(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa lawmaker who’s been trying to legalize psychedelic mushrooms for medical use got a statehouse hearing on the idea today (Wednesday), but Representative Jeff Shipley’s bill was defeated in subcommittee on a zero-to-three vote. Shipley, a Republican from Fairfield, says psilocybin — the chemical found in so-called “magic” mushrooms — should be legalized as treatment for things like depression, addiction and end of life care. “I just want to thank everyone for coming out for a great discussion,” Shipley says. “I think that we’ve had some powerful testimony that there is indeed some medical value to these substances.”

Todd Mulford of Hampton told lawmakers psilocybin helped him break a decades-long addiction to meth and he’s been sober for five years. “Without strong plant medicines that naturally occur in nature — effective, beneficial, non-harmful, safe medicine — there’s no way that I can even sustain my sobriety,” Mulford says. Brent Russell of Ankeny says he suffers from anxiety and went to the Netherlands for treatment with psilcybin, where it’s legal. “For at least six months after that first use, I could feel this relief off my shoulders. My wife said the same thing,” he said. “I’ve been back a few times to use psilocybin. We can’t do this in Iowa, because it’s illegal.”

Shannon Myers, a certified rehabilitation counselor in the Des Moines area, says she is Iowa’s only psychedelic integration provider.  “I’m here to decriminalize nature,” she told lawmakers. Myers says psilocybin helped her five years ago after an auto immune reaction that 20 doctors were unable to diagnose and treat. “I’ve seen it beneficial for those with complex trauma, PTSD…It’s great for smoking, alcohol addiction,” she said. “I don’t even drink anymore. I’m totally sober. I just love being alive and that was from just one interaction.” Chuck Hurley, a key lobbyist for conservative causes in the legislature, testified at the hearing on his own behalf.

Hurley says having been a drug addict himself 40 years ago, he’s open to the discussion. “I Timothy 4:4 says, ‘For everything God created is good if it is received with thanksgiving,’ and so I just think there’s got to be a way to use these things that can help people with severe depression,” Hurley says, “without leading to more abuse of it.” The subcommittee members who defeated the bill all said they wanted to learn more about clinical trials of the drug, but prefer that the state wait until the Food and Drug Administration clears psilcybin for medical use in the United States.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Each year, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation hosts a fundraising auction to advance the future of Iowa’s beef cattle industry. This year’s event will be held virtually through Show Circuit (SC) Online Sales. Bidding will open at 7 a.m. on March 9 and end at 7 p.m. on March 11. Participants will need to register to bid or donate this year at sconlinesales.com.

The Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation focuses on education, advocacy, and financial assistance, in an effort to provide opportunities to young Iowans in the cattle business and enhance the public perception of the industry. Mary Greiman, Youth and Outreach Coordinator at the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation, says this is one way the Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation has made a diligent and committed effort to enhance and grow youth programs and scholarships. “Our Youth Beef Team membership has more than doubled in size and we are offering more opportunities every year for our youth to learn about and grow the beef industry. Our annual auction is one of the main ways we raise funds to do these things. Please help us continue to grow and support our youth by participation in our auction.”

Auction proceeds will help support youth programs and fund numerous scholarships. The Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation is able to fund these activities and more through the generosity of cattle producers and supporters.  The auction will feature a $500 Trans Ova Genetics service certificate, two Tim Cox prints, 10 pounds of the famous Cedar County Cattlemen’s pit beef and more. To participate in this year’s online fundraising event, view items and register to bid, click here.

The Cass County 4-H Endowment committee is hosting the annual 4-H Endowment Pancake Supper with a twist this year. The 2021 event, set for Thursday, March 18, will offer drive-through meals only, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic.  The Pancake Man will be dishing up fresh pancakes and sausage to go, with a choice of juice, milk or water. Supporters can drive through the fairgrounds and enjoy a pancake meal to-go for $7 per plate ($5 for youth under 6). Pancake patrons should enter the fairgrounds from 10^th street via Fair Avenue, on the west side of the fairgrounds by the Sunnyside Park tennis courts. Signs will direct cars through the grounds to the pickup location at the back of the community center.

The annual silent auction will be moved to an online format this year. Bidders can find auction packages and learn more on the Cass County Extension website- www.extension.iastate.edu/cass – or Facebook page (@CassCoIAExt). The auction is expected to be live online by Monday March 8 to give bidders time to view packages and place their bids. The auction will remain open through the pancake supper, with winning bidders able to pick up items from the Extenison office the following week.

Proceeds from the 4-H Pancake Supper and silent auction directly benefit the Cass County 4-H program.  The money raised goes to the Cass County 4-H Endowment, a fund to offset the 4-H Program Development Fee, support scholarships, and provide dollars for youth programs including Clover Kids and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities.

The 4-H Program Development Fee is $30 per youth each year to enroll. Instead of having individual 4-H’ers and families take on that expense, the Cass County Extension Council, and the 4-H Endowment Committee pick up this expense. The Cass County 4-H Endowment also offers opportunities for youth to get involved in the 4-H program by attending camps and conferences and offering scholarships to graduating seniors.

For more information on the Pancake Supper, Endowment or 4-H program contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or xcass@iastate.edu.

w/Kate Olson.

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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An Iowa company is leading a $2 billion effort to capture carbon dioxide from Midwestern ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be buried deep underground. The greenhouse gas is generated during the fermentation process and contributes to climate change when it’s released into the atmosphere. Summit Carbon Solutions says the plan is to gather carbon dioxide from at least 17 ethanol plants and pipe it to North Dakota where it would be injected into wells and stored underground.

