From County extension to conservation to grain prices, we provide lots of information every day on KJAN. Here is some of that information on the web too! We hope you find it useful.
From County extension to conservation to grain prices, we provide lots of information every day on KJAN. Here is some of that information on the web too! We hope you find it useful.
Due to recent rain and snow events, the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has reduced the grassland and field fire danger rating to “Low.” The risk factor had been in the “Moderate” category over the past week. Officials say the latest rating will be in effect until at least Monday, May 6th.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials are encouraging the public to comment on proposed changes to several hunting and trapping seasons. The state Department of Natural Resources says the changes would affect furbearer season, resident deer hunting, waterfowl and pigeon seasons, as well as the wildlife refuge list. The changes range from adding more counties to the list of open areas for bobcats and reducing the quota of paid antlerless deer licenses. There are adjustments to waterfowl season dates, and proposed additions to the list of counties that are waterfowl refuges.
Officials also want to make pigeon season year round to give dove hunters more options. Public comments will be accepted until a public hearing on May 23 in Des Moines.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More drenching rain and heavy snow are pulling most of Iowa out of drought conditions. In a report released Thursday, the state Department of Natural Resources says storms in mid-April largely ended the drought in the eastern half of Iowa. Rain also lessened drought conditions in western Iowa.
Although heavy rain and snow moving through the state Thursday and Friday don’t show up on this report, the DNR noted that conditions would clearly improve due to the precipitation. The report also shows shallow groundwater levels improved in the last two weeks in northwest, southwest and north central Iowa. Stream flows in most rivers were normal, though some in eastern Iowa were above normal.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The wet snow that covered parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa likely didn’t hurt many newly planted flowers and vegetables. The spring storm dumped more than 6 inches of snow over Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Harrison County, Iowa.
Connie Hornbeck at CJ Futures Lawn & Garden Center in Missouri Valley, Iowa, says snow provides a protective cover from low temperatures and wind that pose bigger threats. Hornbeck says “those dry, 20-degree weather things are the things that really hurt” plants.
The moisture-laden snow will benefit most of plants. But she says the weight of it could have broken some stems and doomed the young plants.
A report by Iowa State University economics professor, Bruce Babcock, finds government incentives to help farmers pay for crop insurance push them toward the more expensive insurance and increase the costs to taxpayers. Babcock studied the crop insurance payouts for corn and soybeans related to the 2012 drought. “The premium subsidies incentivize farmers to buy Cadillac coverage,” Babcock says. “The Cadillac coverage increases the indemnities paid out. Taxpayers are paying three-quarters of those indemnities, so the subsidies have a direct impact on taxpayer costs because taxpayers are paying for part of that premium — but they inflate the overall indemnities and taxpayers pay the lion share of those in high-loss years.”
Babcock found the payouts for the top insurance coverage, known as revenue protection, were over 12-BILLION dollars in 2012. “What I wanted to know was, well what if the subsidies hadn’t created such and incentive to drive farmers to the Cadillac insurance product and instead they got a bare bones..or a regular revenue insurance protection. Or what if they just bought regular yield insurance?,” Babcock asked. He says the answer to the question was the cost of the insurance was much lower. “And it turns out that if farmers had replaced revenue protection with a product called ‘Revenue Protection H-P-E’ –which is pure revenue insurance — the amount of loss would have been decreased from more than 12-BILLION dollars to about six-BILLION dollars. That is, the subsidies had basically increased the indemnities paid to farmers, it more than doubled them,” according the Babcock.
Babcock says he is not being critical of the crop insurance program itself as a security net for farmers. “I’m a critic of the subsidies, and those two are two separate items,” Babcock says. “And I just think that you could cut the subsidies a tremendous amount — or restructure them — save tens of BILLIONs of dollars over 10 years and still provide a high-quality assurance safety net. If that’s what Congress wants, you could do it at a far lower cost.” He says if farmers want the protection of the higher end insurance program, then they should have to pay for it and not have the taxpayers picking up 75-percent of the bill. Babcock talked about his findings with reporters in a conference called set up by the Environmental Working Group.
(Radio Iowa)
Des Moines, Iowa, May 1, 2013 — John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated today that the Iowa FSA will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14.
“It continues to be our goal to ensure that we use CRP to address our most critical resource issues” said Whitaker. “Over the last couple of years, our state has experienced both the worst flooding and the worst drought in 60 years. CRP protected environmentally sensitive lands from washing or blowing away. This program, also gave livestock producers extra grazing land when they needed it.”
In addition to erosion control, CRP provides significant water quality benefits including reduced nutrients and sediment loadings and adverse consequences associated with floods as well as expanded and enhanced wildlife habitat.
Currently, about 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide, 1.5 million acres in Iowa. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. On September 30, 2013, contracts on an estimated 3.3 million acres of CRP nationwide are set to expire; 183,399 acres will expire in Iowa. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.
Producers whose offers are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance for planting covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract. Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP’s other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis. Continuous sign-ups often provide additional financial incentives. Those sign-up dates will be announced later. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says after a more than two-year long investigation, two Pennsylvania residents who were part-owners of “Whitetail Fantasies,” a hunting guide business, have pleaded guilty to illegal deer hunting charges in Taylor County. Pursuant to a plea agreement, 48-year old David E. Ricker, of Harrisburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to one count of illegal taking of an antlered whitetail deer and one count of fraudulently obtaining a resident deer license. And, pursuant to an earlier plea agreement, 47-year old Jeffrey A. Mealey, of Dillsburg, Pa., pleaded guilty to an illegal possession of an antlered whitetail deer.
Through a jury trial, Ollie Odle Jr., of Bedford, was found guilty of two charges of aiding and abetting of illegal taking of antlered whitetail deer, based upon providing deer licenses/tags to out of state hunters. The defendants were ordered to forfeit the antlers and pay more than $22,600 in fines and liquidated damages. They are suspended from hunting or obtaining any licenses for one year.
The state of Iowa is a member of the Wildlife Violator Compact, which is an agreement between participating states that prohibits a person whose hunting or fishing privileges are suspended in one state from participating in those activities in 38 other states, including their home state of Pennsylvania.
Conservation Officer Andrea Bevington has been actively investigating cases of non-residents fraudulently obtaining resident licenses and illegally hunting game in Adams and Taylor counties. Changes in the residency laws were implemented in 2009 to identify a growing problem in Iowa of non-residents falsifying records to illegally obtain resident licenses.
Bevington said “The state of Iowa is known for their trophy whitetail deer. This natural resource attracts people from all over the United States and other countries. Unfortunately these trophies sometimes draw individuals here who exploit the resource and break Iowa laws.”
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