(Radio Iowa) — Thousands of pork producers, students and industry officials, as well as hundreds of vendors, will gather for the annual Iowa Pork Congress this week. Dal Grooms, spokeswoman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says the event is North America’s largest winter swine trade show and conference. “We’re expecting about 5,000 people to come to Des Moines to learn more about the pork industry and to talk to vendors of products that they sell to pig farmers,” Grooms says, “and to just learn more about what’s going on currently.”

The keynote speaker is Andy Curliss, executive director of the North Carolina Pork Council, who will discuss coordinated efforts which threaten animal agriculture. Grooms says ten workshops are planned on a range of pork-related topics. “We have a couple workshops that are relative to African swine fever so people can learn more about what other producers have learned in the state of Iowa as they’ve looked at how that might effect them on their farm,” Grooms says. “We also have speakers coming in from China and Russia to talk about how they’ve dealt with those situations in their countries.”

The trade show features more than 300 exhibitors from companies both from Iowa and around the world, offering ways to help pork producers become more efficient, profitable and successful. The event runs tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. Learn more at: www.iowaporkcongress.org.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Dept. Director Bryant Rasmussen, Monday evening, updated the Parks Board on several matters, including tree removal at Sunnyside Park. Rasmussen said work on removing some trees and pruning others will begin soon. In 2015, a survey conducted with the help of the District Forester, counted and categorized the trees at Sunnyside, including those with issues that needed to be addressed immediately.

The Forester was brought back in this year, to re-assess the trees. Rasmussen said some 30-to 40 trees need to be removed or pruned. The ones that need to be removed are either dead, or have a rotten core, are leaning or are splitting down the middle: Those that pose a safety issue to park users. Some of the trees to be removed, including those over 2-feet in diameter and the Oaks, will need to be handled by a professional tree removal company.

Atlantic Parks & Rec Board (1/20/20) Ric Hanson/photo

Rassmussen said it is cold enough now that they were able to get the the ice to freeze at the Sunnyside Park Ice Skating rink, but there are some issues with cracking and ice heaves that need to be addressed once it gets a bit warmer, so they can add water and smooth out the rough spots. Once the rink is open, the Parks and Rec Department has hockey and ice skating equipment available, along with “Curling” with frozen milk jugs, frozen pop bottle bowling and more.

On a somewhat related note, Rasmussen said ice fishing is allowed at the Schildberg Park, but the ice is NOT monitored, so use Due Diligence to make sure it is thick enough before you venture out onto the lakes.

Rasmussen said the Parks Department has the raised garden beds for Mollett Park assembled and ready to be installed this Spring. Questions remain, though, including getting water access from AMU to the beds, and what the fee should be for the rental of a garden bed, compost, and tools. He said they have tentatively discussed a total fee of $35, which includes $20 for the raised bed, and $15 for the cost of utilities and tools. There will be 10, fenced in raised beds, with two available for Master Gardeners. Rasmussen said the Master Gardeners will offer once a week seminars for the plots and other helpful advice to potential users.

In other business, Bryant Rasmussen said the Parks and Rec Dept. will offer bikes to rent beginning this Spring, in coordination with the Atlantic Police Department. The bicycles are those that have been confiscated, or found and never claimed. They were stored for a year or more in the P-D’s basement. New (unpaved) trails will be opened-up at Sunnyside for bike paths, and helmets will be available “Compliments of people who left them after RAGBRAI,” and kids helmets courtesy of the Kiwanis Club.

Rasmussen said “Friends of the Parks” will hold a meeting 5:30-p.m. Feb. 4th at the Parks & Rec Office, to discuss community outreach, volunteering and overall promotion of the City’s Park Assets. Anyone is welcome to attend the meeting.

Rasmussen also encourages everyone to explore all the recreational equipment available at the Parks Office and storage shed, including Cross County skis & poles, bag boards for rent, a ping-pong table and net, discs for Disc Golf, horseshoes, croquet, volleyball, football and pickle ball equipment, board games, and much more.

Call the Parks and Rec Department Monday through Friday from 8-a.m. to 5-p.m., at (712)-243-3542, go to their website https://www.atlanticiowa.com/atlantic/city-departments/parks-recreation/ or follow them on social media.

The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department’s Board of Directors will meet in a regular session 5:15-p.m. Monday, in the City Council’s Chambers at City Hall, in Atlantic. Action items and.or New Business includes:

• Discussion with regard to tree removal at Sunnyside Park
• The closing of roads in the Sunnyside Park (as previously announced, the road gates closed Jan. 10th)
• An Ice Skating Rink update
• An update on the Community Gardens
• Bikes for recreation
• PALS
• Controlled Burns
• Ice Fishing.

