DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today (Monday) announced that more than $6.75 million is available to help farmers and landowners install conservation practices through the state cost share program. Farmers can contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices to apply for assistance of up to 50 percent of the cost of the project.

Northey says “The cost share program is a partnership between the state and local landowners to help get conservation practices on the land that prevent erosion and better protect water quality. Now is the time for farmers to plan ahead and work with the local soil and water conservation district office so they are ready to move ahead with construction of the practices as soon as the crops are out of the field this fall.”

He said also “These funds are a great investment by the state and historically farmers contribute $1.50 for each dollar invested by the state. There continues to be strong interest in the cost share program, but there are funds available and we encourage farmers to contact their local soil and water conservation district office to discuss options for their farm.”

Conservation practices eligible for assistance through the program include terraces, waterways, ponds, buffers, cover crops, and several other conservation practices.

In addition to the statewide cost share, at least five percent of the funds will be used to protect several publicly owned lakes and cost share in these projects is available for up to 75 percent of the cost of the project. Eligible lakes include: Badger Creek Lake (Dallas SWCD and Madison SWCD); Lake Icaria (Adams SWCD); Prairie Rose Lake (Shelby SWCD); Three Mile Lake (Adair SWCD, Union SWCD) and
Twelve Mile Lake (Adair SWCD, Union SWCD).

A map of the targeted lake projects is available on the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov.

Iowa deer hunters will notice fewer seasons and changes in certain seasons this year. Officials with the Iowa DNR say the January antlerless deer season has been eliminated, the number of antlerless deer tags has been reduced and hunters in 27 northwest counties are allowed only antlered deer during the first shotgun and early muzzleloader seasons. Crossbows were allowed as a legal method of take for resident Iowa hunters during the late muzzleloader season.

Iowa waterfowl hunters have an experimental September teal only season from Sept. 6-21 in all three waterfowl zones. The remaining waterfowl seasons will be set during the August 14 meeting of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Natural Resource Commission after the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issues their season requirements to the states.

Iowa Hunting and Trapping Seasons

Deer Seasons

Youth: Sept. 20-Oct. 5

Disabled Hunter: Sept. 20-Oct. 5

Archery: Oct. 1-Dec. 5 AND Dec. 22-Jan. 10

Early Muzzleloader: Oct. 11-19

Late Muzzleloader: Dec. 22-Jan. 10

First Shotgun: Dec. 6-10

Second Shotgun: Dec. 13-21

Nonresident Holiday: Dec. 24-Jan. 2

 Small Game and Upland Seasons

Youth Rooster Pheasant: Oct. 18-19

Rooster Pheasant: Oct. 25-Jan. 10

Bobwhite Quail: Oct. 25-Jan. 31

Gray Partridge: Oct. 11-Jan. 31

Ruffed Grouse: Oct. 4-Jan. 31

Cottontail Rabbit: Aug. 30-Feb. 28

Fox and Gray Squirrel: Aug. 30-Jan. 31

Crow: Oct. 15-Nov. 30 AND Jan. 14-March 31

Pigeon: Continuous Open Season

Migratory Game Bird Seasons

Mourning Dove: Sept. 1-Nov. 9

September Teal Season: Sept. 6-21 in all three zones. Additional regulations apply.

Furbearer Hunting Seasons

Raccoon: Nov. 1-Jan. 31

Opossum: Nov. 1-Jan. 31

Red and Gray Fox: Nov. 1-Jan. 31

Bobcat: Nov. 1-Jan. 31 Additional regulations apply.

Coyote: Continuous Open Season

Groundhog: Continuous Open Season

Trapping Seasons

Raccoon: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Muskrat: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Red and Gray Fox: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Coyote: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Badger: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Mink: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Weasel: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Opossum: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Striped Skunk: Nov.1-Jan. 31

Beaver: Nov. 1-April 15

Otter: Nov.1-Jan. 31 Additional regulations apply.

Bobcat: Nov.1-Jan. 31 Additional regulations apply.

