DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa residents can fish without a license this weekend. The Department of Natural Resources says the free fishing weekend will run from Friday through Sunday. The event typically is scheduled during a time when bluegills are usually close to shore and aggressive, making it likely novice anglers will have success.

The DNR encourages those catching their first fish to take a photo and send it to the DNR, which will commemorate the event by sending back a certificate suitable for framing and the submitted photo. Information on the first fish program is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/MasterAnglerFirstFish.aspx .

All other regulations remain in place during the free fishing weekend.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says crop producers who have applied liquid manure to fields based on planting corn can switch to soybeans without worrying about penalties for exceeding nitrogen limits on the field. “Normally, there’s a 100-pound per acre limit on nitrogen applications on soybean fields for crop producers who obtain the nitrogen from liquid manure,” said Ken Hessenius, supervisor of the DNR field office in Spencer. “But producers who planned to plant corn and applied liquid manure at higher rates may safely switch the crop to soybeans after June 1 without concern about a penalty,” he added. “That’s one small piece of good news during a wet, cold spring that has delayed corn planting.” 

The 100-pound available nitrogen limit applies to ground where soybeans have been planted, are growing or will be the next crop growing in the field. The restriction applies to liquid manure coming from livestock facilities that are required to have a manure or nutrient management plan. “If the planned crop is switched from corn to soybeans, the producer needs to put a note in the their manure or nutrient management plan about why they applied manure for corn and are now planting beans,” Hessenius added. “That will ensure there are no questions when the DNR inspects their records.” 

However, the 100-pound limit is no longer applicable after June 1 based on the assumption that crop producers may have to make changes in planned crops because of the weather. For more information, see the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/afo/

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Saturday, that damage to the entrance road at Springbrook State Park near Guthrie Center, in Guthrie County, has led to closing of the facility. A hole in the asphalt near the entrance to the park was discovered Friday evening and, upon further inspection, it was discovered that a large cavity had developed under the road, likely due to the recent heavy rainfall. After consulting with the Iowa Department of Transportation, it was determined that the road was unsafe.

All of the campers were safely evacuated from the campground and the park entrance was closed. A full assessment of the damage will be done on Monday along with determining a plan for making the necessary repairs. The park will be closed until the repairs can be completed and travel on the road is safe.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s wettest May on record has delayed soybean planting, which is likely to affect this fall’s harvest. As of this week only 40 percent of the state’s soybean crop had been planted. By this time last year, 95 percent was in the ground. The five-year average is 83 percent.  Iowa Soybean Association Director of Marketing Grant Kimberley says most of the crop likely will be in the ground by mid-June but that will cut the amount of beans harvested per acre.

Soybean yields on average decline by a quarter of a bushel to nearly a bushel per day the seed isn’t in the ground after May 15. Modern seed varieties have been known to catch up quickly and a decent harvest could result if conditions are good from now on.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The recent wet weather has converted last year’s drought in Iowa to flooding across much of the state. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday says only about 2 percent of Iowa was experiencing moderate drought this week and 17 percent of the state was abnormally dry. But the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln uses data from Tuesday morning for its weekly updates.

Several rounds of storms have dumped rain on Iowa since then, so the remaining dryness in northwest Iowa may have already been eliminated. The restored soil moisture should help Iowa farmers if their crops haven’t been affected by this week’s flooding.

Iowa’s secretary of agriculture says some Iowa farmers face tough decisions because of the wet weather. Secretary Bill Northey says some farmers may have to shift to seeding soybeans in fields they had planned to plant with corn this year. “We still have 15 percent of the corn to be planted out there for the first time and, really, almost none of that’s going to get planted ’til June. I’m sure some of it may not even get planted just because some rivers are out of their banks. In other places it’s going to be hard to get planted,” We have 60 percent of the soybeans yet to be planted and normally that should be close to being done or at least within sight of being done and now we’re hardly within sight of getting that in the ground.” 

In addition, farmers may have to replant fields that have been underwater for a while. “Way back in 1993 we had issues where the crop actually, essentially drowned out just in really soggy soil. Normally that doesn’t happen inIowa. We get some dry weather between our rains and the crop may struggle through some saturated soils, but it grows,” Northey says. “We’re at a point where we have to worry a little bit about making sure that soil dries out between these rains so that bean plant and that corn plant can stay healthy and keep growing.” 

Farmers are looking for warm, windy days in the forecast. Northeys says “We don’t need 40 mile an hour winds, but we certainly could use 15-20 mile an hour breezes on those warm days to be able to get some of that drying done.” Seed treatments can help young plants survive wet conditions. Northey says June 10th is a sort of cut-off date for planting corn in Iowa and farmers can plant soybeans as late as the first week of July, but the shortened growing season means a shorter crop. Northey farms near Spirit Lake and he still has some planting to do in his fields.

According to the Iowa Farm Bureau, planting progress is slower than it was in the dramatic flood year of 1993.

(Radio Iowa)

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