(Radio Iowa) – Former Iowa Congressman Steve King says he’s in talks with three law firms about filing a lawsuit to try to block construction of carbon pipelines. King filed paperwork this (Monday) morning with the Iowa Utilities Board to be on record as an opponent of the projects. “We already know what the (Iowa) Utilities Board is going to do. They have their marching orders. They’re going to carry them out. We need to fight them every step of the way,” King says. “While we’re doing that, we need to build the case to get to the United States Supreme Court.”

King says he’s aware law firms are already representing landowners and county officials opposed to the pipelines in state court, but King says the focus should be overturning a 2005 U-S Supreme Court decision. That ruling said private property can be claimed for a private economic development project through the government’s eminent domain process.

“It’s a 78% issue by The Des Moines Register (Iowa Poll) and another poll across every demographics of politics and age and gender opposed to using eminent domain to condemn private property for private gain,” King says. “Why? Because leadership is all on the other side of this.” One of the carbon pipeline developers is Bruce Rastetter who contributed to Republican Randy Feenstra’s successful 2020 bid to unseat King after King was rebuked by G-O-P leaders for published remarks about white supremacy.

Rastetter’s Summit Carbon Capture Pipeline, along with two other developers, may qualify for up to 100 billion in federal tax credits over the next decade. “The federal government writes a check to Bruce Rastetter or Larry Fink, the CEO of Black Rock (a partner in the proposed Navigator pipeline), or the head of the Wolfe Pipeline project over in eastern Iowa and Illinois,” King says. “It’s outrageous and there’s no possible way the taxpayers will ever see a return on their investment.”

On Saturday, King met in Fort Dodge with over 150 people from Iowa, Nebraska and the Dakotas who are opposed to the carbon pipelines and he says some of them indicated they would be willing to join a class action lawsuit against the carbon pipeline developers. In 2005, King successfully sued in state court to require Iowa officials print election materials in the English language only. That ruling was recently overturned, but may be appealed by the secretary of state. In 2012, King threatened a lawsuit over an Obama Administration policy for undocumented immigrants, but never filed one.

(Harlan, Iowa) – Events leading up to Wednesday’s opening of the Shelby County Fair in Harlan have been underway since Saturday, including animal weigh-ins and inspections, along with some showing of livestock and pets. The Fair runs from July 12th through the 16th. View the full schedule HERE. Here’s a partial look at the schedule:

TUESDAY, JULY 11 (Pre-Fair Events)
9:00 a.m……………………Enter & Judge 4-H Static Exhibits – 4-H & Morgan Hall. Buildings close at 5:00 p.m.
9:00 a.m……………………FFA Static Entry Judging starts at 9:00 with 4-H Clubs scheduled in Green Book
10:00 a.m………………….4-H Baked Goods & Garden Sale

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12
6:30 – 8:30 a.m………….Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Swine – Unload at dock and be inspected by veterinarian.
8:00 a.m…………………..Opening Flag Raising Ceremony – Front Gate
8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m…..Bottle/Bucket Calf followed by Bottle/Bucket Calf Plus One Interviews-
Extension Office, 906 6 th Street
9:00 -10:00 a.m…………Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Sheep and Goats –
Unload at dock and be inspected by veterinarian
9:00 -11:00 a.m…………4-H Cake Decorating entries – 4-H Exhibit Building
8:45 a.m…………………..4-H Table Setting Exhibitor’s Meeting
9:00 -11:00 a.m…………4-H Table Setting – 4-H Exhibit Building
11:00 a.m…………………Willard Olson Swine Contest – 4-H Exhibit Building
11:15 a.m…………………Best of Iowa Contest Exhibitor’s Meeting
11:30 a.m…………………Best of Iowa Contest – Immanuel Lutheran Church
1:00 p.m…………………..4-H Booths to be finished
12:00 – 6:00 p.m………..Enter Open Class Non-Livestock Exhibits
6:30 p.m…………………..Judge Open Class Non-Livestock Departments (if not judging Thurs.)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m………….Enter 4-H/FFA Rabbits – All livestock must be inspected by the vet before
going to their cage
4:30 – 7:00 p.m………….Enter & Weigh 4-H/FFA Market Beef, Breeding Beef, & Dairy –
Unload at dock and be inspected by a veterinarian.
4:30 – 5:30 p.m………….4-H/FFA Horses will be checked in – All livestock must be inspected
by the vet before going to stall.
6:00 p.m…………………Tractor Pull – Grandstand
6:30 – 7:30 p.m………….Enter 4-H/FFA Poultry and Rabbits

(Corning, Iowa) – The next to last full-day of activities at the Adams County Fair today, is “Senior Day,” at the fair. Events this morning include:

7:00-a.m., Swine Show

8:30-9:30-a.m., Senior Day Cookie Entries.

9:30-11:45-a.m., Senior Day Entertainment

10:00-a.m., Senior Day Cookie Judging

11:00-a.m., Rabbit & Small Pet Show

There’s no shortage of things to see and do this afternoon, at the Adams County Fair. The activities include:

1:00-p.m., Livestock Judging Contest Bingo

4:30-p.m., Pedal Pull registration.

5:00-p.m., Adams County Extension Council Pedal Pull; Rural Development BBQ.

6:00-p.m., 4-H Awardrobe Fashion Show, 4-H Foundation Award, & State Fair Awards.

7:00-p.m., Iowa Draft Horse Pullers Pull.

Tuesday, activities at the Adams County Fair kick-off with a 4-H Endowment Breakfast. Find the full fair schedule on Facebook, at Adams County Fair, Corning Iowa.

(Corning, Iowa) – The five-day run of the Adams County Fair continues this weekend, in Corning. Today’s activities include:

7:30-to 8:30-a.m., Beef Weigh-In

8:30-to 9:30-a.m., Sheep & Goat Weigh-In

9:00-a.m., Open Dog Show

9-to 9:30-a.m., Small Animal Check-In

10-to 11-a.m., Beef Pen of 3 Weigh-in

11:30-a.m., Cornhole Tournament Registration Opens

Noon, Cornhole Tournament

3:00-p.m., Bil Riley Talent Show

5:00-p.m., Iowa Corn Salute to Farmers Night at the Adams County Speedway/Races

Sunday, July 9th, is Family Day at the Adams County Fair. Events include the Poultry & Broiler Show, 5K Color Run, Sheep and Market Goat Show, Fair Fundraiser Breakfast, the Open Pet Show, a Baby Contest, Quilts of Valor, 4-H & Youth Committee Hot Beef Sundae Feed, and Dairyland Donkey Ball. See the full schedule on Facebook, at Adams County Fair, Corning Iowa.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is offering a program to teach skills needed to trap furbearers to anyone who has little to no trapping experience. The eight workshops will feature several knowledge and skill building sessions with instructors that will teach the basics of trapping in Iowa. Courses will be offered beginning in August in Dixon, Forest City, Otho, Hazelton, Knoxville, Mt. Pleasant, Spencer and St. Charles.

Iowa DNR Program Coordinator Jamie Cook says “For those interested in the tradition of trapping as a means of sourcing fur, this program provides the opportunity to learn the skills and the knowledge it takes to do it all yourself.”

Participants will learn basic strategies for trapping such as proper equipment, trap placement, trapping regulations and steps for preparing hides for trade. The courses take place in various locations statewide with times and details varying for each event. Each course is designed for participants of all ages. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged. For more information and to begin the registration process, go to https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Event/EventsHome.aspx

The program is provided through a partnership with the Iowa DNR and Iowa Trapper Association. It is part of a national effort to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters, anglers and trappers due to the overall decline in hunting and outdoor recreation.

(Radio Iowa)  – Dry conditions are lessening — ever so slightly — in Iowa, according to the latest report from the U-S Drought Monitor. The new map shows roughly 87 of Iowa’s 99 counties are in some level of drought, that’s down from 89 counties last week. More than 80 counties are in either moderate or severe drought, while portions of 14 counties in western and southeastern Iowa are in extreme drought. Almost all of the remainder are considered abnormally dry, while moisture levels are only considered normal in parts of Osceola and Dickinson counties in northwest Iowa.

During June, which is typically Iowa’s wettest month, Iowa got less than three inches of rainfall statewide. About five-and-a-half inches would’ve been normal. (Click on the map to enlarge)

(Radio Iowa) – Summer’s here and Iowans are hitting the beaches. Dan Kendall, senior environmental specialist with the Iowa D-N-R, says there’s a whole crew of people who are spending the season testing the water quality in our many lakes, some 246 of them. “No swimming” advisories have already been issued for a few locations in the state, but Kendall says that’s not unusual for this time of year. He says it’s a snap to find the latest beach and lake condition reports on the agency’s website, Iowa-D-N-R-dot-gov (Iowadnr.gov).

Just type in “beach” in the window and it will take you to an alphabetized list of all beaches statewide and a wealth of data about the water quality of each one. Those reports are issued every Friday throughout the summer.

(Audubon, Iowa) – Officials with the State Fire Marshal’s Office said Thursday afternoon, that at the request of Audubon Fire Chief Tyler Thygesen, a Burn Ban that was in effect since June 1st, is officially rescinded (effective at Noon, 7/6/23).

The Fire Chief’s have looked at all information including drought conditions, water supply for fire protection, and recent rainfall to make the decision to rescind the burn ban for Audubon County.

The Audubon County Emergency Management Agency advises residents of the County, that “When you are performing a controlled burn (following Iowa open burning laws) please remember that you must notify Audubon County Dispatch at 712-563-2631.”

(Radio Iowa) – The new law allowing the sale of raw milk went into effect on July 1st, but it is unclear how much of the unpasteurized product will be sold here. Iowa State University Extension Dairy Specialist, Fred Hall, says they’ve been getting questions since the law passed. “What we’re hearing from are the questions that are coming from the folks who are currently milking one or two cows. Maybe they would fit in the homesteader category if you had to pigeonhole them,” Hall says.

Milk sold in Iowa was required to be pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria before the new law. Hall says it’s unlikely the large-scale dairy producers will sell raw milk because it can’t be delivered to stores for re-sale. “That’s one of the provisions in the legislation, that it has to be sold directly to the consumer. There’s not, you know, any milk truck gonna pick it up and, bring it to a central market,” he says. “In fact, they cannot take milk to a farmers market or central market or the Casey’s.”

I-S-U will present a webinar on raw milk in conjunction the Iowa State Dairy Association on July 12th from 6 to 9 p-m. Hall says they will have an expert on the webinar who can answer some of the questions. “Mark McAfee is owner and operator of the largest raw milk dairy in the country. He’s in California,” Hall says. “And we’re asked him, just tell us how you did do this? You know, give us some of the guidelines. So folks don’t have the same pitfalls that maybe you experienced early on.” They will also have an expert on handling the milk. “How do you process it so you make sure that you’re keeping the integrity of that product safe when you bottle it when you hand it off,” he says.

Raw milk. (Iowa Dairy Assoc-photo)

Hall says those who are thinking of running a raw milk dairy would have to be in a community that is large enough to have a viable market. “I would say 70-thousand people in metropolitan area or the town probably is a good start,” Hall says. “The other side of that is if you are in the community, and you have lots of family, and you have five or six family members who want to buy milk from me, that’s another niche that I think is very workable.”

Those interested in the webinar on July 12th are asked to pre-register at least one hour before it starts. Go to www.extension.iastate.edu to find the link.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A’s weekly report on Iowa crops shows 61 percent of the state’s corn is rated good or excellent, a slight improvement from last week and soybean conditions rose to 53 percent good or excellent. The southern third of Iowa had above average rainfall last week. Topsoil moisture levels statewide are 17 percent very short and the subsoil ratings are even drier.

Last Thursday’s Drought Monitor shows parts of two counties in northwest and southwest Iowa are in extreme drought and in southeast Iowa, extreme drought conditions are reported in all or parts of seven counties.