In his report to the Board, Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen is expected to talk about:

• A Recreation shed being built
• Grants he’s applied for
• New recreation items added to the shop
• Snow removal efforts
• Spring Projects that are underway
• and, an update on the the previously announced New Year’s Challenge.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – More than 100 piglets died, Thursday, when a semi-trailer carrying about 1,700 of the animals overturned on a freeway just north of Des Moines. Tom Colvin, chief executive officer of the Animal Rescue League of Iowa, says about 100 piglets were found dead at the crash site.

Crews had to euthanize another 17 that were injured. Colvin told The Des Moines Register “they were suffering.” The crash happened Thursday afternoon when a livestock trailer overturned on a ramp to Interstate 35. The surviving animals were loaded onto other trucks and driven to a livestock operation.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Iowa had to round up more than 1,700 piglets after a semi-trailer overturned on a freeway just north of Des Moines. The crash happened Thursday afternoon when the truck and trailer overturned on an ramp to Interstate 35. Iowa State Patrol troopers had to close the ramp at times as crews worked to capture and unload hundreds of pigs.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a tweet, “authorities working to corral and transport 1,738 piglets!” It was unclear how long the delays would last.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs has awarded $1 million for five Iowa Great Places projects in Adel, Redfield, Clinton, Guttenberg, Marion and Winterset. The funding supports the development of new and existing community-based infrastructure projects that cultivate the unique and authentic qualities of neighborhoods, communities and regions in Iowa. The Iowa Great Places Citizen Advisory Board approved the grants during its meeting last month in Des Moines. Statewide, five grants totaling $1 million were awarded in response to 11 eligible applicants requesting nearly $2.9 million.

In this area: A grant of $39,000 will support the addition of two public art pieces in the towns of Adel and Redfield, plus artistic lighting on a railroad bridge in Adel to build upon the previous work to create a “Cultural Trail District” along the Raccoon River Valley Trail. And, a $310,000 grant will support the construction of a 12,000-square-foot environmental learning center, to meet the needs of environmental and outdoor recreation programming in Madison County. The center in Winterset will include interactive exhibits, a classroom for applied STEM-based programming and creative environmental learning, and a multi-purpose event and conference room to connect visitors to their natural surroundings.

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Chris Kramer said “Each of these projects plays a role in helping Iowans create culturally vibrant communities that attract and retain globally minded workers who put quality of life at the top of their priority list when they’re deciding where to live and work. We are proud to invest in Iowans and their communities through this program, and we’re especially pleased to help them make their visions for the future a reality.”

Created in 2005, the Iowa Great Places program provides designated communities with access to funding opportunities, professional development training, technical assistance opportunities, a network of vibrant communities and passionate leaders, and other state and local resources. Currently, the program includes 40 Iowa Great Places designated communities. Funding for the grant program is provided by the Iowa Legislature through the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund and requires a 1:1 match.

(Radio Iowa) — As the holiday bills are coming in and stress levels begin to rise, January and February are typically the busiest months of the year for counselors at the Iowa Concern Hotline. Tammy Jacobs, the hotlines coordinator with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says the free service is available to all Iowans, every day and at any time of day or night. “We offer stress counseling. We have counselors who are trained to talk to people about what’s going on, help walk them though the steps and develop skills in order to work through those,” Jacobs says. “We have legal staff available to help out with any legal questions that they might have. We also work with Extension and Outreach finance specialists, if people are having a financial issue going on.”

While the counselors work to address any issue callers may bring up, at this time of year, Jacobs says money matters are often front and center. “With the holidays being over, people are starting to get together with their tax consultants, going over some of their bills,” Jacobs says. “People are starting to meet with their bankers and farm financial providers in order to get operating loans for the next season.” With last year’s heavy rains and widespread flooding, many calls to the hotline focused on worries about spring planting and the fall harvest. With 2020 being an election year, Jacobs couldn’t predict how the call volume may fluctuate.

“Generally, we see between 400 and 600 calls a month just on the Iowa Concern Hotline,” Jacobs says. “Sometimes, we may see 700 or 800 calls a month. It just depends on what’s happening in the world, and if it’s flooding and there are disasters, then those calls may be a little bit higher.” To reach the Iowa Concern Hotline, call 800-447-1985, or some people might be more comfortable using a computer. “We’ve got the live chat. We also have Email an Expert, so if people just want to email a question in, then we can respond back to them,” Jacobs says. “We’re looking at probably within the next month, adding a text option to the Iowa Concern Hotline as well.”

