Spring is in the air, and plans are underway for gardening projects in Cass County. Local groups planning community gardening, beautification or education programs will again be eligible for assistance from the Cass County Master Gardeners. The group is offering grant money to be used in the 2024 growing season, to encourage gardening to grow food for donation, for gardening education, and/or for gardening projects to improve local communities. The Cass County Master Gardener Memorial Grants are offered in remembrance of the many years of service to the community provided by long-time Master Gardener volunteers who have passed. Funds are raised by Master Gardeners at events like their spring plant sale, set for May 11, and summer events such as a bus trip and garden walk.

Any Cass County not-for-profit group may apply. Schools, churches, libraries, 4-H clubs, Scouts, or other organizations/individuals working to improving their communities can apply for money to begin or improve gardens or landscaping for community benefit, or to provide education for their members or the public. To ensure the money is helping a wide variety of community organizations, those who were funded by 2023 grants will not be eligible to apply in 2024. Each grant has a maximum value of $300. Applications must include plans for teamwork and sustainability. All grant recipients will be expected to submit a report at the end of the growing season, detailing how the money was spent. Recipients will also be given a sign to place in their garden area for the 2024 growing season.

Applications must be received by 4:30 PM on Monday April 22 for guaranteed consideration. They may be submitted by mail or email. Grant recipients will be informed of their application status no later than Monday, May 8 so they can make plans for the growing season. For more information, or with questions, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email  keolson@iastate.edu. Application forms can be printed from the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. You can also call or email the office to request a form be mailed or emailed to you, or stop by 805 West 10^th Street in Atlantic to pick one up.

The Master Gardener program trains volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills in horticulture. These volunteers then give back to their communities through gardening service and education. The program is available in all 50 states and Canada through land grant university Extension programs such as Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. For more information on the program, contact Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson, at 712-243-1132 or keolson@iastate.edu. You can also follow the Cass County Master Gardeners on Facebook (@CassCoMG) for gardening tips and information on upcoming events!

(Radio Iowa) – Studies find 30 to 40-percent of food that’s produced is never eaten, and researchers are looking for possible solutions that could be implemented in Iowa livestock lots to help prevent so much food waste. University of Minnesota Professor Jerry Shurson favors turning leftovers into animal feed. Another option Shurson suggests would be feeding livestock byproducts from bakeries that are safe to eat but don’t meet certain quality standards to get them on our grocery shelves.

“Chips and cookies and cereal could easily go into animal feeds,” Shurson says, “and many of them are, but we need to move more of that type of material into animal feeds, and at a greater rate than what we’re doing.” Shurson is in the university’s College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. He’s hosting a virtual international conference this week to educate people in feed and feeding industries about the value of food waste for livestock in the backdrop of food, climate, and sustainability challenges.

“Taking leftover parts from animal carcasses after slaughter or after harvesting and recycling it to rendered animal byproducts that can be used as high protein feed ingredients for, not only food-producing animals but for many of our pet foods,” he says. Shurson says nutrients from byproducts produced by grain milling, meat packing, and milk processing industries, can easily be turned into pig feed and more, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste rotting in landfills. Iowa producers raise about 50-million hogs a year, most of which are processed at 14 plants across the state.