Shelby County will offer the Commercial Ag Weed, Insect and Plant Disease Management Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators Tuesday, February 14, 2017. The program will be shown at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP).

The local attendance site is 906 6th St, Harlan. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the course runs from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Feb. 7 and $45 after Feb. 7. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the Shelby County Extension and Outreach office by phoning 712-755-3104.

The course will provide continuing instruction credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 1A, 1B, 1C, and 10. Topics covered will include information on safe handling and storage of pesticides, laws and regulations, personal protective equipment, and pests and pest management.

Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) in Pest Management will be offered at this program. Any interested participant should bring his or her CCA number. Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses offered by the PSEP program can be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/PSEP/ComAp.html.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports 88 out of 99 Iowa’s counties notified the DNR in January that they plan to evaluate construction permit applications and proposed locations for animal confinements by using the master matrix. With 11 exceptions, all counties will use the matrix during the next 12 months. None of the counties who decided against using the Master Matrix are located in southwest Iowa.

Animal producers in the counties choosing to implement the Master Matrix must meet higher standards than other confinement producers who also need a construction permit. They qualify by choosing a site and using practices that reduce impacts on air, water and the community.

Counties that adopt the master matrix can provide more input to producers on site selection, and proposed structures and facility management. Participating counties score each master matrix submitted in their county and can recommend to approve or deny the construction permit. They can also join in DNR visits to a proposed confinement site.

While all counties may submit comments to DNR during the permitting process, counties that adopt the master matrix can also appeal a preliminary permit to the state Environmental Protection Commission. The deadline for enrolling in the program is Jan. 31 of each year.

Find more information, including a map of participating counties by searching for Master Matrix at www.iowadnr.gov/afo.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Some varieties of Skoal, Copenhagen, Cope and Husky brand smokeless tobacco are being voluntarily recalled amid complaints of metal objects, some of them sharp, being spotted in cans.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says all of the recalled products were manufactured at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company’s facility in Franklin Park, Illinois. The FDA says the company initiated the recall after getting eight consumer complaints about the metal objects in six states. The FDA says the object was visible in each case and there have been no reports of injury.
Most of the company’s cans are not affected by the recall.
A full list of the recalled products is on the FDA’s website . The agency says anyone who has one of the recalled cans can return it for a refund.

Officials at biotech and seed industry giant DuPont say they need an extra three months to complete the merger with rival Dow. Iowa Farmers Union President Aaron Lehman of Polk City says the delay will give union members more time to weigh in with their opposition to the merger, as well as to other proposed pairings in the industry.

“Our farmers at our recent convention were pretty clear about what they thought, that not only this merger but the other mergers going on in agribusines now limit farmers’ choices,” Lehman says. “Innovation tends to take a hit when there’s fewer people doing it.” DuPont is the parent company of the Iowa-founded Pioneer Hi-Bred International. Lehman says the farmers union is also carefully watching deals involving Bayer and Monsanto as well as ChemChina and Syngenta.

“We need to take a long look at all of these large agri-business mergers and see if the farmers’ interests can be protected,” Lehman says. “What we see is less and less options for farmers which will ultimately lead to higher prices.” These mergers are coming at a bad juncture, he says, given the depressed agricultural economy.

“When the industry is under stress and under crisis, there are going to be opportunities for some mergers to take place,” Lehman says. “It just piles another brick on the load that farmers are carrying, along with very low, depressed commodity prices. We have to deal with fewer choices and ultimately higher input prices. The timing couldn’t be worse.” The initial closing date on the Dow-DuPont merger was March but now the companies hope to complete the process by the end of June.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pork industry experts say U.S. consumers shouldn’t worry about a bacon shortage. The reassurance comes amid news that demand for bacon depleted frozen pork belly supplies in the U.S. to a record low for December. Pork bellies are the cut of the hog from which bacon is derived.

But the industry is confident it can boost hog production enough to avoid any serious shortages. Steve Meyer is a pork industry economist for Express Markets Inc., which tracks industry trends for retailers and foodservice companies.

He expects pork production to increase about 3 percent this year. So if prices do climb, they should stabilize once the industry catches up. Bottom line: A pound of bacon may cost a little more as winter wears on, but prices should stabilize by summer.

w/Kate Olson.

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DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) -” An invasive weed that can grow up to 7 feet tall has been found in nearly half of Iowa’s counties, and experts say farmers need to act quickly if the plant is found in their fields.

Bob Hartzler is a professor of weed science at Iowa State University. He tells the Telegraph Herald that the species known as Palmer amaranth shouldn’t be ignored and has the potential to drive farmers out of business. The weed prominently appeared in the region’s cotton fields in the 2000s. It was categorized as a “super weed” because of its ability to quickly grow and its resistance to many herbicides.

In 2013, the weed was spotted in five Iowa counties. As of October, it had been seen in nearly half of Iowa’s 99 counties.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is looking for eligible farm owners to apply for this year’s Century and Heritage Farm Program. The Iowa Department of Agriculture’s program coordinator, Becky Lorenz, says there are a couple of requirements to gain the designation. “They honor folks who have kept their farm — of at least 40 acres — in the same generational families for at least 100 years or more,” Lorenz says.

A ceremony is held at the Iowa State Fair to recognize those who’ve had the farm for 100 years as Century Farms, and those who hit 150 years are named Heritage Farms. Lorenz said the programs were started in 1976. “Over 19-thousand Century Farm awards have been issued and we are up to 940 heritage farms,” Lorenz says.

There were 320 Century Farms and 103 Heritage Farms were recognized last year. Lorenz has been involved in the program the last six years. “It always amazes me, we always have over 300 Century Farms each year, and now our Heritage Farms are starting to increase in numbers too. The last two years we’ve been over 100.” Lorenz says.

She says it’s a fun day to share the recognition with the farm owners. Lorenz says applying for the Century and Heritage Farm program is easy. She says you can go to the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov to apply online on call Lorenz at 515-281-3645.

The recognition ceremony this year will be Thursday, August 17th at the Iowa State Fair in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion.

(Radio Iowa)

Bob Beebensee and DNR Conservation Officer Grant Gelle talk about all things outdoors including coyote hunting this week.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a legal doctrine going back 100 years in Iowa that allows agriculture drainage districts to maintain immunity from lawsuits seeking monetary damages. The ruling today (Friday) presents an obstacle for the Des Moines Water Works, which is pursuing a lawsuit in federal court in Sioux City filed in March 2015.

The water utility for 500,000 Iowans alleges the three counties (Sac, Calhoun and Buena Vista) that oversee 10 agricultural drainage districts, should be required to obtain federal water pollution discharge permits and pay the utility more than $1.4 million it has spent for increased filtration methods to remove the nitrates from water.