(An article by Cami Koons, with the Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has rescinded its previous decision to add seven segments to Iowa’s list of impaired waters due to their high nitrate concentrations. In November the agency decided the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ list of impaired waters only “partially” met the requirements of the Clean Water Act to identify waterways with identified pollutants in excess of water quality standards. The EPA review of the list identified seven additional segments with high levels of nitrate and nitrate plus nitrite. Despite pushback from the DNR, and comments that the EPA had a “patchwork approach” to regulating nitrate across the country, the federal agency finalized the decision in January.  According to reporting from the Des Moines Register on Tuesday, the EPA office informed the DNR in July it had rescinded its decision. A spokesperson for the DNR confirmed the action in an email with the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

The original decision highlighted segments of rivers connected to municipal drinking water sources, including segments in the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers which supply water to the Des Moines metro, the Cedar River upstream of Cedar Rapids, the Iowa River near Iowa City and the South Skunk River. EPA said in its November 2024 decision the nitrate concentrations in these segments exceeded safe drinking water standards. The DNR’s director, Kayla Lyon, pushed back against the decision saying the cities that source water from these rivers are all able to supply drinking water within the safe drinking water standards. Lyon also said the agency was “holding Iowa to a very high standard that it does not enforce elsewhere.”

A very full Raccoon River flows under a bridge at Walnut Woods State Park in West Des Moines, June 25, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Nitrate concentrations have been a topic of interest for many in central Iowa this summer. In June, Central Iowa Water Works issued its first ever lawn watering ban to account for high nitrate concentrations in source waters, the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers, and to continue to meet demand. The regional water authority kept nitrate concentrations in finished water below the EPA’s drinking water standards thanks to the ban, which was lifted Aug. 7, and to nitrate removal systems at several facilities. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Board president Jenny Turner said the EPA’s decision to rescind the segments from the list was “an affront to the health and well-being of Iowans.”

“Issuing this reversal on the heels of Central Iowa Water Works first ever lawn watering ban and consistently high nitrate levels in these very same water segments is tone deaf, appalling, and dangerous,” Turner said in a statement. The release of Polk County’s two-year water quality study has also brought the issue to the forefront for many Iowans. A widely attended presentation on the report has been viewed more than 2,000 times online, and at the event, researchers called for regulation on the agriculture industry for its links to nitrate pollution, which the study highlighted. Tarah Heinzen, the legal director with the environmental group Food & Water Watch said the “water crisis” in Iowa should be a “call to action.”

“Instead, Trump’s EPA is callously turning its back,” Heinzen said in a statement. “The data is clearer than ever that central Iowa is facing persistent, toxic nitrate contamination endangering thousands — and industrial agriculture is responsible.”

DES MOINES – Governor Kim Reynolds has designated today, August 13th, as “Solar Day in Iowa.” In honor of the occasion, solar industry leaders and advocates came together at the Iowa State Fair to celebrate all things solar at “Solar Day at the Iowa State Fair.”

“Iowa farmers have a long history of harvesting the sun to feed, fuel and power the world,” said Ray Gaesser, Chair of the Iowa Conservative Energy Forum. “Whether it’s powering farm facilities or leasing land for utility-scale projects, solar energy is a drought-proof resource that helps farmers hedge against fluctuating commodity markets.”

The Governor’s proclamation reads:

• Whereas, Iowa is a world leader for the production, development and technology of renewable energy. These industries create jobs in Iowa and grow the state’s economy.
• Whereas, Iowa ranks 16^th among U.S. states in technical potential for solar energy production, ahead of states such as Florida and Georgia, and has the potential to add enough solar to meet the state’s electric needs more than 150 times over.
• Whereas, Solar energy has become an important option for Iowa farmers, businesses and homeowners to manage their energy future.
• Whereas, Solar energy benefits both rural and urban Iowa, with solar installations in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. 
• Whereas, Iowa’s solar industry employs more than 1000 people and supports nearly 100 businesses involved in the supply chain. 
• Whereas, More than $1.1 billion has been invested in solar in Iowa, growing local economies.

