(Iowa DNR News; Des Moines, IA) – Iowa state parks have set Saturday, Sept. 27 as annual Volunteer Day, when Iowans are invited to lend a hand at several state parks and forests hosting volunteer events. Join park staff to help care for Iowa’s natural areas, freshen up campgrounds and facilities, and spend time outdoors.

Clean-up efforts will be unique for each park depending on needs, and may include litter pick-up, staining or painting buildings, removing invasive species, rebuilding picnic tables, harvesting prairie seeds and more. The state parks and forests participating include:

• Bellevue State Park, Bellevue
• Blackburn State Park, Thurman
• Geode State Park, Danville
• Lake Darling State Park, Brighton
• Lake Macbride State Park, Solon
• Lake Manawa State Park, Council Bluffs
• Lake of Three Fires State Park, Bedford
• Ledges State Park, Madrid
• Palisades-Kepler State Park, Mt. Vernon
• Pilot Knob State Park Forest City
• Prairie Rose State Park, Harlan
• Shimek State Forest, Farmington
• Wapsipinicon State Park, Anamosa
• Waubonsie State Park, Hamburg
• Yellow River State Forest, Harpers Ferry

Citizens interested in volunteering can find complete details on times, meeting locations and activities at https://www.iowadnr.gov/places-go/state-parks/statewide-volunteer-day

Cass County: Corn $3.77 Beans $9.48
Adair County: Corn $3.74 Beans $9.51
Adams County: Corn $3.74 Beans $9.47
Audubon County: Corn $3.76 Beans $9.50
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.80 Beans $9.48
Guthrie County: Corn $3.79 Beans $9.52
Montgomery County: Corn $3.79 Beans $9.50
Shelby County: Corn $3.80 Beans $9.48

Oats: $2.68 (same in all counties)

(Prices are per bushel; information is from the area Farm Service Agency [FSA] offices)

(Radio Iowa) – A D-N-R forester says the cooler temperatures are setting things up for a good fall color show in the coming weeks. Joe Herring is from Iowa Falls, and says the colors should start showing up soon. “I think it’s going to be good if if this weather is any indication of where we’re going, it’s perfect. We think the best fall colors come from clear bluebird sky days, warm days, cool nights, not freezing,” he says. Herring says freezing temperatures can kill off the color show.

“If it dips down into hard frost, that can actually kill those leaves and end the fall color early. But you know, we want to avoid the real strong, windy days and we’d like to avoid, you know, tons of rain in the fall,” Herring says. He says the tree canopies are strong heading into the fall color season. “It’s been a really good year for foliage, just for vegetative growth in general, just because of all the rain we’ve had,” he says.

Herring says he starting to see some early color in some trees, but there’s not been a full scale breakout just yet.

(Radio Iowa) – Lawmakers on a panel that reviews state regulations have temporarily blocked a proposed change in state guidelines for a specific type of septic system, a change that would make it cheaper to install. Republican Representative Mike Sexton, a farmer from Rockwell City, proposed the delay. “If these were livestock farms we were talking about instead of homeowner’s septic tanks, the [expletive] would hit the fan,” Sexton said.

There are tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Iowa that are not connected to a public sewer system and use a septic system to trap and filter toilet waste. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has proposed ending the requirement that aerobic treatment units which circulate air to treat sewage have a final step that sends discharged water through soil or sand filters. Sexton says blocking that change from going into effect until at least the middle of next year will hopefully pressure lawmakers to crack down on a related issue.

“Folks, raw sewage is coming from these septic tanks that aren’t maintained,” Sexton says. “There’s not a reporting mechanism on failed systems. We have homes that aren’t being inspected. You know that’s right.” The legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee voted eight-to-two to block the rule from taking effect now — a delay that will last until the 2026 legislature ends. The vote came after more than 40 minutes of public testimony from people who strongly supported or opposed changing state guidelines for aerobic treatment units.

Nick Laning is a lobbyist for Infiltrator Water Technologies — a company that makes these type of septic units. Laning told legislators very few aerobic treatment units are being installed in Iowa today because state regulations are outdated and unnecessary.”Delaying these rules only prevents Iowans from accessing ATUs which are already available in every other state,”Laning said, “and they can be more affordable, better suited to local geography and capable of treating nitrates other water quality issues.”

The DNR and EPC identified an outdated, unnecessary regulation,” Laning said. Jim Carroll, a licensed engineer who designs and maintains wastewater systems in Iowa, opposed getting rid of the filtering requirement for aerobic treatment units.  “Environmental protection is really our primary concern, not whether that product is affordable or not,” Carroll said. “If it’s going to pollute the environment, it doesn’t matter what it costs.”

The water quality bureau chief in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources told legislators the proposed change creates a level playing field for all types of septic systems and it fulfills the governor’s executive order that requires agencies to reduce regulatory burdens.

(An Iowa Capital Dispatch report) – Three wind turbine blades sit ground up inside the concrete blocks of a new retaining wall at Premier Credit Union in downtown Des Moines. It’s the latest project from Renewablade, a company in Bondurant that has found a way to use the materials and, in turn, alleviate the issue of what to do with the massive hunks of fiberglass and resin. Brian Meng with Renewablade said the company is finally in production after several years of research and development to figure out the best way to grind up the blades and incorporate them into the concrete. Right now, Renewablade makes three main products: the retaining wall blocks, like those used at the Premier Credit Union project, commercial highway barriers, and larger barriers used to bunker agricultural materials.

