Every successful business has a business cycle, and eventually that business will need to transition to a new business cycle or begin to decline. A farm or ag based business with an effective plan for the future can have a positive start in the next business cycle. To help women involved in agriculture plan for a future farm transition, Shelby County Extension is offering Managing for Today and Tomorrow beginning November 2nd, in Harlan.

The course will be held on Thursday nights November 2, 9, 16, 30 and Dec 7, from 6-9pm at the Shelby County Extension office at 906 6th Street, Harlan, Iowa. Topics will include planning for a successful retirement, family and business finances, estate planning terms and methods of transfer. A light meal will be served before the program at 5:45pm. The cost for the course is $75.

Pre-registration is required. To register online, visit the event calendar on the Shelby County Extension website (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/shelby/). Registration forms are also available at the Extension office to register by paper mail. Contact the Shelby County Extension Office with questions by calling 712-755-3104.

Officials in Adams County have given notice that The County of Adams (“Seller”) will sell through the acceptance of sealed bids for the properties described below. Sealed bids shall be received by Adams County Auditor’s office, 500 9th Street, Corning, IA 50841, no later than 9:00 a.m. Monday, December 4, 2017 by mail or in person. The sealed bid envelopes shall be clearly marked attention:
Adams County Board of Supervisors 500 9th Street, Corning, Iowa 50841 ATTN: Sealed Bids-Sale of Property.

Bids emailed or otherwise electronically submitted cannot be accepted and will be rejected.
Project Name: County Farm

• Lot 1 of Parcel “A”, Parcel “B” or both Lot 1 of Parcel “A” and Parcel “B”
• Parcels of Land Located in a portion of SE1/4 of Section 1 of 71-34
• Bids for Lot 1 of Parcel “A” will have the option of building removal

Bids will be reviewed and awards made or bids rejected at the Adams County Board of Supervisors meeting on December 11, 2017.

Bid packets may be picked up in the Auditor’s Office in the Adams County Courthouse during regular business hours (8:30-4:30). For more information, contact Rebecca Bissell, Adams County Auditor at 641.322.3340

CRESTON – Iowans interested in the results of DNR studies to improve water quality in Green Valley and Thayer lakes in Union County can attend a meeting Nov. 8. Citizens are encouraged to bring their questions and ideas to improve the lakes to the meeting for discussion.

Green Valley Lake is on the state’s list of impaired waters for high levels of algae, low levels of dissolved oxygen, and low water clarity. Thayer Lake is on the impaired waters list for high levels of algae and low water clarity. The studies, or DNR water quality improvement plans, show how these problems are caused by too much phosphorus in the lakes. The problems impact recreation on the lakes and aquatic life.

The plans explore the amounts and sources of phosphorus entering the lakes and offer potential solutions to reduce those levels and work toward fixing the problems. The documents are designed as a guide for local resource agencies, partners, stakeholders and residents to improve the lakes. Staff from the DNR’s Watershed Improvement Program will be on hand to deliver a presentation and answer questions.

The Nov. 8 meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southwestern Community College, 1201 W. Townline St. in Creston in Room 124 of the Performing Arts Center. Those not able to attend the public meeting can receive more information at www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Water-Quality/Watershed-Improvement/Water-Improvement-Plans and can submit comments on the plans by Nov. 27 via:

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency says the FIRE DANGER index will remain HIGH through this weekend, due to anticipated high winds and dried crops remaining in the fields. Outdoor burning of vegetation and timber requires an open burning plan, which also needs the approval of your local Fire Chief. Open burning is strongly discouraged, especially where structures are nearby. Combine and other ag equipment operators should make sure their machine has a fire extinguisher handy in the event your machine starts to overheat or otherwise malfunction.

Agricultural experts say starting Friday morning, there will be great conditions to get grain cooled down from this falls harvest. With the average daily temps predicted to be in the mid 30s to low 40s for Friday well into next week, this will be a perfect time to get recently harvested corn and soybeans cooled to a temperature close to what is desired for winter storage. Allowable storage time for grain roughly doubles for every 10 degree drop in temperature. So, getting grain cooled down soon after harvest will significantly improve chances of keeping it in good condition while in storage

In order to determine how long it will take to cool a bin of grain, first determine how much fan horsepower you have per 1000 bushels. For example, if you have a 5 horsepower fan on a 20,000 bushel bin, you have one-quarter horsepower per 1,000 bushels. Divide that number into 15 and you get an estimate of the hours it will take to cool the full bin. In this case example, 15 / 0.25 = 60 hours.

Experts urge producers to get that great crop cooled down for the best storage this winter!

A Ceremonial Tree Planting was held in Atlantic, Wednesday, in honor of the City’s 25^th year of working with Alliant Energy and Trees Forever’s “Branching Out” partnership. Dolly Bergmann, President of the local Trees Forever organization, and Brad Riphagen, Field Coordinator for Trees Forever in Marion, were on-hand for the event. Riphagen said his role is to help communities determine what species of trees are needed, and how to go about planting them. He said the local Trees Forever group is well acquainted with much of that information, having been here for 25-years, so he also helps them with guidance on being involved on a State-wide basis, and additional expertise.

Riphagen has been involved with the organization for over 25-years, and has seen many changes in how the program operates. That includes newer practices in methods of planting trees. Each community, he says, have different needs and wants with regard to what types of trees will be beneficial not only aesthetically, but in terms of saving energy for homes and businesses. He says Alliant Energy and AMU – Atlantic Municipal Utilities – both encourage trees to be planted in residential yards because of the multiple benefits they provide when fully grown. Other communities focus on larger projects, such as newly created green space and how trees fill the void.

