(DES MOINES) -On Monday, November 14, 2011, Gov. Terry Branstad will extend a proclamation to allow the transportation of overweight loads of soybeans, corn, hay, straw and stover.  The  proclamation takes effect November 14, 2011, and expires after 14 days. “Many Iowans’ livelihoods depend on a smooth, efficient harvest season,” said Branstad. “I am pleased to extend this proclamation, which will continue to allow the movement of Iowa’s commodities and help Iowa farmers during harvest.”

The proclamation applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa, excluding the interstate system, and which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code section 321.463 paragraph “5.b”, by more than twelve and one-half percent (12.5%), do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.

The action is intended to allow vehicles transporting soybeans, corn, hay, straw, and stover to be overweight, not exceeding 90,000 pounds gross weight, without a permit, but only for the duration of this proclamation.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is directed to monitor the operation of this proclamation to assure the public’s safety and facilitate the movement of the trucks involved.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the state’s first dove hunting season in nearly a century attracted about 22,000 hunters. The 70-day season began Sept. 1 and ended Wednesday. Dove hunting had been outlawed in Iowa since 1918 but was legalized by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Terry Branstad this year. Efforts to allow the hunting of doves has been emotional in past years, and in 2001 then Gov. Tom Vilsack vetoed a measure approved by the Legislature because he said most Iowans opposed the change. The DNR says it will conduct a survey of the more than 22,000 people who registered as hunters to determine how many actually took part in the hunt and how many doves they killed.

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The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will stock trout in Council Bluffs on Nov. 9, near Spencer on Nov. 12, near Fort Dodge on Nov. 16, in Sioux City on Nov. 17, in Ames on Nov. 18 and in Mason City on Nov. 23. The DNR will release 1,000 rainbow trout in Big Lake at Council Bluffs, 1,500 in Scharnberg Park Pond at Spencer, 1,500 in Mooreland Pond at Fort Dodge, 1,500 in Bacon Creek at Sioux City, 2,200 in Ada Hayden at Ames, and 1,500 in Blue Pit at Mason City. 

The stockings are part of the DNR’s cool weather trout program that brings trout to areas that cannot support them during the summer months.  Trout will be released at 2 p.m. in Big Lake, between 12 and 1 p.m. at Scharnberg Park, 1 p.m. at Moreland Pond, 1 p.m. at Bacon Creek, noon at Ada Hayden and 11 a.m. at Blue Pit.

Anglers will need to have a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.  The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit.  The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.

(DNR Press Release)

Lower pheasant numbers are not only hurting the efforts of hunters to find the birds, they are also putting a damper on the economic impact of hunting. D-N-R wildlife technician, Mark McInroy, says sureveys shows hunters spend an average of 125-dollars each day they are out. McInroy says that’s one of the most unfortunate things about the drop, as he says lower bird numbers mean “only the most passionate hunters keep involved” and he says that impacts grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, motels are impacted. Hunting clubs are one alternative for those who want tobe sure they get a bird during their hunt.

Curt Sandahl brings in birds from the Dakotas to stock the Winterset Hunt club. He says it gives the hunters the experience they’re looking for. Sandahl says every day is opening day because the birds haven’t been hunted before and they act like opening day birds. Sandahl also sees an impact from the lower bird numbers, as Iowa’s position as a top pheasant state drops. “Twenty-years ago, every small town hotel was booked for the first three weekends (of the pheasant season) from people from out of state,” Sandahl says. He says South Dakota now has those people from all over the country going to their state to hunt pheasants.

(Radio Iowa)

COUNCIL BLUFFS – The no-wake restriction for boaters on Lake Manawa was removed today (Friday) after the Iowa Department of Natural Resources determined the lake was back down to acceptable levels.  The no-wake restriction had been in place since June 27th, to minimize the impact of the high water to infrastructure around the lake. Many of the docks were submerged and posed a safety hazard to boats operating at higher speeds.

Dan Jacobs, park manager for Lake Manawa, said they will place a boat dock on the west boat ramp that will remain in place through the winter, but the docks on north and south boat ramps will be removed next week.

(DNR Press Release)

Governor Terry Branstad and state Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey have asked the U-S Department of Labor to extend the comment period on new regulations covering kids who work on farms. Northey says the rules were apparently designed to deal with migrant kids working with their parents, but he says they can impact farms that are family-owned. Northey says it looks like if the farm is owned by uncles, brothers and multiple family members, the rules would apply to them and the kids would not be able to work on the farms until they reach age 16. 

U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack said recently the rules are not meant to apply to kids who work on a farm owned by their parents. Northey agrees those farms are exempt. He says there is clearly an exemption for solely owned family and there appears to be an exemption soley-owned family farm corporations, but he says it doesn’t appear that there is an exemption for farms that are owned by more than one person, even if they are all family members. 

Northey says he asked along with the governor, that the comment period be extended. Northey says the comment period happened right during the harvest, and some farmers in Iowa and other parts of the country are just finding out about them. He says extending the comment period by 45 days would ensure that everyone is allowed to give their input. The extension would push the comment period into January. 

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with West Central, a farmer owned cooperative based in Ralston, IA, have announced they will once again offer $4,500 in scholarships to area students graduating high school in 2012, and planning to pursue an education in an agricultural field. The funds are available through West Central’s “Excellence in Agriculture” scholarship program. Details about the program are available at area schools and extension offices. It’s also available online at www.west-central.com/about/communityrelations.

Since 1996, West Central has awarded more then $50,000 to local students interested in pursuing an education and career in the agricultural industry. Officials say as the Ag Industry continues to become more complex and technical, the need for an increasingly skilled workforce grows. Persons working in agriculture today are working with technologies including Variable Rate Technology (VRT), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), advanced gentic engineering, and more.

Questions regarding the Excellence in Agriculture program should be directed to Sarah Dorman, Communication Specialist, at 712-667-3200.

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