On Monday, Aug. 21, the DNR was notified of a black liquid in an unnamed tributary, approximately 1 to 1 ½ miles from the North Raccoon River. This liquid has been identified as hog manure and the investigation is ongoing.

Although the manure is no longer actively flowing, an unknown amount of manure continues to be pooled in numerous areas in the tributary and in drainage district tile 37B, verified with the Greene County Drainage District.

The public is asked to continue to avoid swimming or recreating in this area. Additionally, it is recommended that livestock using the tributary for watering be limited as well.

Throughout the week, DNR staff have investigated the area by checking tiles, tile intakes, and drainage tile outlets. Additionally, local officials and multiple landowners have provided information. Field tests show dissolved oxygen at zero and ammonia concentrations greater than 300 ppm, which is as high as the field tests read. Water samples have been collected and sent to the State Hygienic Laboratory for further analysis and are expected within the next 7-10 business days.

One week from today (Friday), the Iowa D-N-R’s State Forest Nursery in Ames will open its phone lines and website for taking seedling orders — both for this fall and next spring. Nursery manager Pat Griffin says they’re preparing now to handle what will most certainly be a deluge of requests for the tiny trees and shrubs.

If you do the math, that’s about 600-thousand seedlings that were sent out last season, though some years, it’s as many as a million. The tree varieties include 23 species of native hardwoods, along with eight evergreen species and 15 smaller trees and shrubs.

Varieties include hickory, maple and walnut as well as red oak, river birch and black cherry, and dozens more. While orders can be made starting September 1st, the seedlings won’t start shipping out until November 1st. Griffin says November is an ideal time to launch into landscaping.

Situated on 98 acres south of Highway 30 in Ames, the nursery was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and has run continuously ever since. The nursery had to raise its seedling prices last season, but Griffin says it didn’t impact sales.

Prices range from 80-cents to a-dollar-20 per seedling. They’re sold in three age classifications, and range in size from 10 to 30 inches, depending on the species. Sales run through May. Orders can be placed starting September 1st at 1-800-865-2477 or online at http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/.

Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is pushing back at critics who say her plan to override California’s law on pork production will derail up to a thousand laws in other states. California’s law requires that bacon and other uncooked pork that’s sold in California must come from operations that have 24 square foot pens for sows.

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says liberal activists in California should not be able to tell Iowa pork producers how to run their operations.

The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau say it will cost 350 million dollars to retrofit U-S hog confinements to meet California’s rules, but the U-S Supreme Court upheld California’s law in May. A coalition of groups lobbying against Hinson’s proposal say it would open the floodgates to China’s take-over of American agriculture.

A bipartisan group of 150 House members also have warned adding Hinson’s so-called “EATS Act” to the Farm Bill would kill the Farm Bill’s chance for passage this year. The lawmakers say Hinson’s proposal would harm pork producers who’ve complied with California’s rules and would overturn other state laws about invasive pests, livestock diseases and puppy mills. California’s new standards for pork are set to go into effect January 1st. California’s space requirements for ag operations that produce veal and eggs went into effect nearly a year ago.