(Radio Iowa) – The state’s first-ever Iowa Black Farmers Conference is planned to be held in Des Moines later this month. Conference co-founder Todd Western the Third says his family has owned a farm in near Waterloo for more than 150 years. Western says growing up, he only knew of one other black farmer in the state. He says it’s important for black farmers to know they’re not alone.

“This is significant because it’s bringing together farmers of color who are scattered across the state to foster a sense of belonging and community,” Western says. “It’s also supposed to be information sharing. This platform will provide access to crucial information from agriculture industry officials that might not typically come to smaller or more remote farm communities. And lastly, celebrating our contributions.” After attending an event in North Carolina focused on black farmers, Western says he wanted to bring black farmers together in Iowa.

Western says, “Because I know how important it was for my son, who’s going to eventually — along with my nieces and nephews — take over the farm at some point, it’s important for them not to have the same experience that I had, thinking that we were the only ones.”

The conference is scheduled for December 16th. U.S.D.A. data from 2017 shows black farmers make up less than one-percent of the farmers in Iowa. Western says he hopes the Iowa Black Farmers Conference becomes an annual event and that it helps establish a network of black farmers that people can turn to in the future.

(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Zach Nunn, who represents Iowa’s third district, is inviting the top two Republicans in the U-S House to Iowa. “The Farm Bill right now needs direct leadership support,” Nunn says. “…As a member of the Ag Committee, I want to make sure that the leadership team knows what a priority this is not just for Iowa, but for the entire country.” The 2018 Farm Bill expired September 30th and last month congress voted to extend it to September of 2024.

“It is foundational to the future of America’s national security and our growers. We need to the speaker to have the opportunity to come here and get a good deep dive on this,” Nunn says. “Let’s not forget, the speaker has gotten to be on the job for just about a month and there is a steep learning curve here. Let’s be one of the first ones to give him a tutorial on the advantages of what a Farm Bill can do not just for Iowa, but for the whole world.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson AND House Republican Leader Steve Scalise are both from Louisiana, where the main crops are sugar cane, rice and cotton. “While I salute my Cajun brothers from Louisiana, I want to make sure they get to spend a little bit of time in the heartland, talking with the men and women who are actually feeding the bulk of the country, who are fueling a third of the country,” Nunn says.

The 2018 Farm Bill has provided about eight BILLION dollars in federal subsidies for crop insurance every year. The insurance covers revenue and yield losses in more than 100 crops, but the main ones are corn, soybeans, wheat and cotton.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who like watching the barges and tugs make their way on the Mississippi River will soon start seeing less traffic. The shipping season officially ends today (Monday) on the Upper Mississippi, and winter maintenance begins on four locks and dams between Hastings, Minnesota, and Guttenberg, Iowa. Liz Stoeckmann, with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers, says these lock and dam closures end the 2023 navigation season. “We’re really just protecting the longevity of these locks and dams,” Stoeckmann says, “so that we can continue our operations for safe, reliable economy of our barges going up and down the river.”

Stoeckmann says they’re not shutting down boat traffic because of ice or cold weather. “This is standard winter maintenance for our locks and dams,” she says, “so that it doesn’t affect the navigational season as far as barges and traffic going up and down the Mississippi River.”

Crews will be making repairs on several locks and dams in Minnesota, including Number-2 at Hastings, Number-3 in Welch, Number-4 near Alma, Wisconsin, and Number-7 near La Crescent. Last year’s shipping season ended on November 29th.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County 4-H is hosting a Family Find Out Night for the community and current 4-H or Clover Kid members, to learn more about what the 4-H program does. This (Monday) evening (12/4), from 5:30-until 7-p.m., you can come and go as you please through the Cass County Community Building at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic, and learn more about 4-H.

The event is free, and you don’t need to make a reservation. A short 10-minute overview of the program will be presented at 5:45- and 6:45-p.m., with questions to follow. Throughout the event you will be able to stop at different tables to learn more and ask questions.

Extension staff will have information on why 4-H is free in Cass County, the basics of what 4-H is, including what it stands for and the motto, project areas to get involved with, along with various programs, record books, and livestock identification and more. Officials say this is a no-pressure event for youth K-12 in the community to learn about opportunities they can get involved in.

Get all of your questions answered about 4-H and Clover Kids in Cass County and find a club that best suits you! For more information about 4-H visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, or call 712-243-1132.

STANTON, Iowa – Montgomery County Emergency Management, today (Friday), reported a fertilizer spreader in the Tarkio River at 10:30 a.m. today, following a bridge collapse on a private drive. The collapse caused a fertilizer spreader to enter the waterway, resulting in an unknown amount of mono ammonium phosphate (MAP), sulfur, and potash being spilled into the Tarkio River approximately one mile north of Stanton. The collapse also ruptured a fuel tank, spilling roughly 100 gallons of diesel into the creek.

Bridge collapse near Stanton (DNR photo)

Field office staff from the Department of Natural Resources were on-site, collecting both upstream and downstream samples from the Tarkio River. Booms were placed downstream of the incident and samples will be submitted to the State Hygienic Lab for analysis. No dead fish were observed. Cleanup efforts are currently ongoing. The DNR will continue to monitor cleanup efforts and consider appropriate enforcement action.

Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says any federal regulation that would impact over half of American farmland should be approved by congress. The U-S House has voted to insert Feenstra’s proposal in a budget bill for the Department of the Interior. Feenstra says American farmland belongs to American farmers, not un-elected bureaucrats.

