CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
The Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) is concerned with changes the CME Group is making to cattle futures contracts. One of those changes is the addition of a seasonal discount of $1.50 per hundredweight on cattle delivered to the Worthing, South Dakota delivery point. The discount will be effective with the October 2017 contract, which will be listed on August 22. I-C-A C-E-O Matt Deppe says that action will create a “marketing disadvantage” for Iowa cattle feeders.
“Especially FOR our northwest Iowa feeders who utilize the Worthing delivery point as a marketing tool, as well as the cattle futures contract,” Deppe says. The decision, according to Deppe, “feels like a mandate” on how and when people should feed cattle for market. Deppe also believes the move may decrease cash negotiated trade in the upper Midwest.
“There could be high likelihood that feeders in not only northwest Iowa, but also northeast Nebraska, don’t utilize that contract, which would limit the volume,” Deppe says, “and we all know that the most deliveries, in terms of a percentage of deliveries, take place in Worthing as an individual point.”
A news release from CME said the discount will better align delivery values with cash market prices and result in little or no impact on local cash cattle prices. In the same release, CME said it will also consider moving to a cash settled live cattle futures contract if price discovery and cash negotiated trade in the cattle industry do not increase.
(Brownfield Ag News)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is awash in a sea of delicate white flowers in nearly every roadside ditch, along bicycle trails and on the fringes of public parks. The Des Moines Register reports that they’re known as Queen Anne’s Lace, or wild carrot.
The flower is abundant this year because of optimal road conditions and roadside management practices. Some view it as a nuisance, while others see it as a wildflower or weed. Photographers enjoy the flowers’ beauty, while gardeners yank them out.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources ecologist John Pearson says the plant has flourished because it’s free from normal pest controls in its native Europe.
Officials with Cass County Conservation report the Nishna Valley Trails group is hosting a Kids Bike Ride August 13th, 2016 beginning at 10:30-a.m. Check-in and start of the ride both take place in the west parking lot of the Schildberg Recreation Area, in Atlantic.
There are three age groups, with each ride length according to age. The event is FREE, and all ages welcome. The ride is co-sponsored by Atlantic Parks and Recreation, Cass County Conservation, Howard’s, Fareway, and West Side Diner, in Atlantic.
If you have any questions, call Cass County Interpretive Naturalist Lora Kanning, at 712-769-2372. After the ride, you check out Atlanticfest going on in the downtown area!
Shelby County Extension Council Chairperson Julie Klein reports four Shelby County residents have been appointed to the Iowa State University Extension Council Nominating Committee. The committee is charged with nominating candidates for the four vacancies on the council before August 10th, 2016. Committee members selected to nominate extension council candidates for the 2016 election are Arleatta Bartelson of Irwin, Travis Lane of Shelby, Robert Mortensen of Elk Horn and Stacy Torneten of Harlan.
B
y law the nominating committee must include two women and two men, and cannot include any current member of the council. The committee is required to take county geography into consideration when nominating candidates. Terry Maloy, director for Iowa Association of County Extension Councils, says “Serving as an extension council member is one way to give back to your community. If you believe local educational opportunities are vital to the community’s well-being, then you should consider running for council. It is rewarding to know that people are able to improve their lives, farms, businesses and communities because of ISU Extension and Outreach’s education and information.”
Candidates nominated by the committee must submit petitions containing the names of 25 qualified voters to the county election commissioner by 5 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2016. Additionally, individuals may petition to have their names placed on the ballot through a self-nominating process by submitting petitions with 25 names to the election commissioner. Petition forms are available from the election commissioner and at the county extension office.
Voters will cast ballots for the nominees in the Nov. 8th, 2016, general election. Successful candidates will serve four-year terms beginning in January 2017.
The Cass County Conservation Board (CCCB) is sponsoring a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program. The program will be held at Sunnyside Park, Kiddie Korral Shelter in Atlantic, Saturday, August 13th, beginning at 9-a.m. Free will donations are being accepted. 
During the event, Terrie Hoefer, rehabilitator and Educator at S.O.A.R., Saving Our Avian Resources, will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild.
Breakfast with the birds is made possible by the Dick McCauley Memorial Fund. The CCCB asks you to help them support raptors and education, by attending “Breakfast with the Birds,” on Aug. 13th.
Local farmland owners, producers and other interested parties are invited to join Cass County Extension for the 2016 Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting, set for August 8 in Atlantic from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Cass County Community Center at 805 West 10th Street.
Besides the standard topics of land value and cash rental rate trends, this year’s special topic is costs of production. Landlords and tenants are more interested in costs when farming is not as profitable. They have to figure out how much money is available and decide where cuts can be made.
In January 2016, participants from last year’s Farm Leasing Arrangements meetings across Iowa completed a follow-up evaluation. According to the results, people attended to get an update on the rental market. One participant wrote, “The meeting helps me have informed discussions with the farmer, hopefully arriving at a fair price on the rent and being good custodians of the land.” Participants’ most requested topic for 2016 was costs of production.
Tim Eggers, Iowa State University Extension Field Agricultural Economist, said, “With last year’s participants requesting more information on the tenant’s costs of production, I wanted a hands-on activity instead of more slides.” He continued, “We’re going to play a game so participants experience decisions tenants make every year.”
The Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting will give landowners, tenants, and agri-business professionals information and materials they need to make decisions regarding farmland ownership, management, and leasing practices.
The Farm Leasing Arrangements meeting costs $15 per person, which includes the 100-page Farm Leasing Arrangements booklet and a copy of the presentation. Pre-registration is required and limited to 30 people. To register, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email xcass@iastate.edu.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed new daily catch limits and a harvest season for commercial turtle trapping. Earlier this year, the state Legislature passed a bill requiring the DNR to set a harvest season and daily catch limits for turtles to more closely regulate the practice.
The Des Moines Register reports that the proposal limits the daily catch to 14 snapping turtles, one softshell turtle and three painted turtles. Trappers have been allowed to catch an unlimited amount of certain turtles year-round. The DNR also proposed a commercial trapping season that begins July 1 and runs through Dec. 31 to protect turtles during their nesting season.
The latest data from the DNR shows that more than 17,500 turtles were caught statewide in 2014 worth a wholesale value of nearly $273,000.
The fall Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop is Sept. 16-18, at the Springbrook Conservation Education Center, adjacent to Springbrook State Park, north of Guthrie Center. While the focus of BOW is primarily for women, the workshop is an opportunity for anyone 18 years or older to learn outdoor skills. Workshop courses include basic fishing, Dutch oven cooking, birdwatching, kayaking, deer hunting, wild edibles, basic camping, intro to archery, intro to firearms, canoeing and more.
“This workshop is an excellent opportunity to try activities under the guidance of our top-notch instructors,” said Rachel Ladd, with the Iowa Departments of Natural Resources. “Our workshop is popular because we keep our class sizes small and the setting at Springbrook is beautiful, particularly in the fall.”
The cost for the workshop is $150 before Sept. 4, and $180 beginning Sept. 5. The fee includes program materials, equipment, lodging and meals. Enrollment is limited to 100 participants. A limited number of scholarships are available that can reduce the fee by $75.
Go to www.iowadnr.gov/bow to download a registration form, select classes and for more information on applying for a scholarship. Lodging is in dormitories with eight people per room.
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