(Iowa DNR News) – Pheasant hunters across the northern half of Iowa had an excellent season last year, and many are looking forward to what 2024 has in store. The fall forecast will be based on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) annual roadside pheasant counts, that begins Aug. 1.

The statewide survey is conducted by Iowa DNR staff between Aug. 1-15, who drive 225, 30-mile routes on gravel roads at dawn on mornings with heavy dew. Hen pheasants will move their broods to the edge of the gravel road to dry off before they begin feeding, which makes them easier to count.

In June the DNR issued its annual prediction for the roadside counts, which uses a weather model based on the snowfall, rainfall and temperatures from the past winter and spring.  The model provides a best guess at what the counts might look like, and it is predicting numbers to be likely lower than last year.

A pheasant flying over corn. (DNR photo)

But the best indicator for the fall season is the August roadside survey that counts actual pheasants seen along more than 6,000 miles of rural, gravel roads.

The August roadside survey has been conducted over the same routes since 1962. In addition to pheasants and quail, the survey collects data on partridge, cottontails and jackrabbits. Results will be posted online at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey in early September. Iowa’s pheasant season begins Oct. 26.

(Iowa DNR News) – Fishing for catfish is a fun summer tradition for many Iowa families. Invite someone new to fishing to come along to share the fun and memories. “Catfish will bite most of the time, no matter what the water temperature,” explains Daniel Vogeler, Iowa DNR fisheries technician. “They are biting in most lakes, ponds, rivers and streams across Iowa.” Bring along two coolers with ice, one to keep your bait firm and fresh and another to keep your catch cold and preserve that great taste.

Catfish have a great sense of smell and taste. Try prepared dip baits, chicken livers, minnows or chubs, green sunfish, bluegill, crawdads, frogs, nightcrawlers or dead, but fresh, goldeye or gizzard shad. Lakes stratify, or form layers, this time of year, with cool, oxygen-deprived waters sinking to the bottom. Don’t fish in water deeper than 8 to 10 feet on most lakes.

Look for areas with vegetation, brush piles or rock. Use the DNR interactive fishing atlas to help you quickly find these spots. Fish the upper ends of the larger reservoirs where the water is shallower and baitfish like gizzard shad gather. Use baits fished on the bottom or suspended off the bottom with a bobber and let current or breeze move the bait to find active catfish.

Iowa rivers are loaded with catfish. Look for fish around downed trees and brush piles, but don’t overlook rock piles or other objects that deflect water and form a current seam. Position your bait just upstream of brush piles so the scent of the bait is carried downstream into the structure to draw the catfish out. Anchor the bait with a heavy weight so it doesn’t drift into snags. If fishing the big rivers, try upstream and on the tips of wing dykes and wing dams on the Missouri and Mississippi rivers.

Find more tips for catching, cleaning and cooking catfish on the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov/Fishing/Fishing-Tips-How-Tos/How-to-Fish-For-/Channel-Catfish-Fishing.

(UPDATED/Radio Iowa) – An armored animal most people would associate with Texas or Oklahoma is being spotted more frequently in Iowa. Armadillos have been making their way north for decades, according to Jim Coffey, an Iowa D-N-R wildlife biologist. Coffey tells K-C-R-G T-V that armadillo sightings are being tracked by the agency.

“Armadillos are not something that’s new to Iowa,” Coffey says. “We’ve had reports for many, many years, but it’s a species that’s not commonly seen and it kind of falls through the cracks.” For the past several years, Coffey says the D-N-R has been logging sightings of these armored critters anywhere they appear in Iowa.

“We’ve been keeping, you know, good records for the last six years that have indicated about 12 to 24 sightings per year, verifiable across the state,” he says. Armadillos can jump up to four feet into the air and they average about 12 pounds as adults. Coffey says the state’s changing climate played a big part in the arrival of armadillos.

Armadillo — National Park Service photo

“As climate change takes impact, we see that some of our northern boundaries are pushed, or the warmer climates are pushed further north,” he says, “then armadillos will be able to utilize that territory as well.” The DNR has no plans to manage the spread of armadillos, since the only threat they pose to the ecosystem is digging burrows to live in. Plus, they can’t survive harsh winters, so armadillos aren’t established in Iowa — at least not yet.

(Radio Iowa) – An education center in central Iowa is taking steps toward becoming a year-round attraction. Living History Farms spokesperson Elizabeth Sedrel says they are building a Cultivation Center to replace the visitors center and give them more space. “New climate controlled year round exhibit space, some administrative offices and some new accessible amenities like a mother’s room, a family restroom and an adult changing station,” she says. “At the same time, we’re going to be renovating our current visitor center into a dedicated Learning Center for school groups for our classes and our day camp.” The farms were built in Urbandale back in 1970 to preserve some of Iowa’s early agriculture history.

“We have three working farm sites representing the indigenous Ioway in 1700, a pioneer family in 1850, and a farm family in the year 1900, We also have a recreated 1876 town of Walnut Hill,” Sedrel says. There are interactive activities at the farms. “At many of the sites they will meet historic interpreters who can explain what they’re doing and how people lived and work the land at that time,” she says. They recently broke ground to get the project underway. “Happily it does not interfere with guests touring the town or any of the farm sites. Once that building is done then we’ll be able to renovate the current visitor center, and we expect to hold a ribbon cutting for the whole new thing including a new picnic pavilion in 2026,” Sedrel says.

They’ve been raising six-point-two million dollars for the project, and Sedrel says they have hit 85 percent of that goal.

(Radio Iowa) – The wet spring is expected to impact the pheasant population in some areas of the state, but D-N-R wildlife biologist Todd Bogenshutz says Iowa’s quail should be okay. “I’m getting pretty positive reports on quail and so it could be that our quail numbers will go up,” he says. “I mean you know we’re on the northern fringe of the range so winter really affects our quail numbers probably more than anything and it was a pretty mild winter.”

Bogenschutz says that’s due in part to their background. “You know quail actually are native to the state and so they’re more adapted to our climate here than peasants,” Bogenschutz says.

bobwhite quail

He’ll find out more about both quail and pheasants during the annual roadside counts in August.

Farm tenants and landowners are encouraged to attend August 7 in Atlantic

Atlantic, Iowa – Cass County Extension is hosting a farmland leasing meeting on Wednesday, August 7 at 2 PM, at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10^th Street in Atlantic. The annual meeting is offered to address questions that landowners, tenants or other interested individuals have about leasing farmland. The average reported rate in the 2024 cash rental survey for the state is $279 per acre of corn and soybeans, which is the first time rates have not increased in five years. Topics covered during the meeting will include land values and cash rent trends, cost of production, methods for determining a fair rental rate, legislative updates regarding leases, and communicating with tenants or landlords.

Ann Johanns, a program specialist at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says “More than half of Iowa’s farmland is rented, and strong landlord/tenant relationships are important for the long-term viability of Iowa’s valuable farmland. While the trend in rental rates is fairly steady, individual agreements vary and attending a workshop is a great way to learn more or ask questions on specific aspects of farm lease arrangements.”

The 2.5-hour workshop is designed to assist landowners, farm tenants and other agri-business professionals by sharing information on current issues and topics related to farmland ownership, management and leasing arrangements. Attendees will gain a better understanding of current cash rental rate surveys and factors driving next year’s rents such as market trends and input costs. Each registrant will receive a 100-page workbook with resources regarding land leasing agreements such as surveys, sample written lease agreements and termination forms, along with many other publications.

Photo credit: Lisa Scarbrough

Registration for the August 7 meeting is $20 per individual or $30 per couple if sharing a book. Preregistration is encouraged for materials planning. To register contact the Cass County Extension Office by calling 712-243-1132 or email Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.

Leasing meetings are being held across Iowa throughout the month of August, facilitated by farm management specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach. For out-of-state landowners or those unable to attend a meeting in person, a statewide online webinar will be offered on Monday, August 26 at 9:00 am. This meeting is available for a $20 registration fee, with virtual access provided to the Farmland Leasing Arrangements book. Visit the Ag Decision Maker events page to find other leasing meeting locations or register for the online meeting, at https://go.iastate.edu/AGDMEVENTS or visit the Ag Decision Maker home page at www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm.

The Ag Decision Maker website provides useful materials for negotiating leases, information on various types of leases, lease forms and newly updated Decision Tools.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 75th Cass County Fair continues this weekend, in Atlantic. The schedule for Saturday and Sunday includes:

8-a.m. Sheep Show

8-a.m. to 8-p.m. 4-H/FFA Exhibits open

10-a.m. Pet Show

10-a.m. To 8-p.m. Mechanical Bull

11-a.m. To 10-p.m. Inflatable Carnival

11-a.m. Meat Goat/Dairy Goat Show

Noon Lunch Special Ham Balls or Lamb

Noon until 10-p.m. Commercial Booth Barns Open

Noon until 4-p.m. Family Fun Day

Noon Communication Events

1-p.m. Exotic Animals & Youth Water Fights

2-p.m. To 5-p.m. Atlantic Elks Bingo

3-p.m. Clover Kids Animal Show & Exotic Animals

5-p.m. Exotic Animals

6-p.m. Tractor Pull

SUNDAY, July 28

7:30-a.m. Swine Show

8:30-a.m. Tractor Ride

10-a.m. Poultry Show (Next to the poultry barn)

11-a.m. To 10-p.m. Inflatable Carnival

10-a.m. to 8-p.m. 4-H/FFA Exhibits open

Noon Special: Windsor Chop

Noon to 3-p.m. Decorator’s Showcase

Noon to 10-p.m. Commercial Booth Barns Open

1-p.m. Exotic Animals & Pig Pals Show

2:30-p.m. Pedal Tractor Pull

3-p.m. Exotic Animals

4:30-p.m. County Fair Church Service

5-p.m. Exotic Animals & 75^th Fair Grounds Celebration Cake Social

6:30-p.m. Cow /Calf Feeder Calf Show

7-p.m. 75^th Fair Grounds Celebration & Community Photograph (Grandstand event)

A reminder: The Fair runs through July 30th, and concludes with the Livestock Auction at 8-a.m. Tuesday. The Cass County Fair is always FREE: No entry fee, no charge to park, and no charge to view the exhibits and entertainment. There’s also great Fair food at the 4-H and FFA Foodstands, along with the Chuckwagon, each of which have a variety of delicious hot, and refreshingly cold, food and drinks to choose from.

See the full schedule HERE.

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 26, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today (Friday) announced that USDA is investing $806,660 in 27 projects across the state to lower energy bills, expand access to clean energy, and create jobs for Iowa agricultural producers and rural small business owners with funding through the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The REAP project grants are part of a larger nation-wide announcement.

REAP grants in Iowa include:

-L&K Tabke Farms, LLC, which received $164,250 in funding to install three 15 kilowatt wind turbines at its livestock production operation in Moville, in Woodbury County. The project will realize $11,964 per year in savings and will replace 115,560 kilowatt hours per year (100 percent of previous use), which is enough electricity to power 11 homes.

-Kluver Chiropractic, PC, in Mount Vernon in Linn County, received $10,500 in grant funding to install a 6.3 kilowatt solar array. The project is expected to save $1,409 per year. It will replace 7,478 kilowatt hours (100 percent of business energy usage) per year, which is enough energy to power one home.

-and, Cornelius Seed Corn Co., a corn farm operation near Bellevue, in Jackson County, received $14,279 in grant funding to install a new LED lighting system. The project is expected to save $3,037 per year. It will save 31,306 kilowatt hours per year, which is enough energy to power two homes.

A complete list of all REAP projects can be found online.