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Bird House Workshop near Massena on Nov. 18th

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 6th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Massena, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board will hold a Bird House Workshop on November 18th. The workshop takes place at the Outdoor Educational Classroom near Massena , beginning at 3-p.m. All ages are welcome. At the workshop, you will learn all about making bird houses! You can even take your birdhouse home, for a suggested donation. Suggested donations for House Wren house $8, Bluebird wood or PVC $8, and Kestrel house $20.

The event is designed to be fun for all ages. Children must be accompanied by adult.  Please pre-register by November 15th by calling 712-769-2372 or emailing lkanning@casscoia.us ! The CCCB hopes you will join them for the Bird House Workshop, on November 18th.

Gov. Reynolds Issues Disaster Proclamation for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Hamilton and Clay Counties

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 4th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Friday, announced the signing of a disaster proclamation for Clay and Hamilton Counties effective immediately through December 3, 2023. The announcement came after the USDA has confirmed positive cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in three game bird duck farms in Clay County, and a positive case in a commercial breeding chicken flock in Hamilton County. 

The proclamation allows state resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. The proclamation also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites. 

The most recent case of bird flu in Iowa previously announced was in a commercial turkey farm in Buena Vista County. With these four new cases, there have now been a total of 10 cases of HPAI  in Iowa for the year.

Flock owners are asked to prevent contact between their birds and wild birds. Additionally, anyone who witnesses sick birds or unusual deaths among birds should immediately report them to state or federal officials. Biosecurity resources and best practices are available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship website.

The recent HPAI detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, and it remains safe to eat poultry products. If producers suspect signs of HPAI in their flocks, they should contact their veterinarian immediately. 

USDA Invests $20.59 Million in rural Iowa to Strengthen Electrical Grid and Boost Energy Savings

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov. 2, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today (Thursday) announced that the Agency is investing $20,500,000 in loans and $95,513 in grants to ten rural Iowa projects to improve electric infrastructure, lower energy costs, and expand businesses. Among them is a Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program grant of $481,768 to Pilot Travel Centers, LLC, in Iowa and 15 other states. The Rural Development investment will be used to expand the sales and use of renewable fuels. The projects is intended to increase the amount of ethanol sales sold by more than 57.8-million gallons per year.

Today’s announcement is part of a larger national announcement detailing $5 billion in support for projects in rural America. A full list of projects from the announcement is available online. USDA Funded Projects:

Three Iowa cooperatives received a total of $20.5 million in Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program funding. The announcements are part of President Biden’s Investing in America efforts to rebuild the physical infrastructure of our country to grow the economy for decades to come, create good-paying jobs, and better position rural America to compete in a global economy.

Western Iowa Power Cooperative received a $11,000,000 loan to connect 220 consumers and build and improve 62 miles of line. This loan includes $2,112,312 in smart grid technologies. The cooperative is headquartered in Denison, serving 5,578 consumers over 2,076 miles of line in nine counties in west central Iowa, including Audubon, Carroll, Crawford, Harrison, Ida, Monona, Sac, Shelby, Woodbury counties.

Prairie Energy Cooperative received a $6,000,000 loan to build two miles of line and connect 78 consumers. Prairie Energy, headquartered in Clarion, in Wright County, serves approximately 4,330 members with over 2,089 miles of line in eleven Iowa counties.

Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative received a $3,500,000 loan to help with generation system improvements. Northwest Iowa Power Co-op is a generation and transmission electric cooperative headquartered in Le Mars, in Plymouth County, supplying wholesale electric power to seven distribution cooperatives covering 6,500 square miles in western Iowa. These distribution cooperatives supply retail power to over 30,000 members/consumers. The cooperative serves these customers with over 900 miles of 69k V transmission line and 80 distribution substations.

An interstate co-op with ties to Iowa, Associated Electric Cooperative received a $328,924,000 Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee program loan to help with generation system improvements. Associated Electric Co-op is a generation and transmission cooperative that provides wholesale power to its six generation and transmission members, which in turn, provide wholesale power to 51 distribution member cooperatives. The combined 51 distribution members serve more than 910,000 customers in Missouri, southeast Iowa, and northeast Oklahoma. The co-op’s service area in Iowa includes portions of Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Marion, Monroe, Van Buren, Wapello, Washington, and Wayne counties.

Seven rural Iowa farms and businesses received Rural Energy for America (REAP) program grants. The funding is designed to help agricultural producers and rural small business owners make energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy investments to lower energy costs, generate new income, and strengthen the resiliency of their operations. This funding is made possible in part by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act – the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis.

REAP recipients include:

-Donald Beatty received a $14,576 grant to help install a 16 kilowatt solar array on his grain production operation near Atkins, in Benton County. This project will realize $3,804 per year in savings and will replace 22,560 kilowatt hours per year (96 percent of previous use), which is enough electricity to power two homes.

