(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to sign a bill into law at around 10-a.m. today (Tuesday), that establishes an IOWA Renewable Fuels Mandate. Legislators provided some exceptions for small gas stations and those that have older equipment. However, most Iowa gas stations with storage tanks and pumping systems that can handle higher blends of ethanol will have to offer E-15 from at least one pump by 2026.

New gas stations that open after January 1st of 2023 will have to sell E-15 from at least half of their dispensers. Governor Reynolds first proposed the concept last year and, after changes, it got bipartisan approval in the legislature this spring — with 123 legislators voting for it. Just 16 legislators voted against the bill. One critic said forcing a business to sell a product violates the principles of free enterprise. Backers designed the bill to boost sales of soybean based biodiesel as well.

Any diesel fuel pumps installed after January 1st of next year will have to be able to dispense diesel that contains 20 percent of a soybean-based additive. It’s called B-20. Federal records indicate there are about three-thousand gas stations in Iowa and about 300 stations sell E-15 according to the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. B-20 is sold at about 100 locations in the state.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Rec Department is struggling to find life guards to serve at Sunnyside Pool during the upcoming season. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen said during the Parks Board meeting Monday evening in the Rotary Shelter at the Schildberg Rec Area, the pool is nearly ready to go, as far as any potential leaks are concerned. Last year, he said, they had some major leaks to fix.

He says it probably won’t be until next Friday before they can begin filling the pool. Rasmussen said the kicker is, they still need lifeguards.

Bryant says they need four lifeguards, and if they only have two, there would be some changes in the how many people would be admitted.

The Parks and Rec Board previously approved an hourly rate of $11 for certified lifeguards, plus certification reimbursement and a $500 sign-on bonus if the guard stays the entire season. Rasmussen said there is a lot of competition for lifeguards in Iowa, with some pools staying closed because of a lack of staff, and/or, in the case of Harlan, water restrictions. Even Omaha is considering ways to deal with the lack of staff.

In other news, the Parks and Rec Summer Program guides have been delivered to the schools, with others set to be dropped-off elsewhere in the area. Rasmussen said it’s unclear at this time if slow-pitch softball will be offered at this point in time.

Summer Swim and tennis are currently underway. Something new that’s being offered this summer is the “Yard Olympics” on June 4th.

Bryant said the City of Atlantic’s Street Department will handle the mowing tasks around the Schildberg Rec Area campground. He said also, the fruit garden is in a Mollett Park (at the end of East 3rd Street Place), but with a few changes from the original plan.

Those trees are set up around the trail at Mollett Park.

(Radio Iowa) – The invasive insect that kills ash trees has been detected in all but eight Iowa counties. State officials have confirmed the emerald ash borer has been found in Dickinson and Humboldt Counties for the first time. Mike Kintner is the emerald ash borer coordinator for the Iowa Department of Agriculture. Kintner says emerald ash borer larvae was found just outside of Arnolds Park after getting a tip from a professional who works in the landscaping industry.  “Basically what he saw and a lot people see this time of year is the woodpecker activity on the tree,” he says. “…There was some woodpecker flocking and mobbing where the woodpeckers will come and feed on the emerald ash borer that’s underneath the bark.”

The destructive beetles were also found outside of Dakota City. In addition to woodpecker activity, Kintner says a thinning leaf canopy at the top of an ash tree is a clue because the insects attack the top third of the tree first and then progress downward. “Bark splitting is one thing, too,” Kintner says. “There’s vertical splits on some of the larger branches and even smaller branches if you look up into the tree. That’s caused by the larvae feeding on the bark and sometimes the bark will split.”

Kintner says if you have an ash tree on your property and you live within 15 miles of a confirmed emerald ash borer infestation, now is the time to consider whether you’ll start treating the tree. “Preventative insecticides do work and those can either applied as a homeowner if the tree is under a certain amount of size,” he says, “…or basically you can go with a certified applicator, a professional method, too.”

The pest was first discovered in the United States in 2002, in southeast Michigan. It was confirmed in Iowa eight years later. The eight Iowa counties where emerald ash borer infestations have not yet been identified are Emmet, Kossuth, Mitchell, Monona, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth and Woodbury.

Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about all things outdoors. This week they discuss the end of turkey season, fishing opportunities improving, winter burn on evergreens, and World Migratory Bird Day.

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(Radio Iowa) – If you see green cans of Busch Light for sale, it’s part of a fundraiser sponsored by John Deere and Anheuser-Busch for Farm Rescue. It’s an organization that plants and harvests crops for farmers who’ve had a major illness, injury or natural disaster. Matt Blaylock, a manager at Deere for fundraising events like this, says the limited edition beer cans feature a Deere tractor – the 8RX model with tracks instead of wheels. “It represents modern agriculture, agriculture in the Midwest, in the areas in which we are,” he says, “and also gives more to the general public, lets them see the technology and how modern agriculture is done.”

