The Cass County Corn Growers and Cass County Extension Office are hosting an informational meeting in conjunction with representatives of the Iowa Department of Transportation. Javen Smith, President of Cass County Corn Growers says “We welcome area farmers and interested people to hear updates on rules and regulations specifically for agricultural vehicles and equipment.” The meeting will take place on Feb. 24, 2014 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th St., Atlantic, Iowa. Donuts and coffee will be served.

Smith says “A DOT transportation officer will speak. We hope that all people who are interested will come and learn more about these important vehicle issues before the spring planting rush begins.”  The public is welcome to attend this event that is sponsored by the Cass County Corn Growers, the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Cass County. No pre-registration is required.

w/ Denny Heflin

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Due to lower prices for corn and soybeans and less money coming from Uncle Sam, a report from the U-S Department of Agriculture predicts a gloomy financial year ahead for farmers. It shows farm income will fall in 2014 as much as 27-percent when compared to last year. U-S-D-A chief economist Joe Glauber says net cash income for farmers is expected to plummet.

Glauber says, “Crop receipts for 2014, we’re projecting those at about $189-billion, that’s down almost 27-billion from 2013, the lowest level since 2010.” For Iowa farmers, if the forecast is correct, it would be the third straight year of declining farm incomes, following lower grain prices last year and the drought in 2012. Glauber says there are a few positive elements in the new forecast, mainly for livestock producers.

“Livestock receipts are up, marginally,” he says. “They’re up at $183.4-billion. It’s the first time in a long while we’ve seen livestock and crop receipts around the same magnitude. Expenses are actually down. We’re forecasting those at $310-billion. That’s down almost 5-billion from last year and that’s largely lower feed costs.” He says part of the reason for the drop in overall farm income is due to changes in the Farm Bill. Farmers won’t receive direct payments any more, while safety net payment guidelines in the new Farm Bill won’t be made, if needed, until 2015.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Kate Olson

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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting public meetings over the Iowa Communications Network on February 26^th, from 6 to 9 p.m., to listen to the public’s thoughts on the hunting and trapping regulations for this fall. The nearest meeting locally will be held at the Creston High School. Another meeting will be held in Council Bluffs, but the location has yet to be determined. The meetings are part of the process for making rules in state government.

Dr. Dale Garner, chief of the wildlife bureau says “Any rule changes must be discussed with Iowa’s citizens who might be impacted by the changes before the rule changes are proposed. The process helps ensure that rule changes serve the public’s wishes and do not impact Iowa’s economy.”

At each meeting DNR staff will facilitate a discussion about what went well last fall, what didn’t, and what changes hunters and trappers would like to see for this fall. The discussions along with the data that the wildlife bureau collects on harvest and population numbers will be used to develop recommendations for any rule changes this fall. Any changes must be approved by the Natural Resource Commission and then go back to the public for further comment before taking effect next fall.

A complete list of the ICN meeting locations are available online at www.iowadnr.gov/hunting

Iowa’s new Travel Guide is due out this month. It contains 175 pages of destinations, maps, and ideas for things to do and see across the state. Iowa Tourism office spokesperson Jessica O’Riley says a new section this year attempts to inspire travel with categories like outdoor adventures, wineries and breweries, restaurants, or, living like a local.

Although many vacationers have gone digital, printed copies of the travel guide are still available. “Pre-Internet days, we were printing probably 500,000 travel guides,” O’Riley said. “Now, with the use of our website increasing, were down to 125,000 (printed copies). That’s probably about where we’ll stay because we still see a demand for those from people who want a hard copy in their hands as they’re traveling the state.”

Travelers across Iowa determined the cover design of the 2014 Iowa Travel Guide, as sightseers provided the pictures and Facebook fans voted on the final photo montage. The new Travel Guide will be available next week at Iowa’s Welcome Centers or you can order one online at traveliowa.com.

(Radio Iowa)

The Cass, Crawford, and Shelby/Audubon County Conservation Boards has CANCELLED the guided tour out to Kearney, Nebraska March 20-21ST, due to lack of signups. The corresponding informational program on February 15th 1-PM at the Atlantic Public Library is also cancelled.

If you have any questions please call 712-769-2372.

Iowa farmers expect to plant 11-percent more soybeans this spring compared to 2013. That’s according to a new survey by AgriSource — a grain marketing, commodity brokerage and crop insurance company. Keith Gehling of AgriSource says the plans by Iowa farmers to plant 10.3 million acres of soybean are based on several factors. “We saw some pretty poor corn yields in 2012 and 2013 in parts of Iowa. Some producers are facing rootworm issues, high input costs, and cheaper corn prices on the Board of Trade,” Gehling says. “Some of these guys see an opportunity to break their corn on corn rotation and possibly raise some pretty good bean yields on those acres in 2014.”

Iowa farmers expect to plant 13.3 million acres of corn, down 2.2-percent compared to last year. However, Gehling says many farmers will wait until later this spring to make final planting decisions. “We put a question on the survey at the Farm Power Show about what their confidence level is and this year, confidence is about 50-percent in their planning intentions. The last several years, it’s been 75-percent. That tells us that guys are possibly waiting until March or April to see how the markets and rainfall play out,” Gehling says.

Across the country, farmers are expected to plant 93.2 million acres of corn, marking a 1.8-percent decline from 2013. U.S. farmers expect to plant 82 million acres of soybeans, an increase of 7-percent. The AgriSource survey was conducted in large part during the Iowa Power Farming Show in late January in conjunction with the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association.

(Radio Iowa)

The death of a 13-year-old boy in a snowmobile accident in northwest Iowa is bringing attention to off-road vehicle safety. The teenager, Raymond Gatzemeyer of Fonda, died last Wednesday when he hit a rope suspended between the pillars of a bridge. David Downing, with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says such dangers are common when crossing someone’s property. “Often during the year those landowners make changes to the property, they may put up a cable between a gate, they may have a suspension wire coming down off a corner post, and those types of hazards are unmarked,” Downing says.

There are plenty of places to ride in Iowa that are safe, according to Downing. “We have more than 8,000 miles of designated snowmobile trails in the state,” Downing says, “and those trails are groomed and they’re marked so you know where the hazards are. That’s why we always recommend that folks stay on those trails.” At the time of the accident, Gatzemeyer was with three other people, two who were on snowmobiles and one who was operating an ATV. They were not injured. It’s unclear why there was a rope attached to the bridge pillars. Gatzemeyer was wearing a helmet. Downing made his comments on Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River” program.

(Radio Iowa)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is preparing to send President Barack Obama a massive, five-year farm bill that provides food for the needy and subsidies for the nation’s farmers.