“From rooftops to row crops, solar energy benefits Iowans in both urban and rural parts of the state,” said Todd Miller, Board President of the Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association and co-founder of 1 Source Solar. “The Iowa State Fair is the perfect backdrop to celebrate solar’s impact in Iowa, especially our rural and agriculture communities.”

(Radio Iowa) – The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has used a trip to Iowa to announce changes in federal regulations for vehicles that run on diesel.

For a couple of decades tractors, trucks and other diesel-powered vehicles have had systems that inject a fluid into the exhaust to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, but sensors immediately slow down and even stall the engine when that fluid runs out. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said it means diesel equipment shuts down unnecessarily, “which has led to so much in lost money for Iowa farmers and truckers and so much more.”

Under new EPA guidelines, diesel truck manufacturers are to change the technology by the 2027 model year so vehicles that run out of that emission-related fluid won’t have sudden power losses.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks during stop at Nevada, Iowa, business. (RI photo)

Zeldin is reluctant to talk about another fuel-related issue — the EPA’s proposed ethanol and biodiesel production levels for the next two years. “A lot of people were happy with the numbers we came out with and that was a strong, early sign, however understanding that every single decision that I make — whether I say yes or no — is going to result in a lawsuit from whoever’s on the opposite side I’m going to be very clear: I’m not prejudging the result of this rule making,” Zeldin said. “We’re going through the public comment period and we’re looking to make the right decision on the other end.”

The end of the October is when the EPA is tentatively scheduled to announce the final ethanol and biodiesel production rules for 2026 and 2027. Senator Joni Ernst, who hosted Zeldin on his trip to Iowa, said the EPA’s proposed 8% jump in biofuels obligations is an exciting prospect. “I’ve heard from so many of our farmers across Iowa, the biofuels producers,” Ernst said. “They are really glad that EPA and President Trump have been supportive.”

Ernst and Zeldin spoke with reporters after spending time at the State Fair, speaking at a forum in Ames for entrepreneurs and touring Mid-States Companies in Nevada. The head of the Small Business Administration was also on the trip.

(Radio Iowa) – An expert on insects says it’s been a great summer in Iowa for mosquitoes, and a lousy summer for people who are getting nipped by the flying pests. Entomologist Lyric Bartholomay says mosquitoes are thriving in Iowa and all across the Midwest due to heavy rains and hot weather, which may also bring a rise in insect-borne diseases like West Nile virus. “In a situation like this year where we’re experiencing record rainfall and record high temperatures, it becomes kind of a perfect storm for mosquitoes to have ample places to lay their eggs and for their immatures to develop,” Bartholomay says. “I think we’re heading into what could be a serious West Nile virus year with a lot of cases.”

Mosquito-USDA-photo

She says climate changes could be leading to a rise in cases of various diseases carried by mosquitoes, as seasonal changes are impacting mosquito activity. “Maybe folks have noticed, too, that the last date of frost is coming later and maybe the threat of frost in the spring is wearing away sooner,” Bartholomay says, “and so in many parts of the country, mosquito season is just lasting longer.” Bartholomay says there are a variety of ways to try and control mosquito populations, including eliminating anything with standing water in your yard which might become a mosquito hatchery. Plus, there are several effective chemicals.

“For immature stages, we have an arsenal of controls that includes all kinds of microbials, things like hormone mimics that disrupt how they grow, and then more traditional insecticides,” she says. “For adults, we have a few kinds of insecticides that can be used either from a backpack fogger or a truck or an airplane.”

