Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grants for fiscal year 2012 were recently approved by the Natural Resource Commission during its October meeting. Locally, Pottawattamie County was awarded a $67,500 REAP County Conservation Grant, for a project which proposes to add 26.1 acres to Hitchcock Nature Center (HNC).

The addition features remnant bur oak woodland and savanna and degraded pastures. The property will expand protection and restoration of important natural areas in the Loess Hills, will increase outdoor recreation opportunities at HNC, will protect a remnant of the original Old Lincoln Highway and will secure the site of the raptor banding station.

REAP has a 22-year, $272 million funding history for parks, soil, water and habitat improvements, roadside prairies, historical development and conservation education. The REAP Act has a formula that distributes funding to farmers, conservation organizations, educators, cities, counties, historians, and state projects. Funding comes from gaming revenues and sales of natural resource license plates. Legislators appropriated $15 Million in 2010 and $12 Million in 2011. Full funding of the REAP Act is $20 Million.

A reminder to area crop producers interested in helping their communities or local youth organizations, that the deadline to enter the annual America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, sponsored by the Monsanto Corporation, is a little over one-month away. Annie Kayser,  Community Outreach Coordinator for Monsanto, says the program was launched in 2010, and has resulted in investments of more than $3-million in local communities across the country during 2011. Every farmer in each of Iowa’s 99 counties who has 250-acres or more of corn or soybeans, or 40 acres of open field vegetables, and are 21-years of age or older, can sign-up for the opportunity to win $2,500. The funds will be donated to the winner’s choice of local non-profit organizations.

Kayser says there’s no purchase necessary to enter, and a purchase will not increase your chances of winning.  She says you don’t have to be a customer of Monsanto, either. Kayser says it’s all about advocating on behalf of farmers, who know where the funds would benefit their communities. The deadline to enter is November 30th. The winners will be randomly selected by a third party and announced in January, 2012.  The program not only benefits local non-profit groups. Kayser says for every farmer that enters the contest, Monsanto will donate $1 to the nearest United Way chapter. Since the program began, the three top recipients of cash awards have been FFA or 4-H groups, Fire Departments and local libraries. Kayser says in recent years, there’s also been a trend toward donating the funds to groups that feed the hungry. Kayser says there’s been a big increase in donations to local food pantries.

Among the local non-profit organizations selected in 2010 by winning area farmers to receive a portion of the funds provided by the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Program, was: the Massena, Audubon, Brayton, Greenfield, and Shelby Fire Departments; the Shelby County Fair Board, and Coon Rapids-Bayard FFA. Those organizations received their awards this past Spring. Last year’s winner in Cass County, was Louis Holste (Hole-stee), who selected the Massena Fire Department as the beneficiary of his $2,500. The funds were used to purchase a tanker truck.

For more information or to register to win, surf the web to www.growcommunities.com, or call 1-877-267-3332.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa farmers are making good progress on the harvest as well as fall field work as the dry weather continues. The weekly crop report on Monday says the dry spell is affecting soil moisture, with topsoil moisture levels at 35 percent very short and 37 percent short.

The report shows 71 percent of the corn crop has been harvested, which is about two weeks ahead of the five-year average. Fifty-nine percent of the corn is in good to excellent condition. The soybean harvest is 95 percent complete, more than two weeks ahead of the average pace.

Rain totals for the week ranged from none over much of the northeast two-thirds of Iowa to .22 inches at Underwood in Pottawattamie County in western Iowa.

Mitt Romney

Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he’s “enough of a business guy” to want to review farm programs and federal price supports for corn and soybeans before saying what he would do as president.   “I’m not running for office based on making promises of handing out money, all right?” Romney said in Iowa Thursday. He made his comments in Treynor, during a roundtable discussion with about 14 local farmers and business leaders. Ethanol producer Rick Schwark told Romney the corn-based fuel has a ripple effect on the rural economy. 

“In our facility, we have 46 people that work directly at the plant, but each day we receive over 100 semis of corn,” Schwark said. “Those are trucks. Each have a truck driver.” Romney said he supported federal subsidies for ethanol to help get the industry on its feet, but the subsidies shouldn’t continue forever, according to Romney. Ward Chambers, a doctor who lives — and farms — in rural Treynor, calls that a gutsy stand for Romney.

“No more ethanol subsidies,” Chambers said. “That’s pretty strong stuff for southwest Iowa.” The federal subsidy for ethanol production is set to expire at the end of the year. Romney indicated he would like to see more a more gradual reduction in the tax break rather than an abrupt elimination. During an August visit to Iowa, Romney said he hoped to do “darned well” in the Caucuses. Yesterday in Treynor Romney began his conversation with the 14 people his campaign had invited to the event like this:  “There’s a good shot I might become the next president of the United States. It’s not a sure thing, but it’s a good shot and if I am, I will benefit by having heard from you.” Romney made three stops in Iowa Thursday, beginning in Sioux City and ending in Council Bluffs, where he met with about three dozen members of the Chamber of Commerce.

(Radio Iowa)

BLAIR, Neb. (AP) — The DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge will open for archery deer hunting this weekend. The season will begin Saturday and run through Jan. 18, 2012. The refuge says in a news release that hunters must be properly licensed and carry a permit from the refuge. Officials say the permit has a map of the areas open to bow hunting, which have changed because of this year’s flooding along the Missouri River. The refuge is located 25 miles north of Omaha on U.S. Highway 30 between Blair and Missouri Valley, Iowa.

w/ Max Dirks

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Last week it was announced that rural property owners in Adams County are facing 26.4-percent jump in adjustments to their 2011 valuations of real property. They’re not alone, though. In the October 10^th edition of the local newspaper, the Cass County Assessor published a notice there would be a 37-percent increase in valuations for farmland only. Auditor Dale Sunderman says there is a window for persons to file their objections to the adjustment in valuations, with County Board of Review. He says a form available at the Assessor’s Office must be completed and filed with the Board of Review between now, and November 4^th. The final adjustments to 2011 property valuations were ordered by Iowa’s Director of Revenue.

In Mills County, Assessor Christina Govig says an Ag Equalization Order was issued for a 39.4 percent increase on agricultural land, and ag structures are seeing a 29 percent increase. The increases are based on a five-year production formula. She says there will likely be a rollback, but it’s not clear what that will be, therefore the impact on the valuations is uncertain.

Montgomery County is looking at 31.6 percent valuation increase in agricultural land. Other counties facing valuation increases in agricultural land only include, Harrison, Pottawattamie, Shelby, and Union. Adams and Ringgold Counties are facing an increase in the valuation of agricultural land and agricultural structures.

w/ Kate Olsen

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