The carbon dioxide would be compressed into liquid form at the ethanol plants where feeder pipelines would send it to a larger pipeline that would extend across the Upper Midwest to North Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) – While some Iowans avoid winter weather at all costs, many others enjoy the outdoors at this time of year through paddling, which can provide exercise, solitude and a chance to see the amazing beauty of nature. While there will be plenty of melting with this week’s above-normal temperatures, many of the state’s lakes, rivers and streams are still iced over, but Susan Stocker at the Iowa D-N-R says kayakers are discovering plenty of open water. “There actually is and on portions of the Des Moines River, there is open water and even on the sloughs of the Mississippi, just not far from the channel,” Stocker says. “Yeah, avid paddlers are finding open water.”

Forecasters are calling for highs in the 40s for the rest of the week across northern Iowa, with 50s in central and southern Iowa. Even when air temperatures are above average, the water is still dangerously cold, so she says paddlers should dress for the water temperature, not the air — and expect to go into the water. The piece of outerwear known as a “float coat” may be a good option, she says, as it’s essentially a life jacket that looks like a typical winter coat. Stocker says, “Though float coats may not be the perfect gear for them, make sure that they have a life jacket and/or a dry suit which can serve as flotation.”

Spring won’t arrive until March 20th, and while you may spot a few canoes during the Iowa winter, Stocker says they’re more of a rarity now. “It’s kayakers this time of year, single or double kayaks, and then they add skirts to keep the water out and keep them a little drier,” Stocker says. “It’s a few more pieces of equipment to adapt to the cooler temperatures.”

Especially during the winter, don’t paddle alone, she says, use the buddy system. Also, bring a change of clothes in a dry bag, a first aid kit and a protected cell phone, and Stocker adds, let a friend or loved one know where you are going and when you are expected to return. Find the DNR’s interactive paddling map at: www.iowadnr.gov/Things-to-Do/Canoeing-Kayaking/Where-to-Paddle

(Radio Iowa; updated) – Tyson Foods has announced Covid-19 vaccines will be available later this week for all meat processing workers at its plants in Iowa. Last Thursday, the governor announced Iowa would be getting nearly 26-thousand doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine this week. Public health officials indicated that supply of the new single-dose vaccine would be enough for ALL frontline workers at the state’s meatpacking plants. Tyson is the first company to announce that its 13-thousand Iowa employees will have a chance to be vaccinated later this week. Mass vaccination sites will be set up at or near the company’s plants in Columbus Junction, Council Bluffs, Independence, Perry, Storm Lake and Waterloo.

A site in Sioux City will be set up for Iowa residents who work at Tyson’s Dakota City, Nebraska plant. Essential workers are now eligible for vaccinations. State officials say employees in meatpacking plants are classified as essential workers because they work in close proximity to others and cannot maintain six-feet of separation.

(Radio Iowa) – The recent run of sub-zero temperatures across the country spurred several stories about animals who died in the cold or struggled. The D-N-R’s Tyler Harms tracks the deer numbers in Iowa and says it is a normal part of the cycle. “In winters like this where we have persistent deep snow cover and extremely cold temperatures — it’s definitely going to impact wildlife. We start to see some of those weaker individuals or younger individuals that succumb to these very harsh conditions,” Harms says.

He says he’s heard a few reports of deer with problems — but overall they can handle the Iowa winters very well. “Whitetail deer are native to Iowa, so they have been dealing these extreme winter conditions throughout their entire time here,” according to Harms. “They certainly have adapted biologically to be able to handle these conditions. You know often times they change their behavior and their bodies change to conserve as much energy as they can and they utilize the food they have available to them.”

He says deer are very good at finding any source of food available and you may’ve seen them in some backyards this winter looking for food. One thing he says everyone should avoid is putting out food for deer — as he says that can cause more problems than it solves. Harms says setting out a pile of corn is an example. “A pile of corn is really like a pile of candy for deer. It’s something that they certainly like to eat and it is something they can eat on occasion. But too much candy is not good for anyone,” Harms says. “Deer require a varied of different food sources, much like we do.”

Another danger is piles of food bringing deer together and concentrating them in one area. That can lead to the spread of diseases like C-W-D — which is always fatal to deer. Harms says they are better off than you might think. “They can manage quite well even in these extreme conditions. And while unfortunately, we do see some mortality of wildlife during times like this — for the most part on a population level — many critters do survive and are able to fight their way and live through it. It is pretty amazing that they are able to do that,” Harms says. Harms says they will know more about the winter’s impact on animals later this year.

DES MOINES, IOWA— FFA members from Atlantic FFA and other FFA members from across Iowa converged on the FFA Enrichment Center at DMACC and the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, recently, to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism. Atlantic FFA Reporter Aspen Niklasen says Atlantic FFA members, Taylor McCreedy, Alyssa Derby, Craig Alan Becker, Gunner Kirchoff, Aspen Niklase, Wyatt Redinbaugh, Garrett Reynolds and more than 100 high school students wearing blue corduroy from 20 schools flooded the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on February 16th. The students visited with legislators, exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learned the importance of citizenship. This was all part of the 36th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol.

FFA Officers with Moore

FFA Officers with Shipley

During the morning, FFA members heard from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President, Craig Hill talked about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the agriculture industry. Mike Naig, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture addressed the students about the importance of agriculture in Iowa and abroad. Kelsey Tyrrell from the World Food Prize addressed students about the future of Iowa agriculture and the importance of being involved with statewide issues. After traveling to the State Capitol, FFA members were able to watch Governor Kim Reynolds present and sign the FFA Week Proclamation, declaring February 20-27, the week of President George Washington’s Birthday, FFA Week in Iowa. The proclamation signing took place in the rotunda of the State Capitol where all members could observe.

The 36th Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol was made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.