The Cass County Conservation Board held a youth fishing derby at Cold Springs Park on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Prizes were awarded for the most overall weight:

• 1st – Tobin Juhl
• 2nd – Morrison Sandbothe
• 3rd – Traven Thomas

Derby 21 winners, left to right:
Tobin Juhl; Morrison Sandbothe; Dayton Thomas; Traven Thomas; Christian Bullington.

Awards also given for:

• Heaviest single fish: Dayton Thomas
• Longest single fish: Morrison Sandbothe
• Shortest single fish: Christian Bullington.

The Cass County Conservation Board thanks all those that donated items for the event: Weirich Welding for the trophies, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops, for prizes.

(Radio Iowa) – The World Pork Expo  wrapped up its three-day run at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Friday afternoon, and organizers say there was much political discussion among producers at this year’s event. Jen Sorenson of Ankeny, president of the National Pork Producers Council, says they’re lobbying the Biden Administration to appeal the court ruling that will slow down line speeds at pork processing plants beginning July 1st.

“While overall U.S. pork harvest capacity will drop 2.5% because of this decision, capacity at six plants running NSIS (New Swine Slaughter Inspection System) line speeds will decline by as much as 25%,” Sorenson says. “Hog farmers are expected to lose more than $80-million this year alone because of this decision.”

The council wants the U-S to sign on to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Transpacific Partnership agreement but Sorenson doesn’t expect it to happen this year with the focus on economic and pandemic recovery. Sorenson says expanding international markets is another priority.

“NPPC has been pressing both the U.S. and Philippines government to lower pork import tariffs as African swine fever outbreaks began in the Philippines,” Sorenson says. “NPPC is also encouraging expansion to Vietnam, another major pork-consuming nation dealing with African swine fever.”

Sorenson says the pork producers are joining the American Farm Bureau in legal action to get California to remove its Proposition 12, which dictates housing measures to pork and poultry producers.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says it’s time for a federal law that ensures any product labeled as “milk” came from dairy cows or other livestock, NOT from plants.  “I think we have to have labeling. Milk is milk,” Feenstra says. “Everything else is something different, right? You have to call it something different You should not be down the path of calling it milk.” U.S. milk consumption dropped 15 percent between 2012 and 2017 — while sales of alternatives made with almonds, oats, coconuts and rice grew by 60 percent over that five year period.

Feenstra says using the word “milk” for those plant-based products blurs the line for consumers.  “That’s why it’s so important that we have the educational process,” Feenstra says, “and that people understand where milk is coming from and what is can do for nutrition and for schools and for everybody that is involved.” The federal School Milk Program was established in 1955. It reimburses schools, child care institutions and eligible summer camps for the milk served to children and teenagers.

Feenstra, a Republican from Hull who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, visited an open house at the Perry Creek Dairy Farm near Le Mars earlier this week.

(Radio Iowa) – The new U-S Drought Monitor map shows 90 percent of Iowa is experiencing some type of dryness or drought. The Iowa D-N-R’s Tim Hall says only one section of the state has not water worries. “Southeastern Iowa way down in the corner — they’re not showing any dryness or drought — but virtually the rest of the state is,” Hall says. The area of concern in northwest Iowa has grown a little bit. So, certainly the conditions are not trending in the direction we’d like to see them.

The map shows 32 percent of the state rated as abnormally dry, 47 percent rated as in moderate drought and 10 percent rated as severe drought. Hall says streamflow conditions across approximately half of the state are now classified as “below normal.” He says the dry conditions in the north are now impacting things downstream. “As that lack of runoff works its way down through the system, we are seeing that reflected in the watersheds that run through central Iowa,” according to Hall. “So even though we may not be a dry here as in some parts of the state. The parts that feed those river systems have been exceptionally dry, so we are starting to see very low stream levels in parts of the state.”

Hall says the dry weather is worse this year because there wasn’t much moisture in the reserve. “Last year we entered 2000, we entered the growing season with a significant supply of groundwater and soil moisture leftover from 2018 and ’19, which were really wet years. He says. “This year — 2021 — we came into the year with almost no excess soil moisture and groundwater. So, it’s as if we started with an empty tank.” Hall says the weather data for June, July and August show there is a chance to run things around. “Over that three-month period statewide we average right at about an inch per week of rainfall. And that’s a pretty hefty chunk of moisture,” Hall says. “If we were able to get normal rainfall for the next three months — I think we would be in pretty good shape. The challenge is, every week that goes by without rain puts us another inch behind.”

