when the call came in at around 5:58-p.m. from FSC, located at 54464 Olive Street.

Authorities say after FSC employees completed fueling the tractor that was hooked to an anhydrous tank, a worker started the tractor and began to pull away from the fuel tank when the fire started. Employees quickly disconnected the tractor from the tank before fire fighters arrived. Firefighters were quickly able to extinguish the blaze.

No injuries were reported.

(Photo’s courtesy Mike Kennon, Cass County Emergency Management Agency)

State tax credits will soon be available to Iowa companies that make new products from what’s left over after ethanol and biodiesel are made from “biomass” like corn and soybeans. Governor Terry Branstad supports the concept and the Iowa House gave it final legislative approval Monday afternoon.  Representative Mary Ann Hanusa, a Republican from Council Bluffs, says “This bill incentivizes new start-up companies in Iowa and other ventures to take the biomass feedstocks currently produced in Iowa and manufacture these new building block chemicals.”

Bill backers envision companies developing new products from the starches, sugars and oils that are the left-overs of biofuel production. “The federal Department of Energy has identified approximately 30 chemicals which provide that greatest market potential,” Hanusa says. The bill is “made to order” for Iowa, according to Hanusa, because the state leads the country in biofuel production.

“This bill will create new opportunities for research and development and has the potential for creating new businesses and new product lines,” Hanusa says. “…This legislation will open new horizons in industry, economic development and education across Iowa.” Companies that develop new products from biofuel production left-overs will apply to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for the tax credits.

The bill calls for a 10 million dollar cap on these tax credits each year. The 10 million will come from the Economic Development Authority’s already existing 170 million dollar account for a series of refundable state tax credits.

(Radio Iowa)

The field/grassland Fire Danger Index remains HIGH in Shelby County. Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Seivert says the next few days are expected to be windy. Drying, along with abundant sunshine, at least through Wednesday, will likely continue to contribute to the danger of controlled burns spreading beyond their intended area. There’s a 50% chance of rain Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, which Seivert says will allow the area to green-up a bit, thereby reducing the fire danger threat.

Officials are still asking you to conduct any Controlled Burns during the early morning or late evening hours, when winds will be reduced or near calm.

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Employers in northern Iowa are trying to fill a bounty of agricultural jobs. The Globe Gazette reports that local economic development officials are touting a series of jobs that are directly and indirectly related to farming. The list includes work in cooperatives, ethanol plants and feed mills, as well as full- and part-time jobs.

Low unemployment rates in area counties can make it tough to find employees. The rate in many counties around Mason City ranges between 3 and 5 percent, while the statewide average is 4.5 percent. Jennifer Andrade, an IowaWorks business marketing specialist, says her groups is encouraging more businesses to focus on outreach by visiting local high schools.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a public hearing on rules covering the new hunter apprentice license for April 20, from 1-2 p.m., in the fourth floor conference room, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, in Des Moines.  The new Hunter Apprentice Program will allow Iowans age 16 and older to bypass the hunter education requirement for purchasing a hunting license while they hunt under the direct supervision of an experienced, licensed hunter.  They may purchase the apprentice hunting licenses up to two times without having completed hunter education.

“The idea behind this program is to catch the generation of Iowans who missed hunter education when they were 12 and are now in their 20s and 30s and are interested in trying dove hunting or small game hunting,” said Megan Wisecup, hunter education administrator for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “If they like it, we can get them in the hunter education program and hopefully they become lifelong hunters.”

This apprentice program was approved by the Iowa legislature and signed by Governor Branstad during the 2015 session. At the public hearing, persons may present their views either orally or in writing. Participants will be asked to give their names and addresses for the record and to confine their remarks to the subject of the amendments.

Any persons who intend to attend the public hearing and have special requirements, such as those related to hearing or mobility impairments, should contact the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and request specific accommodations.

Any interested person may make written suggestions or comments on the proposed amendments on or before Wednesday, April 20, 2016.  Written comments may be directed to Megan Wisecup, Law Enforcement Bureau, Department of Natural Resources, Wallace State Office Building, 502 East Ninth Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0034; by email at Megan.Wisecup@dnr.iowa.gov; or by fax at (515) 725-8201.  Persons who wish to convey their comments orally may contact Wisecup at (515) 238-4968 or by visiting the fourth floor of the Wallace State Office Building during regular business hours.

Hunters who need to satisfy the hunter education requirement can search for and sign up for a course at www.iowadnr.gov/huntered. Prospective students can see which courses or field days are near them; how many seats are available for the class or if the class is full and a waiting list is available. There is also a map showing the location along with the instructor’s name, a course overview and any special instructions.

Iowa law requires all hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972 to satisfactorily complete a hunter education course in order to purchase a license.  Children as young as 11 may enroll in the course, but their certificate of completion will not become valid until their 12th birthday. Each year, around 12,000 students complete hunter education in Iowa.

Online Only Course Option for Adults:

The online only course for adults is designed for Iowa residents 18 years of age or older that have prior hunting and/or firearms handling experience.  The course covers the same material as the classroom course, allowing the student to complete the entire course, including the final test, in an online setting.  Certification is received at the successful completion of the online course.

The Iowa Dept. of Natural resources reports an estimated 50,000 hunters will be in the timber this spring pursuing the illusive wild turkey and while the woods will not be crawling with hunters, there is a chance for an occasional encounter.  Hunters should practice defensive hunting techniques.  Hunters should make a loud statement like “hey – hunter over here,” if they see someone coming into the same area. One loud noise shouldn’t scare a bird too much because loud noises happen in the woods. However, don’t make motion or throw something to get the other hunters attention.

“Turkey hunters are looking for movement,” said Jim Coffey, forest wildlife species technician for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  “Don’t wave your hand or make a movement because a movement could be misconstrued. If you walk in on someone they’re probably hearing the same bird you hear, just turn and walk away.  Find a different ridge to enjoy the morning.”

The timber will change a lot from early April to middle May reducing the distance hunters can see so it will be important that hunters continuously check their distance for their zone of fire. “You can’t call the bullet back once your pull the trigger so it’s important to know your target and what’s beyond before taking the shot,” Coffey said.  He often recommends setting out distance stick for reference points.  This allows hunters to know exactly how far away a bird is and if it’s within the weapons range.

Hunters should also respect other hunters. “They are out there trying to do what you are going to do. The competition is between turkey and hunter – not hunter and hunter,” Coffey said. One way to avoid walking in on other hunters is to go later in the morning. “Rather than try to get out in the woods for the first gobble, go out a little later, like around 9 a.m., you may have the area all to yourself,” he said.

Safety Tips

• Avoid wearing patriotic colors – red, white and blue.  These colors are also shared by gobblers.
• Bring a blaze orange game bag or turkey vest to use to carry the harvested bird out from the woods.
• Avoid using a gobble call.
• Using a hunting blind can be helpful if taking a young person on their first hunt, or for hunting companions to use.
• Make sure you have permission to be on the land and find out if anyone else has permission to the land and which season they will be hunting.  Just because you had permission a few years ago, does not mean you have permission this year.

President Barack Obama made a trip to Cuba this week to continue his push to open relations with the country. An Iowa group that included Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) Chairman Jerry Mohr (More), a farmer from Eldridge visited the country on a trade trip in February. Mohr says it was a new experience. “All of us went back in time 50 years, we just did,” Mohr says. “It took us two hours to get baggage off the planes and through customs and out the door — and there were only two planes at the airport.”

“The drive to the Hotel Nacional was easy, they don’t have a lot of traffic on the road. At that time, you paid for everything in cash.” Mohr says there is no embargo on U-S food exports to Cuba, so some products are already being exported, but there is room for more. “We’ve got whole grains going down there, there’s corn, soybeans, I think there may even be some distillers (grain) going down there. But as far as value added, our meat products, there’s none of those going down that. And the Cuban people are desperately short of food, desperately short of quality foods,” Mohr says.

Mohr says he doesn’t care if Iowa corn is exported to Cuba as whole grain or as value-added food after being fed to cattle. He says there is also a need for grain to feed to chickens, which are important to the food supply. Support for farming is also needed in the country. “When the Soviet Union departed Cuba in 1991 — that’s when the expertise for the farming went away or the industrial farming, however you want to call it — went with the Soviets. So a lot of the land that was cultivated was taken over by invasive species. Which does happen, weeds grow, trees grow and everything else,” according to Mohr. He says they visited a farmer who is trying to get things restarted.

“The government has relaxed the standard on ownership, so if a family wanted to come in there and wanted to cultivate the land, reclaim the land, they could do that,” Mohr says. “It’s a long and arduous process.” Mohr says Brazil recently built a huge port on the south side of the island to handle the increased shipping that is to be expected. But he says the United States has a logistical advantage being only 90 miles away from Cuba and will be able to compete for exports. Mohr says the country’s infrastructure poses one of the greatest challenges as it tries to catch up with the rest of the world.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the Kellerton Grasslands Bird Conservation Area in southeast Ringgold County will be the site for the 13^th annual Prairie Chicken Day on April 2nd, beginning at 6 a.m., at the booming ground viewing platform, two miles west of Kellerton on Hwy. 2, then 1.25 miles south on 300^th Street.

Prairie Chicken Day is an opportunity for Iowans to experience this unique bird during its demonstrative and entertaining mating display where males work to gain the favor of females during the breeding season.  The birds compete by showing their worthiness through aggressive charges and leaps of battle with others on the booming ground. The activity takes place from middle to late March through middle May beginning around sunrise and until mid morning, then usually resuming in the evening.

“They will be out there every day defending their territory, trying to attract a female,” said Chad Paup wildlife biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Iowa DNR has been reintroducing the greater prairie chickens to the grasslands of Ringgold County since the 1980s with varying success. In recent years, the DNR has partnered with Blank Park Zoo, The Nature Conservancy and the Nebraska Fish and Game Department to capture and transport wild prairie chickens from southwest and central Nebraska to be released on the Kellerton lek and on the Dunn Ranch lek, a few miles to the south in Missouri.

The four year effort of introducing wild birds has increased the Iowa flock to more than 100. These birds have since produced broods in Iowa. “The prairie chicken population trends follow similar tracks as bobwhite quail. When quail do well, prairie chickens do well and they did well in 2014,” Paup said. “This year, we’ve had a mild winter in our area and if we can get a spring that’s not too wet and not too cool, I think we can have another good production year.”

A limited number of spotting scopes and binoculars will be available to visitors who need them on Prairie Chicken Day with expert birders on hand to help identify other birds in the area. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is encouraging visitors to and residents of Ringgold, Decatur, Taylor, Union, Wayne, Adams and Clarke counties to report any sightings of a group of prairie chickens gathered together, displaying and calling on the leks sites in March and April.

“People may hear them – the haunting ‘booming’ sounds interspersed with whoops and cackles – or they may see the birds jumping or facing off with one another,” said Stephanie Shepherd, wildlife diversity biologist with the Iowa DNR.  “Sightings of individual birds are also welcome but we’d primarily like to hear about lek sites.”

The DNR has a video of this activity online at http://www.iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Wildlife-Stewardship/Non-Game-Wildlife/Diversity-Projects/Prairie-Chicken-Project. Anyone who sees the activity is encouraged to call or e-mail Shepherd at 515-432-2823 ext. 102, Stephanie.shepherd@dnr.iowa.gov.