A retaining wall at Premier Credit Union in downtown Des Moines is made from concrete mixed with fiber from decommissioned wind turbine blades. (Photo courtesy of Renewablade)

Meng has spent his career in the recycling industry and several years ago started to notice the need for recycling the blades, which by nature must be replaced about every 20 years. One study estimated by 2050 there would be more than 2 million tons of retired wind turbine blades in the U.S.  Lawsuits cropped up in Iowa and other states as officials took notice of areas where the blades were being dumped and abandoned. It turned out the parties dumping the blades had been paid to recycle them but weren’t doing so.

Another Iowa-based company, REGEN Fiber, processes the blades into a grind that can be added to various types of concrete. A company in Boone has focused on the turbine generators and recycles rare earth materials from decommissioned wind turbines. Meng said Renewablade collects the blades from Iowa turbines, which are easier to transport to the company’s processing facility in Earlham, and from as far as Seattle and Maine. Meng said it “works well” when the decommissioned blades are close to home. For example, Renewablade recycled some of the blades that were damaged in a tornado near Greenfield in 2024. The blades can be around 200 feet long, or about the wingspan of a Boeing 747 jet, which makes transportation difficult and expensive.

The scale also means these blades take up a lot of space in a landfill. And yet, once ground up into concrete blocks, Renewablade was able to repurpose the blades from one whole turbine in just one small parking lot wall. Despite early pushback in Earlham towards the business, Meng said the company is fully operational this year with big plans to expand. Meng said the company is eying expansions into the UK and Texas.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Produce in the Park is now accepting vendor and sponsor applications for their 2025-2026 Holiday Farmers Market Series. This year, the holiday market series in Atlantic has expanded to five events: Boo-tique Market (October 18, 2025), Harvest Market (November 24, 2025), Christmas Market (December 20, 2025), Sweetheart Market (February 14, 2026), and Spring Celebration Market (April 4, 2026). Vendor applications and sponsorship information for holiday markets can be found online at www.ProduceintheParkAtlanticiowa.com. Printed copies are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St. Atlantic, IA 50022). Questions can be directed to the Produce in the Park Market Manager at produceintheparkatlanticiowa@gmail.com or 712-249-5870.

Produce in the Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote local food and build community. Produce in the Park’s summer farmers markets are held weekly on Thursday evenings (4:30-6:30 PM) in the Atlantic City Park from June 5th through September 25th, 2025. Holiday farmers markets are held just before Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. With the exception of Harvest Market, which is held on the Monday before Thanksgiving at the Cass County Community Center from 3-6 PM, all holiday markets are held at the Nishna Valley YMCA from 10 AM to noon.
Produce in the Park seeks vendors who sell handmade or homegrown foods and crafts. The 2025-2026 Holiday Farmers Market Series vendor fee is $25 per market, but vendors who register for all five markets and pay by October 1 receive a $25 discount and only need to pay $100 for all five markets.

Produce in the Park seeks sponsors who support community and wellbeing. Sponsorships offer various levels of recognition, including mention in radio and newspaper ads and press releases, booth space at markets, and the organization’s logo on event flyers. 2025-2026 holiday market sponsorships range from $250 to $1,000.

Annual sponsors for the full 2025-2026 summer and holiday market season include the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust, Nishna Valley YMCA, and Gregg Young Chevrolet of Atlantic.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture says it will continue a special program that directs state funds to six food banks across the state so they can buy fresh food from local producers. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says there is growing demand statewide for local foods.  “Survey after survey tells us that consumers are interested more and more in buying local, and of course, what we love from a business development, or a market development side, is we have tremendous opportunity. Our farmers, our food businesses in the state have a tremendous opportunity to meet that growing demand.” The Choose Iowa Food Bank Program sent funding to food banks in 55 counties in the first year, allowing them to buy nearly half a million dollars’ worth of local food.

The director of the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program food bank, Kim Guardado, says the program has helped stock the food bank’s shelves with good, healthy, colorful foods that will help feed some of the 344-thousand Iowans who don’t have enough to eat. “It’s one in nine Iowans, or up to one in six children that are facing food insecurity on a daily basis,” she says. Her organization purchased more than 300-thousand dollars of local food in the program’s first year.  “We’re so thankful that the legislature, the Department of Ag, has come together to really say, ‘hey, we agree that this is really worthy cause’, and also that food banks – we’re able to support that,” she says.

The Choose Iowa Farms to Food Banks program will direct another 200-thousand dollars to six food banks across the state.

DES MOINES— On Saturday, September 6, 2025, Governor Kim Reynolds and a delegation from Iowa traveled to India for an eight-day trade and investment mission with visits to Delhi, Pune, and Mumbai. The delegates include Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and agricultural and business leaders from the state. The purpose of the Governor’s return to India is to build on relationships established during an initial visit a year ago and to further explore growth opportunities with one of the world’s largest emerging economies.

“Our visit to India last year kicked off a number of relationships between Iowa and Indian businesses and trade associations and furthered conversations on investing in Iowa and market access for certain Iowa agricultural products,” Gov. Reynolds said. “I look forward to further solidifying those relationships and establishing new connections on which to build.”

While in Delhi, Governor Reynolds and Secretary Naig will speak at DialogueNEXT, a symposium presented by the World Food Prize Foundation that organizes food system stakeholders to discuss pathways toward food security. Governor Reynolds and the delegation will also attend a business panel discussion hosted by the Sehgal Foundation, recognized for its work in economic and educational growth in rural India.

The governor will also sign a partner state agreement with the Indian state of Maharashtra, lead roundtable discussions with the U.S.-India Business Council, the U.S. Soybean Export Council and the U.S. Grains Council, and meet with Indian industry leaders. She will also meet with officials from the U.S. Embassy and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai in addition to senior-level Indian government officials.

The trade mission was organized by IEDA with support from the U.S. Embassy in Delhi and U.S. Consulate in Mumbai.