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DNR sees discharges of wastewater and manure after heavy rains

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 30th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported multiple discharges from sewage treatment plants and livestock facilities in recent days as systems got overwhelmed by large amounts of rain. The D-N-R’s Scott Wilson says livestock facilities have struggled to handle the manure all spring. “Because of the wet weather, just bad farm conditions, ground conditions, and so right now with the extra rains they are full. Some have been overflowing,” Wilson says. “For some that’s a permit-allowable thing — for others it’s not.”  He says the D-N-R tries to help producers address the issue before it becomes a problem. “Yeah, we do like to talk to facilities about options for transferring manure, holding manure, putting it out on fields that are potentially full — but it buys us some time to let manure flow across fields,” Wilson says.

Wilson says there is not set rule or plan that can be used for every situation. “It really is very specific to each facility,” he says, “which is one of the reasons why we always like to asked people to call us when they are anticipating a problem, or they discover that they’ve already got a problem.” The D-N-R had more than 70 reports of city sewage treatment plants discharging after having trouble handling the large volumes of water. “Sometimes those discharges that are being reported are coming from the wastewater treatment plants themselves. Where the treatment plant is getting influent that exceeds what they can handle,” according to Wilson. “It also is sometimes in what we call the collection system.” Problems in the collection system include pipes that get plugged or overwhelmed with water. He says some systems still have sump pumps connected to them from houses and that additional water can overwhelm a plant.

Wilson says they issue a warning to let the public know there might be sewage in the waterways. “It’s the kind of thing for at least for the days which it is occurring anda few after — you’d want to be wary. There is potential for pathogens to be in the water. And also because of a flooding situation there’s other safety hazards in the water too, floating debris, force of the water moving,” Wilson says. He says the risk is a different for the animal manure that’s released from storage. But, he says there have been no reports of dead fish or other aquatic life. Wilson says the immense volume of water helps dilute the risk. “When you have flooding situations, you do end up with a lot of dilution. That’s not an excuse to allow pollution — but it does frankly help out in this situation,” he explains. “Where you don’t see the impact that you might see otherwise if the wastewater was going directly into a stream that was at low flow or normal flow.”

Wilson says livestock facilities that are discharging or expecting to discharge should contact their local D-N-R field office After hours, facilities can call the D-N-R emergency spill line at 515-725-8694. The D-N-R website has more information about spill reporting requirements.

Heartbeat Today 5-30-2019

Ag/Outdoor, Heartbeat Today, Podcasts

May 30th, 2019 by Jim Field

Jim Field visits with Park Manager Josh Peach about the Kids Fishing Event on Saturday at Lake Anita State Park.

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Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on Thursday, May 30

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

May 30th, 2019 by Jim Field

  • KJAN, Atlantic  .22″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .06″
  • Massena  .18″
  • Anita  .09″
  • Audubon  .08″
  • Bedford  .04″
  • Manning  .03″
  • Red Oak  .11″

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on Wednesday, May 29

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

May 29th, 2019 by admin

  • KJAN, Atlantic  .21″
  • Massena  1″
  • Anita  .28″
  • Audubon  .3″
  • Bridgewater  1.5″
  • Corning  1.79″
  • Villisca  1.9″
  • Bedford  2.04″
  • Manning  .25″
  • Shenandoah  3.39″
  • Lenox  2″
  • Carroll  .22″
  • Underwood  .17″
  • Denison  .24″

Cass County Extension Report 5-29-2019

Ag/Outdoor, Podcasts

May 29th, 2019 by admin

w/Kate Olson.

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Biking & hiking trail across Iowa would be part of national network

Ag/Outdoor, News, Sports

May 29th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — A proposed cross-country network of recreational trails called the Great American Rail Trail would follow a 465-mile path through Iowa. Existing trails cover about half that distance, according to the Rail Trail Conservancy which created the route. Lisa Hein, of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, says to finish the job, local and state groups need to step up efforts to connect trail systems. Hein says, “We have enough funding to do maybe three to ten miles a year and if we have 150 miles of connections that we need to still make to complete the Great American Rail Trail across Iowa, it’s going to take a few years.”

On average, Hein says building one mile of trail costs 300- to 400-thousand dollars. Some 53-percent of the Iowa route is made up of existing trails like the Lake Manawa Trail and the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, but there are still hundreds of miles of gaps in between. Mike Wallace, executive director of the Dallas County Conservation Board, says they plan to finish one of them — a nine-mile stretch between the High Trestle Trail and the Raccoon River Trail northwest of Des Moines.  “We know we can do at least another mile, but that will be done in 2020,” Wallace says. “One piece of the puzzle at a time, I guess.”

The Great American Rail Trail for hiking and cycling would travel from Council Bluffs in western Iowa to Davenport in the east. Nationwide, it would stretch 37-hundred miles from Washington, D-C to Washington state.

