(Radio Iowa) – A southern Iowa man has grown a piece of fruit that’s destined to set a world record. A state official has verified that Dave Bennett of Davis County grew an eggplant that weighs eight-point-33 pounds.  “I’ve been growing eggplants for probably five years now,” Bennett says. “Two years ago I set the state record at 5.6 pounds.” Bennett picked up the hobby from his second cousin, a past winner of the Big Pumpkin competition at the Iowa State Fair.

After growing pumpkins and watermelons, Bennett got intrigued with the purple fruit after meeting a Minnesotan who’d grown a four pound eggplant — and the rest will be history. Bennett has been assured by a representative of Guinness World Records that his paperwork is in order. “Eventually I will have a plaque that says I grew the world’s largest eggplant,” Bennett says. Right now, the world’s largest eggplant is in Bennett’s refrigerator, in hopes of entering it in the Iowa State Fair.

“I’m going to see what it looks like next week and I might arrangements about bringing it up. I don’t know yet,” Bennett said. “It might start wrinkling up and spoiling, I don’t know.” An inspector with the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Bureau went to Davis County to weigh the eggplant this week. Bennett used greenhouse grade fabric to create a shade over the plant during its final days outside before it was measured.

Dave Bennett with his 8.33 eggplant. (Photo courtesy of Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship)

Bennett says you start the growing season by planting “giant variety” seeds, then trim down the vine so it’s supporting just one eggplant. “You just keep fertilizing and stuff like that and hope for the best,” he says.

Eggplant is often treated like a vegetable on the dinner table, but it’s actually a berry, so it’s a fruit. Bennett has never eaten eggplant and ordered it at a restaurant recently, but had to pay his bill and leave to make it to a concert before the dish was served.

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI/Iowa State Fair]— The Iowa State Fair’s list of Iowans of the Day was released, today (Thursday). The Iowan of the Day program was created by the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation in 1997 to honor outstanding Iowans who have made a difference all across the state, according to a news release from the foundation.

Winners, selected by a committee after a nomination process, are awarded a day of recognition at the Iowa State Fair. Each day at noon on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage they will be recognized and presented as an Iowan of the Day. They also receive four State Fair admission tickets, four Grandstand concert tickets, use of a golf cart, VIP parking, accommodations at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown and $200 cash.

Two western Iowa residents are among those who will be recognized:

Saturday, Aug. 10: Roxanne Cogil of Jamaica

Roxanne’s volunteer work spans far and wide, positively impacting those around her. She is an active member of several community organizations, including the Yale Community Club, where she participates in organizing meals, fundraisers, the 4th of July Celebration, and the Steak Supper. Roxanne also contributes to the Jamaica Lions Club, where she has been fundraising for a bike repair station on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Roxanne also serves on the County Council, supports Habitat for Humanity, and serves as a National Weather Service Weather Spotter for Guthrie County.

Additionally, Roxanne is a large supporter of community youth and youth in agriculture, volunteering with the Guthrie County Fair, serving as the Vice President of the Panorama FFA Alumni Chapter, leading local 4-H groups, and assisting her local Boy Scouts troop. At Calvary Chapel, she is a youth group leader and participates in various service projects, mission trips, and the Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes initiative. She also volunteers at Panorama High School events, including prom and the concessions stand.

Furthermore, Roxanne is an advocate for those with disabilities as she serves as the Executive Director of Regional Teams for the Epilepsy Foundation and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, the Brain Injury Alliance of Iowa, and the Department of Human Services Case Management Advisory Board. Previously, Roxanne served as the President of the Autism Society of Iowa Board of Directors and organized an Autism Awareness team for RAGBRAI.

Monday, Aug. 12: John Klein of Treynor

John sees a need in his community, develops a solution, and makes it a reality. His dedication is particularly evident in his efforts with the youth through the Treynor Optimist Club and other community organizations.

He has written grants for numerous community projects, including a new playground for East City Park. John also organized swim lesson sign-ups and provided round-trip bus transportation from Treynor to Council Bluffs, making this essential skill more accessible to local families. He supports the Treynor Community Can Kennel, which benefits various youth groups and has raised over $246,000 to date. John also created the Mulch Madness event on Arbor Day, where 5th graders and volunteers plant new trees and mulch existing ones on the school campus and in city parks. Furthermore, he contributes to the Watch DOGS mentoring program and volunteers for the Cardinal Combine youth football activities.

Beyond his work with the youth, John is active in various community initiatives. He has helped organize City Block Parties, a thank-you banquet for Treynor Fire and Rescue Volunteers, and the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department. He also established a community volunteer organization called Cardinal Core.