-Tye Steffen received a $11,925 grant to install a 20.5 kilowatt solar array at his grain production farm near Greenville, in Clay County. This project is expected to save $3,415 per year. It will replace 19,320 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the farm business energy usage) per year, which is enough energy to power one home.

-Kluesner Flooring Inc., a flooring business in Manchester, in Delaware County, received a $14,352 grant to help install a 14.4 kilowatt solar array. This project is expected to save $2,840 per year and to replace 15,256 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the business energy usage) per year, which is enough to power one home.

-Pops Inc. received a $14,196 grant to install a 14 kilowatt solar array at its agricultural management and site preparation contracting business near Dyersville, in Dubuque County. This project will realize $1,826 per year in savings and will replace 18,164 kilowatt hours (99 percent of previous business use), which is enough electricity to power one home.

-BAC CPA LLC, doing business as certified public accounting firm, received a $10,400 grant to install a 17.3 kilowatt solar array at its business in Dyersville, in Dubuque County. This project will generate 12,433 kilowatt hours per year, amounting to $2,216 per year. This is enough electricity saved to power one home.

-John Myers, owner of a grain production operation near Humboldt, in Humboldt County, received a $18,656 grant to install a 22 kilowatt solar array. This project is expected to save $5,312 per year. It will replace 20,275 kilowatt hours (100 percent of the farm business energy usage) per year, which is enough electricity to power two homes.

-Michael Kadow received a $11,408 grant to install a 9 kilowatt solar array on his grain production farm near Lone Rock, in Kossuth County. This project will realize $1,784 per year in savings and will generate and replace 10,056 kilowatt hours per year (100 percent of previous business use), which is enough electricity to power one home.

Official: Despite isolated bird flu cases, Iowa turkey supply is safe

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – While several cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza are reported in commercial Iowa turkey flocks in recent days, officials with the Iowa Turkey Federation says the turkey supply is safe and there will be plenty of birds for roasting at Thanksgiving. Morgan Pothoven, spokeswoman for the Ames-based organization, says Iowa producers are striving to ensure their flocks — and consumers — are protected from bird flu. “Farmers are working diligently to mitigate the spread,” Pothoven says. “They practice really good biosecurity, creating that line of separation and just tracking movement on and off the farm, so they ensure to not spread diseases. Farmers have worked diligently to mitigate the spread so that we don’t have a supply chain issue for turkey.”

State ag officials say migrating wild birds are the likely source of the bird flu outbreaks. Despite the setbacks where outbreaks were confirmed, Pothoven anticipates there will be an ample supply of turkeys for the big holiday later this month. “Shopping early is always recommended when you are looking for a specific size, but you can guarantee that there’ll be turkeys for you at Thanksgiving — at a reasonable price,” Pothoven says. “Grocers plan and often your turkey is actually on sale, so the most economical way to feed your family is actually your Thanksgiving meal because of the deals that many grocers run.”

Most of the turkeys that are raised in Iowa are used for products like sliced sandwich meats, not the type of whole bird you’d put in the oven at Thanksgiving. “Your whole birds are coming from some other states,” Pothoven says, “but it’s a good reminder that turkey is more than just for at Thanksgiving and you can support Iowans by buying turkey year round.”

Iowa is the nation’s seventh largest turkey producer with an estimated 12-million birds raised here each year.

Cass County Extension Report 11-1-2023

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

November 1st, 2023 by Jim Field

w/Kate Olson.

Play

Iowa DNR seeks public’s help in its gray fox research

Ag/Outdoor, News

November 1st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Experts in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are asking Iowans — including trappers — for help in research that may explain why there are a dwindling number of gray fox in Iowa. Vince Evelsizer — a furbearer biologist for the D-N-R — says gray fox are pretty secretive, not very vocal and live primarily in wooded areas of eastern and southern Iowa.

“For the past 25 years or so their population trend has been downward, however we don’t know a whole lot about the gray fox. We know much more about the red fox than we do the gray fox,” Evelsizer says. “…Our ‘guess-timate’ is that there would be 10-20% of the gray fox out there that there used to be and that might be a generous estimate.”

The D-N-R is offering 400 dollars to trappers who catch a gray fox in a cage and turn the live animal over for the D-N-R’s research project so it can be fitted with a neck collar that has a tracking device. Evelsizer says Iowans who are certain they know where gray fox may be in their area can call the agency, because he and another staffer who’re working on the project might be able to catch the fox and put a G-P-S collar on it.

“Also if they find a fresh dead gray fox this fall and winter, we’d even like to have that for study as well. We can look at the health of that dead gray fox as far as what kind of shape was it in, what was the reason it died,” Evelsizer says, “so live foxes and dead foxes are helpful for our study.” The D-N-R conducted a survey between 2018 to 2021 and found next to zero gray fox were being trapped in Iowa, so it’s unlikely the population decline is because they’re being captured for their fur.

