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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
Iowans will soon be able to ride the rails on what are known as “railbikes,” which resemble steel-framed go-carts that you pedal on railroad tracks with a battery-assist like electric bicycles. Mary Joy Lu is C-E-O of Rail Explorers which is launching service in Boone this month. Lu says railbike riders will start at the historic Boone Depot, pedaling across farmland into the Des Moines River valley.
The route will take riders about six-and-a-half miles from the depot where they’ll enjoy stunning views and might spot a few bald eagles fishing along the waterway.
There are two and four-seat railbikes with the costs averaging about 40-dollars per person. Groups of about 20 railbikes will be leaving the depot in a group, with guides at the front and back, but with plenty of space in between.
Rail Explorers is partnering with the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad and anyone who’s taken the Boone Dinner Train will be familiar with the stretch of track as it’s the same course.
The rides will debut on July 21st, running Thursday through Monday through perhaps mid-November. Lu says they’re looking to immediately hire about 30 railbike guides. The company has railbikes in four other locations in the U-S: Las Vegas; Newport, Rhode Island; and in Cooperstown and the Catskills in New York.
railexplorers.net
(Radio Iowa) This year’s pheasant harvest hit its highest mark in 13 years and the man who tracks bird numbers says things are already setting up for another good year. D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Bogenschutz (Boyg-en-shuts), says the weather has been good.
He says the spring nesting conditions were very good for the birds.
He says it was not cool enough to cause major problems. Bogenschutz says rainy days in June don’t have as much impact because the temperatures are higher.
Bogenschutz will find out more about pheasant numbers in August when the D-N-R conducts its roadside survey of birds. Those surveys usually give a good indication of what to expect during the hunting season.
(DNR) The Iowa DNR is bringing back the Iowa State Park Passport in 2022 with new prizes and opportunities to enjoy state parks.
Park visitors are encouraged to sign up for the 2022 Iowa State Park Passport and make it a family-friendly challenge to visit and track visits to more than 60 parks and forests featured on the pass.
From July 1 – October 31 2022, visitors can check in for a chance at prizes:
For passport holders who participated in 2021, last year’s passport will expire. The 2022 passport offers the opportunity to start over with all new check-ins between July 1 – October 31, 2022 for prize opportunities. Learn more and sign up at: https://explore.traveliowa.com/checkout/311/travel-iowa/1619/iowa-state-park-passport
(Radio Iowa) – State, federal, and local law enforcement are combining efforts this weekend to focus on people who are driving their boats while intoxicated. Iowa D-N-R boating law administrator, Susan Stocker, says it’s part of national Operation Dry Water to highlight the hazards of boating under the influence. Stocker says officers will also be looking for other violations, including boaters who aren’t wearing life jackets. She says a life jacket is just as important as wearing a seat belt in a car. “If you’re in an accident or a car, you potentially and most likely will land on a hard surface but in the water, you’re going to land in the water, and then you’re not going to float,” she says.
There are multiple types of life jackets available and she says the biggest thing is to find one you are comfortable in. “The best life jacket is the one you’re going to wear,” Stocker says. “So there are a lot of comfortable life jackets inflatables, which are allowed for people that are 16 years and older. So they are lightweight and they’re comfortable to wear. We have a lot of what you would call type threes or ski vests which are more comfortable versus the orange horse collar that we all know and very, very uncomfortable that you know we wore as young people.”
She says kids that are 12 years and younger have to wear a life jacket when the boat is underway. 
Stocker says kids can operate a boat with proper supervision. “With an adult present, you can have your young person drive and operate a boat. If they are going to operate a boat by themselves. Without an adult, they certainly need to have a boater education certificate in order to do that,” she says. Stocker says the best thing is that if you’re going to teach your young person how to operate a boat is to be with them and be right next to them. And she says make sure you have the engine cut off switch on your arm — so if something does happen, then the engine the motor will stop automatically. Stocker says the lakes and rivers will be busy and she advises you to be courteous.
“Fourth of July weekend just like Memorial weekend everybody wants to get out there are a lot more boats that people have purchased we’ve got more on the water so be patient and obey the buoys out there because they are the speed limit,” she says.
Stocker says there are approximately 235-thousand boats registered in Iowa. She says there could be thousands more kayak and canoes, as they only have to be registered if they are 13 feet or longer.
(Radio Iowa) – A Sac County woman is charged with felony criminal mischief and livestock neglect after hundred of dead hogs were found at confinement lots in western Iowa.
Thirty-three-year-old Elana Laber of Early was arrested Thursday by the Sac County Sheriff’s Office after deputies located more than 1,000 dead pigs at two hog confinements in rural Sac County. Authorities say the animals had been dead for more than a week when they were discovered, and the pigs did not have access to food and water.
Laber was hired to manage both sites. The owners, Corey AGR Inc., estimate losses at more than $150,000. As of Friday, Laber remained in custody at the Sac County Jail on a $22,000 bond.
Ag/Outdoor, Backyard and Beyond, News
Tomorrow, July 1, 2022 at 9:45 am, LaVon Eblen will air her final Backyard & Beyond program on KJAN. To honor Lavon, we will be holding an open house event tonight, Thursday, June 30, 2022, at Produce in the Park from 4:30 – 6:30 in the Atlantic City Park. Stop by and greet LaVon and pick up some free goodies. In addition to her contributions at KJAN, LaVon has been a tireless volunteer in the community. We wish her well and hope you stop by this evening!
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson reports Katie Bateman is the new, Youth Programs Coordinator at the Cass County Extension Office. Olson says Bateman is no stranger to the 4-H program, and that knowledge will serve her well in the role she began in Mid-May. She’s has jumped right in to working with youth, parents, volunteers, and partners across the county, Olson says. The Youth Program Coordinator role is a full-time position, with responsibility for youth outreach programming and 4-H program management in Cass County. Katie’s first month on the job has been a flurry of activity with livestock weigh-in and entries, county fair preparation and summer daycamps and programming.
Katie is a graduate of Atlantic High School and was active in the Cass County 4-H program throughout her early years, serving in leadership roles at the club and county level. She remained involved in college, interning for several years at the Cass County extension office during the summer and helping form a collegiate 4-H club at the University of Northern Iowa, where she graduated with a degree in Leisure Youth and Human Services. Following graduation, she worked as a CYC in the Story County extension office for two years, in addition to other work experience with youth organizations and senior living communities around Iowa. She has also stayed involved as a volunteer in 4-H programs as she has moved across the state. Katie is excited to get back involved with the Cass County 4-H program to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.
Katie Bateman, Cass County Extension Youth Programs Coordinator.
Bateman says “As a Cass County 4-H Alumni and previous 4-H Staff member, I’m excited to be back in Cass County and leading a program I love! I’m looking forward to stepping back into the Cass County 4-H program and getting to work with our youth, volunteers and partners to keep our local program strong and continuing to grow.”
Kate Olson invites you to stop by the Cass County Extension Office at 805 W. 10th Street in Atlantic and welcome Katie to her new position, or give her a warm welcome as you see her at upcoming programs and around the fair this summer. She is available to answer questions regarding 4-H and youth programming or share information on resources available through Iowa State University Extension in Cass County.
Katie can be reached by calling the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or by email at kbateman@iastate.edu. For information on upcoming youth and 4-H activities in Cass County, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, follow @CassCoIAExt on Facebook or @casscountyiowa4h on Instagram.
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