Jim Field visits with Kaycie Waters-Broka, Natural Resources Field Specialist with ISU Extension and Co-Chair of the Master Conservationist Program, about the Master Conservationist event in the Loess Hills.

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Today:  Widespread haze after 4:00 pm.  Mostly sunny, with a high near 86.  North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Tonight:  Widespread haze after 2:00 am.  Areas of smoke before 2:00 am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Wednesday:  Widespread haze before 5:00 pm Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.  South wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday:  Sunny, with a high near 85.  South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
Friday:  Sunny, with a high near 90.  Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Monday’s high was 84.  This morning’s low 55.  This day last year the high was 84 and the low 52.  The record high for this date is 102 degrees set in 1894 and the record low of 34 was set in 1893.  Sunrise this morning at 6:42 am and this evening’s sunset will be at 7:58 pm.

Produce in the Park is a weekly farmers market and community gathering held every Thursday evening from 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM in the Atlantic City Park, now – October 12th.

This week, Sarah Selders will be providing live music and fresh, gourmet pizza will be on site from Hungry Spartan Pizza. Numerous vendors will be in attendance offering sweet treats, plants, crafts, baked goods and produce, produce, PRODUCE!

This week you can look forward to the following vendors:

Bridgewater Farms: wide assortment of produce
Brun Ko Farms: assortment of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, eggs, pork, lamb & chicken
Frosting, Inc.: gourmet cupcakes
Sue’s Country Garden: assortment of plants, produce, baked goods & jams/jellies
Cake’s, Cookies & Confections: assorted pastries & desserts
CJ Treats: baked goods & candles, soaps, body scrubs & oil diffusers
CK3 Farms: wide assortment of produce including watermelon
Harrisdale Farmstead: assortment of produce
Holaday Baking Company: assortment of baked goods & concession items
Imagine Garden Gifts: unique garden gifts including antique, vintage, and repurposed planters.
Johnna Joy Designs: wide selection of handmade jewelry & art
Kringleman: assorted Danish pastries
Neighborhood Bakehouse: sourdough, baguettes, sandwich bread & mini chocolate baguettes
Noble Provisions: homegrown ribeyes, beef snacks (jerky, summer sausage, beef sticks), beef brats, patties, pork brats, Italian sausage, & ground pork
Oak Hill Honey: home raised raw packaged honey
Piper’s Brae: assorted produce, jams/jellies, syrups & eggs
Ter-Bear Honey: home raised raw packaged honey
The 11th Acre: wide assortment of produce, baked goods, cottage foods & crafts

Our featured kids activity will be ‘Art in the Park’, featuring fun artistic crafts for kids to do, provided by YOUR FORTE. Visiting organizations include Zion Recovery and Cass County Cats. Yard games will also be on hand, provided by Atlantic Parks & Recreation.

All vendors accept cash, with many accepting credit cards and Venmo. All qualifying food vendors accept SNAP/EBT (also known as food stamps) with all fresh produce vendors accepting Double Up Food Bucks–coupons given for SNAP/EBT purchases of fresh produce.

For updates and information on Produce in the Park or how to sign up to participate, visit www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com. ‘Like’ or ‘follow’ Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

Today:  A slight chance of sprinkles after 5:00 pm. Mostly sunny with a high near 88.  South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west southwest in the afternoon.  Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.
Tonight:  Mostly clear with a low around 58.  North wind 5 mph.
Tuesday:  Mostly sunny with widespread haze after 2:00 pm and a high near 85.  North wind 5 to 10mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.
Wednesday:  Sunny with a high near 84.  South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday:  Sunny with a high near 87.  South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Sunday’s high was 82 degrees, this morning’s low 54.  This day last year the high was 86 and the low 65.  The record high for this date is 100 degrees set in 1984 and the record low is 35 set in 1967.  Sunrise this morning will be at 6:41 am and sunset tonight is at 8:00 pm.

Today:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. North northeast wind around 9 mph, with gusts as high as 16 mph.
Tonight:  Patchy fog after 4am. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 54. East northeast wind 6 to 8 mph.
Sunday:  Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 82. East wind around 5 mph.
Sunday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 59. South southeast wind 3 to 7 mph.
Monday:  Mostly sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 8 to 11 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 18 mph.
Monday Night:  Mostly clear, with a low around 58. North wind 7 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Tuesday:  Sunny, with a high near 84. North wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Friday’s high was 92 and this morning’s low is 69.  This day last year the high was 81 and the low 58,  The record high is 100 set in 1955.  The record low is 39 set in 1904.  Sunrise Saturday is at 6:39 am and sunset this evening is at 8:03 pm.

The USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announced today it is updating the  Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) payment rate to support livestock producers in the Midwest who have lost cattle to the extreme heat and humidity experienced this summer. To help indemnify ranchers to reflect a trend towards higher cattle weights in feedlots, the 2023 LIP payment rate for beef calves over 800 pounds will increase from $1244 per head to $1618, an increase of $374.

“The recent heat domes plaguing many parts of the country have proven to be unsurvivable for some animals and temperatures are not expected to let up any time soon. This is one of the latest, many examples of how a changing climate is creating immediate challenges for farmers and ranchers, and we’re finding that our emergency relief programs need to adapt accordingly,” said FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “Given these circumstances and the trend towards higher weights in feedlots, it became clear that USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Payment rates were not reflective of the true market value for cattle. This change will better indemnify the investments producers have in the livestock they raise, and we will continue to find flexibilities where possible to help our farmers and ranchers in the wake of climate-related impacts.”

LIP provides benefits to livestock owners and some contract growers for livestock deaths exceeding normal mortality from eligible adverse weather events, certain predation losses and reduced sales prices due to injury from an eligible loss. Indemnity payments are made at a rate of 75% of the prior year’s average fair market value of the livestock.

The updated LIP payment rate is effective immediately and will be applied retroactively starting Jan.1, 2023, for all eligible causes of loss including excessive heat, tornado, winter storms, and other qualifying adverse weather. Producers who have already received LIP payments for 2023 losses will receive an additional payment, if applicable, commensurate with this updated rate. For details on eligibility and payment rates, review the LIP fact sheet.

FSA recognizes that an annual update of LIP payment rates does not account for the volatile nature of livestock markets and is further exploring flexibilities to establish more current payment rates.

More Information

On farmers.gov, the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, Disaster Assistance-at-a-Glance fact sheet, and Loan Assistance Tool can help producers and landowners determine program or loan options. For assistance with a crop insurance claim, producers and landowners should contact their crop insurance agent. For FSA and NRCS programs, they should contact their local USDA Service Center.

Family Crisis Support Networks hosted a duck pond activity

The Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council partnered with the Healthy Cass County Coalition and other community organizations to host their second annual Family Fun Day at the 2023 Cass County Fair.

On Saturday, July 29th, the fairgrounds were full of family activities from noon-4 PM, including water fights, a duck pond, a garden story walk, hands-on S.T.E.M. activities, a book walk, yard games and more! Each station earned a stamp on a prize card that rewarded the family with a food voucher provided by the Family Crisis Support Network.

Thank you to all the participating organizations for making the day a huge success:  Healthy Cass County, Shift ATL/Sunnyside Range, Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Atlantic Fire Department, Atlantic Public Library, Zion Integrated Behavioral Health Services, Cass County Master Gardeners, Cass County ISU Extension, Cass County Farm Bureau, Iowa Learning Farms, Cass County 4-H and Iowa Corn.

Iowa Learning Farms set up their Conservation Station to teach about the science of water quality and natural resources through hands-on interactive activities

The Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council and Healthy Cass County loved seeing families enjoy some time together at the Cass County Fair while gathering ideas for activities that can be done at home, at school and out in the community as a family. The council also reminds people that child abuse is preventable, and everyone can play a part in creating safe, healthy, and nurturing environments for kids in our local communities. We cannot wait for next year to do it all over again!

For more information and updates about the Cass County Child Abuse Prevention Council, visit @CassCountyChildAbusePreventionCouncil on Facebook.

4-H Staff and volunteers provided hands-on robotics experiences to youth

For more information on local health and wellness events, resources, and partnerships follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty.

On Monday, Aug. 21, the DNR was notified of a black liquid in an unnamed tributary, approximately 1 to 1 ½ miles from the North Raccoon River. This liquid has been identified as hog manure and the investigation is ongoing.

Although the manure is no longer actively flowing, an unknown amount of manure continues to be pooled in numerous areas in the tributary and in drainage district tile 37B, verified with the Greene County Drainage District.

The public is asked to continue to avoid swimming or recreating in this area. Additionally, it is recommended that livestock using the tributary for watering be limited as well.

Throughout the week, DNR staff have investigated the area by checking tiles, tile intakes, and drainage tile outlets. Additionally, local officials and multiple landowners have provided information. Field tests show dissolved oxygen at zero and ammonia concentrations greater than 300 ppm, which is as high as the field tests read. Water samples have been collected and sent to the State Hygienic Laboratory for further analysis and are expected within the next 7-10 business days.

One week from today (Friday), the Iowa D-N-R’s State Forest Nursery in Ames will open its phone lines and website for taking seedling orders — both for this fall and next spring. Nursery manager Pat Griffin says they’re preparing now to handle what will most certainly be a deluge of requests for the tiny trees and shrubs.

If you do the math, that’s about 600-thousand seedlings that were sent out last season, though some years, it’s as many as a million. The tree varieties include 23 species of native hardwoods, along with eight evergreen species and 15 smaller trees and shrubs.

Varieties include hickory, maple and walnut as well as red oak, river birch and black cherry, and dozens more. While orders can be made starting September 1st, the seedlings won’t start shipping out until November 1st. Griffin says November is an ideal time to launch into landscaping.

Situated on 98 acres south of Highway 30 in Ames, the nursery was created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and has run continuously ever since. The nursery had to raise its seedling prices last season, but Griffin says it didn’t impact sales.

Prices range from 80-cents to a-dollar-20 per seedling. They’re sold in three age classifications, and range in size from 10 to 30 inches, depending on the species. Sales run through May. Orders can be placed starting September 1st at 1-800-865-2477 or online at http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/.

Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is pushing back at critics who say her plan to override California’s law on pork production will derail up to a thousand laws in other states. California’s law requires that bacon and other uncooked pork that’s sold in California must come from operations that have 24 square foot pens for sows.

Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says liberal activists in California should not be able to tell Iowa pork producers how to run their operations.

The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau say it will cost 350 million dollars to retrofit U-S hog confinements to meet California’s rules, but the U-S Supreme Court upheld California’s law in May. A coalition of groups lobbying against Hinson’s proposal say it would open the floodgates to China’s take-over of American agriculture.

A bipartisan group of 150 House members also have warned adding Hinson’s so-called “EATS Act” to the Farm Bill would kill the Farm Bill’s chance for passage this year. The lawmakers say Hinson’s proposal would harm pork producers who’ve complied with California’s rules and would overturn other state laws about invasive pests, livestock diseases and puppy mills. California’s new standards for pork are set to go into effect January 1st. California’s space requirements for ag operations that produce veal and eggs went into effect nearly a year ago.