w/ Extension Program Coordinator Kate Olson

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A new report suggests the leaders of Iowa’s drainage districts, the target of a lawsuit dismissed earlier this year, should do more to improve the state’s water quality. David Osterberg, who co-authored the report for the Iowa Policy Project, believes drainage districts are authorized to reduce nitrate pollution even though they are not required to do so by law.

“They are perfectly set up to do this,” Osterberg said. “And we think that, when you look at what it says in the code, they ought to be doing this.” The report comes on the heels of an Iowa Supreme Court ruling against the Des Moines Water Works’ attempt to sue three drainage districts in northwest Iowa for nitrate pollution cleanup costs. Sarah Garvin, who helped write the report, suggests drainage districts are still vulnerable to another legal point of attack.

“Just because this last case failed, it still leaves the door open for another group or entity to come in and approach it from a different direction,” Garvin said. “Because there are pipes just flowing into ditches, that’s a point source, and public health is an issue because of what is coming out of those pipes and into those ditches.” According to Garvin, this is not just a water quality issue. She believes farmers would benefit financially if drainage districts improved conservation measures – which would cut down on soil and nutrient loss.

“Finding conservation measures and management measures within a drainage district has the potential to alleviate that economic cost for producers,” Garvin said. “So, the water quality is the public health issue, but the soil loss is an economic issue for farmers.” The researchers note that nitrate pollution from Iowa has contributed to the so-called “dead zone” at the mouth of the Mississippi River. It reached its largest size this year at 8,776 square miles.

(Radio Iowa – more info. at http://iowapolicyproject.org )

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A new study says appearances can be deceptive — clear lakes can be among the most polluted. Scientists have long known fertilizer runoff from farm fields can fuel excessive algae growth, turning lakes the color of pea soup.

But a study of 139 Iowa lakes by the University of Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota Sea Grant finds that when lakes reach extremely high concentrations of nutrients, the water can be surprisingly clear. They found high levels of phosphorous and even higher levels of nitrogen in some.

They concluded that extreme nutrient levels killed the algae in the lakes, similar to how too much fertilizer applied on land can kill plants. Lead author Chris Filstrup tells Minnesota Public Radio it shows the need to measure nitrogen and phosphorous, not just water clarity.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Animal rights and free speech organizations have sued the state of Iowa, challenging a 2012 law that made it illegal to get a job at a livestock farm through misrepresentation to conduct an animal cruelty undercover investigation. Filing the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Des Moines are the Animal Legal Defense Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Center for Food Safety and Public Justice. The groups claim Iowa’s law violates their constitutional free speech and equal protection rights.

The lawsuit names the governor, whose spokeswoman didn’t immediately respond to a message, and the attorney general, whose spokesman said they haven’t seen the lawsuit. Federal courts have struck down similar laws in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

FORT MADISON, Iowa – Oct. 10, 2017 – The Iowa Transportation Commission today (Tuesday) approved more than $1.2-million in funding for five State Recreational Trails Program projects.Among them: $400,082 was awarded for Phase II of the Pottawattamie County Trail – Railroad Highway Trail (Sponsors: Pottawattamie
County Conservation Board and Pottawattamie County Trail Association), and $366,000 was awarded for Phase I construction of the the Raccoon River Valley Trail to High Trestle Trail (Dallas County Conservation Board sponsor).

The State Recreational Trails Program was created in 1988 with the purpose of developing and maintaining recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized trail users. The funding is available to cities, counties, state agencies, local governments, and nonprofit organizations through an annual application-based program.

The leader of the U.S. Dairy Export Council says he’s making changes to the organization’s marketing strategy. CEO Tom Vilsack says he’d like to increase export sales by five-percent, bringing the total to 20-percent of U.S. dairy production.

“To do that requires us to have more presence in some of these emerging markets, more people on the ground figuring out what the market needs, what the market wants, figuring out ways in which we can innovate appropriately to meet that market demand,” Vilsack said. Although the boost in manpower in developing markets will cost money, Vilsack is promising producers they won’t see changes in the dairy checkoff program.

“This is not about increasing the checkoff. This is about using the resources that are available from the checkoff in the most efficient and effective way possible,” Vilsack said. “And, certainly within our own USDEC budget, we are re-prioritizing to be able to put more resources, for example, into that Mexican market which is so important.”

USDEC CEO Tom Vilsack (L) and Dairy Management Inc CEO Tom Gallagher address media at 2017 World Dairy Expo

The 66-year-old Vilsack added along with cutting ineffective marketing programs, the council will examine revenue streams.

“We also have dues-paying members, 120 members or so of our organization. There hasn’t been a dues increase for at least 10 years, so there’s a possibility that we would look at our dues structure. That’s a small percentage of our budget, but an important part of it,” Vilsack said. “And, we obviously want to make a case to the U.S. Government to continue to fund and maybe even increase the MAP (Market Access Program) funding, the foreign market development funding (and) the market assistance programs.”

Vilsack served as the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture for eight years before starting his new job with the U.S. Dairy Export Council in February. Vilsack was Iowa’s governor from 1999 to 2007. He made his comments in an interview with Brownfield Ag News at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Iowa typically ranks among the top 15 states in terms of annual dairy production.

(Radio Iowa, w/Thanks to Larry Lee, Brownfield Ag News)

Bob Beebensee and DNR Conservation Officer Grant Gelle talk about all things outdoors as we get into the fall hunting and fishing season.

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• KJAN, Atlantic  .71″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .43″
• Massena  .67″
• Elk Horn  .57″
• Avoca  .8″
• Neola  .2″
• Villisca  3.6″
• Manning  .16″
• Missouri Valley  .31″
• Logan  .26″
• Woodbine  .22″
• Carroll  .13″
• Council Bluffs  .76″
• Creston  .85″
• Corning  2.67″
• Red Oak  3.39″
• Clarinda  3.9″
• Shenandoah  3.98″

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – The Farm Rescue farm aid nonprofit in the Plains has reached another milestone. The organization this week is delivering donated hay to south central North Dakota rancher Doug Bichler. He lost his right arm in a hay baling machine accident this past summer, while also dealing with devastating drought. It’s the 500th case for Farm Rescue since it was started in 2005.

Farm Rescue provides free physical labor for farmers and ranchers in need in the Dakotas, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana and Nebraska. Founder Bill Gross says he considers it an honor to have been able to help 500 farm families who have experienced crises. Bichler is still recovering from his ordeal and says the assistance from Farm Rescue will help him keep his herd of cattle through the winter.

Some renewable fuels advocates are questioning the Trump Administration’s commitment to biofuels in light of recent proposals from the EPA. Those proposals include reducing the RFS blend requirement for biodiesel and having U.S. biofuel export volumes count towards compliance with the RFS. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he expressed his concerns to President Trump in a phone conversation last Friday.

“I don’t want to say what the President said, but I was very satisfied with the position the President took in our discussion,” Grassley said. As a result of that conversation, Grassley and several of his Senate colleagues will be meeting with EPA administrator Scott Pruitt on October 17.  “I will tell administrator Pruitt that the proposal is counter to what the President has pledged,” Grassley said.

The EPA, Grassley added, appear to be undercutting the President’s support of biofuels. Grassley said while he has no direct evidence that the oil industry is pressuring the EPA on biofuels, he isn’t ruling out the possibility. “Big Oil may be accomplishing something in EPA it couldn’t get through Congress,” Grassley said. “And like a duck, if it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.”

Grassley will be holding town meetings in Iowa next week during the Congressional recess.

(Radio Iowa)