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Liquid manure can be significantly less costly than commercial fertilizer for cropland

Ag/Outdoor

July 25th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – As Iowa farmers start putting together the finances for the next growing season, they’re again considering liquid manure rather than commercial fertilizer for cropland. Nitrogen and phosphorous are typically applied to corn and soybean fields, but a global shortage of commercial fertilizer has caused prices to spike. Iowa State University Extension agricultural engineer Kris Kohl can liquid manure from livestock operations can be a cheaper alternative.

“Typically a person that’s buying manure is going to get it for probably 80 or 90% of what the equivalent fertilizer is, so that’s a savings,” he says. “Oftentimes they’ll get the micro nutrients, the sulfur and zinc, thrown in for free.” I-S-U Extension will host a workshop on August 1st in Storm Lake for those who have manure to sell and those who are looking to buy it. Anyone buying manure in bulk for the first time needs to collect soil samples from farm fields and file a manure management plan with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

“Our research at Iowa State shows there’s a slight advantage to using manure over commercial fertilizers,” Kohl says. In a typical year, I-S-U experts estimate 14 BILLION gallons of manure are spread on Iowa fields. Transporting liquid manure can be costly, though, and environmentalists are raising concerns about drainage from fields into rivers and lakes.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report: July 18-24

Ag/Outdoor

July 25th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (July 25, 2022) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig commented today on the Iowa Crop Progress and Condition Report released by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. The report is released weekly April through November.
“After another warm week statewide, corn pollination is nearly complete for portions of Iowa as soybeans continue to bloom and set pods,” said Secretary Naig. “Much of Iowa received at least some rain, though not enough to ease drought conditions. Forecasts show near-seasonal temperatures and isolated chances of rain through the end of July.”

The weekly report is also available on the USDA’s website at nass.usda.gov.

Crop Report:
Limited rain over much of Iowa resulted in 6.1 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending July 24, 2022, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Fieldwork included cutting hay as well as insecticide and fungicide applications.

Topsoil moisture condition rated 12 percent very short, 26 percent short, 61 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 11 percent very short, 25 percent short, 63 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus.

Corn silking or beyond was 66 percent, 4 days behind last year and 3 days behind the 5-year average. Eight percent of the corn crop has reached the dough stage, 5 days behind last year and 2 days behind average. Corn condition rating was 80 percent good to excellent. Seventy-two percent of soybeans were blooming, 1 week behind last year and 2 days behind average. Thirty-two percent of the soybean crop was setting pods, 5 days behind last year and 1 day behind the 5-year average. Iowa’s soybean condition rating was 75 percent good to excellent. Eighty-two percent of oats were turning color or beyond, 1 week behind last year. Oats harvested for grain reached 38 percent, 2 days behind last year. Iowa’s oat condition was 78 percent good to excellent.

Seventy-seven percent of the state’s second cutting of alfalfa hay was complete, with the third cutting under way at 3 percent. All hay condition rated 66 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition rated 50 percent good to excellent. Some producers already had to begin supplementing with hay. Flies and above average heat and humidity were stressing livestock with cattle still struggling with pinkeye.

Posted in Ag/Outdoor |

Gov. Reynolds issues disaster proclamation for Harrison, Shelby & 3 other Counties

News

July 25th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation for Allamakee, Clayton, Harrison, Shelby, and Winneshiek counties in response to recent severe weather. The governor’s proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to, and recover from, the effects of this severe weather.

In addition, the proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for those five counties. The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Human Services website at https://dhs.iowa.gov/disaster-assistance-programs. Potential applicants have 45 days from the date of the proclamation to submit a claim.

The Disaster Case Management Program addresses serious needs related to disaster-related hardship, injury, or adverse conditions. Disaster case managers work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and provide guidance, advice, and referral to obtain a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program; it closes 180 days from the date of the governor’s proclamation. For information on the Disaster Case Management Program, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

Posted in News |

Creston native Downing named to 2022 Rimington Trophy Watch List

Sports

July 25th, 2022 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State offensive lineman Trevor Downing has been named to The Rimington Trophy 2022 Preseason Watch List. The trophy is presented each year to the nation’s top center.

The watch list includes 40 centers as graded by Pro Football Focus and nominated by their schools.

Downing, a Creston, Iowa, native, is making the move to center after earning All-Big 12 First-Team honors last season at right guard. He made his first career start at center in the Cheez-It Bowl against Clemson.

Downing has made 26 career starts on the Cyclone offensive line and in 2021 was a lynchpin in helping the Cyclones record their fourth-best scoring average (31.3) and fifth-best total offensive average (424.5) in school history.

Iowa State opens the season Saturday, Sept. 3 against Southeast Missouri at MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium. Football season tickets are on sale now for as low as $249 or $35 per game. Join Cyclone Nation this fall by clicking here.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa State men’s hoops to face Villanova, women take on Michigan State at 2022 Phil Knight Invitational

Sports

July 25th, 2022 by admin

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State will face Villanova on Thursday, Nov. 24 in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational, ESPN Events announced Monday.

Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m. central, with the game airing on ESPN2 at the Moda Center in Portland, home of the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers. North Carolina and Portland are the other two teams on Iowa State’s half of the bracket.

The semifinal game is slated for Friday, Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. central on ESPN, while the consolation game is set for 1:30 p.m. central on ESPNU.

UConn will face Oregon, while Alabama will play Michigan State on the other half of the bracket. The accomplished field has a combined 212 NCAA Tournament appearances, 45 Final Fours and 16 NCAA titles.

It will be the second meeting all-time between the Cyclones and Wildcats. Villanova beat Iowa State 74-53 Dec. 11, 1961 in Philadelphia. The Cyclones have never faced Portland, while North Carolina holds a 3-1 lead in the all-time series with Iowa State.

Moda Championships Packages are now on sale. Single session tickets will be on sale Friday, July 29 at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT with ticket information available here.

The Iowa State women are also playing in Portland in the women’s PKI. The Iowa State women’s basketball team has been given a first contest against Michigan State on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 24) at 6:30 p.m. Central on ESPNU at the Chiles Center on the campus of the University of Portland.

A win for the Cyclones over the Spartans would pit ISU against the winner of the other contest in the tournament between North Carolina and Oregon on Sunday, Nov. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Central in the Moda Center. A loss on Thursday would mean the Cyclones would play the non-advancing team from the UNC-UO matchup on Nov. 27 at Noon Central in Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

This is the second edition of the Phil Knight Invitational, which was previously contested in 2017 to celebrate the 80th birthday of Nike co-founder and CEO Phil Knight, and has returned in 2022 to honor Knight’s 85th birthday.

The Thanksgiving meeting between Iowa State and Michigan State will be the seventh in series history, with both ISU and MSU claiming three wins previously. The Cyclones have won the last two meetings, both in memorable NCAA Tournament victories. In the 2021 NCAA Tournament First Round in San Antonio, Ashley Joens racked up 33 points en route to leading the Cyclones to a 79-75 victory. In the 2009 Sweet 16, the Cyclones came from seven down in the final 70 seconds to get a 69-68 win and move on to the Elite Eight for the second time in program history.

The Cyclones have two previous meetings against North Carolina, the most recent coming in the 1999-00 Big 12-ACC Challenge, a 79-67 win for the Cyclones in Ames. Iowa State and Oregon have met three times previously, the most recent coming in Ames in the 1999 NCAA Tournament Second Round, with the Cyclones advancing to their first Sweet 16 in program history with an 85-70 win.

The remainder of the women’s basketball schedule for 2022-23 will be announced at a later date.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa women’s hoops to face Oregon State in opening round of Phil Knight Legacy tourney

Sports

July 25th, 2022 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The brackets for the 2022 Phil Knight Legacy, which includes the University of Iowa women’s basketball team, was announced on Monday. The multi-team tournament features four women’s teams and eight men’s teams competing in Portland, Oregon, during ESPN’s annual Feast Week.

The nationally-ranked Hawkeyes will face Oregon State in the first round on Friday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. (CT). That game will take place at the Chiles Center — on the campus of the University of Portland — and will be televised on ESPNU. The other first-round matchup pits Duke versus Connecticut.

The championship game will be broadcast on ABC at noon (CT) on Sunday, Nov. 27, at the Moda Center, while the third place contest will be televised on ESPN2 at 9 p.m. (CT) on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Both arenas are located in downtown Portland.

The four women’s teams have combined for 97 NCAA Tournament appearances, 44 Elite Eights, 28 Final Fours and 12 national championships.

Posted in Sports |

Iowa-Northwestern sold out; Nebraska game approaching sellout status

Sports

July 25th, 2022 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – – The University of Iowa’s Homecoming football game against Northwestern, scheduled for Oct. 29 at 2/2:30 p.m. (CT) at Duke Slater Field at Kinnick Stadium, is officially sold out, the announcement was made Monday by the UI Athletics Department.

Iowa’s final two home games are approaching sellout status.  The regular season finale against Nebraska has a little more than 600 tickets remaining, while the season opener against South Dakota State has around 1,500 tickets left.

Five of Iowa’s seven games have already reached sellout status.  The sellouts include games against Iowa State (Sept. 10), Nevada (Sept. 17), Michigan (Oct. 1), Northwestern (Oct. 29) and Wisconsin (Nov. 12).

Posted in Sports |

UPDATE: Red Oak apartment fire deemed accidental/electrical

News

July 25th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

UPDATE – 7-25-2022: Montgomery County Emergency Management Coordinator Brian Hamman, today (Monday) reports “After a joint investigation by the Red Oak Fire Department and Iowa State Fire Marshall’s Office, the cause and manner of the apartment fire has been determined to be an accident and electrical in nature.”

Previous story…

At approximately 2:14pm, Sunday, the Montgomery County Communications Center received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting an upstairs apartment fire at 615 N 3rd Street in Red Oak, located just north of the downtown square. Officers of the Red Oak Police Department arrived on scene immediately and confirmed all occupants were out of the structure prior to Red Oak Fire arriving on scene. Red Oak Fire arrived on scene within 4 minutes of being paged and requested a second alarm structure fire response bringing additional crews from the Stanton Fire Department, Elliott Fire Department and additional aerial support from the Glenwood Fire Department.

Photos courtesy Brian Hamman, Montgomery County Emergency Management.

Fire crews made an immediate and aggressive interior attack of the fire and were able to contain the fire to the origin apartment. Smoke and water damage is throughout the entire structure.
The American Red Cross was contacted to assist five displaced adults due to the fire.

No injuries to any occupants or firefighters on scene however two cats were located deceased and unable to be revived at the scene after attempts were made

Posted in News |

Six cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Iowa

News

July 25th, 2022 by Ric Hanson

The state of Iowa has about six-hundred doses of monkeypox vaccine. Due to the limited supply, officials say those who’ve been exposed to the virus are being prioritized for vaccination. The vaccine can prevent or limit the severity an infection. Dr. Aneesa Afroze of MercyOne in Des Moines says they have one patient with symptoms consistent with monkeypox and they’re awaiting test results. “Providers are watching patients presenting with any kind of rash,” she says.

People with monkeypox may have a fever, chills or a rash. According to the Centers for Disease Control, six cases of monkeypox have been confirmed in Iowa. Dr. Afroze (ah-FROZE) says the virus is not easily transmissible like COVID-19, but people should still be aware of it. “Primarily it spreads between people through direct contact with infectious sores, scabs or body fluid,” she says. “Sometimes lesions, sores can be in the mouth or the throat and they can be coughed and spread via droplets or very close contact, like kissing.”

This weekend, the World Health Organization declared the spread of monkeypox a global health emergency. More than 16-thousand cases have been confirmed in 75 countries. As of Sunday, more than three-thousand cases had been confirmed in the U.S., including two cases in children.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katie Peikes)

Posted in News |

Trio of Hawkeyes named to Butkus Watchlist; Moss named to Thorpe Watchlist

Sports

July 25th, 2022 by admin

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa linebackers Seth Benson (senior), Jack Campbell (senior) and Jestin Jacobs (junior) have been named to the Butkus Award preseason watch list.  Senior defensive back Riley Moss was named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award watch list.

Presented annually the Butkus Award goes to the nation’s most outstanding linebacker. Iowa is the only school with three linebackers selected. The Thorpe Award is awarded annually to the best defensive back in college football.

Benson (6-0, 232 pounds) was voted third-team All-Big Ten by Phil Steele last season and was named honorable mention all-conference by league media in addition to being an Academic All-Big Ten selection. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, native was second on the team in tackles (105), notched a pair of sacks and registered an interception. He earned Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and Coaches Appreciation Award for special teams. Benson was a second team preseason All-Big Ten selection by Athlon Sports.

Campbell (6-5, 246 pounds) was a second-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and Phil Steele in 2021. In addition, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was second in the Big Ten with 143 tackles – the fifth-most ever in a single season at Iowa. He earned Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors following a career-best performance with 18 tackles in Iowa’s 24-14 win over Colorado State. A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Campbell was the recipient of Iowa’s Roy Carver Most Valuable Player (Defense) award last season and served as a permanent team captain. He has also been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team, as well as being named a preseason first-team All-American by Phil Steele, Athlon Sports, and Sporting News.

Jacobs (6-4, 238 pounds) saw action in all 14 games for the Hawkeyes in 2021. He totaled 53 tackles and added an interception and forced fumble. Additionally, Jacobs had two pass breakups and two quarterback hurries. The Englewood, Ohio, native earned Iowa’s Next Man In Award for defense.

Moss (6-1, 193 pounds) was a first-team All-America selection by Sporting News a season ago and was voted the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year. Additionally, Moss was a first-team All-Big Ten selection by both league coaches and media. The Ankeny, Iowa, native was a recipient of Iowa’s Team Hustle Award and is second all-time at Iowa in career interception return yards (239). Moss is one of three players in program history with three interception return touchdowns. He has been named to the Athlon Sports 2022 preseason All-Big Ten First Team. Moss was selected to both the Athlon Sports and Phil Steele’s preseason All-America First Teams.

Campbell was a semifinalist for the Butkus Award a season ago. Former Iowa linebacker Josey Jewell was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 2016 and a semifinalist in 2017.

Iowa’s Desmond King won the Thorpe Award in 2015 and was a semifinalist the following season. Josh Jackson was a finalist for the award in 2017. Moss was a semifinalist in 2021.

Posted in Sports |