Jim Field visits with Red Oak Chamber and Industry Executive Director Elaine Carlson about Junction Days this weekend.

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(Radio Iowa) – A Republican lawmaker is calling on the University of Iowa to examine its use of animals in medical research, consider alternatives and release a public report. State Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis says he finds one experiment particularly grotesque — beagles with a fatal infection were euthanized, then blood and tissue samples from the dogs were studied.

“These are really concerning research practices that are occurring at the University of Iowa and we’re simply asking for a review of these practices because we shouldn’t be simply only looking at dollar signs when we’re conducting research,” Collins says. “We also need to be thinking about the ethical use of these animals.”

University of Iowa officials say the 25 dogs were infected with the disease when the owners of the beagles donated the animals for the research a decade ago and no dogs have been used in the university’s research since 2019. A written statement from university says faculty have an unwavering commitment to the health and well being of research animals and strongly support development of non-animal alternatives for research.

“As usual we have received no commitments to make any improvements, conduct any kind of review or even admit any wrongdoing ever occurred. The only thing we have gotten back is a boilerplate FAQ to simply answer questions about the study,” Collins says. “The university and the Board of Regents can’t just continue to ignore issues that legislators bring to their attention. They either need to address this or we’ll do it for them like many other things.”

Collins led efforts in the legislature this year to cut the budgets for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at Iowa, Iowa State and the University of Northern Iowa. Collins says two years ago the legislature passed a law that requires university researchers to set up adoption programs for dogs and cats that are retired from research.  “We’ve sounded the alarm bell on it before,” Collins says, “but as usual the university has become increasingly out of touch with everyday Iowans and the legislature when it comes to research.”

The Iowa director of the Humane Society has raised the same concerns as Collins and the group has started an online petition calling for changes in animal testing practices at the University of Iowa. Officials at the University of Iowa say for the past 30 years the university has been accredited by an international nonprofit that promotes the humane treatment of animals in science.

Jim Field visits with Father Trevor Chicoine, Pastor of SS Peter & Paul in Atlantic, St. Mary’s in Anita, St. Tomothy’s in Reno and Our Lady of Grace in Griswold, about the historic Eucharistic Pilgrimage passing through southwest Iowa on the way to Indianapolis for a Eucharistic Congress that is being held for the first time in 80 years.

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(Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources) – Hunters will notice a few regulation changes for the upcoming 2024-2025 hunting seasons. These changes could impact deer hunters, waterfowl hunters and furharvesters.

Deer

• Due to a recent statewide effort to combine, clarify, and simplify regulations, Iowa’s hunting regulations now clearly state that party hunting is not allowed for nonresidents. Party hunting, which allows anyone in the hunting party to use their own tag on a deer harvested by another member in the party, is only permitted for residents during the Gun 1, Gun 2, and January antlerless seasons.  Nonresidents may hunt as part of the hunting party, but must shoot and tag their own deer. This language states more simply and clearly the differences that existed for years between resident and nonresident transportation tag uses in the former Iowa Administrative Code.
• Population Management January Antlerless Season will be available in Allamakee, Winneshiek, Decatur, Appanoose, Monroe, Lucas and Wayne counties if the number of unsold antlerless licenses on the third Monday in December exceeds 100.
• Monona, Harrison, Shelby, Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont counties were added to the buck-only counties for first gun season.
• Antlerless quotas have changed in 12 counties.

Trail Camera Use on Public Land

• The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has tabled its proposed policy position regarding trail cameras on public land to allow for more public input on the issue during its wildlife rules meetings, held across the state in February. There are no changes to how trail cameras can be used on public land during the 2024-25 seasons.

Migratory birds

• HIP – All licensed hunters pursuing migratory game birds are required to register for HIP annually, either through the Go Outdoors Iowa app on their smartphone or through a link at www.iowadnr.gov/waterfowl. Non-licensed youth hunters are not required. Migratory game birds include doves, ducks, geese, coots, woodcock and snipe.
• Federal E-Stamp – The federal E-Stamp is now valid for the entire hunting season. The physical stamp will be mailed to the address on file after waterfowl season concludes. Hunters are responsible to make sure their address on file is current.

Furharvesters

• A person under age 16 is not required to have a furharvester license to trap furbearing animals if accompanied by a parent, guardian or other competent adult, who possess a valid furharvester license while trapping furbearing animals. There must be one licensed adult for each person under 16 years of age.

Hunting Regulations

• The digital version of the 2024-25 hunting regulations is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Hunting-Licenses-Laws. Printed copies will be available around Aug. 1.

Bird flu has hit eight dairy cattle herds in northwest Iowa this year, and now a third poultry flock. Ag officials said Thursday the virus is confirmed in a commercial turkey flock with over 46-thousand birds in Sac County. Yuko Sato, a poultry veterinarian at Iowa State University, says vigilance is key for Iowa producers.*

” State ag officials say producers who see signs of the virus in their flock, like a sudden increase in bird deaths or birds that are lethargic, should contact their veterinarian immediately. Lee Maassen is a fifth-generation dairy farmer in northwest Iowa’s Sioux County, one of the hot spots for the virus. As President of the Iowa State Dairy Association, Maassen says he’s keeping a close watch on the issue, and producers are taking bio-security precautions, including limiting visitors. Health officials have also warned against drinking raw milk.

Some dairy cows have died after getting infected, but researchers and veterinarians say most appear to recover after a few weeks with supportive care, like electrolytes and probiotics. So far, Maassen says his dairy is virus-free. Kylie Nettinga, executive director of the Western Iowa Dairy Coalition, says there are 100 dairy farms in northwest Iowa, and biosecurity and surveillance are being done to prevent and track viral spread.

The USDA is working to try and figure out how the virus spreads from poultry to cattle.

(Radio Iowa, with thanks to Rachel Cramer and Sheila Brummer at Iowa Public Radio)

FEMA has set the details for its third Agriculture Recovery Center day. The event will be on the Des Moines Area Community College Campus in Ankeny on Friday June 28th from noon to 8 p-m. The Ag Recovery Center brings State, federal and local agencies together with farming industry groups to provide information agricultural or rural needs that are not covered by standard disaster programs offered by FEMA or the state of Iowa.

FEEMA advises you to come to the event even if you are not sure if your items are covered, as the experts can make that determination. Two other Ag events were held earlier in Pottawattamie and Union County.

(Radio Iowa)

Jim Field visits with Cass County Wellness Coordinator Grace McAfee about the Family Fun Day event on Saturday, July 27, during the Cass County Fair.  This family-friendly event is sponsored by the Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council and the Healthy Cass Coalition.

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(Radio Iowa) – There’s still no drought in Iowa, but the number of counties where the soil is considered abnormally dry has almost doubled in the past week, bouncing from around 16 counties to nearly 31, according to the latest U-S Drought Monitor map. Angie Rieck Hinz, a field agronomist with the Iowa State University Extension, says crop conditions in her region of north-central Iowa are improving.

It requires a delicate balance of both rain and sunshine to grow crops, and this season’s been heavy on the rain so far, as a change of pace from nearly four years of drought. Rieck Hinz says the gusty winds are also an issue.

Iowa’s backyard gardeners know how tough it is to keep out the weeds, so imagine what it’s like for farmers with a few hundred acres of crops. She says weeds are sprouting in many fields right and left.

Forecasters say temperatures will rise back into the 80s and 90s today (Friday) and for the next several days across much of Iowa, with the chance for scattered showers through Saturday.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on the E-P-A and the Biden Administration to raise Renewable Fuel Standard volumes so they keep up with the amount of biofuels our factories can churn out. Grassley says the agency didn’t boost the Renewable Volume Obligation — or R-V-O — levels far enough last year. He says it’s an “insult” for those levels to be so low and the result is a stifled industry and a discouragement of outside investment, which is costing green jobs in Iowa.

Grassley, a Republican, is joining with Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar in calling for a boost in R-V-O volumes in order to keep pace with biofuels production and availability. Sixteen other senators signed on.

The letter to the E-P-A highlights environmental benefits from an increase in biofuels production, including how biomass-based diesel can cut carbon emissions by more than 70 percent. Grassley says there are significant economic advantages for the entire supply chain, from the farmer to the consumer.

Iowa is the nation’s top producer of both ethanol and biodiesel. The letter to the head of the EPA says: “America’s environmental and energy security depend on the widespread production, availability, and use of biofuels. Biofuels play a particularly critical role in emissions reduction for heavy-duty transportation – including aviation, shipping, rail, and trucking – while opening up economic opportunities for American farmers. A strong RFS and broad availability of homegrown agricultural feedstocks are critical for ensuring we keep up the progress we have made in decarbonizing our roads, seas, railways and skies.”