w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The amount of soybeans harvested statewide more than doubled last week, and corn wasn’t far behind. Dry weather saw farmers bump the bean harvest up from 24 to 52 percent in the latest U-S-D-A report. That’s one week ahead of the five-year average. The corn harvest hit 30 percent complete — up from 16 percent last week. The corn harvest is now five days ahead of last year and six days ahead of the five-year average.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s Attorney General is leading a 13 state coalition opposing a new Massachusetts law that puts restrictions on the sale of pork based on how the animals are raised. A statement from Attorney General Brenna Bird’s office says the Massachusetts law goes even further than a similar California law.

Shipments of non-compliant pork into the state would be banned even pork meets all Iowa and federal safety and quality standards.

A-G Bird’s statement says these strict new mandates will create extreme costs and regulations to compete in the industry, forcing many family hog farms to close shop.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The final edition of Produce in the Park takes place this Thursday, Oct. 12th, in Atlantic. Produce in the Park is a weekly farmers market and community gathering held every Thursday evening during the harvest season (June through October), from 4:30-p.m. until 6:30-p.m., in the Atlantic City Park. This week, local musician Jenna Nau will be providing live music and fan favorite food truck, Zemog’s, will be on site one final time, from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. As an extra treat, patrons can look forward to trick-or-treating amongst the vendors. Grab your costumes and head to City Park this Thursday!

This week also, you can look forward to the following specialty items with numerous other vendors and community organizations in attendance:

Aubrey’s Bows: assortment of bows including new Halloween bow collections
Bridgewater Farms: wide assortment of produce including sweet potatoes
Brun Ko Farms: honey, snap peas, spring mix, onions, peppers–including a 3 lb bag for freezing
CK3 Farms: wide assortment of produce including watermelon
Frosting, Inc.: assortment of gourmet cupcakes
Harrisdale Farmstead: butternut squash & potatoes
Imagine Garden Gifts: unique garden gifts including antique, vintage, and repurposed planters.
Kringleman: assorted Danish pastries
Neighborhood Bakehouse: sourdough, baguettes, sandwich bread & pumpkin spice sourdough

All vendors accept cash, with many accepting credit cards and Venmo. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT (also known as food stamps) with all fresh produce vendors accepting Double Up Food Bucks–coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce.

For updates and information on Produce in the Park or how to sign up to participate, visit www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. ‘Like’ or ‘follow’ Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

Produce in the Park is sponsored by: First Whitney Bank & Trust, Cass Health, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Gregg Young of Atlantic, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Atlantic.

(Radio Iowa) – Low water levels on the Mississippi River continue to be a concern for barge traffic that hauls grain from Iowa and other states off to export. Iowa D-O-T spokesman, Stuart Anderson, says the lower Mississippi River levels have continued to drop. “There’s fear that weather patterns are not going to be favorable for replenishing that. although I think there’s a lot of rain coming through at least Midwest here in a couple of days,” Anderson says. “I think to have the most impact on the lower Mississippi and Ohio River where there’s some challenges, I think they’d like to see that system move a little farther south than it is.” He says barge operators have already had to adjust by not filling them as full in the shallower water.

“In addition, as you South of St. Louis the tow get to be wider, but they are having to narrow them instead of being five wide or four wide,” he says. “Basically a 20 percent reduction just in the number of barges that can go south.” The price of floating the grain down river has also been impacted. “Barge rates are a little higher, although not as high as we might expect,” Anderson says. “I think that’s driven by a little bit of a soft export market so that’s offsetting that a little bit.”

Anderson says the situation is something grain haulers will keep an eye on as the harvest in Iowa and other states continues to move forward.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is investigating a fatal hunting incident that occurred Sunday night in northern Hardin County. Officials said today (Monday) 53-year-old Mark Arends, of Alden, was hunting coyotes with friends on private land approximately two miles north of Alden. The hunters were separated by several hundred yards when, around 8 p.m., Arends was struck by a single rifle shot. The incident remains under investigation. Arends was transported to Hansen Family Hospital, in Iowa Falls, where he was pronounced dead. The State Medical Examiner’s office will be conducting an autopsy as part of the investigation.

Coyotes are nocturnal animals so hunting coyotes is often done at night, with hunters utilizing various night vision technology including thermal imaging scopes. “We stress the importance of identifying your target before taking a shot, and that’s even more important when hunting at night and using thermal technology,” said Captain Matt Bruner, with the Iowa DNR’s Law Enforcement Bureau. “The same can be said about the importance of the hunting plan, especially at night, and following that plan when in the field.”

The Iowa DNR and the Hardin County Sheriff’s office responded to the incident last night and officers were on scene again early Monday morning.

(Iowa DNR News) – Fall in Iowa delivers a stunning spectacle of fall colors: red, yellow, orange, and purple leaves abound. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites you to “Enjoy a fall drive and take in all the beautiful colors!” In their weekly Fall Colors update, the DNR says:

• There are lots of vibrant colors in northeast Iowa from sugar maple, sumac, Virginia creeper, ash, walnut, basswood and cottonwood. This week and next will be best to enjoy a fall leaf-peeper road trip to the beautiful Driftless Region.
• Sumac, dogwoods, Virginia creeper, and poison ivy are showing red in north central and northwest Iowa. Hard maples are showing more orange and some red.
• Hard maples are showing red, yellow and orange in some areas in central Iowa. Sumac are bright red and crimson. Drought stress is causing some early leaf loss which will reduce overall colors.
• Scattered white ash are showing some purple in southeast Iowa. Urban maples are starting to show red, yellow, and orange.
• Coffee trees are starting to turn yellow in south central Iowa. Drought stressed maples are changing color, especially in urban areas.
• Shrubs and trees are turning color on drier slopes in west central Iowa. Fall prairie flowers are in bloom.
• White ash are turning purple in southwest Iowa, along with dry slope cottonwoods. Most species that turn yellow (cottonwood, silver maple, black walnut, hackberry, elm, buttonbush) have started to turn.

Crisp air and changing leaves bring an exciting new season of travel! Those looking for a last-minute autumn adventure to pick the perfect pumpkin, sip on local wine with a view or take a hike through the vibrant foliage should look no further than Iowa. For those travelers already looking to beat cabin fever, plan an exciting winter getaway complete with cozy cabins, snow fun and all the holiday lights needed to get into the festive spirit.  Check out the full list of top destinations and activities statewide in the new Fall and Winter Travel Guide. A good fall destination is filled with vibrant seasonal views. On the road, along a trail, from a campground or on the water, there is no shortage of last-minute fall fun in Iowa.

Hitchcock Nature Center allows visitors a bird’s eye view of the foliage from the top of a 45-foot-tall observation tower, with several hiking trails in nearby Loess Hills State Forest. Agritourism opportunities abound in the area – visitors can pick their own apples and find the perfect pumpkin at Deal’s Orchard or Ditmars Orchard.

Those who prefer taking the scenic route can set off on an idyllic fall road trip on one of Iowa’s many scenic byways. Recognized as one of the best byways in the United States, the Great River Road follows the winding Mississippi River along Iowa’s eastern border. Stop for a hike at Yellow River State Forest, enjoy a glass of wine and some live music at Wide River Winery or find charming lodging at one of the communities along the way.

For a one-of-a-kind view, Iowa also offers cruises along the Mississippi and Iowa rivers. Settle in for a multi-day sail on the authentic Victorian-era Riverboat Twilight, or opt for a day trip on the Scenic City Empress. For the adrenaline seekers, the first Midwest Rail Explorers location is in central Iowa. Visitors will strap into a pedal-assisted rail bike and travel 12.5 miles round trip along the Boone and Scenic Valley Railroad for unobstructed views of the Des Moines River Valley.

Mark your calendars for these events and activities you won’t want to miss.

