AREA COUNTIES: SAC-CRAWFORD-CARROLL-AUDUBON-GUTHRIE-DALLAS-CASS-ADAIR-MADISON-TAYLOR-RINGGOLD–

247 AM CDT MON SEP 9 2013

VERY HOT CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST FOR CENTRAL IOWA TODAY WITH NEAR RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 95 TO AROUND 100 DEGREES FORECAST. DEW POINT VALUES BY THE AFTERNOON WILL DROP INTO THE 50S TO LOWER 60S…COMBINED WITH TEMPERATURES THIS WILL ALLOW THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES TO DROP TO 25 TO 30 PERCENT.

THESE CONDITIONS WILL ACCELERATE THE ONSET OF DEHYDRATION. IT IS RECOMMENDED FOR PERSONS THAT MUST BE OUTDOORS TO DRINK PLENTY OF WATER…TAKE FREQUENT BREAKS AND WEAR LIGHT COLORED AND LOOSE CLOTHING. OUTSIDE EXERCISE SHOULD TAKE PLACE DURING THE MORNING OR DELAYED UNTIL THE EVENING.

A COLD FRONT WILL DROP SLOWLY THROUGH IOWA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. THE HEAT WILL LIKELY PERSIST ACROSS SOUTHERN IOWA THROUGH TUESDAY.

IN ADDITION…THERE IS AN ELEVATED FIRE DANGER MONDAY AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY ACROSS AREAS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN IOWA WHERE DROUGHT CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED. THE COMBINATION OF LOW HUMIDITY…A GUSTY 20 TO 25 MPH SOUTHWEST WIND AND DRYING VEGETATION COULD LEAD TO QUICK FIRE GROWTH SHOULD A FIRE BE IGNITED.

The Audubon county FSA office reports emergency haying on CRP acres has been extended until September 20th. Denny Heflin, FSA Director, says  “Farmers can come into their FSA office after they get the work completed, they just need to remember when they get it done they have to go in and certify it and agree to the terms and conditions. The payment reduction is still the same 10% and bales have to be removed within ten days after completing the harvest.”

The measure came about because of the extended period of dry weather. The emergency haying on CRP acres includes Audubon, Guthrie, and Cass Counties.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new survey of Iowa farmers says renting an acre of land to grow crops costs a state average of $255 an acre. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says that’s an increase of $20 an acre from a year ago and is the highest since the department began compiling comparable records in 2008.

Farmers in Grundy County are paying $316 an acre and those in Ida County $314 an acre, the two highest. The lowest cash rents were paid in southern Iowa with Appanoose County listed at $150 an acre and Van Buren County at $156. Fifteen counties had average rent less than $200 per acre in 2013, compared with 20 counties in 2012.

Cash rent paid for pasture in Iowa, at $49 per acre, was up $3 from 2012.

The Carstens Farmstead in Pottawattamie County is the site for a family fun weekend as the 1880 Farmstead Days are here. This is the 31^st year for the Carstens Farmstead Days featuring horse, steam and gas power exhibits. Over two hundred restored antique tractors will be on hand. Terry Torneten, member of the 1880 Carstens Committee, says the event starts out with the most important meal of the day.

He says  “The activities start right on Saturday morning with a breakfast by the Shelby Fire Department. The thresher breakfast will starting at 6:30 in the morning.” The breakfast will be held on both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night is highlighted by the Staley’s chicken supper at 5:30pm with proceeds going towards the maintenance of the farm. This year the Carstens days plans to feature Case IH tractors. Torneton says “We have the Heartland JI Case collectors club looking to invite people to bring their tractors to display. They want to make sure this is the biggest turnout of Case IH tractors ever at Carstens.”

As far as entertainment, Carstens has invited Cloggers to perform at 12:30pm on Saturday, Country Kickers America performs on Sunday at 12:30 and a few local bands will play a variety of music during the entire celebration. The 2013 Carstens 1880 Farmstead Days will also have a quilt show, crafts galore and several vendors selling antiques. Admission is $5 per day for everyone nine years or older. The Carstens farm is located off I-80 exit 34 south of Shelby where signs will be posted.

(Joel McCall/KNOD)

About one-third of Iowa is now in a severe drought and the increasingly dry conditions raise the risk for grass fires. State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds says rural residents who burn ditches or large piles of debris need to be especially careful. “I think people underestimate just how dry the conditions are,” Reynolds says. “The other thing we see, as we start to get into the fields in the next month or so, equipment and machinery are another common cause of fires.”

Prairie or grass fires are also often ignited by discarded cigarettes.”We see an awful lot of people who are throwing cigarettes out of their cars and I’ve not seen a car yet that doesn’t come with an ashtray. We would just encourage people who are traveling through our state to put their cigarettes out in their vehicle in the ashtray,” Reynolds says. A simple spark, combined with the recent low humidity and a little wind, can quickly turn into a large fire.

Reynolds says every year, at least a few Iowans are burned or even killed in “controlled burns” that get out of control. “If we could just remind Iowans…if you absolutely have to burn, make sure you have a water source close by and just be cognizant of the conditions when you burn,” Reynolds says.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Drought conditions have worsened in a portion of the Midwest including Iowa, the nation’s leading corn producer, as the region experienced its hottest week of the year. The extreme heat and near record low August rainfall combined to expand drought conditions from the eastern Dakotas southeastward into western Illinois.  Iowa saw its warmest week since July 2012, with highs topping 104 at Des Moines on Aug. 30.

About 98 percent of the state is in drought. Severe drought expanded to 32 percent of the state from 22 percent the week before. Conditions are mostly unchanged in Nebraska and Kansas. The weekly drought monitor, which tracks conditions from Aug. 27 through Tuesday morning, shows 61.7 percent of the contiguous United States in drought, nearly the same as the week before.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Teddi Grindberg has announced the County has been awarded $11,554 in a USDA Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), to assist with Farmers Markets development throughout the County. The award will extend through the end of the current market season, the coming year, and the end of the next season.

The focus of the grant is to help communities within Cass County to create and/or expand area farmers markets. The Cass County Local Food Policy Council will work in conjunction with interested communities to identify current and potential vendors, establish community-based market committees, and to promote the purchase and consumption of the local food provided in the markets.

Atlantic Police Chief Steve Green says Wednesday evening’s action by the City Council pertaining to an amendment of an ordinance allowing bow hunting of deer within the City limits, means anyone interested in hunting this season, and did qualify to do so last season, should contact the Police Department to acquire a permit. Hunters who did not shoot qualifying scores last season may contact Lt. Dave Erickson at the P-D, to set-up a time to qualify.

Green says the department has the permit applications and hunting instruction packets available. Both may be picked up during normal business hours (8-a.m. to 4-p.m., Monday through Friday). In addition, land owners who would like to allow bow hunters to hunt on their land, should contact the Police Department at 712-243-3512 during business hours, to sign-up.

The Council’s action Wednesday, was an effort to entice hunters to actively assist in the reducing of an excessive number of deer that have plagued the City in recent years. Last year, over 30 hunters qualified for the right to hunt within the City limits of Atlantic, but only two deer were taken. The greatest change to the Ordinance, according to Green, is that hunters will be reimbursed for the cost of the State Deer Tag for taking their first doe within the City limits. Subsequent to taking an antlerless deer and having it verified that it was taken within the City limits, hunters will be given a permission slip allowing them to use their next “any sex” tag, to take one of the many large bucks that frequent the community.

Andrea Farrior and Chris Parks discuss the latest information from the Atlantic Animal Shelter.

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