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Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on October 11

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

October 11th, 2016 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  .04″
  • Red Oak  .09″
  • Clarinda  .75″
  • Glenwood  .08″
  • Missouri Valley  .13″
  • Neola  .1″
  • Logan  .08″
  • Council Bluffs  .39″
  • Creston  .39″
  • New Market  .42″
  • Bedford  .6″
  • Shenandoah  .3″

Shelby County Fire Danger is “Moderate” this week

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

October 10th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Fire Danger rating in Shelby County has been lowered from “High,” to “Moderate.”  Property owners and/or managers planning a controlled burn of brush or grassland areas are asked to call in and report your burning projects to Shelby County Dispatch at 712-755-2124, and notify your local Fire Chief.

Timing for burns should be morning, or evening hours and extinguished by dark unless authorized by Fire Chief due to possible impacts to roads and health from smoke. Burns must be monitored at all times.Moderate Fire Danger rating

Food prices buck trend and drop, along with commodities prices

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 10th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Iowa farmers are still struggling with low commodities prices, but Iowa consumers may’ve noticed some grocery prices are actually coming down. U-S-D-A economist Annemarie Kuhns says the agency’s prediction last year that food prices would rise two-to-three percent this year was wrong, as prices have stayed steady or fallen slightly — which is very unusual.

Kuhns says, “Even after the recession of 2007 and 2009, we still saw food prices increase slightly albeit low rates, but we really haven’t seen deflation since the 1960s.” The U-S-D-A report says consumers are paying lower prices for beef, pork, poultry, eggs, milk and other dairy products, while the prices Iowa farmers are getting for their products are predicted to drop. Corn is down 11-percent, for example.

“A lot of the costs that make up what we pay at the grocery store include things like food processing, transportation, retail overhead,” Kuhns says. “There’s just so many factors of production that go into the price that we’re actually paying, sometimes these changes at the farm level have a muted effect.” If prices go up overall this year, she predicts they’ll only top one-half of one-percent. The early forecast for 2017 shows grocery prices will rise one to two-percent.

(Radio Iowa)

Aquatic, Forest and Right-of-Way Continuing Instruction Course is Oct. 19th in Red Oak

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 9th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office will host an Aquatic, Forest and Right-of-Way Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators on Wednesday, Oct. 19th, 2016. The program can be seen at office locations across Iowa through the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) team.

The local attendance site for the Oct. 19th CIC is the Montgomery County Extension and Outreach office located at 400 Bridge St. Red Oak, Iowa. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by sessions from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Oct. 12 and $45 after Oct. 12. ISU ExtensionTo register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact Angela Silva at the ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office at 712-623-2592.

The course will provide continuing instruction credits for commercial and public pesticide applicators certified in categories 2 (Forest Pest Control), 5 (Aquatic Pest Control), 6 (Right-of-Way Pest Control) and 10 (Research and Demonstration). Topics to be covered are: recognition of sensitive areas impacted by pesticide applications; restricted entry intervals; pesticide labels for aquatic, forest, and right-of-way products; controlling honeysuckle; poisonous weeds; and long-term thistle management.

Additional information and registration forms for this and other courses offered through the PSEP Program can be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/PSEP.

Pump failure results in wastewater bypass to Storm Lake

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 8th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) responded to a bypass at the Tyson Fresh Meats pork plant, Saturday (October 8th).  The bypass occurred when a lift station pump failed and caused a power failure at two lift stations.  Approximately 1,000 gallons of wastewater from the yards overflowed into the storm sewer.  Tyson staff shut down production, identified the problem and returned the lift stations to operation.

DNR NewsThe City of Storm Lake responded and were able to contain some of the wastewater and pumped it into the City’s sanitary sewer system however an unknown amount reached the lake.  The wastewater entered the lake near the intersection of Flindt and Lakeshore Drives.  The DNR recommends keeping children and pets away from this area for the next 48 hours.

The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

Patty Judge says days of voluntary farm chemical decisions numbered

Ag/Outdoor

October 7th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

Patty Judge, the Democratic candidate challenging Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, says it’s time for “serious” attention to water quality concerns. And she says that means agreeing to federal regulations that would restrict farm chemical run-off if nearby water is polluted.”I believe we are at a place where we are going to have to look at standards and accept that,” Judge says. Judge and her family run a cow-calf operation near Albia. She was also elected Iowa’s secretary of agriculture in 1998 and served eight years in that position. Judge says “sensible” regulations are possible to “leave cleaner water for the next generation.”

“We can write standards so that they work for family farmers, but we are going to have to be serious about cleaning up the water,” Judge says. Judge says that does not mean federal limits for EVERY farm that would limit the amount of manure, fertilizer and insecticide that can be applied. But she says it does mean allowing regulations if nearby lakes, rivers and streams have badly elevated levels of run-off.

“I think the days of looking at voluntary compliance are probably very short now and we are at a point where we will have to have some standards and regulations,” Judge says. “Our job as legislators is to make sure those are realistic, are something that farms can comply with and still farm and I believe we can do that.” Judge made her comments today (Friday) during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight on Iowa Public Television.

(Radio Iowa)

Friends help with deceased Iowa farmer’s final harvest

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 7th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Friends of an Iowa farmer who died in July have come together to help with his final harvest. The Daily Nonpareil reports 59-year-old LaVerne Burck died after being diagnosed with lung cancer, leaving his daughter Jessica about 1,300 acres in Pottawattamie County.

About 30 of LaVerne’s friends and members of the farming community teamed up to harvest the field, and some donated equipment for the job. A few area businesses provided fuel for equipment.

The group started their work on Sept. 8 harvesting corn and soybeans on the farm, which has been in the family since the 1870s, and the harvest is nearly complete.

Shelby County grassland/field fire danger remains HIGH

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

October 6th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

The grassland/field fire Danger rating will remain HIGH in Shelby County, until further notice. Emergency Management Coordindator Bob Seivert said Thursday (today), while some rain has fallen and more is likely, the amount of crops and vegetation in the fields is significant, and those elements can dry out in a matter of hours, creating a potential fast burning situation.High fire danger

Cass County Extension Report 10-5-2016

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

October 5th, 2016 by Jim Field

w/Kate Olson.

Play

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on October 5

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

October 5th, 2016 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  1.42″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  1.09″
  • 2 miles NW of Atlantic  1.61″
  • Underwood  1.25″
  • Carroll  1.8″
  • Red Oak  1.42″
  • Clarinda  .7″
  • Audubon  1.49″
  • Missouri Valley  .86″
  • Logan  1.1″
  • Woodbine  1.03″
  • Neola  1.3″
  • Avoca  1.4″
  • 1.5 miles East of Walnut  3″
  • Oakland  2.4″
  • Bedford  .49″
  • Villisca  1.1″
  • Denison  2.3″
  • Irwin  1.38″
  • Glenwood  .58″