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(Radio Iowa) – The new map from the U-S Drought monitor show some slight improvement following rains across the state.  All of the state still has some sort of drought rating, but the area that was in extreme drought dropped below four percent in the last week. The severe drought areas dropped from nearly 39 percent to less than 14 percent. With those percentages dropping, nearly 60 percent of the state is now in moderate drought, and around 22 percent is abnormally dry. The worst drought conditions remain in northwest and southeast sections of the state.

(Radio Iowa) – The severe drought in eastern Iowa has had an impact on the Christmas tree crop that will likely show up several years down the road. Mark Banowetz started the Cedar’s Edge Evergreen Market in Ely seven years ago, and told K-C-R-G T-V he is looking forward to the first season of sale. “These trees that we put in that were a foot or 16 inches, they’ve grown to 9 feet or so,” Banowetz says. He says the drought isn’t impacting the bigger trees, but the 500 seedlings he planted this year that have struggled.

“We’re losing a lot of seedlings,” he says. Iowa Christmas Tree Association President Bob Moulds, says Banowetz isn’t alone. He said a lot of newer farmers were also struggling, and there isn’t crop insurance for Christmas trees. “If they die, they die,” he said. “There’s no insurance, there’s nothing.” Moulds is the owner of the Wapsie Pines Tree Farm in Fairbank, and says he started changing his ways after the 2013 drought. He tells K-C-R-G- T-V he started watering and mulching each of the four-thousand trees he planted this year.

“If we had not mulched all these trees and individually watered them three times while it was dry, a large percent of them would not have made it,” said Moulds. As the Association’s new President, Moulds said he wanted to show other new farmers like Banowetz, what he learned over the years. So, they too can make it through droughts like the one we’re seeing right now.

KCRG-TV photo

Moulds says when tree farmers have bad drought years they can usually plant twice the number of seedlings the following year to make up for the ones they lost. But he said that can also be a risk if there’s another drought the next year.

(Radio Iowa) – A new book by an Iowa author implores people to preserve the waterways that sustain our crops — and our lives — by tackling tough issues from climate change to nitrate pollution. Professor Neil Hamilton, who recently retired after 36 years directing the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University, uses the river as a narrator in his book, “The River Knows.” He says the book is designed as a wake-up call to make people stop and think about our waterways and how we can best protect them. It’s the sequel to Hamilton’s 2022 book, “The Land Remains,” where Iowa’s fertile, underappreciated soil told its own story.

The book is available at many Iowa bookstores and through the publisher, Ice Cube Press.

(Avoca, Iowa) – The 127th Annual Pottawattamie County Fair rolls on through Monday, in Avoca. Today (Friday, July 20th), the schedule includes:

• 8:00-a.m., 4-H/FFA Goat Show – Followed by the Sheep Show
• 1:00-p.m., the 4-H/FFA Rabbit Show & Small Pet Show
• 2:00-p.m., 4-H/FFA Dog Show
• 4:00-p.m., 4-H/FFA Club Volleyball Tournament
• 5:00-p.m., Beef Fitting Clinic by the Danker Family
• 7:00-p.m., Free Grandstand Event – the Finding Dixie Band.

Events on Saturday, July 22nd, include:

• 9:00-a.m., 4-H/FFA Beef Show
• 1:00-p.m., Grandstand Event: Side-by-side races
• 2:00-p.m., Fair Olympics hosted by CYC
• 5:00-p.m., Grandstand Event: WIMRA Mud Bog Races.

And on Sunday, there’s the 4-H/FFA Swine Show at 7-a.m., a Cornhole Tourney at 1-p.m., and the 5-p.m. Grandstand Event features Truck and Tractor Pulls.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The fun and activities continue through Sunday at the Montgomery County Fair, in Red Oak. Here’s a look at the schedule for today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday):

