OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states shows about one of every five expects an increase in farm loan defaults stemming from last month’s devastating Midwest floods.

The Rural Mainstreet survey for April, released Thursday, shows the survey’s overall index dropping from 52.9 in March to 50 this month. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says “43.8 percent of bank CEOs indicated that the recent floods were having a negative impact on their local economy.”

Bankers also noted that farm loans for April surged as the borrowing index climbed to 81.3, the highest recorded since the survey began in 2006. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

AMES, IA–The Iowa FFA Leadership Conference was held at Iowa State University in Ames on April 14-16, 2019. The new Iowa FFA Officer team was elected at the final convention session.  Tyler Comes from the Atlantic FFA Chapter was elected as the Southwest District State FFA Vice President.  Comes had to complete an application and then go through a series of interviews.

Tyler Comes

The interviews are designed to set the ballot for the 2019 State Leadership Convention.  On Monday, Comes gave his speech in front to the Southwest District Delegates and waited until Tuesday night to find out his fate. “I was more nervous and anxious for this than anything else that I’ve ever done. I’m extremely happy and thankful for everyone who helped me along the way and pushed me beyond my expectations.”

Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller stated, “I am very proud of all the things Tyler has accomplished.  Tyler has worked very hard at the local level, district level and I have high expectations for him at the state level.”

The Iowa FFA Officer team will embody the FFA motto,  Learning to do, doing to learn, earning to live, and living to serve. These nine leaders will live out their year of service speaking with FFA members from across the state, presenting leadership camps and workshops, and traveling around Iowa and the United States. They will have the opportunity to take part in Iowa FFA Foundation activities, the Iowa State Fair, Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium, the National FFA Convention, and a wide variety of FFA Career Development Events. Their largest responsibility will be to coordinate and conduct the 91st Iowa FFA Leadership Conference for over 6,000 FFA members, advisors, parents, and guests.

The local members of the 2019-2020 Iowa FFA Officer Team include:

Reporter: Walker McDermott, CAM FFA

SW Vice President: Tyler Comes, Atlantic FFA

w/Kate Olson.

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NEW MARKET, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has relaxed the fishing regulations at Windmill Lake, near New Market, to allow anglers to more freely harvest fish before the lake is renovated this fall to eliminate common carp. Anglers with a valid fishing license may harvest any size or number of largemouth bass, channel catfish, and all other fish species from Windmill Lake. Any number of fishing poles or jug fishing will be allowed, but anglers must stay in sight of these lines at all times, and follow all other fishing regulations and area rules.

Trot lines will be allowed (name and address must be attached), but no more than five trotlines per angler with a valid fishing license. These trot lines cannot have more than 15 hooks total. Trot lines may not be set across the entire water body.  Nets, dynamite, poison, electric shocking devices, or any stupefying substances are not allowed. It is illegal to sell fish or stock captured fish into public waters. All navigation rules still apply.

Liberalized fishing regulations for Windmill Lake will be in effect from now through October 15, 2019. Specific regulation changes include:

Removal of bag and length limit restrictions on largemouth bass.
Removal of bag limit on channel catfish.
Removal of bag limit on crappie and bluegill.
Removal of the two line/two hook fishing restriction, but anglers must stay in sight of these lines at all times.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) next month, will release 14 trumpeter swans at three locations in southwest Iowa as part of the effort to create a self-sustaining population of swans south of Interstate 80. All releases will occur rain or shine. Six swans will be released on the north side of Lake Icaria at the east boat ramp on May 9 at 9:30 a.m., in partnership with the Adams County Conservation Board. Two swans will be released at Viking Lake near the restaurant/beach area on May 9 at 1 p.m. Six swans will be released at Lake Anita on May 10 at 1:30 p.m., in partnership with the Cass County Conservation Board.

Lake Icaria Trumpeter Swan Program (IA DNR file photo)

Thee releases are part of the Iowa DNR’s statewide effort to restore trumpeter swans to Iowa that began in 1993. Trumpeter swans were once common in Iowa, but were gone from the state by the late 1880s. By the early 1930s, only 69 trumpeter swans remained in the lower 48 states.  It takes six years, on average, before trumpeter swans successfully nest. Last year, Iowa was home to 54 pairs of nesting trumpeter swans; however, only two of those nesting pairs were south of I-80. Dave Hoffman, wildlife research technician with the Iowa DNR, said the goal is to raise that number to eight, which would likely create a self-sustaining population. “We are hopeful to get them nesting here in a year or two,” Hoffman said. “We had swans displaying some territorial signs at Lake Icaria, which is encouraging.”

As the largest North American waterfowl, these all-white birds can weigh up to 32 pounds and have an 8-foot wingspan. The trumpeter swans being released are young and flightless and will imprint on the area where they learn to fly, returning each year as open water is available. The swans were donated to the project from zoos in Cleveland, Kansas City, Green Bay, Wis., Oklahoma City, Bronx, Anchorage, Alaska and Maryland.

Each event includes a swan and wetland presentation, an opportunity to touch and view the swans up close, and a photo opportunity with the kids. Staff from the Kansas City Zoo will be on hand offering educational activities, and filmmaker Steve Harryman may be at these releases collecting footage for an upcoming documentary “Return of the Trumpeter Swans, in partnership with the Trumpeter Swan Society.

Officials with the Iowa DNR report that at around 6-p.m. Monday, the Iowa DNR Field Office 4 staff was notified about a potential discharge occurring at Cyclone Cattle Open Cattle Feedlot in Carson, Iowa. Upon investigation, DNR staff made contact with the owner of Cyclone Cattle and he said he was land applying manure-laden water from an on-site settled open feedlot effluent basins (SOFEBs) to an adjacent property.

During the land application efforts, the manure-laden water from the pivot flowed through a grassed waterway in the application field and flowed into an unnamed tributary of the West Nishnabotna River. A fish kill was not observed and water samples were collected for analysis. The center pivot was turned off at approximately 8:30 pm. The cause of discharge into the tributary remains under investigation, but is believed to be a mechanical issue, and appropriate enforcement will be considered.

Cass County Extension is hosting an informational meeting this week for local residents who want to learn more about the invasive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) pest. In mid-February, the presence of EAB was confirmed for the first time in Cass County, on a private property site in rural Massena. Since the first Iowa detection in 2010, the invasive, tree-killing pest has spread to 66 Iowa counties. EAB is a small, metallic green beetle native to Asia that attacks ash species. In its larval stage, the insect feeds just beneath the bark disrupting the movement of water and nutrients within the tree. Infested trees usually die within two to four years.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18th, from 6:30 to 8 PM at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th St., in Atlantic. There is no cost to attend the meeting, and no pre-registration is required. The meeting is for any interested home/land owner and other concerned citizens. The meeting will focus on identifying susceptible ash trees, the EAB insect and signs of infestation. Tree safety, treatment options, methods of spread for EAB and options to replace ash trees will also be covered.

Presenters for the event are Dr. Donald Lewis, ISU Professor and Extension Entomologist; Mike Kintner, IDALS Entomologist and EAB Coordinator; and Lindsey Barney, District Forester with the Iowa DNR. Time for will also be allowed for questions and discussion. For more information about the workshop, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, stop by the Cass County Extension Office, or call (712) 243-1132.

The East Pottawattamie County 4-H program offered “Cooking with Kids” afterschool program on Wednesday’s in March and April at the Carson United Methodist Church for all 4th grade youth.  Youth spent the afternoon learning about basics and safety of cooking and baking, measuring, reading a recipe, using kitchen utensils and appliances, setting a table, manners and working together.

East Pott. County Extension officials say throughout the sessions, youth learned to crack eggs, cook meat to the safe internal temperature, dice up meat and fruit, use the stove top, oven, blender, griddle, make French toast, mini chicken pot pies, fruit smoothies, peanut butter cookies, toss salad, and fruit salad all while getting to taste test and learn how to perfect their recipes.  Youth also created a cookbook with a collection of all of their recipes along the way.

Cooking with Kids Riverside 2019
Front row – Myah Husz, Ashlinn Chappelear, Caelen Schueman, Kayler Kallsen. Middle Row – Paisley Anderson, Mia Husz, Courtney Kvaal, Sarah Cody. Back Row – Sophia Fenner, Julienne Schutt, Kaleb Myers, Owen Fenner, Nathan Smith, Hunter Shady. Not pictured is Jaxon Kadel.

(Lenexa, Kansas, April 11, 2019) – Both federal and state agencies are asking Iowans to report any dangerous containers displaced by floodwaters in western Iowa. Recent flooding scattered tanks, drums, cylinders and barrels onto properties adjacent to the Missouri River and its Iowa tributaries. These items may contain hazardous materials such as propane and industrial chemicals and should only be handled by trained professionals.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been given a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignment to coordinate hazardous material recovery along the I-29 corridor in Iowa. EPA is working closely with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to identify and retrieve containers swept away by floodwaters in Iowa. Iowa residents are encouraged to report displaced (“orphaned”) tanks, drums or other containers found in flood debris using the online form located on the Iowa DNR Disaster Assistance web site.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The latest Census of Agriculture shows the number of farms and ranches in the U.S. has fallen but the remaining operations are larger and are responsible for a higher percentage of agricultural sales.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the 2017 Census of Agriculture on Thursday, marking the 29th release of the report since the government began collecting the data in 1840. Since 1982, it has been released every five years.

The census shows there were 2.04 million farms and ranches in 2017, down 3.2 percent from 2012. The average size of those operations was 441 acres, an increase of 1.6 percent.

About 75 percent of all sales came from only 105,453 of those farms, down more than 14,000 from 2012. The average age of producers was 57.5.