DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Corn and soybean crops in Iowa and Nebraska continue to make good progress and plant development remains ahead of the five-year average for this point in the growing season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s weekly crop update says corn in Iowa and Nebraska is rated at nearly 80 percent good to excellent while soybeans are around 78 percent good to excellent.

Storms last week brought rain to both states missing south-central and southeast Iowa and leaving western and southwestern Nebraska without much new moisture. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says some Iowa farmers have reported isolated crop damage from high wind.

Nebraska farmers reported high wind knocked some corn plants over and snapped off some stalks in a number of eastern counties.

The “Farmers Market Scavenger Hunt” is an activity which was offered to all farmers markets by the Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDALS). The purpose is to help kids learn more about locally grown fruits and vegetables and the farmers in their community. Markets could choose to be included.

Youth participants use a form with a list of questions to hunt through the market. What is the smallest fruit or vegetable you see? What is a fruit or vegetable which grows underground? What was your favorite part of the market?  They are also asked to check a list of all of the items they saw and to visit with a farmer.

Produce in the Park has been offering the activity each Thursday evening beginning June 2nd. Completed forms are sent to IDALS twice a month and they are entered in a state drawing for prizes. One local person has been a winner.  Tammy Stotts of IDALS says more entries have been received from Produce in the Park than any other market.  Additional prizes will be available locally.

Kids may participate every week they attend. Forms and pencils are available at the Cass County Food Policy Council table in the center of the Park. Duane McFadden, Council member, is heading up the local activity.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say a woman was fatally injured in southern Iowa Saturday, when the horse she was riding fell and landed on her shortly before 2 p.m.  The accident happened in Stephens State Forest, southwest of Lucas. The woman, whose name has not yet been released, was airlifted to a hospital in Des Moines where she later died.

The Chariton Fire and Rescue and the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department assisted at the scene. The incident remains under investigation by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A year after bird flu forced fairs across Iowa to cancel poultry shows, the competitions are returning this summer. The Daily Nonpareil reports the 4-H members who raise chickens are glad they should have a chance to show them at this year’s fairs. Organizers banned live poultry at fairs a year ago because of the bird flu outbreak that ravaged the industry. Both Iowa and Nebraska lifted their ban on poultry shows this year.

Kerri Wede with the East Pottawattamie County Extension office says the ban was “heartbreaking for the kids.” But they adapted. Last year, some fairs held egg judging contests and some had students give presentations about their chickens. Organizers are looking forward to returning to normal this year.

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) – Leaders in the northwest Iowa town of Cherokee would love to see another company make use of the former Tyson Foods plant just outside town, but they say the food company is making it hard to find a new tenant. The Des Moines Register reports Tyson continues paying $130,000 rent on the building and refuses to allow anyone it considers a competitor to use the building.

Tyson spokeswoman Caroline Ahn says the company has been in talks with three food companies about the plant. She says those deals fell apart, but it was not because of competitive concerns. Cherokee City Councilman Chad Brown says it feels like Tyson is holding the town hostage because it won’t release the plant.

Officers with the Iowa DNR are looking for the operator of a Personal Water Craft (PWC) following a personal injury accident that occurred at Lake Manawa Saturday evening. Brian Smith, with the DNR says an Omaha, Neb. woman was injured after being thrown off a PWC on Lake Manawa, and law enforcement officers are seeking assistance from the public in locating the operator of the vessel who left the scene.

29-year old Laura Goodburn was the passenger on a personal watercraft when she was thrown off at approximately 6:30-p.m., Saturday in the middle of the lake toward the south end. She complained of a neck injury and was taken to Alegent Health Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs. Both Goodburn and a friend she was with, Justin Smith of Omaha, Neb., told law enforcement officers they did not know the identity of the personal watercraft operator.

The operator of the personal watercraft is described as a white, middle-aged male, approximately 6-feet tall, average weight and with short red, blonde or gray hair. At the time of the incident, he was wearing an O’Neill life jacket. The personal watercraft was described as being orange, black and gold. Law enforcement officers searched the lake and boat ramps but were unable to find a vessel fitting that description.

Conservation officers and park rangers from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are continuing to investigate the incident. Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information on the identity of the personal watercraft operator is asked to call DNR Law Enforcement Supervisor Brian Smith at 712-254-0550.