Friday, July 21
Morning Cookies & Drinks from Farm Credit Services for Exhibitors
9:00 AM–9:00 PM 4-H Exhibit Building Open
Throughout Day Critter Close-Ups – White Building (11:00, 1:00, 3:00)
Throughout Day Meyer’s Petting Zoo
Throughout Day Kid’s Zone – Old White Commercial Building by YMCA
Throughout Day Kiddie Train
Noon-9:00 PM Commercial Building Open
Noon-10:00 PM Mid-MO Fun Inflatables – Near the Grandstand Arena
1:00 PM 4-H/FFA Rabbit Show – Livestock Pavilion
1:00-4:00 PM Senior Citizen’s Day Bingo – Fairgrounds Auditorium, Sponsored by Montgomery County Fair Board & Montgomery County YMCA – An afternoon of bingo with prizes, entertainment and refreshments. All senior citizens are welcome to come join us for this free afternoon!
1:00-5:00 PM Caricature Artist Wayne Sealy – 4-H Exhibit Building
4:30-6:30 PM Balloon Creations & Magic Show starting at 5:30 – 4-H Exhibit Bldg.
5:00 PM Mechanical Bull Ride – Grandstand Area
5:00-7:00 PM Mills/Montgomery Cattlemen’s Association steak supper – Fairgrounds Auditorium
7:00-9:00 PM Bingo – 4-H Exhibit Bldg.
7:00-10:00 PM Villisca Lion’s Kiddie Ferris Wheel – Fairgrounds Midway
7:30 PM FREE Bull Ride – Grandstand Arena
9:00 PM Music by County Music Artist Jason Pritchett (following Bull Ride)

Saturday, July 22
9:00 AM 4-H/FFA Beef Show – Livestock Pavilion
9:00 AM-9:00 PM 4-H Exhibit Building Open
8:30 Registration
9:00 Show Baby Contest – Fairgrounds Auditorium
Throughout Day Meyer’s Petting Zoo
Throughout Day Kid’s Zone – Old White Commercial Building by YMCA
Throughout Day Kiddie Train
Throughout Day Critter Close-Ups – White Building (11:00, 1:00, 3:00)
7:00-9:00 PM Bingo – 4-H Exhibit Bldg.
Noon-9:00 PM Commercial Building Open
Noon-10:00 PM Mid-MO Fun Inflatables – Near the Grandstand Arena
12:30-2:00 PM Pudgy Pumpkin Patch Gift Shop Demonstrations – Fairgrounds Auditorium
1:00-2:00 PM (Bring in Pies)
2:00-2:30 PM (Judging)
2:30-3:30 PM (Social)
Baked Apple Pie Contest – sponsored by the Montgomery Co. Farm Bureau and the Montgomery County Fair Board. Bring your baked apple pie to be judged with prizes awarded in several categories.
**FREE Pie/Ice Cream – Fairgrounds Auditorium
1:00-4:00 PM Balloon Creations & Magic Show starting at 3:00 – 4-H Exhibit Bldg.
1:00-5:00 PM Caricature Artist Wayne Sealy – 4-H Exhibit Building
2:00 PM Supreme Showmanship—Livestock Pavilion
4:00 PM Open Pet Show – Livestock Pavilion
7:00-10:00 PM Villisca Lion’s Kiddie Ferris Wheel – Fairgrounds Midway
7:00-10:00 PM Nite Riders Band – Fairgrounds Auditorium
7:30 PM Demolition Derby –Grandstand Arena
8:00-10:00 PM Release of livestock not being sold at auction—Superintendent check-out
9:30 PM Release Commercial Exhibits

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Central Community College broke ground this week on what will become its new Biofuels Testing Laboratory on the west side of Fort Dodge. Iowa Central President Jesse Ulrich says it will be a welcome addition to the campus and it’ll be the only independent biofuels testing lab in the country.

“This was something that was started at Iowa Central back in the mid 2000s,” Ulrich says. “We worked with a local trucking company, Decker Truck Lines, to really test out the difference between regular fuel and biofuel within the trucking industry.” He says the planned state-of-the-art lab will be the end result of very humble beginnings.

“It’s something that really started kind of out of a closet, a very small operation, and moved into the Biohealth Science Building. We’ve just continued to grow and expand,” Ulrich says. “As a part of our 2018 public bond referendum, that our community supported, there was some money set aside to build a new testing lab.” The land on which the lab will be built didn’t cost Iowa Central anything, as it had been occupied by a Casey’s convenience store.

“When Casey’s did strategic planning and eliminated that store for use, we contacted Casey’s and heard our vision about what we wanted to do with the property in regards to the biofuel lab, and they thought it was a win-win for everyone,” he says. “We’re very fortunate that Casey’s donated that property to us.” The lab should be ready for move-in within a year.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors were asked Tuesday morning, to get on with the business of writing and passing a hazardous pipeline ordinance. Jan Norris, a West Township resident, implored the Board to act, said the urgency to do so is because of next month’s Iowa Utilities Board meeting with Summit Carbon Solutions.

