(Radio Iowa) – While a large portion of Iowa may see thunderstorms or blizzard conditions today (Wednesday), farmers across the state are still preparing for the planting season ahead, as tomorrow’s the first day of spring. Angie Rieck-Hinz, a field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says farmers will need to take a close look at their soil before starting to work. “There was a lot of fall tillage done. We may not need to come in and do any spring tillage this year, but in some cases, we may need to come out and make a finishing pass,” Rieck-Hinz says. “We need to think about what those soil conditions are at the time we do that. We don’t want it too wet. We just ball everything up, and then we have big clumps out in the field, and then our planter does not work efficiently.”

The amount of rain and snow we receive will also play a big role in how quickly farmers can get into the fields. “When we come back to plant, we also want good conditions, right?” Rieck-Hinz says. “We don’t want excessively wet, that maybe we’re compacting those side walls when we run that planter through, that we have germination issues. We have rooting depth issues over the course of the season.” Rieck-Hinz recommends farmers use their favorite search engine to type in “digital ag planters at Iowa State” if they could use a few more tips. “You will come up with a web page that will give you a bunch of videos for planter resources,” she says. “There’s a little picture of a planter and you can click on that. It will take you to a whole bunch of videos on planter metrics for crop scouting, using blocks to check your planter depth settings, and then studying planter downforce, so all the things we can do in advance of planting that we can actually do right in our shop.”

Rieck-Hinz covers several counties in north-central Iowa, including Wright, Franklin, Hardin and Cerro Gordo.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report Bob Harris is the recipient of the 2024 Brass Bluegill award from the Iowa DNR’s Fish Iowa! program. Harris started a nonprofit organization in 2020 to promote fishing for Junior and Senior High School students. The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team aims to promote, advance, and sponsor amateur youth fishing for boys and girls in Southwest Iowa and surrounding communities.   Their primary initiative is to instill the ideals of good sportsmanship, education, conservation, and fish care through instruction, seminars, and training during all outdoor youth activities.

This endeavor has been a great success. Dozens of Junior and Senior High school aged boys and girls from all over Iowa have joined this team and competed in youth bass fishing tournaments locally and nationally. Harris also provides students with educational opportunities. Using fishing as a springboard, he and his team gain a better understanding of fish biology, habitat, and water management. He works with local agencies, organizations and businesses to access equipment, local resources, and funds for supplies.

The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team is committed to giving back to the natural resources in Iowa. Harris and his team successfully completed a fund-raising campaign to purchase materials the team used to build fish habitat at more than a dozen Southwest Iowa public fishing lakes.

Pictured from the left is DNR director Kayla Lyon, 2025 Brass Bluegill Award recipient Bob Harris, chair of the Natural Resource Commission, Marcus Branstad, and DNR fisheries biologist Andy Jansen. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.

Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau staff have been assisting Harris and his team to help make these efforts educational and engage students to learn and expand their knowledge about aquatic fish life in the area lakes and ponds. He has built strong support for fishing, and outdoor education overall, in the area schools and community.

The award, along with a set of fishing poles to use with their Fish Iowa! programs, was presented at the Natural Resources Commission Meeting on March 13. The Brass Bluegill award has been presented each year since 1996 to Fish Iowa! educators with outstanding local programs that exemplify the goals of the Fish Iowa! Angler Education program.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Produce in the Park in Atlantic is now accepting vendor applications for summer markets and seeking sponsorships for the 2025-2026 market season. Vendor applications and sponsorship information can be found online at www.ProduceintheParkAtlanticiowa.com. Printed copies are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St. Atlantic, IA 50022). Produce in the Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote local food and build community.

Produce in the Park’s summer farmers markets are held weekly on Thursday evenings (4:30-6:30 PM) in the Atlantic City Park from June 5th through September 25th, 2025 Produce in the Park also holds holiday farmers markets just before Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter.