He says you always have to wait and see with the weather. “We’re not panicking yet. But we’d really like to see some rain here in the month of June to start to replenish some of the soil moisture and start to get us back on track,” Hall says.  Some cities are asking residents to be smart about their water use as the dry conditions continue. Hall says those measures may be ramped up more if the lack of rainfall continues.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congressman Randy Feenstra says a tax change President Biden has proposed is effectively the death tax with a new coat of paint. The proposal would treat the transfer of inherited property like a sale, so capital gains taxes would be collected.  “This dramatically affects our farming community,” he says. Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, says Biden’s proposed million dollar exemption for individuals and two million dollar exemption for couples who inherit property isn’t enough.

“When you start selling land or you start selling a small business, that’s not very much,” Feenstra says, “especially when you’re into agriculture and all the equipment and all this other stuff that you’re trying to pass on to the next generation.” Feenstra says with inflation rising, Biden’s proposed budget – and the proposed taxes to finance it – should be scaled back.

“Each year we take in about $3.25 trillion of revenue,” Feenstra says, “so when you create a budget of $6 trillion, that should raise everybody’s eyebrows.” Feenstra says if Biden’s budget is adopted, it will devalue the dollar and make consumer goods more expensive.

(Radio Iowa) – The deadline is next Tuesday for Iowa farmers who planted cover crops last year — things like cereals, grasses and legumes — to get some money back through a new federal program which has Iowa roots. Sarah Carlson, strategic initiatives director for Practical Farmers of Iowa, says the U-S-D-A announced the Pandemic Cover Crop Program on June 1st, offering a premium of five-dollars-per-acre. Carlson says, “If farmers planted cover crops in fall of 2020, they can go into their FSA office by June 15th and certify their acres just like they would certify their crop acres through the 578 process, and then that $5 discount will show up on their 2021 crop insurance bills for those cover crops last year.”

While five dollars per acre may not sound like a lot, Carlson says for some farmers, it could mean the difference between losing money and making money. “If we look at the total cost to do a cover crop, this is around $25 an acre, and if farmers are able to make some cuts in their herbicide program or maybe feed some of the cover crops to livestock, the $5 helps us basically just get over the break-even point and they’re probably in the black then with those extra $5,” she says.

The Pandemic Cover Crop Program is modeled on a state-level program that’s been online in Iowa for several years, one which the Practical Farmers of Iowa helped launch.  “The origins were to think about those farmers who’ve tried cover crops for a long time, been wanting to still support them and keep derisking that practice, so $5 was a good investment in them from the state,” Carlson says. “That’s just paid off in extra acres that farmers plant, more nitrogen cleaned up in our waterways, and now, this program going federal.”

If there’s strong interest in the program from farmers across the country, Carlson says it’s hoped the same program will be rolled out again this coming fall.

(Radio Iowa) – A new report finds many Iowa farmers are having to shell out more money to cover a significant increase in land rent rates this year. Iowa State University Extension ag economist Wendong Zhang says it’s the first big boost in rental rates in eight years. “What we saw is a 4.5% growth to about $232 per acre,” Zhang says. “What is noticeable is that this is probably the first major increase in cash rent since 2013 when we had the land value peak.”

Better crop and land prices, along with lower interest rates and government payments were all factors, he says, in generating the land rent rate increase. Zhang says the rates vary based on the region. “In northwest Iowa, they’re seeing the average cash rent essentially show modest increase of $239 to $242, but in north-central Iowa, the increase is more, from $225 dollars to $238,” he says.

The 2021 cash rent survey is based on more than 13-hundred responses from Iowa producers and landowners.

(Radio Iowa) – Officials say two employees recently saw a bear on John Deere’s property north of Dubuque and Vince Evelsizer of the Iowa Department of Natural Resource suspects it was a male bear — since this is breeding season for bears. “It’s usually young males — 2-4 year old males — moving around and actively looking for females this time of the year,” he says, “even though it’s so hot out.” The bears tend to move at night, though, when it’s cooler, he says. There have been several recent black bear sightings in Dubuque County. “Even a couple of sightings where we got trail camera photos,” Evelsizer says.

Evelsizer, a furbearer biologist, says the animals are likely coming from Minnesota and Wisconsin. If they’re not looking for a mate, Evelsizer says they’re probably looking for food. “They’re most likely at this time of year to get into bird feeders or smelly garbage or people’s barbecues, that type of thing,” Evelsizer says.

As Radio Iowa reported last month, experts like Evelsizer say it’s likely black bears will start to have cubs in Iowa and groups of bears eventually will repopulate in the state. There’s been no recent confirmation baby bears have been born in Iowa, however. “We anticipate getting some more bears,” Evelsizer says. “There’ll be problems at times with them, but there’ll be fewer problems if we all kind of get used to the idea of living with more bears or trying to coexist.”

Evelsizer says over the next few years the Department of Natural Resources plans to use information from a program called “Bear Wise” to help Iowans get used to having black bears in their neighborhood.