Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he noticed two surprises in the latest Census of Agriculture, as he says it’s always interesting to see where Iowa bucks the national trends. Naig says Iowa was among few states that saw an increase in the number of farms, and Iowa also saw an upturn in the number of farmers, including farmers under 35. He gives part of the credit to the launch of Choose Iowa, a branded program for Iowa-grown, Iowa-made, Iowa-raised products. Naig says some younger farmers are also getting into diversified agriculture, selling things direct to consumers.

(Radio Iowa) – Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s seeing momentum grow for passage of his bill that would put new restrictions on a drug called xylazine. It’s also known as the “zombie drug,” as it’s used by veterinarians and farmers as a tranquilizer for large animals. “The drug is not intended for human use, but you know what happens with drugs today. Some people are now mixing that substance with fentanyl,” Grassley says. “This is a deadly combo that’s taken a lot of American lives.” The Combating Illicit Xylazine Act is bipartisan, as Grassley teamed up to introduce it with Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada.

“Our bill classifies the tranquilizer as a Schedule 3 substance and secondly, enables the Drug Enforcement Agency to monitor its manufacturing,” Grassley says. “Importantly, veterinarians and farmers would still be able to use the tranquilizer for their animals.” Since the bill was introduced almost a year ago, Grassley says 23 co-sponsors have signed on in the Senate, along with 88 co-sponsors in the House.

“The prospects of our legislation becoming law are stronger than ever,” Grassley says. “Too many communities have felt the devastating effect of the nation’s drug epidemic. Inaction is not an option.” A 2022 report from the DEA found 23% of fentanyl powder contained xylazine. It causes depressed breathing and heart rate, unconsciousness, necrosis, and death, while naloxone does -not- reverse its effects because it is not an opioid.

LEWIS, Iowa – The Wallace Foundation will hold an educational event for the public, followed by its annual business meeting, March 13 at the Armstrong Memorial Research and
Demonstration Farm, just west of Lewis. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by a welcome address from Mark Bentley, president of the Wallace Foundation.

From 10 a.m. to noon, attendees will hear updates from two Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists: Richard Roth, nitrogen science education specialist; and Doug Houser,
digital ag extension specialist. Roth will discuss nitrogen impacts with the use of cover crops, and address other nitrogen concerns heading into the 2024 growing season. Houser will discuss the many uses of drones for agricultural applications and will touch on other trends within digital agriculture.

Aaron Saeugling, Field Agronomist in southwest Iowa, says “As we head into the spring season, new technology and the efficient use of nitrogen is going to be critical for success this year. Both speakers are new to extension and outreach and bring many years of experience in their respective fields.”

The annual business meeting of the Wallace Foundation will be held at 1 p.m. The event is free to attend and includes lunch by Downtowner Cafe and Catering. Attendees are asked to pre-register in order to help with facility and meal planning. To register, email Farm Superintendent Matt Groves at mjgroves@iastate.edu or call him at 712-769-2402. The meeting will be held inside the Wallace Foundation Learning and Outreach Center, 53020 Hitchcock Ave. Lewis, Iowa 51544.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Cass County (IA) Auditor Kathy Somers has officially announced her intentions to run for re-election in the June 4, 2024 Republican primary. Somers was elected to fill a vacancy following Dale Sunderman’s retirement in the November, 2022 General Election, and is now running for a full four-year term.

Somers served 12 years on the Atlantic City Council from 2010 through 2021. She was chairperson of the city’s personnel and finance committee for 10 years, and credits that experience, along with her committee work as chairman of the landfill board and member of the Cass County Public Safety Commission, with preparing her for the role of county auditor. Somers learned how local governmental finances and budgets work, and became familiar with many issues involving the county as a result of those experiences.

Before becoming the county auditor, Somers worked at A.M. Cohron & Son, Inc., a bridge construction company, as the HR & EEO Officer and Safety Coordinator. The experience allowed her to bring a background in human resources, employee benefits, equal employment opportunity, workman’s compensation and liability insurance claims to the county. She also previously worked at CADCO as the executive secretary where she was involved in various projects that benefited the county and has brought that history to the office as well.

Kathy Somers (official photo)

The auditor’s duties include serving as the county’s financial officer, budget director, clerk to the board of supervisors, commissioner of elections, and registrar of voters. The auditor processes taxable valuation rates and prepares the property tax book. Real estate transfers, payroll, accounts payable, and passport applications are also handled in the auditor’s office.

