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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is calling on volunteers to help cleanup a dozen state parks this weekend. Ashley Anderson, with the DNR, says Iowans will be asked to perform a variety of tasks to prepare the parks for another busy summer. The work will include trail cleanup, collecting litter and trimming of trees and bushes. The DNR has been relying more on volunteer help in recent years to maintain state parks as the agency’s budget has declined. The so-called “Spring Park Blitz” scheduled for this weekend is organized by DNR AmeriCorps members.
“The volunteers will work right along side our AmeriCorps members,” Anderson said. “The AmeriCorps members will be there to supervise or manage the volunteers.” In the event of inclement weather this weekend, some of the park cleanup events could be postponed to a later date. Iowans who are interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact Anderson by phone at 515-281-8300 or email: ashley.anderson@dnr.iowa.gov
Area “Spring Park Blitz” times/locations:
April 28th –
Lake Anita State Park: 9-11 a.m.
Lake of Three Fires State Park: 10 a.m.-noon
(Pat Curtis/Radio Iowa)
Have you ever wondered how the pioneers made their own rope or dipped their own candles? Maybe you have even thought about trying your hand at spinning wool. If so, you should come to the Hitchcock Pioneer Skills Festival. The Festival will be held on Saturday, May 5th at the Hitchcock House, which is located 6 miles south of Atlantic and 1.5 miles west of Lewis, IA. The festivities will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 4:00 p.m. You will have an opportunity to visit the historic Hitchcock House and see many of the skills and crafts that people of the late 1800’s used in daily living.
You could begin your visit with a tour of the Hitchcock House that is also a National Historic Landmark. This two-story home was built in 1856. It features thick sandstone walls, window seats, native hard wood trim and a secret room that hid runaway slaves. The secret room is located in the basement where there is also a stone fireplace where the slaves could cook food and keep warm. It is said that the famous John Brown preached around this fireplace. Head to the barn, where the hub of the festival activities will take place. Once you make it to the barn you will be able to observe the skills and crafts of the past and even try your hand at a few of them. There will be rope making, candle dipping, tin punching, and woodcarvings.
Don’t miss out on this exciting day! The festival will be held rain or shine. Families are encouraged to come and share the day together as they might have in the 1800’s. There is a $5 fee for a tour of the Hitchcock House. All activities in the barn are free of charge; donations to the Hitchcock House will be accepted.
(Press Release/Lora Kanning, Naturalist with Cass County Conservation)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Outdoor enthusiasts and business groups are forming a new group to promote hunting in hopes of reversing declining interest in the activity. Iowa Retail Federation President Jim Henter says hunters spend more than $288 million in Iowa every year and have a big impact on the state’s economy. Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Roger Lande says part of the hunting decline has been because the state has had a series of harsh winters that cut into wildlife population. Last year’s mild winter could help that population.
Lande says a loss of habitat also has contributed to the wildlife decline. Statistics from the DNR bear out the trend, with the number of hunting licenses issued in Iowa dropping for 10 straight years.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farmers are off to slow start in planting corn as cool, wet weather hampers the progress. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says nine percent of Iowa’s corn crop is now planted, behind the five-year average of 16 percent. Less than one percent of the soybean crop is in the ground. The USDA says last week’s weather was unfavorable for planting, and farmers are waiting for fields to dry out. However, the rain improved soil moisture, with topsoil at 88 percent adequate or surplus. Subsoil moisture also improved. Temperatures ranged from the upper 20s to the 70s The report says normal rainfall during the week, just shy of an inch, was exceeded in the northern half of Iowa and came up short in the southern half.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — After decades of failed attempts, lawmakers say this could be the session they succeed in at least beginning to overhaul Iowa’s property tax system. With hopes of adjourning this week, legislators are running out of time, but they express optimism that Republicans and Democrats will reach a deal. Lawmakers have considered changing Iowa’s property tax system for at least 30 years, but the issue is a nightmare for politicians because in Iowa, farmland, businesses and residential property are all taxed differently. To tinker with one means shifting the burden onto the others. This year, though, veteran legislators have reached a bipartisan agreement to address the matter. Republican Rep. Stewart Iverson of Clarion speculates there is a 60 to 70 percent chance that lawmakers will get something done on property taxes.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Missouri River boat ramp in Pottawattamie County has reopened almost a year after it was closed by flooding. Park Ranger Brian Orth said that it’s been a bad year or two for boating at Narrows River Park, so it’s exciting that the ramp reopened Wednesday. Pottawattamie County Conservation was forced to close the ramp after the river swelled last May. The water eventually filled the whole park. The ramp was also closed for several weeks in 2010 because of high water. Mark Shoemaker, executive director of Pottawattamie County Conservation, called the reopening of the boat ramp a good step toward recovery. He says there is still a lot of work to do in the park, such as fixing park shelters and playground equipment.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Former Iowa Governor Chet Culver says his program to support renewable energy research and development has been “wildly successful” even if only a fraction of the money has been spent. Culver pointed to a plant in Shenandoah that is growing algae as an example of a success story from the Iowa Power Fund. He says construction on a cellulosic ethanol plant is under way in Emmetsburg, and a second plant is moving forward. Culver says those three projects alone, if they come to fruition, would justify the state’s $71 million investment in the fund. Culver reacted Friday to an investigation by The Associated Press that found a third of the fund’s money has been spent, five years after its creation. He says the fund has been careful with tax dollars.
Atlantic Parks and Recreation Director Roger Herring has made available to the media mileage maps for the walking/biking trails at the Schildberg Recreation Area. At a recent park board meeting the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, in addition to KJAN and other local media, expressed an interest in putting the charts on their websites, for viewing by the public.
Herring says he hopes to have a park and rec link off of the city’s website in the near future but that feature is currently not available. He says the walking trails are getting used frequently, but questions remained as to how far the trails were.
Click on the images below to view the charts.
Herring says they will also have some signage at the entrances to the trails that will have the mileage charts on them, but there is currently no funding available for those signs.
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