Enrollment is currently open for the 2023-2024 Cass County 4-H program year and it is FREE to join 4-H in Cass County. Thanks to generous donations to our Cass County 4-H Endowment fund, members fees are completely covered in Cass County. Youth in kindergarten through 12 grade are eligible to join. There are 7 Clover Kid Groups and 11 4-H Clubs in Cass County to choose from, most meet monthly. Clover Kid Groups are for youth currently enrolled in kindergarten though third grade. These youth meet with their club and participate in hands-on activities, make new friends, and build life skills. Youth currently enrolled in 4th-12th grade are eligible for 4-H Community Clubs. 4-H helps youth develop leadership and communication skills while exploring new interests and giving back to the community in a fun and safe setting with friends and caring adults.

On October 8th Cass County 4-H is hosting their annual Fall Fest from 2:00-4:00pm on the fairgrounds, 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. All community members are welcome to attend this event, admission is free, tickets to participate at booths are only 10 cents each. 4-H Clubs host booths with fun activities and share information about what they do as a 4-H group. Plan to attend to have a fun family outing and learn more about 4-H. This event is fun for all ages, you don’t have to be in 4-H to attend Fall Fest!

If you would like to learn more about 4-H, there will also be a New Member/Find Out Night on December 4th from 5:30-7:00pm at the Cass County Community Building 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. This is a free event, open to anyone interested in learning more about the program and asking questions to County 4-H Staff, volunteers, and current members.

4-H is in Iowa’s 99 counties and offers dozens of project area topics to learn about in addition to agriculture. With the help of caring adult volunteers, we help youth explore their interests—things like entrepreneurship, engineering, child development, music, performance, or art–while preparing young leaders for the careers and challenges of tomorrow. 4-H is uniquely poised to help youth develop life skills such as public speaking, self-motivation, healthy lifestyle choices, emotional intelligence, conflict management, and negotiating. These skills may be a key indicator of future career success when paired with the hard skills often taught in academic settings.

For more information about joining your local Iowa 4-H Youth Development program as a 4-H member or adult volunteer, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or contact the ISU Extension and Outreach Cass County office.

The new drought monitor shows the same old story for Iowa, the drought conditions are not getting better. Tim Hall of the Iowa D-N-R says the areas that didn’t get some of last week’s rain show up in the drought map.

Northeast Iowa has the most counties in extreme or severe drought conditions. Both of those designations increased statewide last week with nearly 26 percent of the state in extreme drought and almost 73 percent in severe drought. Hall says the water levels in some rivers and streams are much lower than normal for this time of year.

He says flows tend to be low this time of year anyway, and being 10 percent below normal really indicates how little rainfall we’ve had. Hall says water systems that pull from rivers have one thing in their favor.

But Hall says there is a lot of concern about when we might get some rain to replenish the dry areas.

He says the short term forecast doesn’t call for much precipitation to help with the problem.

Today:  A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny with a high near 76. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tonight:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy with a low around 54.
Saturday:  Mostly sunny with a high near 77. Light west wind becoming north northwest 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Sunday:  Sunny with a high near 74. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Monday:  Sunny with a high near 80. Breezy.
Tuesday:  Mostly sunny with a high near 84. Breezy.

Weather conditions have prompted the U-S-D-A to lower its prediction of corn yields in Iowa by one-and-a-half percent.

The estimate released today (Thursday) is based on crop conditions through September 1st. The U-S-D-A predicts the average corn yield in Iowa will be 200 bushels per acre, down slightly from last month. However, at least 200-thousand more acres of corn were planted in Iowa this year compared to last and the U-S-D-A predicts Iowa’s overall corn harvest will be two percent larger than last year’s. The U-S-D-A’s analysis of Iowa soybean yields per acre is the same as it was in August.

Fewer acres of soybeans were planted in Iowa this year and the U-S-D-A expects the total soybean harvest in Iowa to be down two percent from last year.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor update shows conditions worsened for the Atlantic area. 

Conditions have been revised from Moderate Drought (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), according to this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor.

Atlantic has been in drought since August 29, 2023.

The map shows the northern part of Cass County, along with most of Audubon, Shelby and Guthrie counties are are some of the driest in the region.

The Climate Prediction Center’s September Drought Outlook, released on August 31, 2023, predicted that drought conditions would likely develop in September

AMES, Iowa – As harvest season quickly approaches, Iowans are reminded to practice safety around grain bins and grain handling equipment.