She notes, a community’s capacity to use those tools depends on its investment in controlling the insects. Bartholomay is an entomology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest U-S-D-A crop report shows 57 percent of the corn crop is rated good and 29 percent is rated excellent. Sixty percent of the soybeans are rated in good condition and 21 percent are rated excellent. During an interview at the Iowa State Fair, Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig says most of the state’s crops survived the recent derecho and other storms. “This time of year of course it can be very damaging, to a corn crop in particular when winds come like that. By and large, aside from those relatively isolated severe weather incidents, we’ve had a pretty good year by comparison. Many, many more tornadoes last year,” he says.

Naig says they are still trying to determine the extent of the crop damage. “We don’t have a total amount just yet, but there will be damage, there is crop damage in some parts of the state,” Naig says. He says the storms are the biggest wild card in farming. “Weather is one of those things that is so impactful — in fact the most impactful on your operation, ” Naig says, “and it’s one of those things they can’t control. In fact, they’ve got no control over it.”

Naig says after five years of drought it is has been good to see timely rains this year for the growing season.

Cass County: Corn $3.71 Beans $9.29
Adair County: Corn $3.68 Beans $9.32
Adams County: Corn $3.68 Beans $9.28
Audubon County: Corn $3.70 Beans $9.31
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.74 Beans $9.29
Guthrie County: Corn $3.73 Beans $9.33
Montgomery County: Corn $3.73 Beans $9.31
Shelby County: Corn $3.74 Beans $9.29

Oats: $2.71 (same in all counties)

(Prices are per bushel; information is from the area Farm Service Agency [FSA] offices)

AMES, Iowa – Officials with Iowa’s cattle industry say the 43rd annual Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show continues to make an impact, raising $569,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. Including this year’s donations, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer has surpassed $6 million in donations since its inception in 1983. All money raised benefits the three independent Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. Those three houses have served over 55,000 families from all 50 states and many foreign countries. Families from all 99 counties in Iowa have benefited from the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.

Officials say the event, hosted this past weekend by the Office of the Governor of Iowa, the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and the Iowa Beef Industry Council, is another example of the care the beef cattle industry has for our state, rural communities, and those in need. The 43rd Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show was held on August 9th in the Livestock Pavilion at the Iowa State Fair. Winners in four categories were recognized in the show ring – Community Hero, Grand Champion Showman, People’s Choice, and Judge’s Grand Champion. This year’s event hosted 25 sponsored steers, shown by their youth exhibitor and a local celebrity.

The Community Hero Award – which recognizes the youth exhibitor who goes above and beyond collecting non-monetary donations and creating awareness for the event – was presented to Merritt Moss, of Hull. Merritt collected over three carloads of nonperishable items for the Ronald McDonald House Charities and had a phenomenal online presence to promote the Governor’s Charity Steer Show and Iowa’s cattle industry. Merritt was sponsored by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Siouxland.

The showmanship contest focused on the partnership between the celebrity presenter, the youth exhibitor, and the steer. The judges said it was not an easy decision, but in the end, Dr. Dan Grooms and Matt Elbert, along with “Trice,” the steer, took the title of Grand Champion Showman. A fan favorite, the People’s Choice Award went to Tucker Freimuth and Ralph Lents, the president of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. Their steer, “Burt Reynolds,” edged out the competition. Tucker, who is from Lytton, Iowa, and his team were sponsored by the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. Finally, the most prestigious award of the show, the Judge’s Grand Champion award went to Brenna Thie from Mediapolis, Iowa, and her steer, “Jimmy,” along with celebrity presenter, Jeff Angelo.

A live auction was conducted after the show to raise funds through the sale of each steer and additional value-added items donated by industry supporters and celebrities. Those funds were added to the donations received by each youth participant, resulting in a $569,000 going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Conservation Board will hold a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program this Saturday, in Atlantic. The program will be held at Sunnyside Park, Camblin’s Addition Shelter on August 16th, beginning at 9-a.m. Free will donations are welcome!

Cassie Wendl, Educator at S.O.A.R. (Saving Our Avian Resources), will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds, and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild. Please help the CCCB support raptors and education by attending the event this weekend.