The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested. “We want people to come out to these meetings, listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau. “Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

Comments received during previous listening sessions have resulted in regulation changes, including modifying and removing areas closed to Canada goose hunting, establishing later goose season dates and increased bag limit, expanding the raccoon hunting and trapping season on private land, modifying Iowa’s antlerless deer quotas in north central and western Iowa, and extending the regular trapping season through the end of February.

(Area) Meeting date, time and locations:

• Creston, March 3, 6 p.m., Performing Arts Building multi-purpose room (124), 1201 West Townline Street
• Council Bluffs, March 5, 5:30 p.m., Bass Pro Shops, 2901 Bass Pro Drive

Any person attending the public meeting that has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.

(Radio Iowa) – Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh is proposing a bill to let Summit Carbon redraw its proposed pipeline route to avoid land owned by people who will not sign voluntary easements. He’s introducing another bill that would tax the liquid carbon flowing through the pipeline, too. “I’d like to get this done as soon as possible. We have a lot of other important work to do this year and this is very important…and that’s why we’re introducing it early on in the session,” Klimesh said. “I don’t want this to be an issue that lingers. I want us to come to consensus with the House, find a path forward, open up access to different markets for Iowa farmers who are desperately looking for relief right now and put this behind us in a meaningful way that benefits all landowners.”

Klimesh predicts corn prices could go up by as much as a dollar per bushel if the pipeline is built and the carbon is used to extract oil in Wyoming. “230 miles of pipeline was built through Kansas and Colorado to bring jet fuel to the Denver International Airport and that whole pipeline project was built without using eminent domain once,” Klimesh said, “and that’s because those states have policies similar to the one I’m proposing in Iowa.” Key House Republicans have criticized the idea, saying it would still let Summit Carbon use eminent domain authority to seize some land along the pipeline route. House Republicans have introduce legislation that would block Summit Carbon from using eminent domain.

The tax Klimesh proposes would be a fee for each metric ton of carbon that flows through a pipeline in Iowa. “States that have natural resources, underground resources, place a severance tax on that and typically it’s by the barrell,” Klimesh said, “so Wyoming for example places a severance tax on every barrel of oil they draw from the ground and that severance tax has allowed those states to go to zero income tax.” Klimesh says that’s the goal of his proposal, too.

Cass County: Corn $3.97 Beans $10.09
Adair County: Corn $3.94 Beans $10.12
Adams County: Corn $3.94 Beans $10.08
Audubon County: Corn $3.96 Beans $10.11
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.00 Beans $10.09
Guthrie County: Corn $3.99 Beans $10.13
Montgomery County: Corn $3.99 Beans $10.11
Shelby County: Corn $4.00 Beans $10.09

Oats: $2.56 (same in all counties)

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

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw says the state’s biodiesel producers are facing dire circumstances. He says many biodiesel plants idled in 2025 and haven’t restarted. “I’m told that a typical plant, just because of ongoing overhead costs, spends about $800,000 per month even when you’re not running and not buying feedstocks. They are going to run out of cash,” Shaw said. “I think we have some plants that are on the brink and it’s breaking my heart.” The biodiesel industry is waiting for guidance on federal tax credits for low-carbon fuels that could be worth up to one dollar per gallon. It’s called the Section 45-Z Clean Fuel Production Credit.

“These folks have credits, probably a million or two million dollars’ worth of credits, that they could claim if we could get final 45Z rules,” Shaw said. Shaw also cites the delay in the Environmental Protection Agency’s release of mandated biofuel blending levels for 2026. “They were supposed to be out in October and they aren’t out yet,” Shaw said. “We were told they might be out by the end of February. That might be in the nick of time because once those levels are set, then people kind of know what the market is going to be and you can start having transactions.”

A national trade association for producers of biodiesel and sustainable aviation fuels is also urging the E-P-A to act. The Clean Fuels Alliance says the delay in releasing the 2026 Renewable Fuels Standard obligations has created intolerable uncertainty for biodiesel producers and soybean processors who are negotiating contracts and making investment decisions for 2026. The group also warns it’s impacting how many acres farmers may plant with soybeans this spring.

THERE ARE NO POSTED COUNTY PRICES TODAY DUE TO THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY (Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R says surveys show ospreys, and peregrine falcons are doing well. The birds were almost wiped out in North America in the Mid-20th Century from pesticide use. D-N-R wildlife research specialist Riggs Wilson says the migratory raptors were re-introduced to the state starting in the late 1980’s and 90’s. “That allowed us to get these populations established in the state as nesting populations. And then now that they’re fairly established, they’re kind of doing their own thing and doing well,” he says. The D-N-R has been monitoring osprey nests during the spring and summer with the help of volunteers who collect and share data.

“That continued monitoring allows us to know where they’re nesting in the state, and if there’s any big fluctuations in their nesting,” Wilson says. Osprey nests are largely concentrated in the Des Moines metro, Spirit Lake area and corridor between Waterloo and Iowa City.  “The big takeaways with Ospreys are that their population is doing well. We actually saw a record number of osprey nests monitored in 2025, which is really exciting,” Wilson says.

There were nearly 60 osprey fledglings reported in surveys, while the number of young peregrine falcons held steady. Most of the peregrine falcon nests are near the Mississippi River.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has released a number of detailed plans this week that she’s asking legislators to pass — but she does not plan to present her own bill to resolve the stalemate over property rights and the proposed carbon pipeline.  “I didn’t introduce anything because I knew both chambers were working on something,” Reynolds said. A House bill already eligible for debate as soon as next week would completely ban the use of eminent domain for the project. The Senate’s Republican leader has proposed giving Summit Carbon Solutions some leeway to redraw the pipeline route to avoid land owned by people who will not sign voluntary easements.

Reynolds says she and the G-O-P leaders in the House and Senate are discussing what’s next.”We all three are talking to see what that looks like. That’s the first step in trying to find resolution,” Reynolds said. “…It’s early, so I’m going to do what I always do. I’m not going to interject, except we’re keeping everybody in the loop as we move forward so there’s no surprises.” The Republican-led House has passed a handful of bills over the past five years to establish new regulations and restrictions on the pipeline project. Last spring was the first time one of those bills passed the Senate and was sent to the governor.

Last June, Reynolds said that bill would have impacted public utility projects, too, and she voted it.

Cass County: Corn $3.99 Beans $10.01
Adair County: Corn $3.96 Beans $10.04
Adams County: Corn $3.96 Beans $10.00
Audubon County: Corn $3.98 Beans $10.03
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.02 Beans $10.01
Guthrie County: Corn $4.01 Beans $10.05
Montgomery County: Corn $4.01 Beans $10.03
Shelby County: Corn $4.02 Beans $10.01

Oats: $2.50 (same in all counties)

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

(Radio Iowa) – Some Iowa business owners were in Washington, D-C this week to tell senators about the difficulties facing the agricultural economy. Jay Funke is the sales manager at Del Clay Farm Equipment in Edgewood in northeast Iowa. Funke said low commodity prices are affecting sales in the region.