(Des Moines, Iowa) April 21, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is reminding Iowa farmers and ranchers that the window
is closing on the opportunity to participate in the 2022 Census of Agriculture. NASS is encouraging producers who have not returned their completed ag census questionnaires to do
so as soon as possible to avoid additional mail, phone, email, text, and in-person follow-up, which is currently underway.

“We thank everyone who has completed their ag census.” said Greg Thessen, director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Field Office. “To date, NASS has received just over 73,600
completed questionnaires from Iowa producers for a return rate of 64%. We are grateful that those producers recognized the importance of completing the ag census to help show the
importance of the agricultural industry.”

“To ensure the Census of Agriculture remains a comprehensive and impartial source of agriculture data for every state and county in the nation, we need responses from all farmers
and ranchers. Even though many farmers have already responded, we want the voices of all producers to be represented in the data since the resulting statistics will directly impact farming
communities for years to come.” Census data are used by policymakers, trade associations, researchers, agribusinesses, educators, and many others. The information helps inform decisions on farm policy, rural development, the development of farm technologies, and more. It also aids in the creation and funding of loans and insurance programs and other forms of assistance.

NASS is reminding producers that if they produced and sold $1,000 or more of agricultural product in 2022, or normally would have produced and sold that much, they meet USDA’s definition of a farm. However, federal law requires everyone who received the 2022 Census of Agriculture questionnaire to complete and return it, even if they do not currently meet this definition. Producers can respond online at agcounts.usda.gov or by mail. “If you received the ag census but do not fit the definition of a farm, are no longer farming, never farmed, or are a landowner who leases your land to a producer, please write your status on the form and mail it back,” said Thessen.

The ag census differs from other NASS surveys. Beyond being conducted just once every five years, it provides important demographic information and data on certain commodities, such as specialty commodities produced in Iowa that would not otherwise be available. The Census of Agriculture collects information on nearly every aspect of American agriculture to provide a complete picture of the health of the industry.

Federal law under Title 7 USC 2204(g) Public Law 105-113 requires that NASS keep all submissions confidential, use the information for statistical purposes only, and publish aggregate data to prevent disclosing the identity of any individual producer or farm operation.  NASS will release the results of the ag census in early 2024. To learn more about the Census of Agriculture, visit nass.usda.gov/AgCensus. On the website, producers and other data users can access frequently asked questions, past ag census data, special study information, and more. For highlights of these and the latest information, follow USDA NASS on Twitter at @usda_nass.

(Radio Iowa) – Cedar Rapids celebrates Earth Day tomorrow with the annual EcoFest CR, featuring interactive educational activities, eco-products, demonstrations on how to reduce consumption, and ways to reduce and reuse household items. Event coordinator Jackie Wedeking says one new feature this year is a visit from the Iowa State University Insect Zoo, showcasing more than 100 living arthropods, including beetles, tarantulas and scorpions. “It’s really neat because you get to touch some of them and you get to learn all about how they fit into our ecosystem,” Wedeking says. “It’s such a great way to explain to kids, and adults for that matter, that we are part of a bigger ecosystem and seeing how we tie it into all the world.”

In addition to the local foods, arts and free live music, she says the family-friendly festival helps connect people with personal choices to individual, community and planetary sustainability. “Sometimes it is as simple as making sure that you are carrying around a reusable water bottle, or just making sure that you’re not using products unnecessarily,” Wedeking says. “There is a great store here in Cedar Rapids where you can fill up your detergent and bring your own bottle and get your own detergent. Stuff like that reduces plastics.”

For area residents who are ready to start planting their vegetable and flower patches, there will be a compost give-away. “Compost is so good for your garden,” Wedeking says. “You can grab a bag of compost and just spread it on your garden. It’s a great way to reduce the amount of artificial fertilizer that you might use. I use it in my garden and it works great.”

With the bounding cost of eggs, some Iowans have taken up raising their own chickens, which Wedeking says can be a rewarding venture on multiple levels. “Backyard chickens are a great way to make sure that your food is local because, what’s more local than your backyard?” she says. “We have someone coming who has had her own chickens for years, and she’s going to have at least one of her chickens there and that way she can talk to you about her experience.”

EcoFest CR is free and runs from 10 AM to 3 PM Saturday. Find the full schedule of events at: www.EcoFestCR.org.

Jim Field visits with ISU Extension & Outreach Beef Specialist Erika Woolfolk about the “Boots in the Barn” Beef Cattle Management for Women series.

See the brochure for the program here>>>BootsBarn-Lenox2023

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• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1 can (2.8 oz.) french fried onions, crushed
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)

In a shallow bowl, combine the butter, Worcestershire sauce and mustard.  Place the onions in another shallow bowl.  Dip the chicken in butter mixture, then coat with onions.

Place in a greased 11″ x 7″ x 2″ baking dish; drizzle with remaining butter mixture.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Chris Parks visits with Victoria Means of Cass County Public Health about the Disaster PrepWise program.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  1.13″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  1.23″
• Atlantic Airport  1.18″
• Massena  2.58″
• Anita  1.5″
• Avoca  1.3″
• Elk Horn  .47″
• Audubon  1.16″
• Oakland  1.18″
• Neola  1.8″
• Corning  2.82″
• Manning  1.08″
• Guthrie Center  1.1″
• Red Oak  1.9″
• Underwood  1.28″
• Carroll  .8″
• Clarinda  .84″
• Shenandoah  1.36″
• Creston  1.04″

(Radio Iowa) – A report from a national agricultural organization says climate change is already impacting the production of Iowa’s key crops and it offers dire predictions for a more challenging future. John Piotti, president and C-E-O of American Farmland Trust, says shifts in rainfall patterns that bring extremes like drought and flooding, are combining with warmer weather to make it very difficult — if not impossible — to continue the way we currently farm.

The report says 80-percent of our cropland is at risk due to rising temperatures and rainfall changes. By 2040, the report projects only 33-percent of the acres now devoted to corn are likely to remain highly productive with the current corn varieties. Piotti says with the right tools and support, agricultural producers can continue to adapt to climate changes and help reverse the trends.

To ward off the worst impacts of climate change, Piotti says farmers and non-farmers can work to limit global warming and to increase the resiliency and profitability of farmland.

(Radio Iowa) – A New London man will spend two years in federal prison after admitting to using union funds for his personal expenses. Fifty-three-year-old Darin Boatman pleaded guilty to using a credit card from the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 617 in Fort Madison for his personal expenses.

He was the president of the union representing Conagra employees, and the expenses included vacations to Florida, work on his car, and attorney fees. He also admitted to writing checks from a union account for personal expenses. Boatman agreed to pay 74-thousand dollars in restitution

(Radio Iowa) – A national group is helping a family near Wellman continuing to recover from the damage done by the March 31st tornado, as planting season gets underway. Clint Whetstine’s family’s farms have been in Wellman since the late 1880s. There are multiple farmsteads, and while not every one saw destruction — Whetstine tells K-C-R-G T-V the E-F4 tornado wiped out one. “Did not have a structure left standing here,” Whetstine says, “the machine sheds, the livestock buildings, they’re all gone.”

Dan Erdmann and the non-profit group Farm Rescue is helping the Whetstines with the big task of recovery. “The whole goal is to lighten the burden. He said, “As you might imagine, there’s still quite a bit of debris strewn about so we’ve been cleaning up the fields. But the last few days we’ve been doing that tillage work.”  While the nonprofit gets many requests, he tells K-C-R-G T-V this particular instance is one that has taken priority. “As you might imagine, there’s still quite a bit of debris strewn about so we’ve been cleaning up the fields. But the last few days we’ve been doing that tillage work,” he says.

Farm damage near Wellman, IA. (KCRG-TV photo)

Erdman says they call it a hand up, not a hand out. He says they’re providing tangible support just to get them through this crisis and onto the next season, and hopefully keep them farming long-term.

(Radio Iowa) – There’s Effigy Mounds National Monument in the northeast Iowa town of Harpers Ferry, but outside of that, Iowa has no big national parks that draw visitors from around the world. Still, Iowans are encouraged to sign up to lend a hand during this National Volunteer Week through the National Park Service. The agency’s volunteer program manager Shari Orr explains what the effort is all about. “National Volunteer Week was created many years ago by Points of Light,” Orr says, “and it was really just an opportunity to recognize the value and impact of volunteers across the country.”

The week was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially each year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled. “Our two internal goals for this week are to say ‘thank you’ to all of our current volunteers,” Orr says, “and to say ‘join us’ to folks who haven’t volunteered in a while or who have not yet volunteered with us.” While volunteering is a way to give back to your community, for some, giving back is also a way to receive. Orr says if you’ve always wanted to visit a particular national park, say Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, or Yosemite, this could be your golden opportunity.

“People like to get involved in that special place in their community, but they also like to volunteer to those parks that they’ve dreamed about traveling to for their whole lives.” She encourages Iowans to search the National Park Service’s website — N-P-S-dot-gov — and see what opportunities they find.

nps.gov