(Radio Iowa) – A group called the Nishnabotna Water Defenders will meet Sunday in Red Oak to review the recent settlement for last year’s fertilizer spill at Red Oak co-op that killed hundreds of thousands of fish. Last week, Iowa’s attorney general announced NEW Cooperative in Red Oak has agreed to pay a 50-thousand dollar penalty to settle the case, plus another 50-thousand dollars will go to environmental conservation efforts in Montgomery County.

Nishnabotna Water Defenders co-chair Terry Langen says that’s woefully inadequate given the spill’s impact on the river.”The DNR’s initial findings were close to a million fish that were killed, not to include frogs, mussels, snakes that they visibly saw dead and floating at that time,” he says, “but then continued to die.” Iowa officials say over 750-thousand fish died along a 50-mile stretch of river and Missouri officials say along 10 miles of the river in their state nearly every fish was killed.

March, 2024 fish kill on Nishnabotna River (Photo by Mike Peterson, Shenandoah)

The spill happened in March of last year when a valve on a fertilizer tank was inadvertently left open for two days. An estimated 265-thousand gallons of liquid nitrogen flowed through a drainage ditch into the East Nishnabotna River. Langen says it does not appear the settlement requires the 50-thousand dollars worth of conservation measures be focused on the river. “That is a payment to the Montgomery County Conservation Board to be used for projects including habitat and prairie restoration, controlled burn equipment purchases, habitat management, and native tree planting — so none of that is even outlined into the order to have to go to the Nishnabotna River at all,” Langen says.

“That’s up to the Montgomery County Conservation Board’s discretion on where those monies will be spent.” Nishnabotna Water Defenders Secretary Jodi Reese says the settlement lacks safeguards for the river’s future.  “No mention of monitoring, anything like that in the future which really concerns our group which was really formed to speak for the water and the people who use the water,” Reece says, “which is actually all of us.”

Shortly after the spill last year, NEW Cooperative officials announced they’d been working with the state officials to speed up a response to the spill, including building a series of dams and excavating a considerable amount of soil from the creek that goes into the river to prevent further contamination.

Cass County: Corn $3.74 Beans $9.33
Adair County: Corn $3.71 Beans $9.36
Adams County: Corn $3.71 Beans $9.32
Audubon County: Corn $3.73 Beans $9.35
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.77 Beans $9.33
Guthrie County: Corn $3.76 Beans $9.37
Montgomery County: Corn $3.76 Beans $9.35
Shelby County: Corn $3.77 Beans $9.33

Oats: $2.81 (same in all counties)

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

(Radio Iowa) – Trees weren’t the only thing knocked down by the derecho that blew through Iowa last week. Gary Knight sells sweet corn at stands in Cedar Rapids and Marion, and tells K-C-R-G T-V he knew some of his corn would have damage. “You know I’m almost afraid to go look at the corn the next morning to see what happened,” Knight says. Over 60 mile and hour winds ripped through the farm, knocking down ten percent of Knight’s sweet corn. “The most vulnerable corn is the corn that’s just ready or ripe, and it has the heavy weight on it. So when it blows down, it’s not going to come back up again,” he says. Some of the corn from those fallen stalks is salvageable, but Knight says he can’t harvest the corn with a machine because of the damage and will have to use the old-fashioned method of picking.

“Go out there by hand, walk through it, bend over, pick them and get them in the wagon. So it’s just a whole lot more work, and hard to find people who’ll go out and do that,” Knight says. The farm lost a total of five acres from the storm that’s now been classified as a derecho. “I’m going to call it ‘monsoon weekend,” Knight says.

That loss of product means some stands are closed for now. As they work to pick up the damage and the crops he said they do still plan to have sweet corn available through September.

(Radio Iowa) – A group of researchers drew strong reactions from a large crowd in Des Moines as they reviewed their report on water quality in the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers. Jerald Schnorr is a long time professor in the University of Iowa’s College of Engineering. He says data from 2000 U-S rivers indicates these two Iowa rivers are in the top one percent when it comes to nitrate levels.

“You might ask: Well, where’s all the nitrate coming from? It’s a good question,” Schnoor said and the crowd laughed. “Most of it is from agricultural land, roughly 80% and, of that, 40% is coming from fertilizers applied directly to the land; about 20% is coming from manure that’s applied onto the land.” Soybeans also produce nitrates that wind up in ag drainage tiles and that accounts for the remaining nitrate levels connected to agland runoff. About 18 percent of nitrates in the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers comes from rain and snow according to the report.

Elliot Anderson, a civil and environmental engineering professor at the University of Iowa, says each year about 50-thousand tons of nitrogen winds up in the Raccoon and Des Moines Rivers. “About 10 years ago or so, the state government decided to fund one of the most extensive, world-renowned nitrate monitoring networks that’s ever been in existence…Starting in the next year, we’re set to contract this network from about 80 sensors that we’ve had down to about 20,” he said and the crowd booed. “With this there’s a lot less that we can say about nitrate in the state.”

Last (Monday) night’s event was hosted by the Harkin Institute and by Polk County, which paid 16 researchers who published the 277-page assessment of central Iowa water quality. Adam Shriver of the Harkin Institute says the report is the best objective, factual information about Iowa’s water quality that is available to the public. “Even if those facts contain bad news or are uncomfortable for certain groups,” he said, to extended cheers from the crowd. When a moderator asked if nitrate problems had reached a point where regulations were needed, the crowd and the researchers on stage joined in shouting “yes.”

Matt Helmers, director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University, told Axios the main cause of the Des Moines metro’s nitrate problems this year has been persistent wet weather that increased leaching from farm fields into rivers.

(Des Moines, Iowa; Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Corn across the state is a couple of days ahead of schedule, with 53% of corn acres reaching the dough stage and 9% entering the dent stage according to the latest crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  Eighty-nine percent of soybean acres have bloomed across the state and 65% have set pods as of the July 28 through Aug. 3 reporting period.  Both crops continue to rate well, with 85% of corn and 80% of soybeans rated good to excellent.

USDA figures compiled by the National Corn Growers Association show an estimated 5% more corn in the ground this year than last, meaning the crop this year is on track to be the “largest on record.” USDA also projects a $4.20 per bushel farm price for corn in the 2025/2026 marketing year, which is down from this year and the previous year. Hay and pasture continue to rate well across the state, both rated more than 80% good to excellent for the reporting period.

Most farmers have wrapped up the second cutting of alfalfa hay and 39% of alfalfa hay acres across the state have had a third cutting. Oats are ready for harvest across the state, with 64% of acres already harvested.  Soil moisture conditions were similar to the week prior with 31% of topsoil and 27% of subsoil rated surplus for the reporting period.

Corn silking in central Iowa August 4, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

According to State Climatologist Justin Glisan, Iowa continued to see above-average precipitation, with parts of the state receiving between 1 and 3 inches above the normal. A derecho swept through parts of northern and eastern Iowa July 28, with wind speeds up to 99 miles per hour recorded. According to Glisan’s report, there were two “spin up” tornadoes in the same storm that damaged some crops in Lyon County.

Gov. Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista, Cerro Gordo, Clay, Dickinson, Lyon, Palo Alto and Worth counties to help with damages from the storm systems. Later in the week, temperatures dropped to 5-10 degrees below average, and smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted across the state causing hazy skies and degraded air quality.

The average precipitation for the week was 2.18 inches, which was more than double the normal, according to Glisan. The average temperature for the week was 71 degrees, just 1.5 degrees below normal.

Cass County: Corn $3.76 Beans $9.35
Adair County: Corn $3.73 Beans $9.38
Adams County: Corn $3.73 Beans $9.34
Audubon County: Corn $3.75 Beans $9.37
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.79 Beans $9.35
Guthrie County: Corn $3.78 Beans $9.39
Montgomery County: Corn $3.78 Beans $9.37
Shelby County: Corn $3.79 Beans $9.35

Oats: $2.85 (same in all counties)

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

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Organizers of Produce in the Park says they have another great lineup at the park in Atlantic, this week, including fire truck water fights, a foam party, face painting, and–scheduled in a hurry by popular demand–another sushi truck! The event is themed “Back to School, Back to COOL.” Please note: Chestnut Street will be closed between 6th and 7th Street during PiP for our Fire Truck Water Fights. The rest of Chestnut is open!

