(Radio Iowa) – Last year’s powerful derecho damaged or destroyed an estimated seven million trees across Iowa, according to a new report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Nick McGrath, a community disaster recovery coordinator, hired by the DNR and the nonprofit Trees Forever, says diversity is key when Iowans replant trees. “I think this does provide a really sad but unique opportunity to replant for resiliency,” McGrath says. “So, taking a look at what is left after the storm and maybe those species are what we should be focusing on.”

Damaged trees following the derecho. (Trees Forever photo.)

According to the report, derecho damage to the urban tree canopy alone amounts to $20 million a year in lost benefits. McGrath discussed how long it might take to replace what was lost. “I think we could see some real results in 30 to 60 years, maybe, if we start now, but the more we delay, the longer it takes,” McGrath says. “If you think about the trees that we lost, if you want to regrow your 100-year-old oak, it’s going to take 100 years.”

The DNR’s analysis finds the derecho damage to the urban tree canopy alone amounts to 90-million dollars’ worth of lost carbon storage. The August 10th, 2020 storm impacted 27 counties along the Highway 30 corridor, primarily in central and east-central Iowa.

(By Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – State funding totaling nearly one-point-five million dollars has been approved for four trail projects. The D-O-T’s Craig Markley says a project on the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail in central Iowa won funding. He says it would pave a trail in Story County, with a grant of 400-thousand dollars. The total project cost is 674-thousand. A grant of 220-thousand was approved for the Raccoon River Valley Trail in central Iowa. “This would be a connection to the High Trestle (Trail). This continues filling in that missing link if you would between Woodward and Perry — where it would link those two very long loop trails,” Markley says.

He says the total project cost is 393-thousand dollars, and this will add to what is already a very good trail system in that area. The Grant Wood Trail in eastern Iowa’s Linn County was awarded a grant. “This would be hard-surfacing about three miles of current granular trail east of Marion, and that would be at a 400-thousand dollar cost,” he says. The total project cost of the Grant Wood Trail is 735-thousand dollars. The final award was to the Keokuk River Trail. “This would be the construction of one mile of new trail located along the Keokuk riverfront starting at Victory Park, and heading southwest towards the boat ramp,” Markley says.

That project won a grant of nearly 494-thousand dollars — with the total project cost of more than one-point-one million dollars. Markley says the requests for funding were way above the amount available. “We received 37 applications with a total project cost of nearly 37 million dollars. And the total amount requested was right at ten times the amount available — so almost 15 million requested for the one-point-five (million) available,” Markley says.

He says the projects are scored on a variety of criteria to determine which ones receive funding.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Atlantic Trees Forever spokesperson Dolly Bergmann reports fall tree vouchers are now available. Bergmann says tree vouchers are a great way to help with the cost of a tree to plant.  The vouchers are worth $30 off the cost of a tree, and can be obtained at Pymosa Farms, north of Atlantic.

Bergmann said there are a limited number of vouchers available.  Those at Pymosa Farms can help you determine what kind of tree would work best in the location you would like to plant a tree.  Fall is a great time to plant trees.  They do not have to be exposed to the stress of the summer heat.  It is still important to water the trees as you go into the winter.

Pymosa Farms is located at 50979 Buck Creek Road, Atlantic, but Bergmann suggests calling owner Tim Reavis, at 402-659-1213 before driving out to the farm to ensure someone is available to help you.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The owner of a northwest Iowa dairy will testify today (Wednesday) about milk prices before the U-S Senate Agriculture Committee. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the problems with government regulation of the dairy industry date back decades, perhaps as far as the 1930s. He says the trouble originates with what are known as federal milk marketing orders which set up provisions for dairy processors.

“Things that happen in Minnesota and Wisconsin might be different than how they work in California,” Grassley says, “and even in eastern Iowa, I’ve heard of instances where some dairy farmers are getting help from some government program a lot more than they are in another part of eastern Iowa.” Grassley says it’s a troubled system that varies from state to state and significant reforms are needed.

“What you might do to help Iowa people would hurt Wisconsin people or what you might do to help Minnesota and Wisconsin versus California,” Grassley says. “It’s just a terrible, muddled mess to get corrected or it would’ve been done a long time ago.” The hearing in Washington D-C is scheduled to begin at 8:30 A-M/Central. The witnesses appearing before the panel include Christina Zuiderveen of Granville, managing partner of Black Soil Dairy.  “I’m happy that we’re bringing in the Iowa dairy people to speak to us, to have a voice in the Senate,” Grassley says, “even though we’re probably 10th, 11th or 12th in the production of dairy compared to some other of the 50 states.”

