Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Saturday, that damage to the entrance road at Springbrook State Park near Guthrie Center, in Guthrie County, has led to closing of the facility. A hole in the asphalt near the entrance to the park was discovered Friday evening and, upon further inspection, it was discovered that a large cavity had developed under the road, likely due to the recent heavy rainfall. After consulting with the Iowa Department of Transportation, it was determined that the road was unsafe.

All of the campers were safely evacuated from the campground and the park entrance was closed. A full assessment of the damage will be done on Monday along with determining a plan for making the necessary repairs. The park will be closed until the repairs can be completed and travel on the road is safe.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s wettest May on record has delayed soybean planting, which is likely to affect this fall’s harvest. As of this week only 40 percent of the state’s soybean crop had been planted. By this time last year, 95 percent was in the ground. The five-year average is 83 percent.  Iowa Soybean Association Director of Marketing Grant Kimberley says most of the crop likely will be in the ground by mid-June but that will cut the amount of beans harvested per acre.

Soybean yields on average decline by a quarter of a bushel to nearly a bushel per day the seed isn’t in the ground after May 15. Modern seed varieties have been known to catch up quickly and a decent harvest could result if conditions are good from now on.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The recent wet weather has converted last year’s drought in Iowa to flooding across much of the state. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday says only about 2 percent of Iowa was experiencing moderate drought this week and 17 percent of the state was abnormally dry. But the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses data from Tuesday morning for its weekly updates.

Several rounds of storms have dumped rain on Iowa since then, so the remaining dryness in northwest Iowa may have already been eliminated. The restored soil moisture should help Iowa farmers if their crops haven’t been affected by this week’s flooding.

Iowa’s secretary of agriculture says some Iowa farmers face tough decisions because of the wet weather. Secretary Bill Northey says some farmers may have to shift to seeding soybeans in fields they had planned to plant with corn this year. “We still have 15 percent of the corn to be planted out there for the first time and, really, almost none of that’s going to get planted ’til June. I’m sure some of it may not even get planted just because some rivers are out of their banks. In other places it’s going to be hard to get planted,” We have 60 percent of the soybeans yet to be planted and normally that should be close to being done or at least within sight of being done and now we’re hardly within sight of getting that in the ground.” 

In addition, farmers may have to replant fields that have been underwater for a while. “Way back in 1993 we had issues where the crop actually, essentially drowned out just in really soggy soil. Normally that doesn’t happen inIowa. We get some dry weather between our rains and the crop may struggle through some saturated soils, but it grows,” Northey says. “We’re at a point where we have to worry a little bit about making sure that soil dries out between these rains so that bean plant and that corn plant can stay healthy and keep growing.” 

Farmers are looking for warm, windy days in the forecast. Northeys says “We don’t need 40 mile an hour winds, but we certainly could use 15-20 mile an hour breezes on those warm days to be able to get some of that drying done.” Seed treatments can help young plants survive wet conditions. Northey says June 10th is a sort of cut-off date for planting corn in Iowa and farmers can plant soybeans as late as the first week of July, but the shortened growing season means a shorter crop. Northey farms near Spirit Lake and he still has some planting to do in his fields.

According to the Iowa Farm Bureau, planting progress is slower than it was in the dramatic flood year of 1993.

(Radio Iowa)

Information from the Atlantic Animal Shelter w/Andrea Farrior

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Southwest 8 Senior Services has announced that the state of Iowa is continuing the Farmers Market voucher program for senior citizens.  With this program, seniors meeting income requirements can obtain vouchers that they can use at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $30.00 worth of fresh, locally grown produce.  If you have questions about eligibility, please check with your local senior center.  

Applications for the vouchers will be available at your local senior center on 5/31/13.  Your completed application guarantees you a booklet, but there is a limited number, so contact your local senior center if you are interested in this program. Once you have a completed application, you can return to your local Senior Centeron 6/6/13 or after to pick up your vouchers.  

Council Bluffs residents can pick up an application for the vouchers starting on 5/31/13 at The Center, located at 714 S. Main Street.The distribution date for Council Bluffs vouchers will be once again held at The Center on Tuesday, June 11, 2013 from 9am – noon.  Again, your completed application guarantees you a booklet, so you may come at any time on June 11^th to the Center to present your completed application and obtain your vouchers.  

Seniors (age 60 and older) in all other communities in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties will receive their vouchers through their local senior center. 

Program Criteria:

• Must be at least 60 years of age or older
• Annual income must be less than

$21,256           Single

$28,693           Married

• Only one original application allowed per individual.  No photocopies or duplicate applications allowed 

Dates to Remember:

• May 31, 2013:  Applications will be available at all local Senior Centers and in Council Bluffs at The Center, 714 S. Main
• June 6, 2013:  Vouchers will be available for seniors with completed application forms at all local Senior Centers outside of Council Bluffs
• June 11, 2013: Council Bluffs Farmers’ Market voucher distribution at The Center, 714 S. Main from 9am – Noon for seniors with a completed application.

Officials with the U-S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Kansas report Farm Services Cooperative (FSC), of Shelby,Iowa, has agreed to pay a $21,450 civil penalty to theUnited States for the unauthorized sales of restricted use pesticides. 

According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Lenexa, Kan., the Shelby FSC on three occasions sold restricted use pesticides to an individual that was not certified to apply such pesticides, violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).  

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship conducted an inspection of the Shelby facility on November 19th, 2012.  The inspector documented the sale of the restricted use pesticides Atrazine and Grazon to persons not certified to apply such pesticides on three occasions in May and June of the same year. 

Restricted use pesticides are highly toxic chemicals whose misuse may pose significant potential harm to human health or to the environment. Under FIFRA, a restricted use pesticide can be applied only by or under, the direct supervision of a certified applicator. Sale or distribution of restricted use pesticides to persons not certified to apply such products and their subsequent misuse or misapplication may result in environmental harm or in injury or death to persons. 

As part of its settlement with the EPA, Farm Services Cooperative has certified that it is presently in compliance with FIFRA and its regulations.

w/ Kate Olson

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