Atlantic Fire & Rescue will have water fights set-up at the Aug. 7th PiP

Produce in the Park takes place from 4:30-until 6:30-p.m., Thursday, August 7th, at the downtown Atlantic City Park. There is no cost to attend. Food Trucks this week include Liza’s Sushi & More, B&D’s Ice Cream, and Amos Fabulous Foods.

More than 25 vendors will have on-hand: Fresh Produce (tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and more); Farm-Fresh Eggs; Local Meats (lamb, chicken, pork, beef); Baked Goods & Desserts; Freeze-Dried Snacks; Local Honey; Arts & Crafts; Garden Decorations, and Compost.

Visiting community organizations and businesses with tables or booths at the event include: Zion, Healthy Cass County, Atlantic Public Library, Civil Air Patrol, Cass Health, T.S. Bank, and more.

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) offers more than 200 hunter education courses each year, and now is the time to enroll before hunting seasons arrive.

Hunter education is a mandatory program designed to introduce students to firearms safety and several other life-long skills that are important to the many different types of outdoor recreational activities.

A person who is 11 years old or older may enroll in a course, but those who are 11 and successfully complete the course will be issued a certificate which becomes valid on their 12th birthday.

Students may certify in several ways, such as the traditional classroom course or a hybrid online/field day course. Students 18 years of age and older may certify completely online with no field day requirement. For more information on course options, visit: https://www.iowadnr.gov/things-do/hunting-trapping/hunter-education-safety

“Our courses are taught by volunteer instructors who are also hunters, so very few classes take place after mid-November,” said Jamie Cook, program coordinator with the Iowa DNR. “Many new hunters, and parents of new hunters, tend to delay in finding a hunter education course until classes become unavailable. My advice is to check the website weekly.”

To find a course and begin the registration process visit https://license.gooutdoorsiowa.com/Event/EventsHome.aspx

Hunter education is required for anyone born after Jan. 1, 1972, in order to purchase a hunting license. Iowa recognizes hunter education certificates issued by another state and some foreign nations.

(Radio Iowa) – As the U-S Department of Agriculture consolidates operations away from Washington D-C and into five new “hubs” across the country, Iowa was named among the early favorites for one of those locations — but it’s not going to happen. Kansas City is the final choice for the region, according to a memo from U-S Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins to her staff. Missouri Agriculture Director Chris Chinn says relocating U-S-D-A offices can benefit the people the agency serves. “We think it will be a great opportunity for the state of Missouri,” says Chinn. The process is to take place over the next few years. Along with Kansas City, the hubs are to be located in: Indianapolis, Indiana; Salt Lake City, Utah; Fort Collins, Colorado; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

The agency moved two research agencies to Kansas City in 2019: the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Ag. Chinn says having U-S-D-A personnel close to land-grant institutions and ag research has been positive. “They have the opportunity to travel out to those schools if they want to, to observe that research, to have those meeting opportunities,” says Chinn, “but more importantly, they know what agriculture needs because Kansas City, while it is an urban area, you don’t have to drive very far and you’re out in the country where you can see tractors, combines, hogs, cattle, the list goes on and on.” Iowa State University is a land-grant university.

The Rollins memo noted how Kansas City has a lower cost of living compared to Washington D.C., and she noted the U-S-D-A will continue to maintain critical agency service centers in locations like St. Louis. Robert Bonnie, a former U-S-D-A Under Secretary of Farm Production and Conservation, says strong relationships between the agency and land-grant universities are important, but he’s not sold on the hub plan. “I don’t think you get USDA closer to its constituents and stakeholders by dividing it up,” Bonnie says. “I actually think it’s served exactly the opposite purpose.” Bonnie says relocating the agency makes it more difficult for farmers and others to get information from the agency.

The number of jobs that will come with the Kansas City move is unknown.