• Scenic Drive Festival, Villages of Van Buren, October 13-15
• Spirits in the Gardens, Ames, October 13-15, 20-22
  

  Spirits in the Garden in Ames

  

  Atlantic Grand Lighting

• 64th Annual Craft Carnival, Clarinda, October 21
• Downtown Grand Lighting, Atlantic, November 16
• Norwegian Christmas, Decorah, December 2
• Tannenbaum Forest, Amana Colonies, December 15-17
• University of Okoboji Winter Games, Okoboji, January 25-28

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa farmers are making progress on the fall harvest, but some say their combines have been dirty, dusty, and becoming black in color when they’re done harvesting corn for the day. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach field agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz says some farmers may think that black coating is what’s called “tar spot,” but that’s likely not the case. “When we get to this time of year and that corn matures, those leaves get infected with a saprophytic fungi, which just means they feed on dead tissue and those fungi are actually what breaks down our crop residue in the field. So they’re not a bad thing. They don’t cause any big concern for livestock feed.”

Rieck-Hinz offers some advice for those harvesting corn. “You can always take a look at those leaves. Tar spots pretty easily distinguish even still at this time of year. That black, dark spot is bigger than those saprophytic fungi spots. It’s darker in color and it’s actually raised. The saprophytic fungi does not exhibit those characteristics. So if you’re concerned, just take a leaf and look before you run that combine through those fields.”

Rieck-Hinz says she has heard of corn yields between 140 and 240 bushels an acre, while soybean yields have been between 40 and 75 bushels an acre.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa REALTORS Land Institute September farmland survey released today (Thursday) finds a small drop in value. The Institute’s Elliott Siefert the results at their meeting. “For the three farmland values, low, medium, and high quality land, across all regions, average down point-two percent. So essentially flat for farmland over the last six months,” Siefert says. He says the small change comes in the lower quality ground.

“Your, your really high quality ground is still bringing good money with medium and low quality, you know, most of them are still bringing about the same, but there might be a little bit of variability depending on your location,” he says. He says northwest Iowa was the region with the biggest drop.”Northwest Iowa being down two-point-nine percent and south-central being up one-point-three percent. Small changes there,” Siefert says. “This is the second survey in a row that we’ve had pretty flat numbers here. It was it was rising, as we all know there for the two years prior to that, but we’re getting more to that, that flat market right now. “

Siefert says when you expand to look at the 12-month view, there’s not much difference in values either. “From September 2022 through March and then March through the end of September in 2023, you see again not any very large changes,” he says, “just in Northwest down three-point-three percent to up four-point-four percent in south-central. So again, pretty flat as you look across the state here.” The Institute’s Matt Vegter says there optimism despite some of the economic issues landowners are facing.

“I think most folks, the general comments we saw in the survey, it’s a flat market, still a very aggressive market, net farm incomes, we planted a very expensive crop in 2023. And put prices were up. But I think the general theme I’ve heard as the the early crop yield reports, things are a little better out there in most areas than than what we thought.” He says the biggest headwind they’re facing is interest rates, which have risen and taken away a little bit of the buying power for land buyers.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board and Des Moines County farmer Stan Nelson says the harvest numbers are looking good despite all the challenges this growing season. “Were pleasantly surprised, considering the entire state was in some segment of drought,” he says. Nelson raises corn and soybeans near Danville and says this season shows how well farmers have adapted. “This is a year that showed, that demonstrates our sustainable practices and our soil health practices. Combined with the seed companies better genetics, we’re still producing a crop,” Nelson says. “The U-S-D-A pegs this is a carry out of two-point-one billion bushels of corn. Considering that the Midwest and the entire state of Iowa is in a drought, I’d say that speaks volumes for our for our activities.”

He won’t venture a guess on how the harvest will impact crop prices. “We don’t know….all we know now is we’re producing a huge crop this year that’s going to be marketed throughout the year for ethanol and the four-thousand other products made from corn,” Nelson says.

Nelson made his comments earlier this week following the announcement of the NASCAR Cup Race that’s coming to the Iowa Speedway in Newton.