Deere has supported Farm Rescue since it was founded in 2005. Blaylock says the group has helped more than 850 farm families in need in the past 16 years. “When you’ve got planting to be done or harvesting to be done and in a lot of farm families there’s a main person and if they have an illness or something goes wrong you only have a small window to go ahead and get a crop in the ground,” Blaylock says.

Several retired Deere employees from the Quad Cities are now helping Farm Rescue plant crops for farmers in North Dakota and western Iowa. Deere and Anheuser-Busch will each donate one dollar for each case of Busch Light sold, up to a total of 200,000 dollars.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – A reminder: Cass County Master Gardeners will host their annual Spring Plant Sale Saturday morning, May 14th. Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson says you can expect to find a wide variety of perennials for gardeners looking to update their landscape this year.

Grow Another Row is a program focused on growing, harvesting and donating extra produce to local pantries and other Cass County organizations, to ensure all residents have access to fresh, tasty and local produce throughout the growing season.

The sale begins at 8-a.m. On Saturday, May 14th, and will be held in the front parking lot of the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. Interested gardeners are encouraged to arrive early for best plant selection, as the annual spring and fall sales occasionally sell out before 10-a.m..

For anyone interested in learning more about the Master Gardener program and becoming a Master Gardener, the next class will be open for registration from June 3-July 1, with classes beginning in August 2022; taught as a mix of online and hands-on learning.

For more information about Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132. You are also invited to follow Cass County Master Gardeners on their Facebook page.

• KJAN, Atlantic  .43″
• 7 miles NNE of Atlantic  .4″
• Massena  .32″
• Elk Horn  .3″
• Anita  .11″
• Audubon  .22″
• Oakland  .12″
• Neola  .1″
• Villisca  .3″
• Corning  .06″
• Red Oak  .33″
• Missouri Valley  .34″
• Manning  .52″
• Underwood  .11″
• Clarinda  .17″
• Carroll  .17″
• Shenandoah  .22″

SWIFT with the support from Atlantic based Duke Rentals made history this past Saturday when over 30 student anglers took to the waters on Littlefield Lake in Exira for their first competitive Bass junior and high school tournament. SWIFT will be the first kayak team in the state of Iowa and one of the largest in the country.

In just two short years the fishing team has experienced huge growth from 9 students anglers to now over 75 from across Southwest Iowa. With the growth it has presented challenges to find enough adult boat captains to allow the students to fish off boats during tournaments. This challenged the SWIFT organizers to find a way to allow more students to experience bass fishing from on the water. Kayak fishing is one of the hottest segments in the sport and it provided all the options for the more student’s angers to be involved. It was an individual sport; tournaments could be held on smaller bodies of waters, and it was more affordable to purchase than a bass boat. Plus, more and more online and in person kayak tournaments were being organized drawing more participation.

Ken Tolton, president of Duke Rentals and avid angler in his own right heard about the success of SWIFT and listened to the idea of starting a student kayak series. With his generosity and Cappel’s Ace Hardware negotiating a deal for Lifetime kayaks the first junior and high school team was formed in the state of Iowa. Student anglers have three options to be a part of the Duke Rentals Kayak series, they can use their own kayak, the kayak they purchased from SWIFT or use one of the SWIFT loaner kayaks.

At all Duke Rentals kayak tournaments anglers will use the Fishing Chaos app to score the tournament based on the longest five-bass limit. This app allows angles to photograph their fish on an approved measuring board, release the fish and then upload the photo for scoring.

30 anglers competed at Littlefield and reeled in 73 fish totaling 731.75 inches. Powerade High School division was won by Owen Hoover, 2nd place was Jake Oathoudt, 3rd place Colton Rudy, 4th Vicente Butcher and 5th Joaquin Wailes. Fairlife Junior division was won by Colin Rudy, second Gavin Dougherty, third Grady Roberts, fourth Bently Hughes and 5th was Garret Stetzel. The Duke Bank tournament was won by Jarrett Hansen, Jake Wailes was second, 3rd was Tegan Steinkuehler, 4th Brendan Wilke and 5th Kayden Dreyer. Big Fish Winner was Colin Rudy.

The SWIFT Duke Rentals Kayak Series will host four tournaments and cap off the series with the State Championships on July 17^th at Prairie Rose Lake. May 7^th was at Littlefield Lake, May 21^st at Morman Trail Lake, near Bridgewater, June 12^th Greenfield Lake.

For more information on please contact Southwest Iowa Fishing at swifishing@gmail.com or check out the website at www.swifishteam.com

(Radio Iowa) – One of the companies proposing to build a carbon pipeline through Iowa has announced it has raised more than a billion dollars for its project. According to a news release from Summit Carbon Solutions, the company has secured 300 million dollars from a private equity firm called T-P-G Rise Climate and that completes the fundraising for its pipeline. In a written statement, the executive chairman of the investment group said the global fight against climate change requires an all-of-the-above approach to decarbonization.

Summit plans to build a pipeline to ship carbon captured at Midwest ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota.