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The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a “Terrariums- Make & Take” program at the Campground Shelter at Cold Springs Park in Lewis on Saturday August 26^th at 2:00 p.m. Participants will be building closed Terrariums. Everything needed will be provided for a suggested donation of $10, limited class size of 10 terrariums.

Call 712-769-2372 to sign up before Thursday, August 24th.

The Cass County Conservation Board is sponsoring a “Breakfast with the Birds” Program at Sunnyside Park, Camblin’s Addition Shelter in Atlantic on August 19th at 9:00 a.m. Cassie Wendl, Educator at S.O.A.R. Saving Our Avian Resources, will show and discuss several of her permanently injured birds and will hopefully have one that is fully recovered and ready to release back into the wild.

The event is open to the public and a free will donation will be accepted. Donations help support raptors and conservation education.

Continuing the upward streak, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show exceeded the previous year’s fundraising total donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. This year’s event raised $501,000. Including this year’s donations, the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show has raised almost $5.5 million since the event’s inception in 1983.

All money raised benefits the three independent Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City. These three houses have served over 55,000 families from all 50 states and 62 foreign countries. Families from all 99 counties in Iowa have benefited from the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.

This event, hosted by the Office of the Governor of Iowa, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, and Iowa Beef Industry Council, is another example of the care the beef cattle industry has for our state, rural communities, and those in need. The youth exhibitors, their families, sponsors, celebrities, and buyers should be proud of their effort given to this year’s event. Their impact through volunteering, donations, and dedication created yet another successful show and fundraising outcome.

The 41^st Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show was held on August 12 in the Livestock Pavilion at the Iowa State Fair. Winners in four categories were recognized in the show ring – Community Hero, Grand Champion Showman, People’s Choice, and Judge’s Grand Champion. This year’s event hosted 24 sponsored steers, shown by their youth exhibitor and a local celebrity.

The Community Hero Award recognizes the youth exhibitor that goes above and beyond collecting non-monetary donations and creating awareness for the event. This year two exceptional youth exhibitors were recognized for their efforts. Will Vlasek from Cedar Rapids and Colbie Fevold of Gladbrook were both honored with the Community Hero Award for collecting non-perishable donations, pop tabs, and sharing information about the event on social media. Will was sponsored by Eastern Iowa Ronald McDonald House and Quad Cities McDonald’s and showed with celebrity, Rebecca Kopelman, a meteorologist from KGAN. Colbie was sponsored by Iowa Premium and showed with the 2022 Tama County Fair Queen, Kaylynn Murty.

Our showmanship contest was judged by Dr. Dan Loy, who recently retired from the Iowa State Beef Center. He commented that showmanship is a partnership between the steer, the youth exhibitor, and the celebrity. He awarded Emma Wayson of Mount Auburn, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Junior the steer, with Grand Champion Showman. Emma, Secretary Naig, and Junior were sponsored by Benton County Cattlemen and Local Supporters.

A fan favorite, the People’s Choice Award, gives the audience and team supporters a voice in the competition as they help select the winner of this event. Show emcees, Bob Quinn with WHO Radio and Duane Murley with KWMT AM 540, worked through the steers and had the crowd on their feet and cheering loud for their favorite. In the end, it was the 2022 Iowa State Fair Queen, Mary Ann Fox, and her youth partner, Taylor Quade from Charles City, along with her steer, Max, that took the award home. Mary Ann, Taylor, and Max were sponsored by Friends of Floyd County.

Finally, the most prestigious award of the show, the Judge’s Grand Champion, was selected. Brad Pellett from Atlantic, Iowa had the hardest task of working through and judging the stellar lineup of steers and showman. Celebrity Blake Boldon, Franklin P Johnson director of the Drake Relays and senior associate athletic director at Drake University, and his youth partner, Tyson Mohr from Ladora, received the honor. Batman, the winning steer, along with Blake and Tyson were sponsored by Dee Zee, Inc.

Following the show, a live auction was conducted to raise funds through the sale of each steer and some additional value-added items donated by industry supporters and celebrities. These funds were added to the donations received by each youth participant, resulting in the $501,000 donation going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa.

Thank you to Governor Kim Reynolds for her continued dedication to this event and for her partnership with Iowa beef cattle producers. This event is a rewarding and humbling experience for all that participate. While the financial results are exceptional, the connection our participants, their families, and volunteers experience to the bigger picture of service the Iowa Governor’s Charity Steer Show offers to fellow Iowans and beyond is monumental.

For a list of sponsors, youth exhibitors, steers, celebrities, donors/buyers, and funds raised by each, please click here.

(Radio Iowa) The 2023 Iowa State Fair Queen will take a break from her duties on Saturday — to show cattle at the fair. Eighteen-year-old Kalayna Durr of New London showed her sheep Monday morning — without the crown.

Durr, the queen of the Henry County Fair, was crowned Iowa State Fair Queen this past Saturday night.

In what little spare time she’s had since Saturday, Durr has been shopping for new clothes to go with the new crown she wears at dozens of State Fair events every day.

Durr’s reign as State Fair Queen does not end when the fair ends Sunday. She plans to break a record set by 2022 State Fair Queen Mary Ann Fox.

Fox visited 76 county fairs in the state this past summer. Durr is a 2023 graduate of New London High School. She plans to get an associate degree in ag business at Des Moines Area Community College, then transfer to Iowa State University to earn a degree in ag education.

(Radio Iowa) Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Junior says it makes no sense to provide federal tax credits to ANY of the three proposed carbon pipeline projects.

Kennedy says the pipelines will not address climate change, since carbon from proposed Summit pipeline will be used to extract fossil fuel from oil fields in North Dakota and Canada. Kennedy says the Iowa Utilities Board should not grant eminent domain authority so the pipeline companies can force unwilling landowners to sign easement contracts. Kennedy describes the projects as a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to oil companies, ethanol producers and pipeline developers.

Kennedy held a town hall forum at a farm near Council Bluffs yesterday (Sunday) and campaigned at the State Fair Saturday. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says anyone challenging President Biden is welcome to campaign in the state, but Hart says Kennedy has made concerning comments suggesting the COVID virus was genetically engineered to spare Chinese people and Jews whose ancesters lived in central and eastern Europe.

(Radio Iowa-John Slegers) One of the biggest buyers of Iowa corn is planning to cut off most of its purchases in 2024, though diplomatic efforts are still underway that aim to bring about a change in policy. Fourth District Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says he recently met with our nation’s top trade ambassador to Mexico, and so far, there’s no movement on Mexico shifting its stance on plans to ban the majority of American corn.

Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says the window of opportunity is slowly closing around engagement with Mexico.

Mexico is phasing out its use of G-M-O or genetically modified corn next year, though about 90-percent of all corn grown in the U-S is G-M-O corn. Feenstra says the looming ban, prompted by Mexico’s president, is in violation of the U-S-Canada-Mexico Free Trade Agreement.

Atlantic FFA members continued to have success on day 2 of the Iowa State Fair.

In the FFA Farm Crops Contest Atlantic FFA placed 9th as a team. Hayden Kleen placed 7th in field corn multi ear class and Lauren Comes placed 2nd in Sudan grass hay and 4th in grass hay.

In the FFA Photography Show at the Iowa State Fair Lily Johnson won 1 Blue & 2 Red Ribbons. Jacquie Freund won a 1 Red Ribbon, Abbi Richter won 2 Blue & 1 Red Ribbons and Maddie Ritcher won 1 Red Ribbon.

In the FFA Swine Show Grant Petty showed his Market Gilt placing 10th and earning a Blue Ribbon. Grant also showed his Market Barrow earning a Blue Ribbon.

In the final event of the day, Taylor McCreedy was selected as Runner Up in the Iowa State Fair Senior Cowgirl Queen Contest. This was a great way for Taylor to wrap up her week at the Iowa State Fair.

Atlantic FFA Advisor Eric Miller commented “I am so proud of all of the FFA members that participated this week. I would like to thank all of the parents, friends and family that helped with transportation, working with animals, and chores back home at the farm. Without everyone’s support, our FFA members would not have these opportunities.”

Next week Atlantic FFA members will participate in the Dairy Goat show to wrap up the Iowa State Fair. Several FFA members participated in the Parade of Champions on Saturday as well.

(Radio Iowa) – The winner of the Iowa State Fair’s Big Pumpkin contest is 200 pounds heavier than the pig that was crowned as the fair’s Big Boar. Kids, and adults, are lining up to snap photos with the big orange fruit that weighs over 12-hundred pounds. There were 20 entries in this year’s contest and they’re all on display outside the Agriculture Building on the state fairgrounds.

Rhonda Magnusson of Hartford is superintendent of Agriculture and Horticulture Crops at the Iowa State Fair. She says it’s not easy to produce a really huge pumpkin. Growers have to keep the varmints away — and keep the plants supplied with lots of water. “At some point they’ll grow about 40 pounds a day,” Magnussen says. It’s early in the pumpkin growing season and most competitions are held in the fall.

First place pumpkin in 2023 State Fair competition. (RI photo)

“If we had this in the first of October or something, we’d have like over 2000 pound pumpkins,” Magnussen says. The Iowa State Fair started its Big Pumpkin contest nearly 20 years ago and the winners don’t just get bragging rights. There’s an 18-hundred-50 dollar prize.

This year’s winner was grown by a team. Don Young and his son-in-law Tommy Rhodes of Des Moines have won the contest before.

(Radio Iowa) – For Iowans who enjoy growing fruits and veggies in their back yards, it’s almost time to put those home gardens to sleep for the season. Horticulturist Isaac Zaman says once the fall harvests are complete, consider planting some cover grass over your garden.

Any sort of rye or short-lived perennial grasses will do the trick, and he suggests you could also layer your garden with compost or leaf mulch and let it rest over the winter. Zaman says the traditional “three sisters” plantings of corn, beans and squash should be seeing good progress.

Canned Peach Jam (Radio Iowa photo)

Pick those beans now if you want green beans, Zaman says, or let them keep growing if you want harder beans to keep over the winter. At a loss for what to do with all those tasty veggies? Zaman says simple preparations can sometimes be the best ones.

The Iowa State University Extension has a wealth of information online about how to can vegetables, including recipes. Just search for “canning” at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer