(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A’s weekly report on Iowa crops shows 61 percent of the state’s corn is rated good or excellent, a slight improvement from last week and soybean conditions rose to 53 percent good or excellent. The southern third of Iowa had above average rainfall last week. Topsoil moisture levels statewide are 17 percent very short and the subsoil ratings are even drier.

Last Thursday’s Drought Monitor shows parts of two counties in northwest and southwest Iowa are in extreme drought and in southeast Iowa, extreme drought conditions are reported in all or parts of seven counties.

(Moravia, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a mechanical malfunction likely led to a boat motor explosion injuring five at Lake Rathbun on Sunday, July 2, 2023.

The boat engine exploded during start-up at the Buck Creek Arm of Lake Rathbun around 3:00 PM on Sunday. One adult female received moderate to severe burns and was evacuated by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospital. An adult male and three juveniles were taken to Mercy One in Centerville by ambulance for minor burn-related wounds.

During this busy holiday weekend, the DNR encourages boaters to keep safety in mind by wearing life jackets, designating a sober operator, and having a fire extinguisher on board.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A has given two California companies the go ahead to begin selling chicken that’s grown from animal cells in a lab, but it will be a while before what’s called cultivated chicken lands in Iowa grocery stores. Chad Hart, an economist with Iowa State University Extension, suggests there are some headwinds for the product. “This is an alternative that some may wish to pursue that’s going to be substantially higher cost for quite some time,” Hart says, “and may not have as big an audience as some folks think.”

Hart points to what’s happened with plant-based products marketed as meatless meat. Products like “Beyond Meat” were introduced in 2019, but data recently released by the Plant Based Foods Association shows meatless meat sales in U-S grocery stores declined by one percent in 2022, after zero growth in 2021. “You know, the Impossible Burger is not as hot as it once was,” Hart says. “It does have an audience. It does have a core group that are looking for it, but for the most part those that want to eat meat find the meat that they’ve traditionally ate.”

Hart made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.

(Lewis, Iowa) –  The Cass County Conservation Board is once again holding a “Stand Up Paddleboard” (SUP) Demonstration. The public demonstration will be held 9-a.m. and 10:30-a.m., Saturday, July 22nd, at the Cold Springs Park Beach, near Lewis. There is no charge, but children must be 16 years or older, and paddler’s must weigh LESS than 250-pounds. You MUST CALL to reserve your spot, at 712-769-2372. The program will be cancelled if there is unsafe weather conditions on the Lake.

SUP is the fastest growing sport in the paddling community not only across the country, but especially right here in land-locked areas like Iowa. It’s fun, healthy as a total body work-out and offers a unique perspective when it comes to being on the water. After a quick demonstration try out the boards for yourself! If you do not bring a life jacket one will be provided to you. The CCCB Stand Up Paddleboard programs are held monthly, ending after the Labor Day Weekend on Saturday, September 2nd.

Available slots (as of June 29th):

Saturday July 22nd

9AM- 5 spots

10:30AM- 5 spots

August 26th

9AM- 5 Spots

10:30am- 5 Spots

September 2nd

9am- 5 Spots

10:30am- 5 Spots

(Massena, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a Guided Blooming Prairie Hike this weekend. The program will start at the Outdoor Classroom shelter, located near Massena, at 76977 Tucson Road, beginning at 10-a.m. Saturday, July 8, 2023. The program is FREE, and all ages are welcome.

You’re invited to join Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning, for a hike in the prairie. Explore blooms throughout the numerous prairies inside the park.

GREENFIELD, Iowa – The water level of Meadow Lake near Greenfield in Adair County is being lowered 3 feet . The Iowa DNR says the process to help improve the size of bluegills in the lake, began this past week. The water will be released slowly over the next two weeks to avoid any downstream impacts. A water level draw-down is a common fisheries management technique used to improve the size of panfish.  Meadow Lake has an abundance of 7-inch bluegills that lack the quality anglers are looking for.

“Crowding the fish into a smaller area makes them more susceptible to predation by largemouth bass and reduces the number of small bluegills,” said Bryan Hayes, fisheries management biologist. The reduced number will improve growth in the coming year. “Draw-downs in 2016 and 2019 had this effect,” Hayes noted.

The draw-down is expected to have minimal effect on public access to Meadow Lake. The boat ramp will be usable and the lake will remain open during the draw-down. Meadow Lake will be allowed to refill starting in September.

Meadow Lake is a 34-acre lake in the middle of the 317 acre Meadow Lake Fish and Wildlife Area located in the north central part of Adair County.  It has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 7.3 feet.

(Manning & Audubon, Iowa) – A marketing firm based in Manning is hosting an agri-tourism event next month (August), in Audubon and Manning. Shelly Greving owner of Emerge Marketing Solutions, says the “Evolution of the Heartland” experience August 3rd and 4th, is designed to showcase the heart of America’s rural communities and the evolution of innovative Ag advancements. She explains the reason for showcasing what agriculture has to offer.

Greving said the event was created to bring people back to the Midwest and show them Ag entrepreneurship in action.

Tour options for the first day of the event include, but are not limited to: Mainstreet Entrepreneurs; Innovation & Technology; Niche Farming; Spirits of the Heartland; Templeton Distillery, Beef & Swine Immersion; the Manning Hausbarn Heritage park tour, and more. Participants have the option to stay overnight for a second day of immersive tours.

Participants will get a taste of rural Iowa at a Farm-to-table lunch.

A community tailgate supper will feature food stations with pork, beef, and more. All meals are included in the price of registration. Participants will also be able to browse local produce and goods at the Iowa Vendor Showcase.

She says she hopes the tours open everyone’s eyes, to see what is happening in rural Iowa.

The cost for the entire event is $150, but some parts of the event are free. The deadline to register for the tour(s) is July 15th or until all the spots have been filled. Register online at https://www.evolutionoftheheartland.com.

• KJAN, Atlantic  .75″
• Atlantic Airport  .67″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .54″
• Massena  .85″
• Elk Horn  .26″
• Audubon  .54″
• Oakland  .57″
• Corning  1.19″
• Guthrie Center  .44″
• Logan  .51″
• Red Oak  1.3″
• Creston  1.26″
• Clarinda  1.15″
• Shenandoah  1.1″

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says as the U-S-D-A extends grants and loans for everything from broadband expansion to production of alternative crops, not all that spending has to be tucked into the Farm Bill.  “Some of it’s going to be met through the Inflation Reduction Act. Some of it can be met through the normal budget process and some of it can be met by creative use of the Commodity Credit Corporation,” Vilsack says. “…If you use all the tools and all the tools are available, then we can get to a point where we have a Farm Bill that benefits the many and the most and not just the few.”

Congress appears on track to release a first draft of the 2023 Farm Bill this fall, close to the September 30th expiration of the last Farm Bill. Vilsack says it’s always tough to put a Farm Bill together. “Not so much because of the partisan challenges, but because of the geographic and commodity challenges and I think there’s also obviously a challenge relative to the financing of the Farm Bill,” Vilsack says. “but I think there is a genuine commitment on the part of both the House and Senate leadership on the Ag Committees to get to yes.”

The current Farm Bill, approved in late 2018, has provided subsidies for crop insurance, but 75 percent of the spending in the Farm Bill has gone to federal food assistance programs. Some House Republicans want to tighten eligibility for food stamps, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. Vilsack says the Biden Administration considers the issue to be resolved after new food stamp work requirements were included in last month’s budget deal that raised the federal government’s borrowing limit.

“I think that there are probably some things that could be done to strengthen the states’ administration of SNAP that would help and I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t see that being discussed in the context of the Farm Bill, but I don’t think you’re going to see additional work requirements or things of that nature,” Vilsack says. “I think that issue’s been, as I like to say, snapped shut.”

Vilsack says congress will have to find a way to permanently raise the pay for firefighters in the Forest Service, which is part of the U-S-D-A. The 2021 infrastructure bill provided a temporary fix, but Vilsack says in order to keep enough people on the payroll to fight wildfires, congress has to put more money into the Farm Bill for their pay.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack says small and mid-sized farms are part of the country’s muscular core and specialized farming is how they’re likely to flourish.  “The notion of getting big or getting out runs counter, I think, to the heritage of this state and to the heritage of American agriculture,” Vilsack says. Vilsack spoke to a crowd in Des Moines this (Thursday) morning. He pointed to 2022, which was a record year for farm income, with just seven-and-a-half percent of U-S farms got 89 percent of that income.

“Are we comfortable with a situation where income continues to be concentrated, with the understanding that folks who are large scale production agriculture have enormous risk financially and do an enormous service to the country and the world,” Vilsack asked, “or are we big enough and smart enough and innovative enough to basically create another alternative option so that folks can have a choice?”

Vilsack argues production of local foods or the use of farming practices that businesses and consumers are willing to pay a premium for as the way for small operators to find success.