“What we think the likely causes are for their population decline are other things such as disease, changes to habitat and competition with other predators such as coyotes and bobcats,” Evelsizer says, “and even domestic dogs, too.”The state of Indiana has a similar project to track gray fox there. Evelsizer says the gray fox population is declining steadily in Midwestern states.

“However, in the southeastern U.S., the gray fox population is doing fine and then, also of interest, the gray fox are doing pretty well in the northern half of Minnesota,” Evelsizer says. “Why are they not doing well in the Midwest? We have some ideas, but we’d like to figure it out and get the answers through research so that we have a science based approach to it…knowing whether or not there are any kind of solutions we can implement.”

Gray fox are native to Iowa. An adult gray fox typically weighs between 10 and 12 pounds.

Third NW IA turkey operation hit by bird flu this month

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 31st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – State and federal officials have confirmed bird flu has hit a third commercial turkey operation in northwest Iowa. The facility is in Buena Vista County and had about 30-thousand turkeys on site. Another turkey production facility in Buena Vista County was hit by bird flu two weeks ago.

On October 23rd, officials announced birds in a commercial turkey operation in neighboring Pocahontas County were being euthanized after bird flu had been detected there. From April through September of this year, there were NO cases of bird flu reported in the state.

According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture, though, there were two outbreaks of bird flu at the beginning of the year — one in late January at a Buena Vista County turkey production facility and another in mid-March in a backyard flock in Chickasaw County.

Harvest Market 2023 Now Seeking Vendors

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 31st, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Atlantic, Iowa; October 30, 2023) – Harvest Market 2023 will be held at the Cass County Community Center on Monday, November 20 from 3-6 pm. Produce in the Park is now seeking vendors for Harvest Market, and additional holiday markets planned for winter 2023-2024. Vendor applications can be found online at www.ProduceInTheParkAtlanticIowa.com; printed copies of the application are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St., Atlantic, IA 50022).

Harvest Market is held the Monday before Thanksgiving, so shoppers can pick up premium local produce, local meats, delicious baked goods, and other local foods to enjoy at holiday celebrations, along with seasonal candles, decorations, and gifts. Produce in the Park seeks vendors selling handmade or homegrown products, including local foods such as produce, meats, baked goods, eggs, jams, and jellies, as well as beauty products, candles, crafts, art, and decorations.

Harvest Market 2023 is sponsored by Cass County Farm Bureau, Cass Health, Gregg Young of Atlantic, 1st Whitney Bank & Trust, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, and the City of Atlantic.

For the latest information on Harvest Market, and all Produce in the Park markets, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

NE IA county supervisor plans pipeline-related ordinance

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 30th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A county official in northeast Iowa says the announcement that the proposed Navigator pipeline project has been cancelled is great news, but Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs says she’s talking with other board members about updating the county’s ordinance regulating how close for-profit pipelines may be built to homes and buildings. “I’m going to pull out all the ordinances I have from other counties and go through setbacks and we’re going to make them large enough setbacks. It’s not going to be like a 50 foot setback,” Helmrichs says. “…We’re going to look at putting things in place rather quickly.”

Navigator’s proposed pipeline would have stretched through about 25 miles of Delaware County. Helmrichs says the cancellation has relieved a lot of stress among affected landowners. “It was like a breath of fresh air and a load of a lot of the landowners their backs,” Helmrichs says. “…They were so fearful somebody was going to take their property and not be able to make it functional and the fear of what would happen with that being so close to their homes.”

Helmrichs says she intends to have serious conversations with local legislators and urge them to forbid private, for-profit companies from using eminent domain to acquire land from unwilling property owners.

Dry weather causing some harvest concerns in parts of Iowa

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 30th, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The dry weather has created some yield loss in soybean and cornfields in north-central Iowa. I-S-U Extension Field Agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz says some soybean pods were shattering in the fields before a combine would enter, or the pods shattered as the cutter bar of the combine hit them. The beans fall out of the shattered pods and can’t be harvested. “A lot of fields that are green with beans seed that fell on the ground and as germinated and some cornfields too and not a lot we can do when that crop dries down too fast,” she says. Rieck-Hines says the crops turned so quickly that it made it tough to respond.

“They kind of went from wet to dry like literally overnight,” she says.”Most people will tell you we went from green stems which was hard to combine, to dry pods and beans, and that made for some harvest losses.” She says many producers are making bales out of corn and soybean stover, but that can lead to a loss of important materials in the process. “Give some thought to how many nutrients in particular I’m talking about phosphorus and potassium were removed. How do we replace those nutrients with fertilizer or manure sources?,” Riek-Hinz says. “We can optimize our soil test levels for next year to optimize our crop production we sometimes forget we do remove a lot of potassium in corn stock bales, but we remove a lot more potassium if we’re bailing up soybean stubble.”

Rieck-Hinz says corn yields in her territory have been averaging 210-220 bushels an acre, soybeans have been averaging about 62 bushels an acre.