All of the recent rain is making it slow going for Iowa farmers who are trying to get their crops planted. Only two days were suitable for field work in the past week. Statewide, about 88-percent of the corn crop is planted. That’s one day behind last year’s pace but four days ahead of the five-year average. Iowa State University Extension agronomist Joel DeJong, based in LeMars, monitors nine northwest Iowa counties, which are trailing the rest of the state.

“You’ve got some neighborhoods that are pretty close to being done, probably 80% or so, on the corn planting,” DeJong says. “We’ve got other neighborhoods that have 30-to-40% of the corn in the ground, and then you get south of Sioux City in the Missouri River bottom, there’s a lot of areas there that have very few of the acres of corn planted at this stage of the game because of the rainfall we’ve had so far this spring.” While much of the state has gotten a drenching in recent weeks, northwest Iowa is getting more than its usual share, frustrating many farmers.

“For the whole region, we’re probably about three-quarters planted on corn because we’ve got some very well-drained soils where we’ve got corn in the ground, but yet, I’ve talked with a lot of people who really don’t have that many acres planted yet because it’s been wet,” DeJong says. “Soybeans, probably only about ten-percent of the beans in the ground at this stage of the game whereas most people were done with both at this stage of the game last year.”

The latest U-S-D-A report shows less than half, or 43-percent, of the state’s intended soybean acreage is planted. That’s two days ahead of normal.

(Radio Iowa)

The funding source for state grants to help finance installation of equipment that dispenses higher blends of renewable fuels will end next year. Grant Menke of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says his group will lobby legislators to continue the program. “Investments like this program not only benefit the Iowa economy and the Iowa environment, but Iowa consumers as well,” Menke says.

Governor Branstad has signed legislation that ends a one-cent-per-gallon state tax on motor fuel on December 31st of this year. The tax was established a couple of decades ago to finance clean-up of old underground petroleum storage tanks that were leaking, but that project is complete. Until June 30th of next year, three-million dollars generated by that tax will be spent on fuel pumps that dispense biodiesel and ethanol at higher blends.

“Iowa consumers can look forward to more choices at the pump for E15, for E85, for higher biodiesel blends,” Menke says. “It’s going to save them money. It’s going to burn cleaner.” State grants from the Iowa Renewable Infrastructure Program can cover up to 50 percent of the cost for retailers installing these kind of blender pumps. The retailer must agree to sell the higher blends of ethanol and biodiesel for at least three years.

Supporters hope to convince legislators next year to find another source for the three-million dollar annual cost of the program.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa DNR said Tuesday, that they had received an anonymous complaint of an overflowing manure pit in Taylor County. When the DNR investigated, they found evidence of a manure spill at Barrans Farms, a small hog finishing farm about three miles southwest of Lenox. The outdoor pit that collects manure from buildings at the site was not overflowing during the investigation.

However, DNR field staff saw a path where manure flowed into an unnamed tributary of the East Fork of the One Hundred and Two River. Field tests showed elevated levels of ammonia in water flowing into the tributary, but DNR staff did not find any dead fish. The DNR is continuing to investigate the incident and will consider appropriate enforcement action.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A government wildlife researcher says he’s found that rabbits and skunks can become infected with the bird flu virus and shed it enough to infect ducks, evidence that small mammals could contribute to the spread of bird flu on farms.

National Wildlife Research Center biologist Jeff Root says his experiments have shown striped skunks and cottontail rabbits in captivity in his laboratory have indirectly transmitted a strain of bird flu to mallard ducks after they’ve shared food and water sources. Root says it’s important now to figure out how likely it is such transmission across species happens in the wild.

Last year bird flu resulted in the death of 48 million birds in 15 states. Scientists hope to find how it gets from wild birds to farms and spreads.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a public ceremony to dedicate the Loess Hills Wildlife Area, Loess Hills State Forest, Preparation Canyon State Park, and a 42 mile section of the Loess Hills (including the Loess Hills National Natural Landmark) as Iowa’s newest Bird Conservation Area (BCA) will take place on Friday, June 3rd, at 3-pm.

The event will be held in conjunction with the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, at the Loess Hills Wildlife Area/Loess Hills Prairie Seminar grounds, located at the intersection of 178th St. and Oak Ave., about three miles northwest of Castana.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting the dedication that will include brief presentations and the unveiling of a special Bird Conservation Area sign. There will be refreshments, and following the ceremony there will be a short hike within the adjoining Sylvan Runkel State Preserve.

This unique area is one of western Iowa’s most species-rich grassland/savanna/forest habitats. Bruce Ehresman, DNR wildlife diversity program biologist, says “Designating this complex as a Bird Conservation Area will add to its recognition by indicating its importance for nesting and migratory grassland, savanna, and forest birds. It provides important nesting habitat for declining grassland birds, such as grasshopper sparrow, western meadowlark and northern bobwhite; for declining savanna birds like red-headed woodpeckers and state endangered barn owls, and for declining forest birds like wood thrush and yellow-billed cuckoos; plus the area provides migration stopover habitat for a large number of other bird species suffering nationwide declines.”

This area also is rich in cultural history, from the extended time period when it was inhabited by American Indians to the time when Euro-Americans, including Mormons, arrived and settled. It is anticipated that this new BCA will attract bird enthusiasts from throughout the region and beyond. Watching wildlife is a $318 million industry in Iowa, and more birders visiting this area will support the growing local tourism economy and encourage investment in local bird conservation.

The public is welcome to attend this event and is encouraged to stay to help celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar, a weekend of learning and fun. Bird appreciators and all wildlife conservationists are asked to help celebrate the dedication of this important Bird Conservation Area and also to promote the conservation of birds and their habitats.

Connections Area Agency has announced that the state is continuing the Farmers Market voucher program for older Iowans.  With this program, seniors meeting income requirements can obtain vouchers that they can use at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $30.00 worth of fresh, locally grown produce.  If you have questions about eligibility, please call 800-432-9209 ext. 1010. The Cass County Distribution of Farmer’s Market vouchers will be held on Tuesday, June 14^th from 9:30am-12:30pm at the Cass County Extension office located at 805 W. 10^th Street in Atlantic.

If you are interested in obtaining a booklet of vouchers, please plan to be at the distribution.  There are a limited number of booklets, so distribution will be on a first come, first served basis.

Program Criteria:

• Must be at least 60 years of age or older
• Annual income must be less than

$21,978          Single

$29,637          Married

• Only one original application allowed per individual.  No photocopies or duplicate applications allowed.  Married couples can jointly apply on one application.

Warmer weather and timely rains mean tick-borne disease season is underway in Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) reminds Iowans to protect themselves against tick bites. Ticks can carry the organisms that cause diseases like Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Ehrlichiosis.

The best way to prevent tick bites is to avoid wooded and grassy areas, where ticks are usually found. If you do spend time in these areas:

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long, light-colored pants tucked into socks or boots.
• Stay on trails when walking or hiking, and avoid high grass.
• Use insect repellants that contain DEET. Read and follow the label directions for application. DEET is not recommended for use on children under 2 months of age. For more information on DEET, visit http://wiki.idph.iowa.gov/Portals/3/userfiles/5/Files/DEET%20Fact%20sheet.pdf.
• Check yourself, your children and your pets for ticks. Ticks tend to prefer the back of the knee, armpit, scalp, groin, and back of the neck.

If you discover a tick on your body, remove it right away. Folk remedies, such as burning the tick with a match or covering it with petroleum jelly or nail polish, are not effective. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following instructions for removing a tick:

• Carefully grasp the tick by using tweezers to grip the tick by its mouthparts which are close to the skin. Do not squeeze the tick’s body.
• Pull steadily directly away from your skin. Because removing the tick’s body is your main goal, don’t worry if its mouthparts break off in the process.
• Clean the wound and disinfect the site of the bite.

The most common tick-borne disease is Lyme disease; 319 cases of Lyme disease were reported to IDPH in 2015. Not everyone who gets Lyme disease will have the same symptoms, but the best and earliest sign of infection is a rash that may appear within a few days to a month, usually at the site of the tick bite. The rash will first look like a small, red bump, then expand until it begins to look like a bull’s eye, with a red center and a red ring surrounding a clear area. It is important to contact your healthcare provider immediately if you develop this type of rash or develop flu-like symptoms within a month of having a tick bite or being in an area where ticks are present.

