Des Moines, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service today (Wednesday), confirmed a positive case of highly pathogenic bird flu in Pottawattamie County. The Iowa Department of Ag reports the virus was found in a non-commercial, backyard poultry flock.

The recent bird flu detections in birds do not present an immediate public health concern, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a news release, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig said “We recognize the threat HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) and other foreign animal diseases pose to Iowa agriculture. We have been working with USDA, livestock producers and other stakeholders to develop, test and strengthen our foreign animal disease preparedness and response plans since the 2015 HPAI outbreak. While a case like this is not unexpected, we are working with USDA and other partners to implement our plans and protect the health of poultry flocks in Iowa.”

The Ag department said biosecurity resources and best practices are available at iowaagriculture.gov/biosecurity.

(Radio Iowa) – The union that represents park rangers is calling on the governor and the legislature to overrule the eviction notices sent to state employees who live in state-owned homes inside 23 state parks. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say it’s too expensive to do repairs and maintenance on the housing where park rangers and some other park staff have been living, so the employees have been told they must move out by November 30th. The Iowa State Police Officers Council is the union that represents park rangers and, according to the union, the D-N-R has ended negotiations over the evictions. The union’s president says it’s ironic that the D-N-R decided there’s a “business need” to maintain state-owned housing for staff who work at the state fisheries, but is on the verge of doing just the opposite for park rangers.

According to a timeline released by the union, on March3rd of last year the affected staff were told they had to start paying rent or find a document showing the D-N-R required them to live in the home. The union says that’s a violation of the workers’ contracts, because that housing subsidy was part of their pay. A spokesperson for the agency has said the decision to evict the park rangers is about the future of the state park system and two-thirds of the state parks, forests and preserves do not have staff living on the property.

[Here’s the list of area parks where on-site housing is to be vacated by DNR staffers by November 30th: Green Valley (Creston); Lake Manawa (Council Bluffs); Lake of Three Fires (Bedford); and Viking Lake (Stanton).]

w/Kate Olson.

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(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department are getting ready for the summer already. Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen says “For anyone interested we have signups for our Summer Swim Team and Youth Summer Tennis.”

Persons interested may sign-up online, or fill-out a paper form in-person, at the Parks & Rec Dept. (1200 Sunnyside Lane).

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Pottawattamie County Emergency Management officials today (Tuesday), issued a reminder to county residents, that “An open burning ban is in place and continues for all of Pottawattamie County. The ban went into effect February 8, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. The ban prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, including all incorporated
city limits within the county.” The ban will remain in place until environmental conditions improve.

Yesterday, February 28th, 6 different fires occurred that utilized 12 of our 15 fire departments, units from Pottawattamie County Conservation and the Pottawattamie County Sheriffs Department due to residents failing to observe the burn ban. There were two additional fires out of county that departments also assisted with.

The burn ban is put in place to save lives and property. Violation of a burn ban can subject a person to citation or arrest for reckless use of fire or disobeying a burn ban. There were 4
citations issued yesterday. Emergency Management Specialist Michell Bose says “We understand that the weather has turned nice and land owners have fuels to burn, but with how dry our county is at this time, fires can become out of control quickly, resulting in catastrophic damage.”

As a reminder to citizens during these dry conditions, do not throw cigarettes out from moving vehicles and discontinue burning trash, yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground
and set-asides or other items during the ban. For updated information on burn bans and the law you can find further information on the Pott. County Facebook, and Twitter pages.

Red Oak, Iowa – Officials with ISU Extension and Outreach in Montgomery County said Monday (Today), Sadie Graham has accepted the position of Program Coordinator with the County Extension Office. As Program Coordinator, Graham will provide leadership to the Montgomery County 4-H and Youth program, develop local programming based on county needs, and build community collaborations. Graham will begin her new duties on a part time basis in mid-March, and start full time on May 9.

Graham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural Science from Northwest Missouri State University and will be completing her Master’s in Business Administration from Northwest this Spring. She brings experience with business, agriculture and event coordination to Montgomery County Extension.

Sadie Graham

Of her new position, Graham said “I am inspired by the opportunity to work with a team that promotes agriculture to the youth in the community. ” Mike Thomas, Chairperson of the Montgomery County Agricultural Extension Council, said “In addition to her passion for agriculture, Sadie will bring communication and relationship building skills to the position. We congratulate and welcome her to Montgomery County Extension.”

ISU Extension and Outreach brings research-based programming from Iowa State University directly to local counties in four educational areas:

4-H & Youth Programming
Ag & Natural Resources
Human Sciences
Community & Economic Development

For more information about ISU Extension and Outreach in Montgomery County, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/montgomery.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Get ready to welcome spring, by attending the Cass County Master Gardeners’ 2022 Spring Garden Seminar, in Atlantic. The event is set to take place Saturday, March 19th.  The 2022 Spring Garden Seminar features a theme of “Gardening from the Ground Up” and is a half day seminar designed to provide information and inspiration to gardeners of all skill levels. After a break in 2021, organizers say they are excited to be bringing the seminar back to the Cass County Community center this year.

The event beings with registration and a light continental breakfast at 8:30 AM. The first session beings at 9 AM, and will feature Diana Benzing and Dean Sparr, West Pottawattamie County Master Gardeners, discussing “Vegetable Gardening: Making the Most of What you Have” – a session that is sure to be useful to new and experienced gardeners alike. The second session will feature a panel of local and regional experts discussing Cover Crops for the Home Gardener. Attendees will learn all about methods, challenges, benefits and suggested varieties of cover crops for use in home garden spaces.

Following the guest speakers, the seminar wraps up with 60 minutes of “lightning learning sessions” where attendees will have the opportunity to rotate between short presentations on topics including flower arranging, container gardens, tool care, and air plants.

Spring Garden Seminar 2022- “Gardening from the Ground Up” will be held at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. Registration and a light continental breakfast begins at 8:30AM on Saturday, March 19.  The program begins at 9AM and will conclude by 12:30PM. Attendees are encouraged to spend the afternoon lunching and exploring in the Atlantic area; suggestions and coupons will be provided to all who register!

Cost for the seminar, including continental breakfast, materials and refreshments is $20. Master Gardeners are encouraging attendees to register early as space is limited. Early registration deadline is March 15. After this date, a limited number of walk-in spaces will be available at $25/attendee. A full schedule and registration form are available at the Cass County Extension office, or online at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.  Previous Garden Seminar, attendees with a current address on record will also receive a brochure with registration form in the mail. Questions can be directed to Kate Olson at 712-243-1132, or by email at keolson@iastate.edu.

Mark your calendars, get registered, and plan to join the Cass County Master Gardeners for the 2022 Spring Garden Seminar, “Gardening from the Ground Up!” on Saturday, March 19th!

(Radio Iowa) – Fertilizer prices have skyrocketed over the last year and Iowa’s Attorney General says he is looking into the reasons behind the 200 and 300 percent increases. Fertilizer companies blame natural gas cost spikes and production shutdowns because of Hurricane Ida. But Attorney General Tom Miller says he wants to know if these justify the jump in prices. “We’re taking a look at why this increase, what happened? What’s the relationship to supply and demand? And ask them for their side of the story,” Miller says.

Miller has written letters to the C-E-O’s of the top fertilizer companies — but he emphasizes that it’s not an investigation. “It’s sort of the initial look to see why this happened. And afterward we can make decisions,” he says.

Miller says he’s talked with attorneys general in eight other states — primarily in the Midwest — about fertilizer prices. But he wouldn’t share which states have shown interest. Miller says he’s also asked economists to study the issue — and he hopes to have some findings in a few months.