COUNCIL BLUFFS – The no-wake restriction for boaters on Lake Manawa was removed today (Friday) after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources determined the lake was back down to acceptable levels.  The no-wake restriction had been in place since June 27th, to minimize the impact of the high water to infrastructure around the lake. Many of the docks were submerged and posed a safety hazard to boats operating at higher speeds.

Dan Jacobs, park manager for Lake Manawa, said they will place a boat dock on the west boat ramp that will remain in place through the winter, but the docks on north and south boat ramps will be removed next week.

(DNR Press Release)

Governor Terry Branstad and state Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey have asked the U-S Department of Labor to extend the comment period on new regulations covering kids who work on farms. Northey says the rules were apparently designed to deal with migrant kids working with their parents, but he says they can impact farms that are family-owned. Northey says it looks like if the farm is owned by uncles, brothers and multiple family members, the rules would apply to them and the kids would not be able to work on the farms until they reach age 16. 

U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently the rules are not meant to apply to kids who work on a farm owned by their parents. Northey agrees those farms are exempt. He says there is clearly an exemption for solely owned family and there appears to be an exemption soley-owned family farm corporations, but he says it doesn’t appear that there is an exemption for farms that are owned by more than one person, even if they are all family members. 

Northey says he asked along with the governor, that the comment period be extended. Northey says the comment period happened right during the harvest, and some farmers in Iowa and other parts of the country are just finding out about them. He says extending the comment period by 45 days would ensure that everyone is allowed to give their input. The extension would push the comment period into January. 

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with West Central, a farmer owned cooperative based in Ralston, IA, have announced they will once again offer $4,500 in scholarships to area students graduating high school in 2012, and planning to pursue an education in an agricultural field. The funds are available through West Central’s “Excellence in Agriculture” scholarship program. Details about the program are available at area schools and extension offices. It’s also available online at www.west-central.com/about/communityrelations.

Since 1996, West Central has awarded more then $50,000 to local students interested in pursuing an education and career in the agricultural industry. Officials say as the Ag Industry continues to become more complex and technical, the need for an increasingly skilled workforce grows. Persons working in agriculture today are working with technologies including Variable Rate Technology (VRT), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), advanced gentic engineering, and more.

Questions regarding the Excellence in Agriculture program should be directed to Sarah Dorman, Communication Specialist, at 712-667-3200.

w/ Dave York

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w/ Kate Olsen

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According to USDA, net farm income in 2011 is forecasted to be the highest recorded (adjusted for inflation) since 1974. Fueled by several years of higher grain prices, farmers have been reinvesting some of this increased income into their operations. As seen in fields this fall, many producers are choosing to spend this money on installing tile drainage systems. Higher land prices have also caused many landowners to squeeze more production out of the acres they currently farm by removing fencerows, filling low areas and clearing trees. 

Conservationists with the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) warn producers to be cautious about wetland provisions when installing tile, clearing trees or completing other land altering measures. “Farmers and land managers need to protect their farm program benefits by first checking with their local office for a wetland determination prior to working in wet portions of their farms”, said Richard Sims, state conservationist for Iowa NRCS. 

To maintain eligibility, USDA participants must certify that they have not produced crops on wetlands converted after December 23, 1985, and that they did not convert a wetland to make agricultural production possible after November 28, 1990. Any activity that alters natural wetlands, making the production of an agricultural commodity or forage crop more possible is prohibited. These conversion activities may include:

        •      Filling

        •      Draining (surface ditching or subsurface tiling)

        •      Land leveling

        •      Clearing woody vegetation where stumps are removed

        •      Diverting run-off water from a wetland (i.e. building a diversion) 

If found in violation, farmers would lose eligibility for USDA programs, Sims said. For more information or to request a wetland determination, please visit your local USDA Service Center- NRCS Office, 705 NE 6^th Street, Suite E, Greenfield; phone: 641/743-6124.

Guthrie County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Director Daniel Curry says that the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments (SURE) program enrollment for 2010 crop losses, begins Nov. 14th.  Curry says “Producers across the state experienced several natural disasters during the 2010 crop year, that caused hardship and financial losses to many agricultural operations.” The SURE program provides assistance to producers when disasters strike.

Guthrie County has been designated as a Secretarial Disaster area. Curry encourages producers with 2010 crop losses to contact his officerto learn more about the program. To qualify for the SURE program, a producer must have at least a 10-percent production loss that affects one crop of economic significance. To meet eligibility requirements, producers must have obtained a policy or plan of insurance for all insurable crops through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, and obtained Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) coverage on non-insurable crops, if available from the FSA.

For more information on the SURE program eligibility requirements, contact the Guthrie County FSA officer at 1-641-332-2640, or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/sure on the web.

w/ Denny Heflin from the Audubon County FSA

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Officials with the Cass County ISU/Extension office say an Ornamental and Turfgrass Applicators Continuing Instructional Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators will be offered on Wednesday, November 9th. The program can be seen at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension Pest Management and the Environment (PME) program. The local attendance site is Cass County Extension Office. Registration begins at 1 p.m., and the course runs from 1:30 to 4 p.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Nov. 2nd,  and $45 after Nov. 2nd.  To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact Stephanie Garber at the ISU Extension office in Cass County by phoning 712-243-1132. 

The course will provide continuing instructional credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 2, 3O, 3T, 3OT and 10. Topics to be covered include effects of pesticides on groundwater and other nontarget sites; phytotoxicity; pesticide stewardship; Iowa forest health update; and turfgrass herbicide research updates. Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses being offered by the PME program can be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/PME.

w/Kate Olsen

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