The service was launched in 1985 during the Farm Crisis and was then known as the Rural Concern Hotline. The name was changed in 1993 to the Iowa Concern Hotline to reflect a broader reach and availability to anyone, farmers and non-farmers, rural and urban Iowans.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds is headed to Washington,  D.C. to attend the signing of “phase one” of a trade deal with China. “It’s a really good first step for Iowa and for Iowa farmers,” Reynolds told Radio Iowa. Reynolds says she was invited by the Trump Administration to send a signal to Iowa farmers who were hit with flooding and harvest difficulties last year as well as trade disruptions over the past couple of years.

“Even though all of that, especially when it came to China, they appreciated that he took a hard line on that and really said: ‘No, we’re not going to do business as usual,'” Reynolds told Radio Iowa. “…By inviting me, it’s a thank you to the farmers for believing in him and sticking with him in some really tough times.”

The full details of the agreement haven’t been released, but the Trump administration has said China has agreed to purchase more U.S. agricultural products. China’s pig population dropped at least 40 percent last year due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever. Pork is the most-consumed meat in China and Governor Reynolds says Iowa’s pork industry has the capacity to boost China’s supply.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday) approved the assignment of a Tax Sale Certificate to Donna M. Hansen, of Massena. The Certificate applies to Lot 1 – Block 7, & Lot 6 – Block 6, in Massena’s First Addition, and a vacated street between the two lots. In other business, the Board heard from County Conservation Director Micah Lee. He started his report with an update on Cold Springs State Park. He said after the campground closed for the season, they had a leaky Iowa Hydrant [a hand-pump water source] galvanized line which was dug-up and replaced with a plastic line. The campground, including the shelter house, was winterized.

As far as the T-Bone Trail is concerned. Lee said since there hasn’t been much snow, they’ve been working on brush removal along the trail and some bridge decking repairs. There are still a few days of brush removal left to complete the work needed. At West Nodaway, he says they laid down a couple of more food plots and cleared about 15 acres of Cedar trees off of the property, burn the area and seed it with native grass/plants later this Fall. In the Nodaway Recreation Area, an apparent Muskrat den caused the road to sink over a foot, creating a big pothole. The area was dug out and repaired with large gravel. Lee says they hope to accomplish renovation work out there this Summer.

At the Pellett Memorial Woods north of KJAN, a split-rain fence was starting to rot out. Repairs are underway, and new, Interpretive signs and posts are being ordered for installation later on. Work continues as well at the Hitchcock House property, including the Grainery restroom, and at the Outdoor Classroom. Micah says the Conservation Department received a grant from the Schildberg Foundation for multi-media equipment in the Outdoor Classroom’s enclosed shelter. A large screen TV and Blu-Ray DVD player were purchased to replace an old tv and VCR. Users will be able to hookup a laptop computer to the device and run programs on the screen rather than by a projector.

The Outdoor Classroom is used for conservation department presentations, social events and outdoor groups. There is currently no fee charged for use of the shelter, but Lee says he agrees with the Supervisors that there should be a fee, especially in light of the electric connections, a new kitchenette, heat and water. The decision will be up to the Conservation Board. Micah said also, Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning presented over 120 programs and saw about 2,300 people.

The Supervisors went into a closed session to interview a candidate for the County Engineer’s position, but no action was taken on hiring the individual following the session.

(Iowa News Service)  Ames, IA — Going into 2020, there’s continued excitement for alternative meat products and their benefits. But an Iowa-based expert says consumers should learn more about them. Over the past year, the food world buzzed over marketed items such as plant-based hamburgers, which are designed to taste like meat but don’t come at the cost of hurting the environment because of how they’re produced. There’s also the perception that they are healthier to eat.

Ruth Litchfield is a professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University. She says the environmental benefits are there, but not necessarily the health benefits. “My biggest concern about some of these products is not what the constituents are for, so it’s not the ingredients that are of concern to me, but it’s the consumer perception that these are going to be nutritionally very similar to the traditional product. ”

For example, Litchfield says some plant-based burgers on the market are higher in saturated fat and sodium. She says they also have less protein and a lower-quality protein. She says a lot of the perception mirrors what happened when many different styles of milk hit the market in recent years.

The Impossible Foods company recently unveiled plans for an alternative form of pork. That has some worried about how this might harm producers in Iowa, which is the leading pork-producing state in the U.S. But Litchfield says it’s too early to say how this might affect them. “It really could go either way, and it’s really going to depend on the consumer demand and the acceptance of these products.”

Despite some of the hype and popularity surrounding alternative meat products, research has shown the U.S. consumption of traditional meats has rebounded in recent years.