w/Kate Olson.

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – State officials say an invasive insect that kills ash trees has been confirmed in Iowa City. The Iowa Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that a specimen collected from trees that appeared to be under attack on the University of Iowa campus was confirmed as an emerald ash borer. With Johnson County added to the list, there are now 30 Iowa counties where the pest has been confirmed.

The insects are native to Asia and were first spotted in the U.S. in 2002, when they showed up in the Detroit area. Authorities say the insects have spread to at least 25 other states, killing millions of trees. Once infected, trees typically die within five years. University of Iowa officials estimate there are 560 ash trees on campus.

Officials with Monsanto report 12 central Iowa area farmers have directed $30,000 to area nonprofit organizations through America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. The winning farmers and organizations participated in a presentation at the Iowa Power Farming Show on Feb. 4th. Each farmer directed a $2,500 Grow Communities donation to a nonprofit organization of their choice.

The winners include:

• Roger Clayburg of Carroll County, who directed his donation to Coon Rapids – Bayard Education Corporation.
• Thelma O’Brien of Guthrie County, who directed her donation to Cottage Pantry Charitable Services.
• Jeff Tussey of Union County, who directed his donation to East Union Middle-High School.

The farmer-directed donations will help local organizations fund a variety of projects. America’s Farmers Grow Communities has collaborated with farmers in Iowa to donate over $1.9 million to local community organizations since 2010. Donations have been used to help fight rural hunger, purchase life-saving fire and EMS equipment, support ag youth programs, purchase education classroom resources and more.

Visit www.AmericasFarmers.com to learn more. And, from now through April 1st, farmers in eligible counties can nominate their local school district to compete for an America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education grant ranging from $10,000 to as much as $25,000. This year, the program will be awarding $2.3 million for math and science curriculum enhancement. Learn more about it at www.GrowRuralEducation.com.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) report 88 of 99 Iowa counties notified the DNR in January that they plan to evaluate construction permit applications and proposed locations for animal confinements by using the master matrix. Animal producers in those counties must meet higher standards than other confinement producers who also need a construction permit. They must earn points on the master matrix by choosing a site and using practices that reduce impacts on air, water and the community.

With 11 exceptions, all counties will use the matrix during the next 12 months. Among the counties that will not use the matrix in 2016, is Fremont. Officials say Counties that adopt the master matrix can provide more input to producers on site selection, the proposed structures and proposed facility management. Participating counties score each master matrix submitted in their county and can also join in DNR visits to a proposed confinement site.

While all counties may submit comments to DNR during the review process for permit applications, counties that adopt the master matrix can also appeal approval of a preliminary permit to the state Environmental Protection Commission.

The deadline for enrolling in the program is Jan. 31st of each year.

Following last weekend’s deaths of two ice fishermen who fell through the ice and into a frigid lake in southern Iowa’s Decatur County, Iowans are being warned to be extremely cautious on the ice. Ed Rotert, training officer for the Mount Ayr and Midwest Regional Dive Team, says this is a particularly bad time to be risking your life by walking onto a frozen lake or pond. “Right now, the ice looks thick but it’s rotted ice,” Rotert says. “We were breaking ice out there that was close to 4″ thick and it wouldn’t even hold us up.”

Forecasters call for high temperatures across parts of southern Iowa on Sunday in the low 40s. Rotert says the ice -may- be thick enough to be considered safe in some areas of Iowa, but certainly not all of them. “It’ll be different, lake to lake, depending on the size of the lake and whether it’s spring-fed or not,” he says. “Right now, with the warm weather we’ve been having, I would suggest nobody goes out on the ice.”

Should you decide to venture onto the ice, Rotert suggests you bring along a couple of ice picks, so if you do fall in, you can use the picks to pull yourself up and out.  “Ice fishermen can buy floatation coveralls,” he says. “Most importantly, if you’re going to walk out on the ice, take a one-inch pole, closet rod, anything like that, and as you walk, slam it into the ice. If it breaks through or fractures and starts to go through the ice, that ice is completely unsafe.”

Another tip, he says the darker the ice appears, the more thin it is likely to be. The bodies of the father and son were recovered at Little River Lake on Sunday after several hours of searching. Sixty-three-year-old David Adair and 33-year-old Joe Adair were both from Missouri. They were about 200 feet from the shore when the ice broke.

(Radio Iowa)

w/Max Dirks.

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Officials with ISU Extension say on Thursday, February 18th, Women, Land & Legacy of Southwest Iowa will be hosting a learning experience for the tastebuds. Participants will be inspired to grow fresh herbs and garden produce to incorporate into their own recipes after learning how Sauced, Red Oak’s newest restaurant, uses locally grown goods in their dishes.

The schedule for the evening includes the option to dine at Sauced, located on the southeast corner of the square at 322 E. Coolbaugh, by purchasing your own meal off the menu at 6:00 p.m. Beginning at 7:00, Sally Stoakes, the owner of Sauced, will present information about using a farm-to-table philosophy in her business. She will also introduce participants to a variety of herbs and talk about how to grow and use them at home.

Pre-registration is encouraged by Monday, February 15th by calling 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, as well. The cost is $5 per person, payable at the door. Proceeds will be used to offset the cost of the program. Menu items are available at their listed price.

Sauced just celebrated its grand opening in mid-January. The event is 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.

(Press Release)

Confinement site manure applicators should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to maintain or renew their confinement site manure applicator certification. The Shelby County workshop will be offered on 2/9/2016 at 1:30 pm in Harlan at 906 6th Street.

“Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year certification period, or take and pass the exam once every three years,” said Dan Andersen, assistant professor, ISU Ag and Biosystems Engineering and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program. “If applicators fail to attend the two hours of continuing education each year, they will be required to pass a written exam to be eligible to recertify.” Each year nearly 200 confinement site applicators fail to attend training and must pass the remedial exam prior to being eligible to renew their certification for the following year.

The workshop serves as initial certification for those applicators that are not currently certified, recertification for those renewing licenses and as continuing education for those applicators in their second or third year of their license.

The 2016 Confinement site program will include rules for applicators as well as land-application requirements, update on inspections, what you need to know about nitrogen and phosphorus in manure, nitrogen inhibitors, and manure and hydrogen sulfide safety.

Operators must be certified to handle, transport, and apply manure if the confinement livestock operation has more than a 500 animal unit capacity unless the manure is applied by a commercial manure applicator. The certification fee is $100 for a three-year certificate. This fee is paid when applicators initially get certified and then every three years when they re-certify to apply manure.

Confinement site applicators are also required to pay an annual education fee of $25. All fees and application forms must be sent to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to complete certification requirements. ISU Extension and Outreach will charge a $10 fee to applicators choosing to view the certification materials on a non-scheduled reshow day at the county office. For this reason, all applicators are encouraged to attend the workshops or to plan to view training materials on the scheduled reshow date at their local county extension office. This fee will not apply to workshops or scheduled reshow dates. Please contact the county extension office to determine which days are scheduled for the manure applicator certification programs.

Applicators now have another option for certification; online certification, which an applicator can take their training on-line at DNR MAC eLearning site at https://elearning-dnr.iowa.gov/. The applicator will need to sign-in and get an A&A account. Applicators are encouraged to complete certification requirements annually prior to March 1 to meet certification deadlines and avoid being assessed a $12.50 late fee for re-certification.

For more information about meeting dates and locations, or to schedule an appointment to attend training, contact the ISU Extension – Shelby County office at 712-755-3104 or visit http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/certification/confinementsitebrochure.pdf to see the 2016 workshop schedule.

(Press Release)

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding Owl Prowl. The Owl Prowl will be held at the Pellett Memorial Woods outside of Atlantic, IA on February 13th 2016 at 7:30 PM. The CCCB invites you to come out for a great night hike, and all of the surprises nature may have in store.  Drive the short drive and hike off that dinner! You’ll hike and try to call in various species of Owls that may be in the park that night! All ages welcome! The event is FREE. Dress for the weather. All ages are welcome!

w/Kate Olson.

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