Many farmers are anxious to start planting, but an Iowa State University crops specialist says farmers may want to wait at least another week for some warmer weather so the soil can warm up. Joel DeJong works in northwest Iowa and says you need soil temperatures above 50 degrees, and while the air temperature rose a little this past weekend, temperatures then dropped off.”We’ve had average daily temperatures significantly lower than 50 degrees the last couple of days. So, we’re starting to see that temperature drop. In almost all cases up here it is lower than 50. We use 50 as that starting point. We want it to be 50 degrees and warmer, to really get going, because it takes 50 degrees temperature for that seed to really do much of anything,” DeJong says.

DeJong says there were some farmers who had planted their corn by this time last year, and for some it worked out well, while others encountered some problems. “Sometimes the old timers tell me that we need a good warm rain. We really haven’t had a good warm rain to warm things up either. So, that’s part  of the mix. The profile still remains fairly cool. It’s not awful though. We see lots of cases with today’s hybrids and today’s seed treatments, we can tolerate some cooler temperatures than we have historically,” DeJong says.

He says there was a lot of corn planted on the 11th and 12th of April last year, and most of that, particularly the western half of the area did pretty well. He says the research indicates April 15th through May 8th is a planting range where they’ll get from 98 to 100 percent of the typical yield if planting in good conditions.  “We can extend that range from 95 to 100 percent range. You never know what each year is going to bring? Some we can expand that range, others we need to shrink that range a little. But that’s kind of the general,” DeJong says. ” We have a nice window of opportunity. Most producers only take about five…six…seven days to plant. We have some larger producers that take more. So, we’re really early, and more than likely in this part of the state, we will get that window of opportunity in that ideal time period again.”

The Iowa State University Crops Specialist says sometimes if farmers till their ground during wet conditions, it could lead to soil compacting, and the bottom of the disk zone getting smeared. “We need to be a little cautious with that. If its too wet and we smear that gets hard and dries out and then we have  roots having trouble to penetrating that. So, we need to watch that zone a little bit too,” DeJong says.

The weekly crop report from the U-S-D-A released Monday show no planting yet in the state.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident Wednesday evening, west of Elliott. Authorities say 49-year old Christopher Lee Anderson, of Portsmouth, was traveling west on Highway 48 in a 2008 GMC pickup at around 6:55-p.m., when the flatbed trailer hauling a 1965 Farmall Tractor being pulled by the truck began to fishtail. The fishtailing action caused the truck spin 180 degrees, and resulted in the trailer entering the north ditch, where it overturned along with the tractor.

The pickup, which sustained $8,000 damage, remained upright in the westbound lane. The tractor sustained $4,000 damage, while the trailer damage was estimated at $1,000. No citations were issued.

Sheriff’s deputies were assisted at the scene by Elliott Fire and Elliott 1st Responders, Richter and Son Towing, and Miller Farm Supply, in Elliott.

The Iowa House and Senate have voted to modify the program that lets gambling addicts sign onto a list that prevents them from entering an Iowa casino. Senator Roby Smith of Davenport said “Iowa’s program only offers a permanent lifetime ban, which can scare people away from taking this important first step towards treatment.”

The bill would give problem gamblers the option of a five-year ban from the casinos and it could be renewed every five years. Smith says counselors tell him many problem gamblers have recently been divorced, are dealing with the recent death of a loved one or the loss of a job. “This bill supports our goal of helping susceptible Iowans when they need it the most,” Smith says.

In 2013, Governor Branstad vetoed a similar bill, saying a gambling addiction lasts a lifetime and the voluntary lifetime exclusion from gambling facilities is the appropriate step. This year, an association that represents the professionals who help treat gambling addicts. The five-year casino exclusion option got the approval of all but two senators. It cleared the House last week on a 75 to 20 vote.

(Radio Iowa)

A bill that could dramatically expand the use of medical marijuana in Iowa is NEARLY ready for debate in the Iowa Senate, but it appears the bill as currently written has little chance of winning approval in the House. Representative Clel Baudler, a Republican from Greenfield, said “Three days after hell freezes over that bill will pass in the House.”

Baudler tried but failed to pass legislation out of a HOUSE committee earlier this year that would have set up growing and dispensing operations for cannabis oil in Iowa. House Speaker Linda Upmeyer, a Republican from Clear Lake, is a nurse. Upmeyer says the Senate bill goes farther than House Republicans want, but she’s not ruling out SOME action this year.

“There’s an opportunity to do more,” Upmeyer says. “I’m just not sure that’s the bill.” Upmeyer says one flaw in the Senate bill is there’s no limit on the amount of T-H-C that could be included in medical marijuana products sold in Iowa. T-H-C is the chemical compound in the plant responsible for most of the “high” associated with pot. Senators, meanwhile, are pressing ahead with their bill. It cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday and will be considered in the Senate Ways and Means Committee today (Thursday).

Senator Tom Greene, a Republican from Burlington, is a retired pharmacist.”There are so many Iowans who have really kind of been left behind on treatment,” Greene says. “This is a pathway that we can provide for them an alternative use that has been approved in 28 other states, so it’s not a new idea.”

In 2014, the legislature legalized POSSESSION of cannabis oil as treatment for one condition: chronic epilepsy. That legal protection expires July 1st. Legislators say, at the least, they will vote to extend the law so patients who’ve been taking cannabis oil can continue the treatment, which many say has dramatically reduced the number of seizures.

(Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation’s largest meat processors has been delayed by at least six months, halting an initiative rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama’s administration. The rule was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010 but was met with resistance in Congress and by the meat processing industry.

SIDNEY, Iowa (AP) — Rebuffing President Donald Trump and Republican leaders on the GOP health care bill seemed like a major political misstep for Iowa Rep. David Young, who quickly was punished by a political action committee linked to Speaker Paul Ryan. Nearly three weeks later, voters in Young’s southwestern Iowa district _ Republicans and Democrats _ say the GOP congressman made the right move.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is set to become the latest state to allow gun owners to keep firearms at their side while visiting the state Capitol. It’s a move that’s raised questions about how security workers would deal with armed visitors. Republican Gov. Terry Branstad plans to signs the measure Thursday as part of a wide-ranging gun bill. It will mirror similar activity at statehouses around the U.S. in recent years.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The owner of a gun that a 4-year-old boy used to kill himself last summer in Iowa has been charged with illegally owning the firearm after telling police he regularly used marijuana. Twenty-nine-year-old Daniel Henriksen pleaded not guilty Wednesday to being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm. He wasn’t there when Jayden Choate shot himself June 17 in Henriksen’s trailer in Elgin.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Senate Republicans are showing support for legislation that would expand a state medical marijuana oil program, but it appears to lack support in the House.

The Senate Appropriations subcommittee approved a bill Wednesday to expand Iowa’s existing medical marijuana program, which allows use of cannabis oil for some people with epilepsy. The new proposal would allow use of the oil to treat 18 conditions, including epilepsy and cancer, but still bans smoking marijuana.

The Department of Public Health says lawmakers would need to allocate money to start the program. If approved by other committees, senators say the bill could be eligible for debate next week by the full Senate. However, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says the bill would need to be more limited to pass in the House.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Republican lawmakers trying to finalize the next state budget have proposed reducing money used on services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. A GOP-led budget committee approved a bill Wednesday that would cut about $1.4 million from victim assistance grants distributed through the Iowa Attorney General’s office.

The roughly $6.7 million budget for the grants had already been reduced by about $260,000 during mid-year spending cuts. Republicans say increased federal funding in recent years for victims will ensure no services are cut. Advocacy groups say the reductions will affect staffing and diminish the capacity to provide services.

The cuts are in the justice budget, which would get about $559 million in the spending year that goes into effect in July.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A rule designed to protect the legal rights of farmers who grow chickens and hogs for the nation’s largest meat processors has been delayed by at least six months, halting an initiative rolled out in the final days of Barack Obama’s administration. The rule was first proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2010 but was finally rolled out in December and was set to take effect on April 22.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced the delay Wednesday to allow for more input. The rule would make it easier for farmers to sue companies they contract with over unfair or deceptive practices. Farmers who have waited years for the rule expressed disappointment. Poultry and pork industry trade groups say the rule will reduce competition and drive up meat prices.

Officials with Enhance Iowa have announced they awarded $1,264-million in Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grants at their meeting Wednesday, in Waverly. Among the CAT Grant funds approved, was the full amount of $175,000 requested from the City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department for the Schildberg Recreation Area and Campground Development. The $992, 179 total cost of the  project includes the addition of sewage hookups to the 20-pad campground, a bathhouse, picnic shelters, fishing pier, playgrounds and boat dock. An additional $100,000 from the City of Atlantic and $25,000 from the County, along with numerous other private donations and in-kind work, will help to pay for the project.

In Madison County, the  Bricker-Price Block Project in Earlham received $189,000 out of a requested $222,070, for the complete historic renovation of the building into a modern, community gathering space to provide opportunities for community education, culinary exploration, celebrations and more. The rear of the building will be a dedicated teen space. The total project cost amounts to $888,277.

Elsewhere, the Kalona Community Center, Kalona received a $500,000 CAT grant for the construction of a $5.3-million state-of-the-art recreational facility with three basketball courts, an elevated walking track, dedicated fitness and dance room, as well as new weight and exercise equipment. And, in Ft. Dodge, the  Fort Dodge and Webster County Trail Plan – Phase II, received $400,000 toward a $2.1-million project that includes the construction of more than four miles of new trails that will establish a circular loop of trails around the community.

The Enhance Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. To date, thirteen CAT awards have been granted by the board, totaling $4,432,481. The next Enhance Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for May 10, 2017, in Des Moines.

CRESCENT, Iowa (AP) – Residents and business owners in Crescent are concerned by the closure of a key road just north of town for bridge construction and are urging officials to complete the project more quickly if possible. The Daily Nonpareil reports that Pottawattamie County shut down a bridge on Old Lincoln Highway on Monday for construction work that’ll replace the bridge and shift the roadway slightly to the northeast.

County engineer John Rasmussen told the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors and concerned residents Tuesday that the project is expected to be completed in mid-June. He said he’s working with Correctionville-based contractor Dixon Construction on ways to get the project done faster. More than 2,300 vehicles pass the bridge daily.