Jim Field visits with Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson about the Cass County Master Gardeners Bus Tour on June 7 to the Lincoln, NE area.  The deadline to register for the day-long trip on Thursday, June 1.  For more information or to register, CLICK HERE!

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w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The planting season is down to just a few more trips across the field. The U-S-D-A crop report shows 98 percent of the corn crop is planted, eight days ahead of last year and 11 days ahead of the five-year average. Eighty-five percent of the corn crop has emerged — with 77 percent reported in good to excellent condition. Ninety-four percent of soybeans had been planted by Sunday, more than one week ahead of last year and 15 days ahead of normal. Sixty-seven percent of soybeans have emerged and the first condition report shows 71 percent are rated in good to excellent condition.

(Radio Iowa) – U-S-D-A meteorologist Brad Rippey says abnormally dry conditions are likely to persist in Iowa through the summer.  “As we move each day with this dry weather and suddenly warm weather, we’re seeing short term dryness just exploding across the Midwest,” Rippey says. The most recent U-S-D-A Drought Monitor indicates 57 percent of Iowa is either abnormally dry or is experiencing some level of drought. “Dryness that developed last year mid to late summer has lasted through the winter and now we’ve got short term dryness redeveloping over that, so you have not only subsoil moisture depletion, but topsoil moisture depletion as well,” Rippey says. “In those most driest areas, it is starting to have an impact on crops and pastures.”

Areas of severe or extreme drought stretches through four northwest Iowa counties and three counties in southeast Iowa. “We’ve seen these deficits that have built up in terms of rainfall and precipitation starting last year and then lasting through the winter where we had relatively little snowfall to replenish topsoil moisture,” Rippey says, “and now that it’s warmed up we’ve really seen these issues start to compound.”

The definition of “exceptional” drought that’s happening in northwest and southeast Iowa is something that is experienced once every 20 to 50 years according to Rippey. He is not expecting Iowa to have the kind of decades long drought that California has experienced, though.

(Iowa DNR News) – Governor Kim Reynolds recently proclaimed June as Invasive Species Awareness Month in Iowa. Invasive species, like emerald ash borer, Asian longhorned beetle, spongy moth and oriental bittersweet threaten Iowa’s ecosystem by competing with and destroying native trees and disrupting the natural complex habitat system. Iowa woodlands, wildlands and waterways draw hundreds of thousands of tourists and recreational users each year. Much of the spread of Invasive species comes from people simply enjoying nature. Uninvited guests can hitch a ride on outdoor gear, shoes and clothes, traveling hundreds of miles in a single day.

Take these easy steps to stop the spread of invasive species in your community:

• Verify that the plants you buy for your yard or garden are not invasive. Many non-native plants can become invasive. Find quick ID photos and common management techniques to control 19 invasive trees, shrubs and plants on the DNR webpage at iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Forest-Health/Invasive-Plants
• Look for spongy moth egg masses on all outdoor equipment when traveling from a spongy moth quarantined area.
• Clean your boots before and after you hike in a new area to avoid spreading seeds. This is a common way garlic mustard and other plants are spread.
• Do not buy or sell firewood from outside your county. Firewood can contain emerald ash borer, Sirex woodwasp, Asian longhorned beetle, oak wilt and many more pests. Plenty of firewood is available locally near state and county parks. Make sure to burn all of the firewood at the campsite and not leave it or transport to a new area.
• Work with your private lands district forester for plans to make your forests more resilient to invasive species. Find contact information and forest landowner assistance resources online at iowadnr.gov/Conservation/Forestry/Forestry-Landowner-Assistance.

Learn more about forest invasive species on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/invasives.

(Iowa DNR News) – Iowa residents can try fishing without buying a license on June 2, 3 and 4, as part of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) free fishing weekend. All other regulations remain in place. Free fishing weekend is a great time to share the fun of fishing with a kid, your family or a friend. Outdoor fun awaits at hundreds of Iowa lakes, thousands of miles of rivers or a neighborhood pond. Joe Larscheid, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Fisheries Bureau says “A summer of family fun is just a short drive and a fishing pole away. The water is waiting. Get your lines in the water and put your worries behind you.”

Find a list of stocked lakes and ponds that are easily accessible in parks and along trails on the Iowa DNR’s interactive Iowa Community Fisheries Atlas at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fish-Local. Fun, hands-on fishing events will be offered across Iowa to help families new to fishing get started. Check the general fishing calendar on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/fishing for a list of free fishing events.

Keep the fun going all summer long by buying a fishing license. It’s easy to buy a fishing license with the DNR Go Outdoors Iowa online licensing system at https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Licensing/CustomerLookup.aspx. You can download the public Go Outdoors IA mobile app for iPhone and Android devices to buy and store your fishing license, so you will always have access to your license no matter where you are. Yearly, seven-day, or 24-hour fishing licenses are available.

Enticing a fish to bite your hook is fun for all ages. Get tips for taking kids fishing and catching crappie and bluegills on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Ready-to-Fish.

(Radio Iowa) – Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, and Iowans who spend any time enjoying the outdoors need to be on-guard for ticks, as Lyme disease cases are on the rise in the state. Dr. Greg DeMuri, an infectious disease physician, says you can cut your chances of an infection by taking a few simple precautions anytime you’re heading into the woods for a hike. “Looks a little nerdy, but if you put a rubber band at the base of your pant legs to keep the ticks from crawling up, that’s number one,” DeMuri says. “Number two, doing tick checks after you’re done.” There are also a wide variety of tick repellents on the market which can be highly effective at keeping the pests away.

“Ticks are out with a vengeance. Some of the immature forms of the tick, the nymphs, are out and the ticks are reproducing right now,” DeMuri says. “Those forms of tick can highly transmit Lyme disease, they’re smaller and more difficult to see. So this is, unfortunately, a very high risk time for acquiring Lyme disease.” If you find and remove a tick from yourself or someone else, pay attention to its coloring before you dispose of it. A deer tick’s lower back is red in color, while a wood tick has a black lower back section.

“If you can identify whether it’s a deer tick versus a wood tick, it’s important to distinguish the two,” DeMuri says. “If you have a wood tick, there’s no risk of Lyme disease. If it’s a deer tick and it’s been attached for 72 hours or more, then you should contact your doctor. You might want to take a preventative antibiotic.” Scientists say our planet is gradually warming and DeMuri says climate change may be contributing to the number ticks in Iowa and across the region.

“When we don’t get those really, really deep freezes, that are below 20-below, the ticks can survive more,” he says, “but more importantly, their hosts can survive.” If you do get infected, Lyme disease can typically be cured with a course of antibiotics that runs two to four weeks, though some patients may have symptoms six months later. Those symptoms can include things like pain, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

(Iowa DNR News) – The calls have been coming in to Iowa DNR field offices and conservation officers for the past few weeks and deer fawning season. Officials say those called are expected to increase, as the first few weeks of June marks the peak of the deer fawning season. Callers report finding an “abandoned” fawn in an unusual place, like a flowerbed or small patch of cover. Rest assured this is normal deer behavior. Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research biologist with the Iowa DNR, says “The doe searches out an isolated location where she feels safe and on occasion those places are not what we may think of as ideal. She chose that location because it made sense to her. The worst thing someone can do is to ‘rescue’ the fawn. Mom is likely nearby and watching you. Leave it be or if you did handle the fawn, return it to where you found it and walk away.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will not be rehabbing or co-mingling fawns with other deer to avoid the potential of spreading chronic wasting disease – or other disease – to new areas. The spindly legged newborn fawn is designed with a few survival tools built in –its spots are cryptic camouflage that emulates the sunlight spots on the leaf litter on the forest floor and its lack of movement the first two weeks helps to reduce scent patterns. This combination is its best chance at survival until it is able to follow the doe. After the fawns are born, the doe will return to fairly normal behavior – sleeping, feeding – but returning to nurse and care for the fawn.

The fawning season also coincides with an increase in deer vehicle collisions. “There is a lot of movement this time of year that is part of the social structure of deer. The doe is on the move looking for the safe isolated place to have the fawns.  In addition last year’s fawns – teenagers now – are starting to venture out to find new space. These yearlings have to make their own decisions for the first time, encounter other adult deer and build new social structures,” Coffey said. “This movement behavior can occur during all times of the day. Once it settles out, the active time will return to dawn and dusk.”

Drivers are reminded to drive defensively, avoid distractions, and slow down and not to veer for deer. If they hit a deer, drivers can get a salvage tag by calling either the local conservation officer or local law enforcement. There is no fee for a salvage tag it does require that the entire deer is taken.

Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about all things outdoors. This week they discuss the beginning of summer season fun and reminders to go through your water safety checklist. They also discuss spring spawn fish kill, free fishing weekend, and more.

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(Iowa DNR News) – Thousands of Iowans will be camping and building campfires this Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages campers to buy firewood from where they will burn it instead of bringing it from home. Tivon Feeley, DNR forest health forester says “Moving unseasoned firewood around the state can threaten the health of our forests by spreading insects like emerald ash borer that live in firewood.”

The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a small, metallic-green, invasive wood-boring beetle native to east Asia that attacks and kills ash trees. It attacks trees of any size, age, or stage of health. The spread of EAB into uninfected areas has been primarily through people moving firewood from county to county or state to state. Feelet said “These pests don’t move far on their own, but they can travel hundreds of miles in a single day in contaminated firewood.” Plenty of firewood is available locally to your favorite state or county park. Ask a park ranger or campground host where to get firewood locally. Make sure to burn all firewood at the campsite and not leave it or transport to a new area.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship requires all firewood sold or acquired in Iowa to have the county and state of harvest location on the label of packages and the delivery ticket for bulk firewood. Learn more about emerald ash borer and why not to move firewood on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/eab.