(Floyd County, Iowa) – A vehicle that drove around railroad crossing arms was struck by a train Sunday evening, in northeast Iowa. According to the Iowa State Patrol, 36-year-old Yesenia Claypool, of Mason City, was driving a 2012 Hyundai Sonata northbound on 6th Street in Rudd, near the railroad crossing, when she went around the crossing arms, which in the horizontal position. Her car was hit on the driver’s side by a Canadian Pacific train. The accident happened at around 7:40-p.m.

Claypool was transported by ambulance to a hospital in Mason City due to the extent of her injuries.

(Radio Iowa) – A grain that millions of people in Asia and India eat every day is almost unheard-of in Iowa, but a researcher at Iowa State University says it has the potential to make Midwestern agriculture more resilient, more profitable and more earth-friendly. Pat Schnable, director of I-S-U’s Plant Sciences Institute, says proso (PRO-so) millet is an ideal alternative crop to corn and soybeans, especially as water becomes more scarce, both in drought-stricken Iowa and globally. “Proso millet is extremely water efficient,” Schnable says. “We did some research and discovered that it is probably the most water efficient grain on the planet. It uses about half as much water per bushel of grain compared to corn or wheat. It’s even more water efficient than sorghum.”

Calling proso millet the crop of the future, Schnable says the cereal grain is extremely versatile as it’s eaten by vast populations of humans in products from porridge to bread, and it’s also an excellent livestock feed. Plus, he says, millet is already growing well in plots of Iowa soil, thanks to one big advantage. “Farmers can grow millet without any application of nitrogen fertilizer,” he says. “So even though the yields are 70 to 80 bushels an acre, here in Iowa, by not having to add nitrogen fertilizer, that can make it competitive with corn and beans.” By comparison, corn is now grown on some 90-million acres nationwide, while millet is grown on perhaps 700-thousand acres. Schnable would like to see that figure grow tenfold in the years to come.

“It’s a very easy crop to grow in Iowa and uses exactly the same equipment that you’ve got for corn and beans, so same planters, same combine,” he says. “You do need to get a canola plate for the planter but that’s a pretty trivial expense, just because it’s smaller seeded than corn and beans.” The grain is gluten-free, so it’s being used domestically in various types of 12-grain breads — and it’s even used in those big mixed bags of bird seed. Yet another advantage, Schnable says proso millet can be substituted for corn in the ethanol-making process.

“Because we’re not adding commercial fertilizer, nitrogen fertilizer, it has a low carbon intensity score, which starting in 2025, the federal government is going to start handing out credits to ethanol plants that use low carbon intensity feedstocks, like millet,” Schnable says, “so we see a real growth opportunity there.” Schnable and his son, James — who’s an agronomy professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln — founded an Ames-based company called Dryland Genetics. Its mission is to make proso millet the climate conscious choice of farmers and consumers.

https://www.drylandgenetics.com/

(Radio Iowa) – A report on state water quality by an Iowa State University Extension “Think Tank” finds opinions don’t diverge very much on some of the issues. The director of the Conservation Learning Group, Jacqueline Comito, says they were trying to take the temperature of water quality issues. “And see what was going on in terms of water. Have made any headway in terms of changing people’s opinions or behavior?,” she says. Comito had done some surveys of college students on the issue 12 years ago, but this report includes the first comprehensive survey of college student.

“And I would say among college students, they have more knowledge about water issues in the state than they did 12 years ago. Maybe it’s not as much as we would like them to have. But it’s still, we saw some difference there,” Comito says. Comito used her expertise as an anthropology professor to dig into the responses of the college students. “When we look at their survey data, we see that there is some concern, and there is understanding, there’s just a different idea of who who maybe should take care of the problem,” Comito says. “But among regular Iowans, I think the answer is that things haven’t changed much over the last 12 to 20 years.” Agricultural issues were cited by most people as the biggest water quality concern. Comito says though, it wasn’t a case of blaming farmers for everything.

“What came out in the more qualitative work, the listening sessions, is they understand the complexity of farmer decision making and everything that goes into it,” Comito says. “So I think the urban people are very aware of that, that it’s not so simple just to look at them and say, You got to change what you’re doing.” Comito says that’s a key point in the discussion. “So I think that was one of the big findings in this, is that urban residents and farm residents might find that they have more in common than they think,” she says. Comito says the issue of finding a way to fund the things that can improve water quality.

“I would say what it boils down to is that we do know a lot of the solutions, right? We do know some of the things that we can do, both in our urban areas, landscapes and our agricultural landscapes to improve water quality,” she says. “What we can agree upon is one, whose responsibility is it to do those things? And the second thing we can’t really agree upon is how do we fund this?” Comito says the report should help the D-N-R as they are trying to finalize their non-point source management plan. She hopes it will make that plan more accessible so that the everyday average Iowan can read it. Comito says it should also give insight to those doing outreach and education, so they know what people are thinking and feeling.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says an SUV sustained $25,000 damage and was disabled, when it struck a bull on Highway 48 Sunday night. The accident happened in the 2200 block, at around 9-p.m. Authorities say a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 27-year-old Leanne Johnson, of Shenandoah, struck a bull owned by Bret Hultman, of Red Oak. Johnson wasn’t hurt during the collision. The bull was valued at $1,500.