Persons interested in bow hunting deer in Atlantic are advised to pick up their instruction packet from the Atlantic Police Department. The information packets are available Monday through Friday, from 8-a.m. to 4-p.m. Once the packet is filled-out by the hunter, it must be signed by Police Chief Steve Green. If you are already qualified to hunt, you won’t have any further issues to contend with.
It’s the third year the City is making bow hunting available within the City limits. Lt. Dave Erickson with the A-PD says the number of deer harvested each year continues to grow, with last year being very successful. Erickson says bow hunting is made available to the public, with certain exceptions and requirements.

New hunters not previously qualified may still pick up their packet, but they must also make an appointment to shoot with Lt. Erickson at the P-D. The packet explains the rules and City Ordinance. He says the hunting seasons mirror those established by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Hunters must be 18-years of age or older and have a State of Iowa hunting license. They also must have a deer tag or tags issued by the DNR.

Erickson says the one thing they are requesting is that anyone who wants the public to hunt deer on their property, please call the police department Monday through Friday and submit their name. The list of property owners’ names who will allow hunting will then be made available for hunters to contact and provide information as to when they would like to request permission to do so.
Anterless tags will be available.

Hunters must take a doe first before being allowed to hunt a buck within the City limits. If you wish to continue hunting Does – antlerless – the City will reimburse for the tag you purchased through the DNR. You will need to call the Police Department at 712-243-3512 when you harvest a deer. The police will verify that it was taken within the city limits. The hunter then brings the tag to City Hall, where they will be reimbursed for the doe tag. The maximum reimbursement is $28.50. Up to six doe tags per person are allowed for reimbursement.

There are restrictions are where bow hunting will be allowed. For instance, No hunting on City parks of City property. Among the things to note this year: Hunting will not be allowed if your paperwork is not filled out and copies are on file at the Police Department; All hunters must respect the property lines of the land they are hunting on, and be courteous to residents of adjoining properties; Hunters must carry a cell phone with them in case a law enforcement officer needs to contact them with regard to any complaints; Hunter should use safety harnesses while hunting from an elevated stand; Field dressings must be done outside the City limits of Atlantic.

Persons needing to qualify for the in-City hunt will be required to pass a verbal and skill test conducted by the A-PD and Atlantic Archers. The applicant must be able to shoot at 3-d targets up to a maximum of 30-yards from an elevated stand, and successfully hit with 3 out of 5 arrows.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The value of farmland in Iowa is up again this year reaching a new high at a time when many observers expect values to drop due to falling commodity prices. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in a new report released Friday the average value of an acre of cropland in Iowa rose 9.4 percent from a year ago to a new record $8,750.

The value of farm real estate — a measurement of the value of all land and buildings on farms — climbed 10.4 percent to $8,500 an acre. Iowa leads the nation in the value of farmland and buildings with a total value of $235.6 billion. That’s up nearly 18 percent.

The annual report is based on producer surveys completed in the first two weeks of June.

A southwest Iowa cattle producer has been selected as the Region 3 winner of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s program that highlights exceptional work done by cattle producers to protect and enhance the environment. Officials with the NCBA report Nichols Farms, LTD., of Bridgewater, was announced as the Region 3 winner in the Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) at the Cattle Industry Summer Conference in Denver on Thursday (July 31st). The family farm operation is managed by Dave Nichols, Phyllis Nichols and Lillian Nichols, and covers Adair, Adams and Cass counties.

Nichols Farms of Bridgewater, owned by (from left) Dave and Phyllis Nichols and Lillian Nichols.

Nichols Farms, an internationally known seedstock producer and a cow-calf operation, will compete for the national ESAP title with six other regional winners. The national winner will be announced during the Cattle Industry Annual Convention and Trade Show in San Antonio, TX, in February 2015.

The area where the Nichols both own and rent land is known as Iowa’s Hungry Canyons area, which is identified with deep cut gullies and stream trenching. Over 70% of the farmland managed by the Nichols (some owned, some rented) has been designated as highly erodible. While it’s typical for the area to have row crops grown on nearly 70% of the land, Nichols Farms has 46% of the farmland in row crops, and 54% in grassland and pasture production.

The NCBA says the work by cattlemen and women to protect their natural resources helps to improve the environmental sustainability of the beef industry. Those efforts also help this year’s regional winners improve the land for future cattle producers, a goal shared by each of these operations.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today (Friday) encouraged Iowans to take advantage of fresh fruits and vegetables available at the more than 220 farmers markets in Iowa as part of National Farmers Market Week, which runs from Aug. 3 to 9.