He said the value of trees increases throughout the years by providing shade and energy savings. Dolly Bergmann says the local Trees Forever organization has works with many other organizations, government and civic, as well as volunteers, to plant trees at dozens of locations through the community. That includes trees planted in each of the City’s Parks.

Tree number 25, a Little Leaf Linden, was planted Wednesday in the downtown Atlantic City Park.

The Iowa Court of Appeals has ruled dairy farmers near Wesley in Kossuth County showed “sufficient evidence” their operation was harmed by nearby power lines.The Burdick family sued Interstate Power and Light in October of 2013. The family argued their dairy cows produced less milk and had breeding problems because of stray voltage. After an eight-day trial in December of 2015, a jury awarded the Burdicks half a million dollars in damages. Lawyers for Interstate Power and Light appealed, arguing the verdict bore no relationship to the evidence presented by the Burdicks. A district court judge ruled the jury made an “uneducated guess” on lost profits and dismissed jury’s damage award. The judge also ordered a new trial. The Burdicks appealed that ruling. The Iowa Court of Appeals agrees with the Burdicks that there “was sufficient evidence of damages” and the appeals court has ordered the utility to pay the family what the jury decided.

Earlier this year, a jury awarded a Wisconsin dairy farmer about four-and-a-half million dollars in a stray voltage case. The judgment might triple to 13-and-a-half million, though, if a judge rules Xcel Energy willfully violated the law.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report staff from the DNR’s Atlantic field office were in the field Wednesday checking for the sources of a spill in Fremont County and a manure spill that reached a tributary of East Tarkio Creek in Page County.

In Fremont County west of Hamburg, DNR staff investigated the report of a whitish liquid running into a ditch near Draper Bottoms Wildlife Management Area. Staff identified the liquid as an unknown amount of a wheat gluten and water mix land applied by Ben Shinn Trucking for Manildra Milling company.

DNR staff collected water samples for laboratory analysis, but have not found any dead fish. The investigation continues.

In Page County, staff responded to a Wednesday morning report of a manure spill that occurred the previous evening when a stuck pump valve caused manure to pool at the Lee Brooke confinement northwest of Clarinda. DNR staff found manure pooled at the site, and in roadside and drainage ditches that flow into an unnamed tributary of the East Tarkio Creek.

An estimated 7,000 gallons of manure was released during manure pumping by commercial manure applicator Jason Sickles. Sickles immediately limed the ditch and placed hay bales to keep manure from moving downstream. DNR is requiring him to build a temporary dam in the ditch and excavate soil to prevent more manure from reaching the stream. Staff found no dead fish, but the investigation is ongoing.

In both cases, the DNR will consider appropriate enforcement action.

Officials with the Iowa DNR late Wednesday afternoon, received a report from the city of Council Bluffs that untreated wastewater had discharged into Indian Creek and then into the Missouri River near Gifford Road in Council Bluffs.

City staff estimate about 360,000 gallons of wastewater discharged during maintenance work on a force main. City workers quickly stopped the release, made repairs and collected water samples in the creek and in the Missouri River.

The DNR recommends keeping children and pets away from the area for the next 24 to 48 hours. The city reports no fish were killed. City staff will follow up at the site this (Thursday) morning.

he Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Wednesday), received an update from two local men with regard to the use of Utility Terrain Vehicles (UTV’s) on County roads. Dennis Murphy from Nishna Valley Cycle had appeared before the Board in May, 11, 2016, and at that time, asked the board to consider moving forward with enacting an ordinance to allow any licensed driver to operate registered (with the county recorder) and insured all-terrain and off-road utility vehicles on Cass County secondary roadways for recreational use. The ordinance would not restrict eligible ‘farm’ use. Goal is to make it legal for said vehicles to be driven on county roadways. The Board had taken the request under advisement, and asked for more research.

During today’s meeting, Murphy, and Rob Thornton, also from NVC, came back with Ordinance samples from various counties, including Carroll, Crawford, Buchanon and Iowa Counties, in northwest Iowa. He said some county ordinances specify which roads UTV can be ridden on, others are more simple. They cannot be ridden on Highways. Murphy said some counties require a current DNR registration sticker on the vehicle, some have minimum age limits, and some require insurance, etc. Those annual stickers, he said, cost $75. Cass County Engineer Charles Bechtold told the Board the same subject was covered at a recent ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) meeting in accordance with many different agencies.

He said as far as his office is concerned, safety is an issue, and that “politically,” he’s opposed to the use of UTV’s on county roads, but personally, he’s open to it, primarily because the machines are already being used on those roads. He likes the idea that operators of the machines have insurance, so that if there’s a collision between a County vehicle and a UTV, it’s covered and dependent upon who’s at fault.

UTV operators would have to obey the rules of the road, just like motorists. To that end, the Supervisors and Murphy agreed that the machines should have certain safety features if not already equipped, such as headlights, taillights. They could also require them to be outfitted with marker flags, turn signals, mirrors, etc. The main thing Murphy would like to see, is that the ordinance specify the machines be registered and have clearly visible tags for identification in the event they are operating illegally or irresponsibly.

Auditor Dale Sunderman says Delaware County has an ordinance that passed in May, 2016, which is thorough and a good place from where to start Cass County’s Ordinance. Dennis Murphy said he and Thornton would come back in a couple of weeks or so with a draft ordinance, incorporating some of the better ideas in the ordinances mentioned during today’s (Wednesday’s) discussion.