Somers is the daughter of Dean and Verna Esbeck and is a 1988 graduate of Atlantic High School. She is married to Guy Somers. They have four grown children: Mikayla Stockhaus, Justin Somers, Nadia Coop and Lex Somers. Kathy Somers looks forward to serving the citizens of Cass County for another four years.

JEFFERSON, Iowa [KCCI] — A Jefferson man accused of kidnapping his son will undergo a psychiatric evaluation. On Monday, a judge ruled that there was probable cause to suggest that 34-year-old Brandon Duong is not competent to stand trial.

Duong is charged with second-degree kidnapping and violating a custodial order after he removed his 7-year-old son from Greene County Elementary in January, prompting an Amber Alert. After a chase and hours-long stand-off, Duong surrendered and was taken into custody in northwest Iowa. His son was unharmed.

The case will remain on hold until the psychiatric evaluation comes back.

DES MOINES, Iowa  – Officials with Drake University, Monday, announced on social media, that their retired mascot “Griff I” had passed away. Griff I joined Drake University as the official mascot in 2015, bringing joy to the students and alumni he met on campus. He retired in 2020, after 5 years as both a mascot and certified therapy dog.

Griff helped initiate the “Griff Gives Back” pet food collection campaign that resulted in over 100,000 pounds of food being donated to the Pet Project Midwest.

(Corning, Iowa [WHO-TV])— The Adams County Board of Supervisors, Monday, approved a new green energy comprehensive plan. Their action followed a public hearing. The document was put together by the zoning board, along with consultant Chris Shires of Confluence Planning and Design Firm of Des Moines. The hearing opened with testimony from citizens mostly opposed to the expansion of wind turbines in the county.

Jeanne Jackson, of the Adams County Priceless Land Coalition, a citizens group opposing more wind turbines shared economic statistics of some four families who have moved out of the county due to being near the wind turbines. She said if you multiply each families impact over an average of 18 years, that adds up. She also presented what her group felt would be fair noise measurements for a neighbors wind turbine when the sound gets next door.

The supervisors voted 3-1 in favor of the green comprehensive plan, with one supervisor abstaining. Adams County leaders are hoping for additional tax revenue from more wind farms.

The wind turbine ordinances will be proposed by the county zoning board.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa [KCCI] — Police believe a juvenile intentionally set a fire Sunday in the Oskaloosa Walmart. The fire started around 6:30 p.m. in the women’s clothing section and quickly spread before a customer put it out with a fire extinguisher, authorities said. The building was evacuated shortly after the fire and was closed on Monday.

The Oskaloosa Police Department posted on Facebook that no one was injured in the fire. They’ve charged one juvenile, who has not been identified, with first-degree arson and first-degree criminal mischief. The minor was fingerprinted and referred to juvenile court before being sent home, police said.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s Attorney General, Insurance Commissioner and AARP State Director have been traveling the state in an effort to educate people about scams. A-A-R-P state director, Brad Anderson, says gift card scams have become more prevalent and there’s an effort in the Legislature to help. “It is a bill that would require retailers that sell gift cards to put a warning sign up,” he says. Anderson says having the sign up at the kiosks where the gift cards are sold could prevent someone from being scammed. “Other states do have this type of legislation where it basically just warns consumers of gift card scams and then directs them to a number to call if they think they are being scammed,” Anderson says.

He says the gift card scams require interaction while the purchase is being made. “The scammer will literally be on the telephone with the consumer and have them purchase the gift card and then bring it to the counter to pay for the gift card while they’re still on the phone. They will then scratch off the number for the gift card and give it to the scammer and then the money is instantly gone,” Anderson says.

Anderson says the bill requiring the warning sign for gift cards has passed the first legislative deadline.

(Radio Iowa) – A former employee of a central Iowa nursing home is charged with stealing from residents.  The Story County Sheriff’s Department charged 44-year-old Bambi Cerka with first and second-degree theft, two counts of third-degree theft and four counts of dependent adult abuse.

The investigation determined Cerka had 23-thousand-500 dollars in retirement funds from one resident of the Zearing Health Center deposited into a bank account she controlled. The charges also allege she made unauthorized transactions from the accounts of three other residents totaling 45-hundred dollars.

The transactions alledgedly happened between July of 2022 and August of 2023.