No citations were issued as of the latest report. Red Oak Police assisted sheriff’s deputies at the scene.

(Radio Iowa) -A University of Iowa College of Business professor says motivational posters with inspirational messages that adorn many of our workplace walls often do little to motivate or inspire employees. Ken Brown, a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says for a poster like that to have real impact, it has to be bundled with what managers are actually doing day-to-day to keep members of their staff working toward a common set of goals.

Brown says some workers may mock the posters as confirmation their leaders are completely disconnected from what’s really going on in the workplace.

A business called Despair-dot-com offers de-motivational posters, with sarcastic messages like: “The glass is half-empty: Deal with it.” and “Adversity: That which does not kill me delays the inevitable.” Brown says he’s never bought one of the Despair posters, but he’s tempted, as he finds them hilarious.

Of course, some people like the original posters, with photos of pole vaulters or pouncing panthers. Brown notes he can have two students sitting side-by-side for a lecture and one may think it’s the worst class ever, while the other may say it was a fascinating, life-changing experience.

Brown says his research finds people who are naturally upbeat tend to react positively to employee motivation techniques, while those who aren’t, don’t.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn is co-sponsoring legislation that would redirect Russian assets that were seized when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says the nearly 300 BILLION dollars of Russian money and assets that are being held in banks in the U-S, Europe and Japan should be used to rebuild Ukraine.

A United Nations report issued in June indicated at least 135 BILLION dollars worth of damage had been done to buildings and infrastructure in Ukraine and more than one-and-a-half million homes have been destroyed during the war. Nunn, a Republican from Bondurant, says if there’s no plan to shift Russian assets to rebuilding Ukraine, that money will eventually return to Russia.

Nunn, who served on three combat missions when he was in the U-S Air Force, has been a strong supporter of Ukraine’s military, but he says there should be limits on the amount of U-S aid sent to Ukraine.

President Biden has asked congress to approve 24 BILLION in additional aid to Ukraine, along with more money for federal disaster aid and border security. Nunn says those are key domestic issues that should not be tied to funding for Ukraine.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – One person was cited for Failure to Yield and careless driving, following a two vehicle accident late Sunday morning, in Atlantic. The collision occurred at around 11:15-a.m. at the intersection of 10th and Plum Streets, when a fully loaded U-Haul box truck driven by Matthew Ludwig, left the stop sign heading north on Plum, and struck the left side of a westbound Chevy Suburban driven by Esperensa Salatier.

Following the impact. the SUV rolled over and landed on its wheels. Several people including children were inside the SUV, but no one was injured. Police cited Ludwig. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.

Cass EMS, Atlantic Fire and Rescue and Atlantic Police were dispatched to the area. Numerous area residents reported their lights flickered or the power went out, about the time of the accident, but it’s unclear if the incident was responsible for the outages.

Ric Hanson (photo)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors are set to meet at 9-a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26th, in-person and online**. On their agenda is action on approving three Resolutions:

• Resolution 2023-37, Abating the taxes, penalty & interest for parcels in the City of Massena, in accordance with the Code of Iowa.
• And, Resolutions 2023-35 and 2023-36, awarding contracts for two Cass County road/bridge projects.

The Board is expected to receive a weekly report from County Engineer Trent Wolken, and a monthly report from General Services/Mental Health Director Debbie Schuler. Their next regular meeting is Oct. 3, 2023.

** Join the meeting via Zoom at:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2899195216?pwd=R0hSa2FOOTh0NUdra1ZSdVhVWHpMUT09
Meeting ID: 289 919 5216
Passcode: 012064

Or by Call-in at 312-626-6799, press *9 to indicate you wish to speak.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County will hold their regular, weekly meeting in person and via Zoom, beginning at 8:30-a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26th. On their agenda is approval of an agreement with the Iowa Dept. of Transportation, with regard to detour/traffic sign(s) at the intersection of Highways 34 and 48.

The Board will act on a request to abate property taxes for a parcel owned by the City of Stanton at 205 Center Street, and discuss leasing of the County Farm, with action as necessary.

Their next regular meeting is on Oct. 10th at 8:30-a.m.

**Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86185141628

Meeting ID: 861 8514 1628

Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 If you are calling in, Press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak.31

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A man who ran out into traffic on the eastbound Interstate 80 Saturday night, was struck by an SUV and thrown over the median barrier into the westbound lanes, before being hit by another SUV. The accident happened at around 8:42-p.m. near mile marker 135. After he was struck by the second SUV, the man landed in the center lane, where he was run over by a passenger vehicle.

The unidentified pedestrian died at the scene. The accident remains under investigation.