Produce in the Park seeks vendors who sell handmade or homegrown foods and crafts. The 2025 summer market full-season vendor fee is $100. Vendors who register by May 1 will receive a $20 discount, and food vendors who participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program receive an additional $10 discount. Vendors can also join four summer markets for $50 or a single summer market for $25. Produce in the Park seeks sponsors who support community and wellbeing. Sponsorships offer various levels of recognition, including mention in radio ads, booth space at markets, and the organization’s logo on tote bags. 2025-2026 season sponsorships range from $250 to $2,000.

Committed sponsors for the 2025-2026 season include the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Rush CPA, and the United Church of Christ of Atlantic. In addition to vendors and sponsors, Produce in the Park is always looking for volunteers interested in serving as Guest Chef or leading activities for kids. Produce in the Park is also scheduling live entertainment for summer markets now.

The next Produce in the Park farmers market will take place Saturday, April 19th from Noon-until 3-p.m., at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA,  in Atlantic. The Spring Celebration Market will offer produce, meats, farm-fresh eggs, baked goods, desserts, crafts, and more. Customers can expect to find goodies for Easter baskets and food for Easter dinner. There is no cost to enter the market, and the YMCA will offer free bounce houses for kids. Pim’s Thai Food Truck and Lucky Wife Wine Slushies will be parked outside the YMCA for the duration of the market.

The Spring Celebration Market is sponsored by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust and Nishna Valley Family YMCA.

(Radio Iowa) – A guide to transportation regulations for farmers is now available from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The D-O-T’s Melisa Gillett helped create the farm guide. “There are many regulations that apply to agriculture operations, and it can be challenging sometimes for farmers to really understand those regulations that apply to them, or the exceptions that may apply at the federal and state level,” Gillett says. She says this should be a one-stop place to answer some of the questions.

“What we did was try to consolidate all of that into this specific guide for farmers. And I would say, this is something we worked on when I was in the Motor Vehicle Division, and kind of inspired by my dad, who’s a farmer in western Iowa, and his friends that he meets with at the at the coffee shop at the local gas station, you know, and they have these conversations. And so he helped to kind of test this,” she says. They gave the farm guide a test drive at last year’s Iowa State Fair. “We were visiting with farmers and talking with them about what information is helpful, and so it’s gone through some iterations and some revisions since then to gather that input directly from them,” Gillet says.

The DOT has released a farm guide to transportation regulations. (DOT photo)

Gillett says you can find the guide online or get a printed copy. “You know, I think about the farmers, they like the physical copies to have available to reference them,” she says. We also have it available on our website as well, but distributing them at our driver’s license locations. We’re working with Iowa State Patrol and the commercial motor vehicle unit as well to help help them distribute as well.” Gillett presented the finished guide at the Transportation Commission meeting Tuesday.

(Statewide) – Abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions, high winds and dry vegetation that can quickly burst into flames have resulted in 15 counties in Iowa having instituted a Burn Ban. As of March 14th, the following southwest Iowa counties are included in the ban on open burning:

• Adair
• Adams
• Audubon
• Guthrie
• Mills
• Montgomery
• Page

Two counties in southern Iowa and six in eastern/southeast Iowa have Burn Bans in-place. The Code of Iowa states “The State Fire Marshal, during periods of extremely dry conditions or under other conditions when the state fire marshal finds open burning constitutes a danger to life or property, may prohibit open burning in an area of the state at the request of the chief of a local fire department, a city council or a board of supervisors and when an investigation supports the need for the prohibition.”

A burn ban does not prohibit the following:  supervised, controlled burn for which a permit has been issued by the fire chief of the fire district where the burn will take place, the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, properly supervised landfills, or the burning of trash in incinerators or trash burners made of metal, concrete, masonry, or heavy one-inch wire mesh, with no openings greater than one square inch.

For specific questions about open burning in your community, please contact your local Fire Department or Emergency Management office.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Soybean Association held its annual farmer roundtable in Sioux City Thursday.  Association president Brent Swart of Spencer says tariffs are the key topic of discussion.

He says they learned from the last time the tariffs were put on China in 2018.

He says trade wars with Canada and Mexico are also a concern, as is the impact of bird flu.

Swart says they also have concerns about getting a new farm bill passed in Congress.