DES MOINES – Drought conditions have improved across the state despite below-normal rainfall in April, according to the latest Water Summary Update.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resource’s says after a wetter-than normal March, April saw below-average precipitation across all regions of the state. However, recent spring rains have helped alleviate drought and abnormally dry conditions across Iowa. April’s average statewide precipitation was 3.33 inches, or 0.34 inches below normal.

The state also experienced warmer weather, with statewide temperatures averaging 50 degrees, or 1.4 degrees warmer than normal. At the end of April, Iowa’s Drought Plan dry conditions improved or remained the same in all drought regions except the southeast, which only degraded slightly. A drought watch issued in March for the northeast region has been removed as severe drought has significantly decreased. Conditions remain stable in the other drought regions, with the entire state carrying a normal drought designation.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM), just over half of Iowa continues to experience abnormally dry conditions or drought conditions. The May precipitation outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center indicates a chance of below-average precipitation across the northeast and eastern half of the state, and an equal chance for above, below, or near-average precipitation for the rest of the state. Reduced rainfall in May could raise concerns about deteriorating conditions.

Iowa DNR Environmental Specialist Jessica Reese McIntyre says “Drought and dry conditions improved across the state due to spring rain in March and April, but most notably in northeast, west, and central Iowa. The drought watch issued in March for northeast Iowa has been removed. The National Weather Service precipitation outlooks predict an equal chance for the entire state for above, below, or normal precipitation for much of the state through July.”

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Natural Resource Commission today (Thursday) approved the state’s purchase of a former Boy Scout camp that covers nearly 18-hundred acres in the Loess Hills of western Iowa. D-N-Rs Land and Water Bureau Chief Travis Baker, spoke before the vote.

The D-N-R is purchasing the property from the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation for five-point-one million dollars, three million less than the appraised value.

The D-N-R says the land acquisition will protect one of the largest contiguous regions of forest in western Iowa and result in more than 100 miles of connected public hiking trails. The former Little Sioux Scout Ranch is at the heart of the property with a 20-acre lake. Four Boy Scouts died when a tornado hit the camp in 2003. A memorial to those scouts will remain.

Baker says the D-N-R will close on the property this summer and it will be open to the public this fall. The purchase is funded by a four-point-six-five million dollars U-S-D-A Forest Legacy Grant and 500-thousand from the REAP Open Spaces funding.

(Radio Iowa) – The state budget lawmakers are developing includes five MILLION dollars for construction of an Agricultural Education Center on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. State Fair C-E-O Jeremy Parsons says it will be a key component of what will be called the “My Iowa Ag Learning Campus.”

The plan calls for the center to be built near the Animal Learning Center where fairgoers can see live farm animals, watch the births of baby pigs and chicks, and learn about the different parts of a farmstead. The new building will focus on crop development, Iowa soils, farm equipment and jobs in agriculture.

Parsons says there are other concepts like this at other state fairs.

Parsons says the total construction cost for the new building is projected to be 15 MILLION dollars. In January, Governor Reynolds recommended that the state provide five MILLION dollars over the next two years for the project. Bills that have cleared initial review in the House and Senate would provide similar withdrawals from the state fund where gambling taxes are deposited.

(Radio Iowa) – The U-S Agriculture Secretary says she’s open to federal action in response to a California state law that would restrict the way farmers in Iowa raise pigs. Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, asked about the issue in a House budget hearing. Supporters say California’s Proposition 12 improves animal welfare, but Hinson and many in the pork industry say it imposes a financial burden on producers.

The California law requires certain cuts of pork sold in the state to come from breeding pigs with at least 24 square feet of space. U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins said state laws that have a significant impact outside their borders are not sustainable.

Hinson has introduced legislation in the past to prevent states from enacting stricter regulations on animal agriculture than federal law requires.

(Radio Iowa) – A 36-year-old man is charged with causing a diesel fuel spill near Dallas Center, at a site owned by his former employer. Aaron Wayne Peek of Des Moines is charged with theft, criminal mischief and trespassing. The Dallas County Sheriff says video footage from cameras at the site showed Peek, a former employee of the farm company, tampered with an above ground tank early Saturday morning, releasing four-thousand gallons of diesel fuel.

About 10-thousand dollars worth of diesel was spilled and it reached a creek near Waukee.

State officials estimate the environmental cleanup will cost over 100-thousand dollars.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Reynolds has signed a bill into law to make it a crime for unauthorized drones to be flown over anything on an Iowa farmstead that covers at least 40 acres. A 2024 has already prohibited drones from flying over animal feeding operations and homesteads. The new law will forbid secret surveillance of farm equipment, crops and any farm animal as well as barns, sheds and other structures on the farm. Representative Derek Wulf, a farmer from Hudson, says it’s an important expansion of last year’s law.

Senator Dan Zumbach (ZUM-bah), a farmer from Ryan, says drones scare livestock.*

It will be a simple misdemeanor to fly a drone over a farmstead — and a serious misdemeanor if the drone can capture audio or video. The law will not apply to farm property that is within city limits.

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Other bills signed-into law Tuesday by Governor Reynolds include:

Washington, D.C., May 6, 2025 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) will require States to make certain all records associated with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and allotments are shared with the federal government. The announcement was made today (Tuesday), but U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said “President Trump is rightfully requiring the federal government to have access to all programs it funds, and SNAP is no exception. “

Rollins said “For years, this program has been on autopilot, with no USDA insight into real-time data. The Department is focused on appropriate and lawful participation in SNAP, and today’s request is one of many steps to ensure SNAP is preserved for only those eligible.”

On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14243, Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos, requiring agency heads to “take all necessary steps, to the maximum extent consistent with law, to ensure the federal government has unfettered access to comprehensive data from all State programs that receive federal funding, including, as appropriate, data generated by those programs but maintained in third-party databases.”

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is federally funded, administered by States, and includes relationships with processors and retailers, among others, all of which are information siloes. Today’s guidance prioritizes program integrity and will allow FNS, for the first time, transparency into the data long only held by States and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) processors.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with the Connections Area Agency on Aging report Farmers Market vouchers are available for seniors meeting income requirements. Vouchers can be used at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $50.00 worth of fresh, locally grown fruit, vegetables, herbs and honey. The Vouchers are valid June 1st through October 31st. Connections says they regret that not being able to distribute vouchers at the same level as in previous years. The USDA provided Connections with 1900 sets of vouchers in 2024. This year the Agency received 750 sets of vouchers for its 20-county service area.

Applications will automatically be mailed to anyone that received vouchers in 2024. Individuals will be randomly selected to receive Farmers Market vouchers. Only one set of vouchers per household.

2025 Farmers Market Process:

• Applications will automatically be sent to last year’s voucher recipients
• Applicants must complete an application and meet eligibility criteria to receive vouchers.
• ONE set of vouchers per household is allowed.
• Voucher distribution is limited. Completed applications must be returned no later than May 30th.

Farmers Market distribution will be done by mail ONLY.

Connections encourages citizens to voice their support for the program by contacting your US members of Congress and share why the program is important to you:

Joni Ernst DC Office (202) 224-3524 Zach Nunn DC Office (202) 225-5476

Chuck Grassley DC Office (202)224-3744 Randy Feenstra DC Office (202) 225-4426

(Radio Iowa) – The Dubuque City Council passed an ordinance Monday against feeding or harassing bears. During discussion of the ordinance, the D-N-R’s Ross Ellingson said the idea is take away the things that lure the bear in.

Ellingson said bears are becoming more prevalent in Iowa due to the large populations of black bears in neighboring states.

Brian Preston. (photo from Dubuque Council meeting video)

Dubuque County Conservation executive director, Brian Preston, said there is one bear that now lives near the city.

Preston said they are trying to emphasize that feeding the bears is not a good thing.

People who feed the bears could face a fine of up to 750 dollars. The ordinance could also require a resident to take down a bird feeder to deter bears. Residents are advised to stay away from bears and not follow them to try and get a picture or video. Harassing bears to get them to go away is not allowed under the ordinance, as the expert said that could lead to more unwanted interaction with the bears.