Other honorees include:

Thursday, Aug. 8: Marilyn Sokol, of Belle Plaine

Friday, Aug. 9: Pat Burch, of Norwalk

Sunday, Aug. 11: Nelson Klavitter, of Dubuque

Tuesday, Aug. 13: Crystal James, of Ottumwa

Wednesday, Aug. 14: Tate Giesemann, of Bellevue

Thursday, Aug. 15: Rodd Holtkamp, of Primghar

Friday, Aug. 16: Elaine Graham Estes, of Des Moines

Saturday, Aug. 17: Kendall Pals, of Algona.

(Radio Iowa) – A dairy specialist with I-S-U Extension says the number of dairy entries at county fairs has been down in areas of northwest Iowa due to bird flu outbreaks. Fred Hall says entries in Sioux County, for example, fell 30 percent.  “Absolutely, it’s a concern. Probably the biggest reason is it can go from a bird to a cow to a human. Now, fortunately, cows get sick, and they go off production, but they don’t die. You don’t have to euthanize them,” he says. Every competitor must show proof of a negative test to allow their cow in.  “If they’re coming from a premise where there are lactating cows, has to have a bulk tank test and has to then have a sick pin test, and they all have to be negative,” he says.

Hall also stresses that pasteurized milk is safe to drink. “The high-path virus is not very durable. So, once it’s been exposed to the traditional pasteurization temperatures, it’s dead,” Hall says. “You may find particles and pieces, but there’s no virus that can cause the contamination to spread.”

The Iowa State Fair is one week away and Hall says officials with the Fair also expect fewer dairy cow competitors due to the bird flu.

(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (KCRG) – Kinze Manufacturing, Inc. has notified 193 workers that they are being laid off from the company’s operation in Williamsburg, according to Iowa Workforce Development’s WARN notification list. According to the WARN listing, affected employees were notified Wednesday with the layoff date listed for Thursday. Kinze is a global manufacturer of planters, grain carts, and high-speed tillage equipment.

The layoffs at Kinze come during a difficult period for farm equipment manufacturers that economists say is being driven by a slower demand for farm equipment, including tractors. John Deere has laid off hundreds of workers in eastern Iowa and the Quad Cities in recent weeks and months.

(Radio Iowa; UPDATED) – Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says he’s concerned about what state law says about how crop land and pastures are to be restored after a hazardous liquid pipeline is built. “Should we look at that law? I think we can,” Naig says. “Eminent domain use should be rare. It should be used when there are significant property agreements in place.” But Naig says the legislature’s priority should be establishing guardrails and defining terms.

“I would be careful of going in and saying specifically: ‘This kind of project should or should not be allowed,'” Naig said. “Look at those broader principles. Does it have an overwhelming impact?…Is it used in cases where there’s voluntary agreement? What’s the right number for that?…Maybe some additional teeth in the restoration process to ensure that land is useful afterwards. I think those are things that are very logical to look at after we’ve gone through a process now.” Naig has read through the Iowa Utilities Commission decision granting a construction permit to Summit Carbon Solutions.

“Nobody likes eminent domain. Nobody, but Iowa law allows for it and Iowa law allows for it when it’s justified. How is it determined whether it’s justified? Utilities Board. Should we look at that law? I think we can,” Naig said. “Eminent domain use should be rare. Eminent domain should be used when significant voluntary agreements are in place.” But any eminent domain changes would be for projects proposed in the future, not the Summit pipeline. Naig says there could be an upside for the ethanol industry and corn growers if the pipeline’s built.

“Whether you like it or not…there could be an expansion signal even sent to the ethanol industry as we look at now using ethanol to make sustainable aviation fuel. If you’re going to make sustainable aviation fuel, you’ve got to lower the carbon intensity of ethanol,” Naig said. “There are many ways to do that, but we should be looking at all the options there. So is there potential value in this? Yes.” Naig expects lawsuits will be filed to challenge the state-issued construction permit for the pipeline and he says there may be other things lawmakers can learn through that process.

Naig made his comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S.

(Adair, Iowa) – An accident early this (Wednesday) morning, north of Adair, resulted in the death of 18 hogs, some of which were badly injured and had to be put down by law enforcement. Guthrie County Sheriff Marty Arganbright told KJAN News the accident happened at around 3:30-a.m. as the semi tractor trailer was heading west/southbound on White Pole Road. When the semi came to the intersection with Frontier Road, the driver slowed down, but didn’t get slowed-down enough to stop at the posted intersection. As he turned right onto Frontier Road, a load of about 160 fat hogs being taken to market, shifted, causing the trailer to tip over into the ditch, taking the semi cab with it.

Sheriff Arganbright said the hogs loaded on the top, inside deck of the trailer, went through the roof of the trailer and became piled-up onto of one another. The animals – he said – were scared and traumatized. They had lived most of their lives on a concrete pad and were already stressed by the road trip. The driver, and his young son (Whose names were not immediately available), were not hurt.

photo submitted to KJAN

The Sheriff and Deputy Blake Michelson worked traffic control while the remaining hogs were being rounded-up and loaded into another livestock trailer. The whole process took about six-hours. Richter and Son Towing removed the semi from the scene.

(Harlan, Iowa) –  Officials with Practical Farmers of Iowa, a nonprofit organization with more than 8,000 members that equips farmers to build resilient farms and communities, says Rosmann Family Farms in Harlan (at  1222 Ironwood Rd.), will host a Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) field day on August 10th. The event – which takes place from 3-until 5-p.m., covers pasture management with rotational grazing and cover crops, is free to attend and open to the public. Attendees can RSVP by visiting the event page or calling PFI at (515)-232-5661. More information about the field day is below and full details can be found on the event’s webpage.

David Rosmann operates Rosmann Family Farms in Harlan, along with his wife Becky and their children, his parents, and brother. Their 700-acre certified organic farm is a mixture of field crops, pasture, popcorn, small grains and hay as well as cattle and hogs.

The Rosmanns (Photo supplied by PFI)

Strong proponents of rotational grazing, the Rosmanns pay close attention to the health of their pastures at all stages of their grazing calendar. At the Aug. 10th field day, you’ll learn about the systems-based approach the Rosmanns take that can work on any farm, showcasing grazing, row crops, small grains and cover crops.

David will discuss the cool- and warm-season planting mixes that accompany each grazing period, as well as cattle maintenance and using hogs for fertilizer. He’ll share how the farm lowers its overall inputs by composting manure. You’ll also hear how the Rosmanns seed rotational cover crops, such as hybrid rye, for livestock feed and as a supplement for cattle and hogs.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers estimate a viral disease cost the U-S pork industry more than one-billion dollars each year between 2016 and 2020. Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome or PRRS (PURS) can be deadly for pigs, and it can reduce a sow’s ability to give birth to healthy piglets. Derald Holtkamp, an I-S-U professor in veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine, says it’s hard to stay ahead of PRRS because it mutates so quickly. “Several times we thought we had the PRRS virus kind of sorted out,” Holtkamp says. “We thought we had solutions to control it and within a few years, we are made to look stupid again. It just has this ability to continually evolve.”

Piglets (ISU photo)

Researchers say the economic impact in 2020 was 80-percent higher than it was a decade ago, mostly due to higher rates of pig herds getting infected and poorer productivity in infected herds. “The only way to really slow that down or prevent it is with biosecurity,” Holtkamp says. “We have to get better as an industry of preventing that virus from moving from one farm to the next or prevent it from getting into farms.” That includes taking extra precautions, Holtkamp says, like sanitizing livestock trailers.

(story contributed by Rachel Cramer, Iowa Public Radio)

Jace Thomsen of Cumberland had an emotional Cass County Fair.  He was named as the Fair Prince during the royalty coronation to begin the fair.  That gave him a chance to hand out awards and interact with many of the young 4-H and FFA members.  He won a lavender award with his heifer in the FFA Beef Show on Monday.  But, what happened at the livestock sale to close the fair on Tuesday left a number of people with misty eyes.

Jace lost his dad, 60 year old Jeff “Swampy” Thomsen, earlier this summer.

Local auctioneer Mark Venteicher said raising and preparing the cattle for the fair was something Jace and his father enjoyed doing together.  So, Mark and some friends decided to make the sale of that heifer a big one.  The packer price from Tyson Foods was set at $1.95 per pound on the 1,234 pound heifer.  Venteicher and Massena Livestock Sales, along with Anita Vet Clinic, Dave Steffen, 21st Century Co-op, Houghton State Bank, Dan’s Welding, Bill Hosfelt, Curt Behrends, Steve Jorgensen, Tanner Farms, Mike Pellett, Darrin Shafer, Mitch Kleen, Glenn Sonntag, Greg Zellmer and Dave Williamson pooled their money together to provide Jace with a purchase price of $9.25 per pound, making the total on the animal $11,414.50.

Venteicher said they wanted to show support for Jace and provide some money for college.

It was, of course, the biggest sale from another successful livestock auction at the Cass County Fair.