For more information on Lyme disease, visit http://idph.iowa.gov/cade/disease-information/lyme-disease.

• KJAN, Atlantic  .1″
• Elk Horn  .17″
• Missouri Valley .22″
• Oakland  .2″
• Avoca  .1″
• Logan  .23″
• Creston  .26″
• Shenandoah  .39″
• Council Bluffs  .24″

Iowa Ag Secretary Bill Northey used his speech at a recent Republican Party fundraiser to blast the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit that raises questions about how farm chemical run-off is impacting water quality in the state. “In spite of what you hear coming out of the metro area, most of the state is more engaged with each other, not finger pointing,” Northey said.

The lawsuit alleges ag drainage tiles in Buena Vista, Calhoun and Sac Counties in northwest Iowa are improperly managed, causing the Des Moines Water Works to spend money removing nitrates from the central Iowa drinking water supply. Northey says government regulation of those tile lines is “absolutely wrong” because farmers are VOLUNTARILY addressing water quality concerns.

“I see it as I get around the countryside and talk to our farmers and see them actively right now engaged in the water quality issue and spending their own money in times that are financially tight,” Northey said. The C-E-O of the Des Moines Water Works says the voluntary strategy Northey has promoted for reducing nitrates in Iowa’s water is NOT working.

The utility ran its nitrate removal equipment for a record 177 days last year to ensure the central Iowa drinking water supply was safe.Northey says government “restrictions” from Democrats like President Obama are stifling all sorts of industries. “There were a set of regulations came down from Washington, D.C. to fix all the bad things that the ‘big banks’ did. They screwed up life in some of our small banks, our Iowa-sized banks out here,” Northey says. “It’s made it more expensive. It’s made it such that they can’t serve their customers the same way.”

Current federal policy exempts agricultural run-off from Clean Water Act rules. The Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit seeks to change that.

(Radio Iowa)

A review by experts at Iowa State University finds most of the studies on ways to handle the odor and emissions from animal livestock facilities in the state fail to get very far. Dan Andersen in the Department of Agricultural and Bisosystems Engineering says they looked at odor control research projects in three areas. “One from the animal housing itself, two from the way they’re storing or handling their manure. And three, from their land application area,” Andersen says. “So, we were really curious about what people had tried — and what research had been done on that.”

“There’s a lot of things that are studied in the lab, and very few of those actually make it to field testing. Which does make some sense. Certainly we’re more willing to try things that might be a little crazy or hard to implement in the lab,” according to Andersen. He says it is surprising given the concerns about livestock odors in Iowa that more of the lab tests haven’t advanced.

“And some of that is related to costs and some of it is related to what they found in the lab-scale studies. But I still think it is unfortunate that a lot of these options never make it all the way to the field studies,” Andersen says. “The other thing that we saw is that a lot of the research has tended to focus on swine production systems. Which certainly they can be contributors to odor, but other production systems also are pretty key contributors to odors both in this state around the midwest. So, it is a little surprising that so much of the attention has been just on hogs.”

Andersen says one of the other issues they found is the studies cover a variety of issues related to the odor, but few look at a broader picture of what needs to be done. “For instance, often times a study might focus just on ammonia, or just on greenhouse emissions, or just on odor, rather than putting all the pieces together,” Andersen explains. “So I think some of it is just making sure as scientist we are all laying the foundation to say as we evaluate this technology are we thinking about both what we are really trying to focus on today — but sort of that big picture of where the demands for agriculture might go.”

Andersen says moving some of these lab studies forward could be a way to find something that works and is cost effective. “We are at a point where a lot of those things that really make a high impact are still pretty costly to implement. So, I think a lot of the focus needs to be looking at these technologies that have shown promise — things like bio-filters or covered manure storages — and really looking at way to make them cost feasible for farms to implement,” Andersen says.

Andersen and others looked at more than 260 research papers on the effectiveness of technologies intended to control gaseous, odor and particulate emissions from livestock and poultry operations.

(Radio Iowa)