The Iowa State Dairy Association says Iowa ranks 12th in total milk production nationally and 8th in milk production per cow, while Iowa’s milk production represents 2.45-percent of the total U.S. milk production. In 2018, the ISDA says Americans consumed 646 pounds per capita of milk and dairy products, while in Iowa, the average was 670 pounds.

Fremont and Mills counties (Iowa DNR News) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will treat Folsom, Scott B, and Lake Virginia late this summer or early fall (pending workable weather conditions) with rotenone, a botanical pesticide, to eliminate the fish populations.

Two of the lakes, Folsom and Scott B, are borrow lakes created during the construction of Interstate 29. Flooding by the Missouri River in 2019 introduced rough fish into these lakes, displacing almost all sport fish. The most recent fishery survey included common carp, silver carp, shortnose gar and black bullhead.  These injurious fish species reduce water clarity, destroy aquatic plants, and prevent the fishery from reaching its full potential.

Lake Virginia, located in Waubonsie State Park, suffered severe winter kill during the past winter. Winter kill occurs during prolonged periods of ice and snow cover that eventually depletes the oxygen from the water. Bryan Hayes, DNR fisheries management biologist, says “Surviving fish including black bullheads and common carp have gained the upper hand at Lake Virginia. The most effective method to reclaim these lakes for fishing is to eliminate the existing fish populations with a fish toxicant, rotenone; clearing the way for restocking sport fish.”

Rotenone is used world-wide and has been since the 1930s.  It is a common tool that fisheries managers use for managing sport fish and improving water quality. Rotenone is a naturally occurring compound that comes from the roots of a tropical plant in the bean family. The DNR commonly uses the commercially available formulation, 5 percent Prenfish, which has been approved for fisheries management by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The EPA has concluded that the use of rotenone for fish control does not present a risk of unreasonable adverse effects to humans or the environment. The EPA certifies all pesticides based on use according to label directions, which the DNR is equipped to fulfill these obligations.  Eliminating injurious fish species is an imperative step to achieve water quality and fishery improvements.  The three lakes will be stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill and channel catfish in the spring of 2022. Catchable-size fish are expected in the lakes as soon as 2023.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department is putting on a 2nd, Adult Art in the Park event. It’s set to take place 6-p.m. September 25th, in the Kiddie Korral shelter at Sunnyside Park.  Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said “The first time we did this, it received a great response, and so we are working on planning new activities for this upcoming time.”

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

(Radio Iowa) – Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says NASA research on what’s called “sustainable aviation fuel” should examine the use of biofuels for airplanes and spacecraft. “When I questioned Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in our committee meeting in May, she told me directly that she believes biofuels and biofuel technologies have an extremely bright future in sustainable aviation fueling,” Feenstra says.

Sustainable Aviation Fuel — sometimes called biojet fuel — is a crop based alternative to jet fuel made only from petroleum. “This cleaner, more affordable of powering transit and lowering emissions in NASA’s future of clean air transportation is extremely essential and is needed,” Feenstra says.

During a U.S. House subcommittee meeting Thursday, Feenstra proposed and the panel approved adding language to House Democrats’ infrastructure plan that will require NASA research and development of “sustainable aviation fuel” to include biofuels. Also Thursday, the White House invited representatives of the ethanol and biodiesel industry to a discussion about wider use “sustainable aviation fuel.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa farmers who want to enroll in either of the two major U-S-D-A conservation programs have until month’s end to submit their paperwork. Kate Hansen, a policy associate with the Center for Rural Affairs in Nevada, says the deadline is October 1st. “It’s for both the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program,” Hansen says. “These are what we call working lands conservation programs. They’re administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and these are programs that help you implement conservation practices while you’re still working the land.”

Last year, Iowa farmers signed more than 12-hundred contracts for the two programs, known as C-S-P and EQIP. Hansen says the programs are similar but there are key differences. “EQIP contracts are typically more focused on a particular resource concern or maybe a singular practice,” she says. “CSP is a program designed to be operation-wide, so, a farmer in a CSP contract is going to be implementing multiple practices over a five-year period and addressing different parts of their operation.”

Farmers who are interested in signing up for these programs should contact the Natural Resources Conservation Service in their county.