CARTER LAKE, IOWA – On Friday, June 14th, the Iowa DNR Field Office in Atlantic received a complaint alleging sewage flowing on the ground at Lakeside Estates Trailer Home Park in Carter Lake.

DNR staff started their investigation on Friday and continued it on Monday. On Friday, they observed wastewater overflowing from an open connection at a vacant lot. The sewage flowed onto the ground and concrete pathways throughout the trailer home park. On Monday, the DNR identified a blockage in the sewer line that caused the wastewater to back up through an open connection.

Lakeside Estates subcontractors cleared the blockage and are cleaning the sewage on the ground.

Authorities are advising people and pets to avoid wet areas in the gutters, street, and any standing or pooling water. Samples have been collected and will be submitted for laboratory testing.

DNR staff will monitor cleanup and containment. The DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

State and federal officials have detected a case of bird flu in another herd of dairy cattle in Sioux County. Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.

While avian influenza is fatal to birds and poultry, nearly all cattle who contract the virus recover.

Reminder: Tickets available for pre-sale through Friday, at garden locations on day of event.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardener group is excited to host walking tours of 4 private gardens in Atlantic on Sunday afternoon June 23. The garden walk will feature four unique garden spaces for participants to explore at their leisure and gain inspiration for their own gardens, while enjoying a variety of garden styles and designs. Gardens will be open for touring between 2-6 PM and may be visited in any order. Highlights from featured gardens included sun and shade gardens, custom garden décor, antique themed garden areas, unique seating areas and paths, pollinator gardens, perennial beds and more! Follow the Cass County Master Gardeners on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/CassCoMG for sneak peeks of featured garden spaces leading up to the day of the tour.

The walk is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners, but is open to everyone interested in gaining some gardening inspiration. Tickets for the walk are $10 each, with all proceeds going to support local Master Gardener projects and activities. Tickets are available now for purchase at the Cass County Extension office, and a registration form can also be printed at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. Tickets should be presented at each location for admission.  A map of the tour locations and description of each garden is on each ticket purchased. Additional tickets may be purchased at any of the four locations on the day of the event. Tour locations will be shared online as the event date gets closer.

For more information about upcoming Master Gardener activities in Cass County, or to learn about becoming a Master Gardener, visit https://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program, call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.  In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG to keep up with local events and tips for gardening!

(Radio Iowa) – The state says swimming is not advised at Pine Lake State Park in Hardin County due to high E-coli levels, while two public beaches at Storm Lake in Buena Vista County also exceed the state’s advisory threshold for the bacteria. That makes a total of 12 state park beach advisories issued so far this year. Daniel Kendall, the Iowa D-N-R’s lake and beach monitoring coordinator, says people should enjoy Iowa’s lakes and rivers, but he strongly recommends wearing life jackets.

People most at risk of getting sick are children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, and people with underlying medical conditions, like cancer and diabetes. During the summer months, Iowa D-N-R staff collect water samples each week at 40 beaches to monitor for harmful bacteria and blue-green algae toxins. The DNR Beach Monitoring Website and Hotline are updated on Fridays.

ATLANTIC – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting eight meetings in Western Iowa to discuss the status of the region’s deer herd as population levels have fallen in recent years.

In Atlantic, the meeting will be held July 8, at the Venue, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.

State wildlife experts say there are likely multiple factors that have contributed to the decline in the number of deer on the landscape and it might take a multilevel approach for the herd to recover.

“With the hindsight we have today, we can look back and realize that too much doe harvest was encouraged for too long in western Iowa. Significant outbreaks of hemorrhagic disease over the last decade have not helped populations recover, and changes in land cover resulting in less habitat makes deer more vulnerable to harvest,” said Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa DNR. “This population decline impacts roughly one-fifth of the state so we are encouraging hunters and landowners to come to the meetings and give us their feedback. Every voice counts.”

The goal of these meetings is to move forward with a plan the department can execute and that hunters will support, he said.

“Deer hunting is one of Iowa’s most recreationally and economically important traditions. Our goal is to manage deer numbers at a level that is acceptable to our citizens and that supports a quality hunting experience,” Elliott said.

Meetings are scheduled in July and run from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Jim Field visits with Kelly Foss, Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation Director, about the FarmChat program.

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(Iowa News Service) – Family farm advocates are calling for cuts in federal subsidies to large animal feeding operations known as CAFOs in the Farm Bill being debated in Congress. Iowa family farmers want more support for conservation programs that benefit smaller agriculture operations. Right now, CAFOs can qualify for as much as 100-million dollars every year to reduce some of the environmental damage they can cause. That’s taxpayer money that Barb Kalbach, a fourth-generation family farmer in Adair County, says could be put to much better use by small family farmers on their land.