There were nine reported grain entrapments in Iowa in 2022, more than any other state, according to an annual report by Purdue University.

Agricultural confined-space related cases of injuries and fatalities saw a dramatic rise in 2022, including grain entrapment cases, which rose nearly 45%.

Nearly all of these cases involved grain flow issues due to grain spoilage, which means that improved grain management could help prevent cases in the future, according to Kristina TeBockhorst, an agricultural engineer with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

In order to get Iowans information to help keep them, their employees and their families safe around grain, TeBockhorst is publishing a series of short articles that highlight important considerations for grain safety, including storing grain without spoilage.

Her first article covers grain bin preparation – how to safely clean and prepare bins before new grain arrives.

“Now is the time to take inventory of your bins and ensure they are in good condition for the new crop,” said TeBockhorst. “These to-do lists aren’t fun, but they will help minimize grain spoilage from insect and mold activity and moisture entry.”

Before cleaning out old grain, be sure you have on your NIOSH-approved respirator that is certified for grain dusts, and that it fits your face to fully seal and protect you.

She advises farmers to “start with a clean bin, exterior bin perimeter, and handling equipment” by removing potential food sources for pests, including residual grain, broken kernels, fines, foreign material, dusts and molds.

1. Sweep the bin walls and floor, making sure to clean the tops of doors, inside hollow pipes or ladders, and inside of augers.
2. Trim down vegetation, remove grain material and debris, and consider using a rodenticide around the bin’s outer perimeter.
3. Clean out dust and debris from harvesting and handling equipment, like combines, trucks, wagons, augers, and in grain legs and elevators.
4. While the bin is empty, check mechanical parts and conduct needed maintenance, seal gaps or cracks along the bin, and check the roof for potential spots that could leak, especially around the vents or access doors.
5. If fines or Indian meal moth silks are starting to plug up the space below the floor, it is time to remove the floor to vacuum or power wash.
6. If the aeration floor can’t be removed, fumigation is the best option to eliminate carryover insects.
7. Check that ladders are in good condition and consider upgrading them with cages or replacing with staircases.
8. Assemble your safety equipment for your grain storage facility, like respirators, life harnesses, and lock-out tag-out kits for unloading equipment.
9. Ensure that all bin entry points have clear warning labels so that all are aware of the hazards. Also be sure that kids can’t enter bins and that they know of the hazards when they live or spend time around stored grain.

In her next installment, TeBockhorst will address safety concerns related to grain handling equipment. For more information, she can be reached at 319-337-2145 or ktebock@iastate.edu

The weather this year has benefited livestock producers by preventing overflows caused by rainfall that fills up manure storage areas, but Dan Anderson, an Iowa State University expert on manure management, says dry weather also has its issues.

He says farmer can get anxious and want to spread manure too early.

Once the crops out of the fields, he says the dry ground gives farmers less concern that manure would run off of rain saturated ground.

Anderson is associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at I-S-U, and the creator of the “Talkin’ Crap” podcast that discusses all aspects of manure management. You can find his podcast and other information on how to manage manure in wet and dry weather on the I-S-U Extension website.

Today:  Sunny with a high near 79. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Tonight:  Mostly clear with a low around 54. South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday:  A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny with a high near 77.
Saturday:  Mostly sunny with a high near 76.
Sunday:  Sunny, with a high near 76.
Monday:  Sunny, with a high near 81.

w/Kate Olson.

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Experts say river levels are so low the state’s fish population is stressed — and conditions could cause more fish kills. Meteorologist Jim Lee at the National Weather Service office in Des Moines says there’s not been enough rainfall to replenish rivers.

In many areas, river levels are so low canoeing and kayaking is not recommended because boats would scrape the river bottom. Lee says some of Iowa’s river basins are at 10 percent of normal capacity.

The first frost happens across Iowa during the first half of October and experts say if lakes and waterways were to freeze at these low levels, oxygen levels will be lower — and fish could suffer. Lee says it doesn’t appear weather patterns will change in the next couple of weeks or perhaps even longer.

In July, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources reported nearly 21-thousand Shovelnose Sturgeon had died along a 60 mile stretch of the Des Moines River in southeast Iowa. D-N-R biologists determined the fish kill was caused by low water levels and high-water temperatures. It was the largest fish kill in the region since 2012. In late August, the D-N-R estimates up to five-thousand fish were killed along a 74-mile stretch of the Upper Iowa River in Winneshiek County.