DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa suspended its inspections of egg farms last year during the bird flu outbreak, and the state still hasn’t resumed the routine checks. The Des Moines Register reports state officials followed the lead of federal investigators in stopping inspections to help limit the spread of bird flu, which prompted the slaughter of 48 million birds nationwide.

Federal inspectors are responsible for large egg-laying farms that typically have more than 3,000 birds. State inspectors make sure smaller farms are following safety regulations. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says the state plans to resume its inspections when the Food and Drug Administration lifts its own ban on them.

Several other states were bird flu was found also suspended inspections for several months, but most resumed inspections late last year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — One of the nation’s largest egg farms, which lost millions of hens in last year’s bird flu outbreak, is defending itself against legal action by the state over a wastewater spill that killed 163,000 fish. The Environmental Protection Commission has referred Sunrise Farms to the attorney general for enforcement of violations of state laws and administrative regulations regarding the contamination of about 18 miles of Stoney Creek. The company owns egg-laying barns near Harris designed to hold up to 8 million hens.

An attorney for Sunrise Farms, an affiliate of South Dakota-based Sonstegard Foods, says the wastewater discharge happened a few months after the bird flu outbreak destroyed 3.8 million chickens and the farm was dealing with production issues it had never before experienced.

An official with the Shelby County Conservation Board reports persons interested in reserving one of two the cabins at the Nishna Bend Recreation Area or the cabin at Manteno Park, can do so on the web at www.mycountyparks.com.

Director Nick Preston says all you need to do is to go to the interactive calendar and simply choose the date or dates you want, then place your reservation. You may pay securely using your credit card.

The service is available as much as 24 months in advance, but cabin enthusiasts are encouraged to reserve your dates soon before they all sell out.

Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency say the light rains in the forecast today will not be enough to stop the potential for fire to spread rapidly. The Fire Danger category will remain “HIGH” until at least Thursday morning, when the next update is expected.

After today and tomorrow, winds and very low relative humidity will combine with the sunshine to rapidly dry the dead vegetation, again, making for dangerous fire conditions.

The National Weather Service is forecasting very dry and very high fire condition for later this week.
The Shelby County EMA says you should remember to call your controlled burns in to the EMA Communications center at (712)- 755—2124, and, contact your local Fire Chief.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says some 10-thousand boat owners are running out of time to register the hull identification number of their boats. D-N-R Boating Law Administrator, Susan Stocker, says the U-S Coast Guard found the numbers from the manufacturers did not meet regulations. “Recently the states have been tasked with making sure and verifying that these boats to have the 12-digit hull identification numbers, H-I-N’s. And so, we’re just trying to give a heads up to the boat owners that still need to register their HINS before they want to register it,”

Stocker says. She says boat owners should have gotten notice. “We’ve sent them an affidavit,” Stocker says, “and so what they do is they fill it out and either do a pencil rubbing or take a photography of their hull identification number to verify it. And then they can either mail it in, email it in or fax it in, and then we’ll process it.” Boat owners will need to verify the H-I-N prior to April 30th in order to renew their boat registration.

Stocker says any boat owner has to register their boat by the deadline or they face a five dollar penalty. Stocker says many boaters are probably getting the itch to get out on the water, and need to get the verification and registration complete. “As the weather does get warmer and everybody will want to get out on the water, we want to be sure they are able to do that by doing a little bit of paperwork before it gets too nice,” Stocker says.

Stocker says there are around 235-thousand boats registered in the state. for more information on the boat registration, go to the D-N-R’s website at: www.iowadnr.gov.

(Radio Iowa)

The second Produce in the Park meeting will be Thursday, March 17, 4:30 pm at Atlantic Area Chamber of commerce meeting room, 102 Chestnut Street, Atlantic. Vendors of locally grown produce and handmade crafts, and anyone interested in the community event are invited to attend.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is June 2 to be held every Thursday night, 4:30 to 6:30 in Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season.

An update on funding and expenses will be discussed. Marketing methods, activities and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. Decisions are made by the group in attendance.

The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

The second “Produce in the Park” meeting in Atlantic is set for Thursday, March 17th, in the meeting room at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce at 102 Chestnut Street. The meeting, which begins at 4:30-p.m., is for vendors of locally grown produce and handmade crafts, and anyone else interested in the community event.

An update on funding and expenses will be discussed. Marketing methods, activities and cooking demonstrations are also on the agenda. Decisions are made by the group in attendance.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is June 2nd. The event takes place every Thursday evening from there on out through the growing season, from 4:30- to 6:30-p.m. in the Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season.

The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farm and construction equipment manufacturer Deere & Co. says it will lay off about 125 workers at two Iowa factories. The Moline, Illinois-based company announced Thursday that about 75 workers would lose their jobs at Deere’s factory in Dubuque and 50 would be out of from their jobs in Ankeny.

The Dubuque layoffs are effective April 29 and the Ankeny cuts are effective April 15. Deere says it bases its manufacturing workforce based on market demand. The latest cuts follow an announcement by Deere last month that it would cut 100 manufacturing jobs in Davenport and Dubuque.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation announced on Wednesday that the Sunnyside Park gates will be open Thursday, March 10th by 7:00am.  The department is asking visitors to use great caution as you drive through the park due to gravel and debris on the streets.  Drivers also need to be on the lookout for walkers, joggers, disc golfers, and children playing in the park.

The restrooms in the parks will not be open until a later date due to the risk of freezing temperatures at night and frozen pipes.  The Kiddie Korral shelter at Sunnyside Park is not available for use due to some additional construction yet to be completed.  The tennis courts are open and ready to be used by the public for tennis only.

The department asks you to enjoy and respect the parks and their property as they are for everyone to enjoy.

w/Kate Olson.

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