Officials with the Shelby County Emergency Services Association — which is comprised of all Fire, Ambulance, Emergency Management and Law Enforcement services in Shelby County — want to make sure residents are aware of the upcoming Spring Field Fire Season. The Emergency Management Agency says Shelby County sees an increase in fire activity every year in the spring and fall when residents start igniting burn piles, or prescribed fires on CRP land to meet land management objectives. Often time’s fires are ignited on days when weather conditions are less than favorable. When these burns are started they can cause escape fires which put lives, environment, and property in danger.

The Shelby County Emergency Services Association, in coordination with local Fire Chiefs are asking residents to call the Shelby County Emergency Management Office at 712-755-2124 to report your controlled burning projects. When you call in you will simply be asked the size of your project, a number you can be reached at, start and stop times of the planned burn. The Shelby County Emergency Management Office will also ask that you provide the local fire chief with notification.

The “Fire Danger” rating board located in all various communities within the county, will be updated twice a week. Most of the placards are located at community fire stations.  If you are unsure where the Fire Danger Rating sign is located contact one of the members of your local fire department, they will be happy to let you know where it is. An electronic copy of the Fire Danger Rating Board is available for you to view at www.shelbycountyema.com. The purpose of the system is to visually let the public know when the conditions are safest to carry out your burning projects. The system is not a permitting process or authorization to burn, it just lets you know if conditions are favorable.

Shelby Counties cooperative system will allow the authorities to dispatch Emergency Resources immediately on report of smoke when the fire danger is determined to be HIGH or EXTREME. On HIGH days fire resources will be dispatched and make a decision on whether it is safe to continue the burning. If the Fire Chief or his designee think conditions are not safe they may extinguish the fire. On EXTREME days all fires will be extinguished unless a permit or waiver has been signed by the Chief of the local fire department.

AMES, Iowa (AP) – After seeing thousands of people attend a bacon festival in Des Moines, an Iowa State University student wants Ames to get a slice of the action.  The Des Moines Register reports that ISU junior Jake Swanson is planning a BaconFest on Oct. 11 with help from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Swanson was the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s pork ambassador in 2012, and he says the idea for a festival came to him as he attended pork events around Iowa. He also noted the success of the annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines, which drew 8,000 people in February.

The Ames event will be at Iowa State’s Central Campus. It will be free, but people can buy “bacon bucks” to trade for food.

Info from the Atlantic Animal Shelter.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa House has approved a measure that would allow expanded crossbow hunting of deer.  Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill Wednesday and it now moves to the Senate. The measure would let residents hunt deer using a crossbow during the late hunting season, from Dec. 17 to Jan. 10. They would not be required to purchase a separate crossbow hunting license.

Under current law, only muzzleloader and archery hunters can hunt deer during that season. But a physically disabled person incapable of shooting a bow and arrow can get a special crossbow license to hunt deer and turkey.

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Kevin Baskins says if the legislation passes he doesn’t expect an increase in crossbow hunters to significantly reduce the state’s deer population.

A meeting for previous, prospective or interested members of the Atlantic Farmer’s Market will be held this (Wednesday) evening, in the breakfast room at the Super 8 Motel, in Atlantic. Organizers of the Farmer’s Market will go over the rules, dates and other pertinent information pertaining to the selling of your locally grown produce. The meeting begins at 6-p.m.

If you have any questions, please call Kathee at 712-249-2758.

w/ Ric Hanson

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A Cass County farmer selected as a winner in a seed company’s contest, has designated her winnings for two local organizations. Ruth Steffen, of Cumberland, was selected as a winner in America’s Farmers Grow Communities℠, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Grow Communities gives farmers the opportunity to win a $2,500 donation to direct to their favorite local nonprofit organizations. To further support counties that have been declared disaster areas due to drought by the U.S.D.A. winning farmers in these counties were able to direct double the donation, a total of $5,000 to further support the community. Cass County was declared a disaster area by the USDA, giving Steffen, the opportunity to place two $2,500 donations. She selected Atlantic Food Pantry and Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department.

A ceremonial presentation of the checks will take place 6-p.m. Saturday, March 30th, at the Cumberland Fire Department (216 Main St.).

Officials with Diamond Vogel Paint and Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) have announced the recipients of grant awards for the 2012 “Paint Iowa Beautifiul” (PIB) program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa.

Among the 2013 award winners is: the City of Bedford, for it’s Hotel Garland balcony and lobby project; The Page County Fair Board in Clarinda, for County Fair buildings; The French Icarian Colony Foundation in Corning, for its Communal dining hall; The Guthrie Center Revitalization Corporation received an award for its homes project, and the Guthrie County Fair and Extension received a PIB award for its County Fair Arena. In addition:the Onawa Chamber of Commerce won an award for its Highway entrance sign project, and the City of Shelby won for a “Paint Shelby Beautiful” house project.

The PIB program is designed to improve the attractiveness of Iowa’s communities and countryside. Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful. The program includes litter reduction, public nuisance abatement and beautification programs. Diamond Vogel is an Iowa-based company which has partnered with KIB for the past 10-years to help build pride in communities. The company has contributed over 6,500 gallons of paint for various and numerous projects.