A U-S Supreme Court ruling this past May limited the authority of the E-P-A to regulate wetlands, ruling the agency may only regulate wetlands that have a continuous surface connection to other bodies of water, like streams, rivers or lakes.

December 1:

• No Birthdays Submitted

December 2:

• Janet Nielsen of Atlantic (winner)
• Tammy Madsen of Kimballton
• Sandy Lauritsen of Audubon

December 3:

• Logan & Collin Evans of Griswold (winners)

December 4:

• Roger Hansen of Atlantic (winner)
• Chloe Scott Waters of Glendale, Az

December 5:

• Judy K. Anderson of Atlantic (winner)
• Robert Sampson of Atlantic
• Rhonda Fauble of Exira
• Ruth Ann Kief of Scottsbluff, NE

December 6:

• Marilyn Carter of Atlantic (wnner)
• Rich Robertson of Atlantic
• Pam Auerbach of Atlantic

December 7:

• Felicia Nelsen of Walnut (winner)
• Tamry Paulsen of Anita
• Jan Sorensen of Exira
• Chance Will of Anita

December 8:

• Madison Embree of Massena (winner)
• Kailey Santisteban of Exira
• Clint Paulsen of Anita

December 9:

• Carolyn Hartman of Cumberland (winner)
• Marlene Schwab of Atlantic

December 10:

• No Birthdays Submitted

December 11:

• Pat Lauritsen of Kaimballton (winner)
• Steve Green of Atlantic
• Mary Christensen of Audubon

December 12:

• Meaghan Sager of Atlantic (winner)

December 13:

• Gary Stetzel of Atlantic (winner)

December 14:

• Beck Benton of Exira (winner)
• Aubrey Waters Nuzman of Council Bluffs

December 15:

• Shirley Winston of Atlantic (winner)
• Brooke Lamp of Atlantic

December 16:

• Lindley Eblen of Atlantic (winner)

December 17:

• Virgil Koontz of Lewis (winner)
• Camryn Paulsen of Exira
• Sage Baxter of Cambridge, Ia
• Raelynn Murray of Audubon
• Linda Sampson of Exira

December 18:

• Julie McVay of Audubon (winner)

December 19:

• Connor John Silence of Atlantic (winner)

December 20:

• Ellie Rutherford of Atlantic (winner)
• Ellie Pelzer of Atlantic
• Deb Schuler of Atlantic

December 21:

• Kim Sears of Atlantic (winner)
• Howard “Harley Davidson” Bock of Atlantic
• Brenda Zellmer of Atlantic
• Tabitha Sothman of Cumberland

December 22:

• Kim Jensen of Exira (winner)

December 23:

• Brian Jensen of Hamlin (winner)
• Maggie Stapley of Lewis
• Keith Feltner of Jeffersen

December 24:

• Ashley Van Aernam of Exira (winner)
• Sharon Kline of Guthrie Center

December 25:

• Dennis Bornholdt of Atlantic (winner)
• Collette Muhr of Exira
• Jean Hinners of Elk Horn

December 26:

• Chuck Petersen of Atlantic (winner)
• Steve Oglesbee of Massena
• Kim Stowell of Atlantic
• Sacha McLaren of Atlantic

December 27:

• Marcia Bourke of Audubon (winner)

December 28:

• Colt Doherty of Atlantic (winner)

December 29:

• Joan Lauritsen of Harlan (winner)
• Rylee Larsen of Cumberland
• Judy Rathman of Exira

December 30:

• Becky Thompsen of Exira (winner)
• Colleen Riesgaard of Exira
• Johnny Walker of Brayton
• Marilyn Stein of Lewis
• Helen Rossell of Atlantic

December 31:

• Axton Michael Nelson of Audubon (winner)
• Doris Jensen of Atlantic
• Sandy Schlotzhauer of Atlantic
• Christa Wiskus of Atlantic

Jim Field shares information about the opening of the first shotgun deer season.

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(Radio Iowa) – D-N-R State Deer Biologist, Jace Elliott, says the numbers from early hunts show the first firearm deer season that begins this Saturday should be comparable to previous years. “This year where we’re tracking along pretty closely with last year’s harvest to date,” he says. Nearly 30-thousand deer have been taken in the early seasons that include archery and youth hunts. The gun season has expanded from the original shotgun-only, to now include muzzleloaders, handguns ad, most recently, rifles. The gun seasons are always the most popular, with some 100-thousand hunters expected to take part. “These two seasons end up taking of about 50 percent of our deer harvest throughout all of our seasons, just in these two firearm seasons,” Elliott says. “So we definitely expect as long as weather cooperates to have a very successful season.”

He says hunters shouldn’t have trouble finding deer in most of the state. “Statewide, we’re at a stable to slightly increasing level and have been for the past several years. There’s of course areas in the state that we’re actively trying to recover populations, particularly far western, and northwestern Iowa,” Elliott says. “And then of course, there’s also areas where we’re working on reducing deer numbers to some degree, but for the most part, we’re very happy with population levels in Iowa.”

Elliott says there has been some concern about the E-H-D outbreak and the impact on the deer population in Iowa. He says there was a severe E-H-D outbreak, statewide this year, and particularly in the southeast region. “The message to hunters is that this disease can have severe local impacts, we’re talking about the property scale or the section scale,” he says, “but at a county level even though this was one of our more severe outbreaks, it does not seem that any particular county has been affected to the level that would require management intervention.”

Elliott says the counties that are hit hard with E-H-D but have ample deer populations to start with, tend to recover in just a matter of a few years. The first deer gun season starts Saturday (Dec. 2) and runs through Wednesday December 6th. The second deer gun season is December 9th through the 17th.