“We continue to see growing demand for fresh locally grown produce and farmers markets are a great place to find healthy and delicious Iowa grown fruits, vegetables, meats and other products,” Northey said. “National Farmers Market Week, and every week, is a great time to visit your local farmers market to support the vendors who are there and enjoy some of the great food grown in this state.”

As part of National Farmers Market Week, Northey highlighted the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Programs. These programs provide eligible low-income seniors as well as women and children in Iowa with checks that can be redeemed for fresh, locally grown produce at authorized farmers markets and farm stands from June 1 through October 31, 2014.

Northey also encouraged Iowans to take advantage of the free Iowa Farmers Market app for smartphones that can help Iowans locate the farmers markets in their area. The app allows users to find the farmers market closest to them by using GPS location services or to search for specific farmers markets by city or zip code. Once they have located a market, the user can view the hours of the market, browse a list of vendors and see a phone number and email address of the market manager. App users can also leave reviews of the market and vendors and upload their photos to share with others.

The app is free to download and is available through Apple’s App store and Google Play by searching “Iowa Farmers Markets.”  The app was developed for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship using funds from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.

After a rainy June and a cool July, Iowa’s starting August almost entirely drought-free. A new report from the National Drought Mitigation Center finds only parts of three counties in far southwest Iowa are still in the very lowest level of drought. Center climatologist Brian Fuchs says all of those heavy downpours in June were a big benefit to Iowa, though they came at a cost. “Not only did we get the rain across the state but associated with that was the severe weather with a lot of wind, a lot of hail, even some tornadoes,” Fuchs says.

Iowa Drought map

“The recovery was influenced by these storms which also brought another form of destruction. Yeah, we put a dent in the drought but we had some suffering in other areas as well.” Governor Branstad is asking President Obama to declare 22 more Iowa counties federal disaster areas from damage sustained in storms from June 26th through July 7th. Thirty-five counties statewide have already been designated federal disaster areas for earlier storms, flooding and tornadoes. While 96 of Iowa’s 99 counties are now drought-free, the latest national picture shows drought is still very much a problem for wide sections of the country.

Fuchs says, “There has been some improvement but much of that improvement has been in the Midwest and Central Plains, the area from Nebraska and Kansas and Iowa and Missouri and Illinois where we have had the abundance of moisture but in that same period, we have seen that drought developing and expanding out in the western U.S.” Drought still plagues a large portion of the country, especially the southwestern and western United States, from California and Nevada to Texas and Oklahoma.

Fuchs says, “A little over a third of the country still is seeing some drought and a little over 10% of the country is seeing extreme drought right now.” The latest survey shows parts of three southwest Iowa counties are “abnormally dry,” the lowest category on the drought monitor: Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Environmental Protection Commission will consider adopting rules for concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) at its Aug. 19 meeting. Commissioners moved the meeting to the Wallace State Office Building Auditorium, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines.

If adopted, the rules will incorporate by reference the federal rules that require CAFOs to comply with national pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) permits. The Iowa Legislature directed adopting the federal rules. Adoption was also a condition of a work plan agreement signed between the DNR and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Sept.11, 2013.

The federal rules require confinement feeding operations that are CAFOs and discharge to waters of the U.S. to seek an NPDES permit. Generally, confinements are animal feeding operations that are totally roofed. The U.S. EPA defines a large CAFO as one that confines at least 1,000 cattle or cow/calf pairs, 700 mature dairy cattle, 2,500 finishing swine or 55,000 turkeys.

In other business, commissioners will be asked to approve contracts for watershed projects, statewide groundwater analysis and a food waste study.

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. with public comments to follow. The meeting is open to the public.

w/ Denny Heflin

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Cass County: Corn $3.45, Beans $12.41
Adair County: Corn $3.42, Beans $12.44
Adams County: Corn $3.42, Beans $12.40
Audubon County: Corn $3.44, Beans $12.43
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.48, Beans $12.41
Guthrie County: Corn $3.47, Beans $12.45
Montgomery County: Corn $3.47, Beans $12.43
Shelby County: Corn $3.48, Beans $12.41
Oats $3.36 (always the same in all counties)