You can thank reserves built up at the end of last year for keeping Iowa in good shape water wise following a dry June. The areas impacted by drought have increased in the most recent report, but Tim Hall with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it could be a lot worse. “If you ignored the fall of 2015, we would be in a bit of jam right now. It’s been somewhat dry — especially in parts of the state — but I think we’re still benefiting from the really wet November and December we had, given the rainfall that’s fallen in this first half of the year,” Hall says.

The Iowa average streamflow index dropped below the normal line on July 4th. Hall says the level is tracked on a daily basis and it has been above normal since May of 2015. “That speaks more to how wet it has been recently than how dry it is now,” Hall says. “So that index has just now gotten down to the normal line…so it mostly tells us how wet it has been for quite awhile.” Parts of the state have moved into moderate drought conditions, but Hall is not worried.

“We’re a long ways away from being overly concerned,” he says. The moderate drought level is the first level, and Hall says it could easily turn around. “It’s a pretty short-term deal, because if you look a the long-term climate prediction information — there’s not long term drought predicted for that part of the state out through the end of September,” Hall explains. “So, even the climate folks are looking at this as a short-term impact.” Areas of the state have struggled with low water levels in the last few years appear to be doing okay now.

“Part of the state where we’ve been consistently concerned has been in the northwest corner of the state. And they have actually done pretty well precipitation wise this year,” Hall says. “So, if there was any part of the state where we would want to be particularly concerned it would be up there. But they’ve been running in the first half of the year much about normal for rainfall. So, they are in pretty good shape.” Hall says swings in weather pattern can always make a difference in the water situation.

“You’re always on that sort of razor’s edge between too wet and too dry. For quite awhile in the state we’ve been really running right down the middle where we want to be. And really, that’s where we are right now,” according to Hall. You can find out more about Iowa’s water trends at: www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

(Radio Iowa)

• KJAN, Atlantic  .15″
• 7 Miles NE of Atlantic  .18″
• Elk Horn  .19″
• Missouri Valley  .07″
• Logan  .12″
• Oakland  .1″
• Woodbine  .23″
• Irwin  .23″

AMES, Iowa — The research farms Iowa State University operates in southwest Iowa have a new leader. ISU says Dallas Maxwell has been named superintendent of the Armstrong and Neely-Kinyon research and demonstration farms located near Lewis and Greenfield, respectively. The farms are owned by the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development, a multi-county association of farmers and agricultural businesses, which leases the farms to Iowa State.

Dallas Maxwell

Maxwell has served as interim superintendent since October when Bernie Havlovic, the original superintendent, retired. He also has worked with the beef cattle activities at the farms since 1998. Maxwell is an Iowa State alumnus, earning a bachelor’s degree in animal science in 1977.

The Neely-Kinyon farm is managed as a satellite of the Armstrong farm, which is the location of the Wallace Learning Center. Research at the farms focuses on corn/soybeans, beef cattle, soil management and a variety of other agricultural topics. The farm’s staff includes Randy Breach, Dan Schaben and Jim Rogers who, along with Maxwell, support 75 research projects including on-farm trials and hosts more than 2,000 visitors a year.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says the state entered July with the crops looking good despite some fields that need some moisture. “We have a lot of areas that look pretty good, but we do definitely have some dry area in parts of Iowa — especially across southern Iowa,” Northey says.

The weekly U-S-D-A crop report showed south-central and south-east Iowa had the lowest levels of topsoil moisture with two-thirds of the state short to very short. There have been reports of the corn leaves curling in some places where the moisture is low. Northey says the hot days in the 90s will make the corn leaves curl and the soybeans will wilt a little bit. He says in the areas where it is not really dry the crops will be able to handle the heat.

Northey farms near Spirit Lake in northwest Iowa and got some of his corn in late due to wet conditions. “And it only made knee high by the Fourth of July, so we have spots that are drowned out and not very far away we have spots that are too dry,” according to Northey. ” For the most part when you look at the state, the crop looks good for this time of year.” Northey says he’s only had a few reports of issues with the crops outside of the weather.

He says he’s seen some soybean aphids being talked about as people get out and scout the fields. But he says there’s not been anything major. Northey says storm damage is one thing that could impact crops in July. He says the impact of storms is much like the impact of rain, as it can hit one field hard, but leave others untouched.

(Radio Iowa)