DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Storms last week brought with them some peril in the form of wind and large hail but they also delivered enough rain to significantly relieve drought conditions in Iowa and Nebraska. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday shows Iowa’s remaining drought is mostly confined to the northwest and southeast corners of the state. About 40 percent of the state has some drought down from nearly 56 percent a week earlier.

In Nebraska, the drought area has been reduced to 63 percent of the state from nearly 70 percent the week before. Extreme drought was removed from central Nebraska. About 30 percent of the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico have moderate drought or worse, compared with 31 percent a week earlier.

Officials with the ISU Extension Service say the 7th Annual Western Iowa No-till (WIN) Demonstration Field Day, scheduled for June 17th at the Carstens 1880 Farmstead south of Shelby, will address a wide variety of topics for local producers interested in learning more about the practical application of no-till production practices and management of soil heath and fertility. Registration opens at 8-AM with coffee and rolls available. Local agribusinesses will be on hand to visit with producers in the morning and showcase their services/equipment.

The field day program begins at 9 AM with a weather and market outlook from Bryce Andersen with DTN. At 10 AM, rotating breakout sessions will cover nitrogen rate calculation and the evolution of cover crops in corn production. The breakout sessions will be followed by a lunchtime discussion on understanding soil biology and improving soil health. After lunch, keynote speaker Barry Kusel will share his experiences using cover crops successfully in his row crop farm in Carroll County.

Anyone with an interest in the practical application and impact of no-till production, whether looking for ideas to begin adopting no-till practices or a long-time no-till producer looking to improve production results, is encouraged to attend this field day. Nearly 200 ag producers and ag professionals attended the 2013 event, learning about effective soil stewardship strategies. In addition to the educational sessions at the 2014 WIN Field Day, there will be plenty of time for farmers to visit informational displays, vendor exhibits and network with other producers. 5 hours of CCA Credits have been approved, and will be available at no cost for Certified Crop Advisors needing additional continuing education units this year.

There is no charge to attend this event, but pre-registration is requested to ensure a lunch will be available. A free steak sandwich lunch with sides and dessert will be provided to all attendees, with steaks cooked by the Shelby County Cattlemen. Registration can be completed by e-mailing csgorham@iastate.edu or by calling the Harrison County Extension Office at 888-644-2105. More information is available at many local ISU Extension and NRCS offices, or can be found online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Walk-In attendees are also welcome on the day of the event, but no lunch will be guaranteed.

The field day is brought to you by NRCS, ISU Extension and the Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) in Harrison, Pottawattamie, Cass and Shelby Counties, along with many local supporting agribusinesses. 2014 Business Sponsors include Farm Bureau in East & West Pottawattamie, Shelby, Cass & Harrison Counties, Brokaw Supply Company, Sorensen Equipment Co., HTS Ag, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Shelby County State Bank, United Bank of Iowa and Bartlett Grain Co.

(Press Release)

Cass County: Corn $4.22, Beans $14.33
Adair County: Corn $4.19, Beans $14.36
Adams County: Corn $4.19, Beans $14.32
Audubon County: Corn $4.21, Beans $14.35
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.25, Beans $14.33
Guthrie County: Corn $4.24, Beans $1437
Montgomery County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.35
Shelby County: Corn $4.25, Beans $14.33
Oats $3.20 (always the same in all counties)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The nation’s wheat crop is smaller than earlier was predicted due to drought. But corn and soybean crop expectations have changed little in the latest report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The monthly update released Wednesday shows farmers producing 1.38 billion bushels of winter wheat, down 2 percent from a month ago and 10 percent from last year. Hard red winter wheat, the type used to make bread, is down 3 percent from last month’s estimate to 720 million bushels.

Farmers are expected to produce a record 13.9 billion bushels of corn and 3.6 billion bushels of soybeans, both unchanged. A cool wet start to planting season improved as May progressed and the USDA says corn crop conditions are better than any time since 2007 in the Corn Belt.

The Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are teaming up to provide training for pork producers and others who need certification in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus version 2.0 (PQA Plus v2.0) and/or Transport Quality Assurance program. The certification sessions have been set for Thursday June 19th, 2014 at the Cass County Extension office in Atlantic Iowa.

Updated in June 2013, the revised in PQA Plus® v2.0 provides a framework for significant, relevant food safety standards and improved animal well-being. Pork producers pride themselves on the commitment to continuous improvement and the PQA Plus is regularly revised to increase its effectiveness, incorporate new research information, and ensure the program’s validity.

ISU Extension Swine Specialist Matt Swantek will be offering the TQA training from 12:30 – 3:00 p.m. and the PQA Plus® v2.0 training from 3:15 – 6:00 p.m. Training sessions are limited to 30 persons, but requires at least 5 participants are needed to hold the training sessions.

All training events are sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers Association and are free for all Iowa pork Producers. Pre-registration is requested to lclemenson@iowapork.org or (800) 372-7675.

There is an on-line re-certification option for those who have current PQA Plus® certification. Contact Matt Swantek (mswantek@iastate.edu) or any other PQA Plus® v2.0 certified Adviser for additional information and setting up the ability to test on-line. New certification or producers with expired certification will require a face-to-face training.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A nonprofit network of investors, companies and public interest groups says in a new report that manufacturers depending on U.S. corn and other commodities must send strong signals to farmers to help preserve water and soil. The Boston-based group called Ceres is working with several companies, including food giants General Mills and Unilever. Both of those have adopted sustainability programs suggested by Ceres that set specific goals for suppliers and farmers.

The report calls for the establishment of corporate policies setting specific goals for suppliers that reduce environmental impacts, procurement contracts requiring that crops be sustainably grown, and efforts to identify areas of high water stress, groundwater pollution and overuse of fertilizer.

Ceres also recommends companies substitute other grains for corn where environmental benefits are well-demonstrated.

(These quotes remain unchanged from Tuesday)

Cass County: Corn $4.27, Beans $14.37
Adair County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.40
Adams County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.36
Audubon County: Corn $4.26, Beans $14.39
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37
Guthrie County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.41
Montgomery County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.39
Shelby County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37
Oats $3.24 (always the same in all counties)

Officials with the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) say they have been made aware of a phone scam targeted toward FSA customers. The caller, who identifies themselves as a Farm Loan Services representative out of Washington, D.C. states that FSA “owes” you disaster assistance funds and proceeds to request your checking account information or requests a credit card number alleging that funds will be credited to these accounts.

The USDA says if you receive a similar call, DO NOT, under any circumstances, provide the caller with your personal or financial information.

MOULTRIE, Ga. (AP) – Aerial drones, a technology perhaps best known for helping hunt terrorists on the other side of the globe, may soon begin helping U.S. farmers monitor what’s happening in their fields. In Georgia, a group of state and federal officials – along with members of industry and academia – has been working since 2009 to develop a drone that can save a farmer’s time and resources during the growing season.

The public got its first glimpse of the group’s drone at a flight demonstration last month at a research farm in Moultrie, Georgia. By deploying a UAV with a multi-spectral camera to survey crops, farmers could spot water and nutrition issues, insect infestations and fungal infections.

Cass County: Corn $4.27, Beans $14.37

Adair County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.40

Adams County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.36

Audubon County: Corn $4.26, Beans $14.39

East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37

Guthrie County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.41

Montgomery County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.39

Shelby County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37

Oats $3.24 (always the same in all counties)