CAFO operators contend they use the federal money to defend against environmental damage and that they’re always looking for cleaner, safer ways to raise high-quality meats while responding to increased consumer demand.

As a board member for the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, Kalbach is calling for more support of conservation programs that would help family farmers, but she is just as adamant that the long-standing rules governing CAFOs are changed.

The Farm Bill saw its first action in the House Agriculture Committee May 23rd. The House version of the measure also proposes 30-billion dollars in cuts to SNAP benefits over the next decade, including 170-million in Iowa.

Western Iowa is starting to see more widespread cases of trees becoming infested with the emerald ash borer. The first case was discovered in Woodbury County last year and that’s where Lindsay Meylor (MY-ler) works as a horticulture educator with the I-S-U Extension and Outreach. Meylor says her office is now fielding frequent calls from people, wondering what they can do to save their trees.

Meylor says insecticide is best applied before any signs of damage, and treatment — which can cost hundreds of dollars per application — will have to continue throughout the life of the tree. The insect can kill a tree within two years of infestation.

The D-N-R says when the invasive pest first appeared in eastern Iowa in 2010, there were an estimated 54-million woodland ash trees and another three-million planted in urban areas. It’s unclear how many survived. The emerald ash borer has been detected in all but one of Iowa’s 99 counties. Emmett in northwest Iowa is the only county without a confirmed case.

(Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)

(by Maddy Anderson, Atlantic FFA Reporter) – The Atlantic FFA Chapter competed in the annual Iowa FFA Horse Judging Career Development Event held at Kirkwood Community College on June 11, 2024.

Atlantic FFA had a team and individual that participated in this year’s Career Development Event. Team members Kayedance Sturm, Clara Kennedy, Rylan Martin and Paislee Klever earned a silver medal. Callie Rudy also competed in the middle school division.

The Horse Judging CDE is designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Equine Science. Each team member evaluated halter and performance classes. They also answered questions over the classes and gave oral reasons to explain their placings. A written examination was included along with a team problem solving competition. In the Performance division, Kayedance scored a nearly perfect score of 149 out of 150 possible points.

A unique part of the Horse Judging CDE is allowing 8th graders to participate. This year Atlantic FFA had 4, 8th grade members compete on the team. Team members Clara Kennedy, Pailsee Klever, Rylan Martin and Callie Rudy. When asked about their experiences Kennedy said, “I was impressed with our placing because ¾ of the team are 8th graders and this was our first FFA contest”. Rudy also said, “I thought it was a lot of fun. This event pushed us outside of our comfort zone and we all tried our hardest with the work paying off.” Klever said, “For doing this for my first time and trying something new I thought it was a great experience. I was a little rusty on something’s but I thought we did good. Overall I thought it was a fun experience.” Martin finished by saying, “For this being my first time competing in a FFA contest and not really knowing what to do or what to expect I was impressed with how we did. Although some parts were a little rough, I was proud of myself and the team for trying our hardest and putting in as much effort as possible.”

The Iowa FFA Horse Career Development Event was made possible with support through the Iowa FFA Foundation Gold Standard Partners. The Horse Career Development Event was coordinated and held at the Iowa Equestrian Center in Cedar Rapids. Kirkwood Community College also provided lunch to all participants. The official judge was Mary Pohlmann from Truro.

(By Atlantic FFA Reports Maddy Anderson) – The Atlantic FFA Chapter competed in the annual Iowa FFA Floriculture Career Development Event held at Kirkwood Community College on June 11, 2024, placing 34th earning a Silver rating.

Addalyn Sonntag, Lily Wilrich and Maggie Cohrs participated in this year’s Career Development Event designed to provide students an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of floriculture. The event consisted of a general knowledge exam, problem solving and decision making, plant identification, floral design, pesticide use and application, floral production, and a team activity.

This is the first year Atlantic FFA has competed in a contest like this. Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller said, “I was impressed with how hard the team has worked. This year we focused on the hands-on, practical part of the event. Next year, we will have a better idea what to prepare for.” The Atlantic FFA team would like to thank Ann Johnk from Farmhouse Flowers in Atlantic for helping train the team.

Picture Left to Right
Lily Willrich, Addalyn Sonntag, Maggie Cohrs

The Iowa FFA Floriculture Career Development Event was coordinated and conducted by Bob Smith, Hannah Dunlap and the faculty and staff at Kirkwood Community College. Kirkwood Community College also provided lunch to all participants. Official judges of the floral design components of the event include Karen Garrett, Debbie McCallister and Stacie Hoag from Flowers on the Avenue as well as Jill Kinsinger, former graduate of the Floral Careers program at Kirkwood.