(Thanks to Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

Continue lack of sunshine keeps farmers out of fields

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 29th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The U-S-D-A crop report showed just one day suitable for fieldwork last week and corn progress is 10 days behind and soybeans are two weeks behind last year. Iowa corn growers now have 76 percent of the expected crop planted, with is two weeks behind the five-year average. This is the smallest amount of corn planted by May 26 since 1995 when 75 percent of the expected crop had been planted. Forty-two percent of the crop has emerged — nine days behind last year and 10 days behind average. Less than one-third of the expected soybean crop has been planted. This is the smallest percent of soybeans planted by May 26 since 1993 when just 23 percent of the expected crop had been planted. Eight percent of the crop has emerged, 12 days behind last year and 8 days behind average. Farmers saw one sunny day this weekend, but say it was not enough to make a difference.

‘Historically slow pace’ to corn and soybean planting in Iowa

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 29th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa farmers who’ve been unable to plant corn yet this year face a deadline this week. Corn planted by May 31st is covered by crop insurance. If that corn fails to sprout because of cold and soggy conditions, insurance will help farmers RE-plant their fields in June. Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says there’s been an “historically slow pace” to planting corn AND soybeans this season. “It’s been a great challenge,” Naig says. “However, we know that if we can get a few days strung together where the weather will cooperate that our farmers can move very quickly and get that crop in the ground quickly. The other piece that we look at is what’s happening to our neighbors…as bad as it is in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana in particular have significant delays.”

Naig says planting soybeans in June rather than corn is an option for some. “It all depends on whether they think they can achieve a decent yield and make that pencil out in terms of profitability,” Naig says. June 15th is the deadline for planting soybeans that can be covered by crop insurance. Farmers debating whether to plant corn or soybeans this week face the dynamic of a soybean market that has been roiled by trade disputes. “The market’s sending a signal. Soybean prices, clearly, have been dramatically reduced. You’re talking a 20 percent reduction in soybean prices this year, a 10 percent reduction in corn and so folks will look at those economics,” Naig says.

But Naig says there are other factors at work, like deciding which corn or soybean hybrids will yield best if planted late. Some farmers may not be able to plant a crop at all this year — and that makes them ineligible for the next round of federal farm payments the U-S-D-A announced last week. Naig says 100-thousand acres of western Iowa farm ground in Pottawattamie, Mills and Fremont Counties was flooded in March — and in some areas there’s still water coming through broken levees. “You’ve got acres that might be dry, but they’ve a tremendous amount of sand and other debris that needs to be removed and those acres may or may not be planted this year,” Naig said. “…For those acres that are planted, you’ll crop insurance. For those that aren’t, you’ll be looking at a prevented planting selection.”

The federal “prevented planting” program provides payments to farmers who cannot plant a crop at all. Naig made his comments during an appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program.

Local 24-Hour Rainfall Totals ending at 7:00 am on Tuesday, May 28

Ag/Outdoor, Weather

May 28th, 2019 by admin

  • KJAN, Atlantic  1.78″
  • 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  1.33″
  • Massena  .58″
  • Avoca  1.3″
  • Neola  1.1″
  • Audubon  .55″
  • Corning  .56″
  • Bedford  1.7″
  • Oakland  1″
  • Underwood  1.04″
  • Irwin  .4″
  • Missouri Valley  .66″
  • Logan  .47″
  • Denison  .38″
  • Carroll  .4″

Hemp enthusiast touts wide range of potential markets for Iowa farmers

Ag/Outdoor, News

May 27th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — As state ag officials work to create the rules for industrial hemp production, Iowa farmers are weighing whether the crop would be a good fit in their operations. Christopher Disbro, founder of the Iowa Hemp Association, says he’s excited about the opportunity for the state’s farmers who he hopes can begin growing the crop during the 2020 planting season.

“It’s an emerging market and it’s an expanding market but there is a market for it and it’s that potential for growth where we want our farmers getting involved,” Disbro says. “In the beginning stages, a lot of the markets focused on the pressed seed oil that goes into beauty products or food products. There’s a lot of people using existing infrastructure to do fiber and textiles.”

Dispro says industrial hemp has a wide range of uses and it holds many opportunities for the state’s growers. “Long-term, it’s not just food and fiber, it’s fuel, it’s bioplastics,” Disbro says. “It’s got real potential to be a really strong third rotational crop for Iowa and for Midwest farmers.” Studies find the production of industrial hemp could grow nationally to be a one-point-nine billion dollar market by 2022, well beyond just fabric, fuel and rope.

“I love a lot of the hemp beauty products, specifically the shampoos and hand lotions, they really make great product,” Disbro says. “We should never have to cut down another tree for paper. I try to use as much hemp paper as I can. It’s got a nice feel to it. It’s a little thicker, a little more substantial.”

Governor Kim Reynolds signed the bill into law earlier this month to legalize industrial hemp production. Iowa farmers won’t be able to legally grow hemp until the U-S-D-A approves the proposed regulatory plan being created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture.