Denny Heflin reports.

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More than 40 area FFA students gathered at Monsanto Company’s Atlantic Research Farm last Thursday for a hands-on learning opportunity. This is the second year a handful of the company’s employees have invited students to enjoy the facility as a 50-acre classroom. “The only bad thing about the growing season is that it takes place while we’re out of school, so it’s great to be able to get together and experience this part of the year as a class,” said Kevin Blair, Griswold FFA Advisor. “A lot of what we do with FFA is based on horticulture in the present rather than in production so it’s great that the kids can still have opportunities to learn about and grasp those concepts.” Griswold is one of eight FFA chapters who took part in the 2nd annual field day. Students and advisers from the Adair-Casey, Corning, Creston, Guthrie Center, Harlan, IKM-Manning and Shenandoah FFA chapters also participated. To kick things off, students attended sessions addressing some of the main factors of crop productivity: weeds, insects, crop development and soils. They examined actual samples of common crop-stressing species, learned about their life-cycles, how to identify them and methods used for preventing or removing them. Students also focused on the attributes that contribute to plant health and productivity. Following the sessions, students toured the Atlantic facility to learn how the company develops plants to produce higher yields and tests the effects of variable cropping systems and environmental conditions. The hands-on lessons offer students a chance to actively engage with their studies and provide a real-world view as chapters prepare for agronomy and soil judging contests later this year. “This was a great hands-on experience. A volunteer who helps with the Iowa soil judging contests spoke to them about plant development and showed them how they could actually see the nodes on the corn plant itself,” Blair said. “Something like this sparks their interest. I can talk about these concepts, but if they see people who work with them every day, they see a real career opportunity for a job beyond being in the office every day.” Bill Backhaus, a Monsanto territory sales manager who helped organize the event, said this time the team tried to tighten its focus on practical and hands-on activities with the aim of developing students’ interest in agriculture and encouraging them to ultimately pursue ag careers. “These kids come from a variety of backgrounds and knowledge levels, but most of them are really focused. Their minds are like sponges, ready to be filled with information,” Backhaus said. “The experiences they have now will help them find where their passion is and what they want to do.” (Monsanto Press Release)

Landowners, tenants, and Ag professionals are encouraged to attend a farmland leasing meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd.　

The meeting will be held at the Guthrie County Extension Office from 1:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. according to Tom Olsen, Iowa State University Farm Management Specialist. Olsen will present current leasing information including the latest land value survey and cash rent survey. There will be time for questions so sign up today and get the information you need!

Registration for the workshop is $25 per person or $35 per couple is charged and includes a copy of the 100-page workbook “Farmland Leasing – 2011”. The workbook is packed with information about land values, leasing and different types of farm lease arrangements. Please pre-register with the Guthrie County Extension Office by phone 641-747-2276 or email Erica Tunink emtunink@iastate.edu.

Pre-registration is requested by July 29th, late registrations will be charged a $5 late fee.

(Guthrie County Extension news release)

w/ Kate Olsen

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Praire Rose lake

HARLAN – The process of draining Prairie Rose Lake ahead of the $3 million restoration project will begin early next week.  Once the water control gate is opened, the water level will fall about three feet per week, until the lake is completely drained sometime after Labor Day.  Boat ramps will likely not be usable after August 1.

Bryan Hayes, fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for Prairie Rose Lake, said the next two years of the project include modifying the spillway to prevent carp from entering the lake, fixing the gate valve, placing riprap along shore to prevent shoreline erosion, and installing fish habitat and fishing jetties.

“The project has been going on since 2008 but most of the work has done behind the scenes,” Hayes said.  “Beginning next week, the progress will be much more visible.”

“Our goal is to minimize the time that the lake is down, so the plan calls for mechanical dredging while the lake is down then switch to hydraulic dredging in future years. We will hopefully be putting water in early next summer,” he said.  “One important piece of the puzzle is to put more storage capacity in the wetland east of the highway so it will function as a sediment and nutrient trap, as intended.”

The DNR is partnering with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Shelby County Soil and Water District and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the watershed portion of the project.  David Brand serves as the Prairie Rose water quality project coordinator.  The renovation plan is based on a 2008 lake study and recommendations from Iowa State University.

“We have worked with landowners in the watershed to install 40 miles of terraces, install grassed waterways, and to better manage nutrients on the land,” Hayes said.  “We purchased a containment site last year where the dredge material will be deposited, hopefully beginning in late fall.”

The lake protection features installed in the watershed should extend the benefits of the in lake work far into the future. “Our goal is to improve the water quality that will get Prairie Rose off the impaired waters list and have a sustainable, healthy lake system,” Hayes said.

Prairie Rose Lake is in one of Iowa’s more popular state parks of the same name. The lake has an annual economic impact of $3.37 million and the campground hosts more than 21,000 camper nights per year. The campground and other park facilities will remain open during the project.

“I know it’s no fun to give up fishing your favorite lake but it is necessary to get the lake on the right track.  We have a number of examples at nearby parks, of what benefits anglers and park visitors will see after the work is done.  Lake Anita and Viking Lake are both experiencing excellent fishing and improved water quality since the projects were completed,” Hayes said.

“We are excited to get this project to the next step, now we will need some cooperation from Mother Nature to keep us on schedule,” he said.

The lake will refill in 2012 and be stocked with largemouth bass, bluegills, crappies and channel catfish. Hayes said they are collecting adult bass from Prairie Rose this week that they will hold until next summer to encourage reproduction early on.  He said they will also stock larger fingerling bass and catfish to jump start the fishery.

(DNR Press Release)

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Corn supplies are projected to be higher than expected this fall. A bigger crop would ease concerns of a grain shortage and could slow food inflation later this year. The U.S. Agriculture Department says 880 million bushels of corn will be left over when the harvest begins. That’s an increase from the previous estimate of 730 million acres. Farmers planted the second biggest corn crop this year since World War II.

News of the big corn crop brought down global corn prices 20 percent over the last month. That means food inflation will likely slow in 2012, because it takes about six months for ingredient prices to be passed on from food processors to the grocery aisle.

Landowners, tenants, and Ag professionals are encouraged to attend a farmland leasing meeting scheduled for Wednesday, August 3rd.  The meeting will be held at the Guthrie County Extension Office from 1:00 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. according to Tom Olsen, Iowa State University Farm Management Specialist. Olsen will present current leasing information including the latest land value survey and cash rent survey. There will be time for questions so sign up today and get the information you need. 

Iowa farmland values increased by at least 15 percent during 2010.  ISU Extension research indicates that the average age of farmland owners continues to rise. Fifty-five percent of Iowa’s farmland is owned by people over the age of 65, while 28 percent of the land is owned by individuals over age 75. We also find that children and surviving spouses of farmers are less likely to continue operating the farm themselves. That’s a major reason why farmland leasing continues to increase.

Registration for the workshop is $25 per person or $35 per couple is charged and includes a copy of the 100-page workbook “Farmland Leasing – 2011”. The workbook is packed with information about land values, leasing and different types of farm lease arrangement. Please pre-register with the Guthrie County Extension Office by phone 641-747-2276 or email Erica Tunink emtunink@iastate.edu. Pre-registration is requested by July 29th, late registrations will be charged a $5 late fee.