DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The long, circular path taken by a prairie chicken has surprised Iowa researchers.  The hen was fitted with a GPS tracker and released April 4 near Kellerton in south-central Iowa. It has logged nearly 1,200 miles since, flying south into northern Missouri and back again, as far north as Guthrie County in Iowa. The bird seems to have settled down in Union County.

Jen Vogel is a research associate at Iowa State University who has monitored Bird No. 112. Vogel says researchers expected the bird to range across perhaps 50 miles. Vogel told The Des Moines Register that researchers “really didn’t expect this distance.”  Scientists have been trying to re-establish the birds in Iowa, where they once were plentiful. Bird No. 112 came from Nebraska.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University will soon begin selling tickets for its first exposition celebrating all things bacon. Tickets go on sale Friday for the school’s first-ever Bacon Expo, which is scheduled for Oct. 19 in the Scheman Building Courtyard at the Iowa State Center. Officials say 1,200 tickets will be sold at $8 each.

Students are organizing the event, which will offer visitors hundreds of pounds of bacon samples as well as a bacon-eating contest. The expo is aimed at promoting the school’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, as well as the impact of pork production in the state.

Tickets can be purchased online.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers in central Iowa are finding more damage from a weekend storm that passed though Iowa with enough wind to flatten corn plants in some fields and damage trees. KCCI-TV reports farmers in Dallas County say the early Sunday morning storm brought an end to the recent heat wave but also packed strong wind.

Some corn fields in the area are completely flattened with eyewitnesses saying it was the worst crop damage from a storm they’d ever seen. Law enforcement officers reported to the National Weather Service that some trees were knocked over in Adel. No injuries were reported from the storms, which brought a 20-degree drop in high temperatures to Iowa breaking the nearly week-long record setting heat wave.

State Fire Marshal Raymond Reynolds has ordered a ban on open burning in Audubon County, effective at Noon today (Sat., Aug. 31st). No one is allowed to engage in open burning in Audubon County, except as specifically permitted by Iowa Code, or until Audubon Fire Chief John Ballou (who represents each fire department in the County), notifies the Fire Marshal that conditions have improved, and no longer threatens life or property.

The burn ban was requested by Ballou, after consulting with fire chiefs in the County, and was made due to the extremely dry nature of brush, grass and timber in the County. If fires start, they can spread rapidly and become out of control.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials have a positive outlook for the state’s latest rabbit and squirrel hunting seasons. The state Department of Natural Resources says the outlook is based on population surveys and availability of food sources. Both seasons begin today (Saturday).

Officials say southern Iowa has the best rabbit densities heading into the fall, but hunters around the state should see better cottontail numbers when compared to last year. The cottontail season will run through Feb. 28. Officials expect above average numbers for squirrels this season. That’s based on the mast production of several hardwood trees, which tends to be tied to peak squirrel populations. The squirrel season runs through January 31.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will be in Des Moines to host a discussion about immigration reform. The former two-term Iowa governor will host what the Agriculture Department describes as a round-table discussion about the importance of immigration reform for Iowa’s agriculture and rural communities. The event will be held this (Friday) morning at Iowa State University’s center in downtown Des Moines.

Vilsack’s participation follows the White House’s release of a report, which argues that immigration reform would help ease a shortage of agricultural workers.

MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) — DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge has scheduled the summer’s final Family Fishing Day for Saturday morning. Activities will take place at the refuge’s South Gate Recreation Area from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and include basic instruction and fun fishing opportunities. Youths younger than 16 can fish without licenses.

Participants may take their own equipment or use equipment and bait provided by the refuge. All children participating in the fishing clinic will receive a free T-shirt. An entrance permit is required for all vehicles. Permits may be obtained at pay stations near the entrances or at the Visitor Center.

DeSoto and Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuges sit north of Omaha, Neb., along U.S. Highway 30 between Missouri Valley, Iowa, and along U.S. Highway 75 near Fort Calhoun, Neb.

The recent hot and dry spell has prompted the U.S. Drought Monitor to list nearly a quarter of Iowa in “severe drought.” A week ago, none of the state was in that category. State Climatologist Harry Hillaker says it’s clearly very dry across Iowa, but he disagrees with some of the U.S. Drought Monitor’s new assessment. “Right along the Nebraska border, there was actually a fairly good rain there about a week-and-a-half ago. So, I would have left out Harrison and Pottawattamie Counties (from the severe drought category). They’re still plenty dry, but certainly not as dry as the rest of that area,” Hillaker says.

In far northeast Iowa, a section of Allamakee County is labeled as being in “moderate drought.” Hillaker believes that area shouldn’t be listed in that category just yet. Overall, the U.S. Drought Monitor calls all of Iowa at least “abnormally dry,” compared with 82 percent last week. Sixty-percent of Iowa is in moderate drought and 22.4 percent is in severe drought. Hillaker says the lack of moisture and this week’s extreme heat will likely hurt the development of Iowa’s corn and soybeans.

“The worry with most of the corn and soybeans is it’s going to decrease the yield and the corn kernels themselves won’t fill very well with the lack of moisture, which is going to be worsened by the heat…same with the beans,” Hillaker says. This month is on track to enter the record books as Iowa’s 7th driest August. Last month was the state’s 9th driest July on record.

Hillaker says the two months combined have produced the 4th lowest precipitation total in 141 years of records. “The only ones lower were all a long time ago with 1947 being the most recent one. The other two were back in the 1800s,” Hillaker says. The dry spell, which started back in June, follows Iowa’s wettest ever spring. Over the months of March, April, and May, Iowa received a statewide average of nearly 17.5 inches of rain. That was over two inches above the previous record, which was set in the spring of 1892.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A growing season that began unusually wet and cold in the Midwest is finishing hot and dry, renewing worries of drought and its impact on crops. Experts say corn and soybeans may not have enough moisture in dry areas to develop to full weight, which could reduce this year’s harvest.

The weekly Drought Monitor report released Thursday shows that lack of rain has caused drought conditions to expand in parts of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and most of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It also shows that abnormally dry conditions have expanded in eastern Iowa and South Dakota. Rain eased drought in portions of northern Nebraska, but much of the western half of the state remain in extreme drought.

But the drought monitor showed improvement in some states, including Kansas.

As interest increases in managing beef cows in dry lot or under roof management systems, local producers and veterinarians are asking Iowa State University for information comparing different systems. To address this interest and provide timely information and expertise, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has planned three cow facilities and management update sessions in southern Iowa.

Joe Sellers, extension beef specialist, said the sessions will be held Wednesday, Sept. 4, in Corydon; Monday, Sept. 9, in Anita; and Monday, Sept. 16, in Oskaloosa. All sessions run from 6 to 8:30 p.m. and include a meal provided by Farm Credit Services of America, the Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State and local sponsors.

“We’re bringing Iowa State faculty and staff to present a variety of informational beef cow operation topics, from feeder calf market outlook to health management concerns and recommendations,” Sellers said. “Each location will cover the same topics by the same presenters.”

Sellers and fellow extension beef specialist Christopher Clark will present comparisons of three cow management systems, including pros and cons of each. Sellers also will talk with attendees about whether they can justify building a facility for wintering and calving cows. Clark will offer cattle health management recommendations. Lee Schulz, Iowa State University ag economist, will present information on feeder calf market outlook and cow-calf business prospects.

All three sessions are offered at no charge, but pre-registrations must be made by the Friday prior to the session to be attended. Session dates, specific locations and preregistration information are as follows.

• Sept. 9, Anita, Anita Veterinary Clinic. Call Stuart-Anita Veterinary Clinics 515-523-1755 or 712-762-4193 by Friday, Sept. 6.

For more information, see the update sessions flyer on the Iowa Beef Center website at www.iowabeefcenter.org or contact Sellers at 641-203-1270 or sellers@iastate.edu.