The proposed 706-mile long pipeline passes through 30 counties, including the western third of Montgomery County. In June, a representative for the pipeline told the Supervisors about 75% of the easements needed had been secured, or about 13.4-miles, and $4.6-million in easement payments had been issued.

Jan Norris said if the Board is set against passing an ordinance, whether their opinion is based on legal advice or not – they should communicate their intentions to the public.

Maggie McQuown, a 4th generation resident of Garfield Township, living on her family farm. She also serves on the Montgomery County Board of Adjustment. She said while the individual Board members are entitled to their opinion on the carbon pipeline, but it is more so important to do “everything in [their] power to prepare Montgomery County for the CO2 pipeline, for safety of the residents.

She told the Board “Don’t be bullied,” by the threat of a lawsuit from Summit Carbon Solutions, should the County enact an ordinance.

She said the ordinance guidelines can be adjusted to allow for variances to be granted, but a “life-threatening incident” can’t be undone. The Board thanked both women for their input, but because the matter was not on their agenda, no action was taken at this time.

OMAHA, NEBRASKA – July 18, 2023 – While cropland continued to gain value in the first half of 2023, Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) reports signs that the real estate market is stabilizing. FCSAmerica, a financial cooperative, appraises 63 benchmark farms twice a year to monitor trends in real estate in its four-state territory of Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming. FCSAmerica’s July 2023 Benchmark Farmland Report was released today.

The chart below reflects the average change in value for multiple land types: dryland and irrigated cropland farms, crop-pasture farms and pasture-ranch operations. The number of benchmark farms appraised in each state is indicated in parentheses.

Benchmark values in the first half of 2023 remained strong in markets where the availability of land was limited and were steadier in areas with a consistent supply. Higher quality cropland also supported higher values, while average to below-average ground saw smaller increases. This is indicative of a more stable market.

Values on pasture and ranchland were supported by high demand and limited supply. Since July 2022, South Dakota has seen pasture values rise 12.2%, much of the increase happening in the past six months. Wyoming values are up 15.5% year-over-year. Nebraska pasture, by comparison, is down slightly.

For all agricultural land types, values remain at record highs. The steepest gains occurred in the last half of 2020 through 2021. The market has remained resilient in the past year despite successive interest rate hikes and drought in much of the region.

“The other driver in real estate is farm profitability and the overall financial health of agriculture, which has been extremely strong,” said Tim Koch, executive vice president of business development for FCSAmerica. “Profitability and optimism in agriculture have more than offset the negative pressures created by the increased interest rates.”

Profit margins continue to tighten because of higher input costs and lower commodity prices. Producers generally are planning for 2023 profits near break-even levels. This could result in a flattening of land values, with some areas possibly seeing a slight decline, Koch said.

“There is lots of liquidity on farm balance sheets and overall leverage is down significantly,” he said. “So even if profit margins, on average, return to break-even levels, the overall financial strength of producers will lead them to stay in the real estate market. We still could see instances of aggressive bidding for the right farm in the right location.”

Below are state-by-state trends in benchmark farmland values for the first half of 2023:

Iowa Values for 15 of the state’s 21 benchmark farms increased by less than 5%, and four declined slightly. The highest increase was 9.1%, the greatest decline, 6.3%. The overall year-over-year gain of 4.0% compares to increases of 37% and 12.8% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Nebraska Seven of the state’s 18 benchmark farms increased in value by at least 5%, with two experiencing double-digit hikes, including a northeast Nebraska farm with an 18.3% gain. Nine farms saw little to no change and two declined in value. The year-over-year increase of 8.4% statewide compares to gains of 22.1% and 14.3% in 2020 and 2021, respectively.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says election year politics could be helpful in getting a bipartisan bill through the U.S. Senate. The bill calls for price disclosure in the cattle market, so people who aren’t selling cattle under a contract with one of the four big meatpackers can find out if the price they’re being offered is fair.

“When it comes to Midwestern people that don’t want a contract, they want a daily market, sometimes they can’t get a price,” Grassley says. “If they get a price, it’s only about 11% of the daily kill and they don’t know if it’s a fair price because the contract price isn’t in that daily average and this bill would put it in that daily average.”

Ten Democrats and a dozen Republicans are co-sponsoring the bill. Grassley met with Montana Senator Jon Tester and other key senators in his office last week to discuss a strategy for getting Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the bill up for a vote.

“We’re counting on Tester, being a Democrat up for reelection…having more of a voice with Schumer than we Republicans would have to hopefully move that bill,” Grassley says.

The bill did clear the Senate Ag Committee last year, but it was never considered in the full Senate.