The Atlantic FFA Chapter was named the Reserve Champion Team, Monday, in the annual Iowa FFA Horse Career Development Event held at Prairie Rose Arena. FFA Advisor and Ag Education Instructor Eric Miller said the Atlantic FFA Chapter team included: Craig Becker, Carli Henderson, Taylor McCreedy, and Aspen Niklasen. Miller said team member Taylor McCreedy placed 4th, Craig Alan Becker placed 7th, Carli Henderson placed 13th and Aspen Niklasen placed 21st overall in the individual contest.

Left to right: Craig Alan Becker, Taylor McCreedy, Aspen Niklasen, Carli Henderson. (Photo submitted)

Craig Alan Becker said, “I really enjoyed the opportunity to go to a contest with some other members of our chapter. As a team, we were really happy with our results from the day. I also really appreciate the effort made by the FFA association to make sure we could make this day possible”

The team also took home 1st place in the Reasons and Questions class with McCreedy placing as the top individual for the day. “It was a great experience and I’m thankful we had the opportunity to compete. McCreedy said, earning a runner up team finish was awesome and shows we’ve worked hard to compete with the best FFA teams in the state.”

FFA teams from 10 chapters participated in this year’s Career Development Event designed to provide the student an opportunity to display their agricultural knowledge and skills in the area of Equine Science. The 38 individual contestants evaluated halter and performance classes. They also answered questions over the classes and gave oral reasons to explain their placings. A written examination was included along with a team problem solving competition.

The Iowa FFA Horse Career Development Event was made possible with support from Farm Credit Services of America through the Iowa FFA Foundation. The Horse Career Development Event was coordinated and held at the Prairie Rose Arena in Elkhart, Iowa. The official judge was Sierra Hagedon of Marshalltown, Iowa. She was assisted in reasons taking by Shianne Votora, Camryn Norton and Sierra McCullough. Horses were provided by Kyle DeFreece Show Horses, Hockenson Quarter Horses and Terra Gait Stables.

w/Brandon Schuering.

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(Radio Iowa) – As drought conditions worsen in western Iowa and spread eastward, it’s raising concerns about crop production and the quality of the fall harvest. Mark Licht, a cropping systems specialist at Iowa State University, says while the dry area is expanding, it remains a lesser part of Iowa’s overall ag production. “In the grand scheme of things, this is a smaller area. If we go back and we think about 2018, that was a relatively small area in southeast Iowa stretching into a little bit of central Iowa, so this is a little bit larger than 2018, but not nearly as large of an area as 2012.”

Licht predicts the autumn harvest -will- be hurt by the summer heat wave and continuing dry spell.  “It will definitely drop yields in the west-central crop reporting district. It may affect yields slightly in the central Iowa crop reporting district,” Licht says, “but you have to keep in mind, there are parts of the state, eastern Iowa, that look really good right now.” While some farmers are being significantly impacted, Licht says the drought area isn’t big enough to have much of an impact on overall commodity prices. “Even with the dry conditions worsening in areas, they may be able to offset some of that but it’s a little bit hard to predict,” he says.

Licht made his comments during an I-S-U webinar on weather and drought problems.

WEST LAKE OKOBOJI, Iowa – The DNR Law Enforcement Bureau is seeking the public’s help in locating a boat involved in a hit and run on Tuesday, August 4, 2020 at approximately 10:35pm, near Manhattan Point on West Lake Okoboji. A boat, traveling northbound hit another boat from behind just off Manhattan Point, injuring Vaughn Wickman, 52, of Spirit Lake, who was operating the boat that was hit. The boat that caused the crash then fled the scene.

Wickman was transported to a local hospital by ambulance where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. DNR Conservation Officers and local law enforcement attempted to locate the boat involved, and also utilized the Dickinson County thermal imaging drone, but were not able to locate the boat. Conservation Officers continue to investigate the incident.

Anyone with information related to this hit and run investigation, including witnesses or anyone who sees a boat with new front end damage or scrape marks, is asked to contact DNR Conservation Officer Steve Reighard immediately at (712) 260-1018 or Steve.Reighard@dnr.iowa.gov. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should state that when sharing pertinent information related to this case.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) – An analysis prepared for the National Corn Growers Association concludes American corn farmers will lose 89 dollars an acre in revenue this year — due to the pandemic. Chris Edgington, who farms near St. Ansgar, is the association’s new vice president. “There’s some economists predicting that are projecting….the 2021 crop year will be impacted,” he says.

A prediction from a University of Illinois economist suggests 2020 revenue from U.S. corn sales will dip to a 14-year low. “We’ve got a lot of challenges,” Edgington says. “We’ve got a lot of great product that we need to get moved and we’re just looking for homes to get it out of the bins so we can put this year’s crop in there.” The economic analysis done for the Corn Growers indicates that even after calculating the additional payment from federal farm programs, there’s a 15-dollar per acre drop in revenue related to the 2019 corn crop.

“COVID is definitely causing some challenges in the country,” he says. “Exports are a challenge. Demand for both ethanol and livestock have both been hit pretty hard at times and so those things rise right to the front when we get together as a group and talk.” Edgington is part of a three-generation operation. He farms with his father, his brother and his son.

(Radio Iowa) – Three G-O-P members of a key committee say they plan to block state regulators from expanding their authority to turn over private property for wind energy developments. Some Iowa counties have passed local zoning ordinances restricting where wind turbines may be placed. Critics say those restrictions would be overruled by the proposed Iowa Utilities Board rules — because if the board approves a wind farm project, eminent domain authority could be used to convert private property for the public use of renewable energy generation. Senator Zach Whiting of Spirit Lake says he has a number of concerns about the dramatic expansion of eminent domain authority the Utilities Board appears to give itself.)

Private property rights and utility development have been a flash point for lawmakers from both parties for years. In 2006, then-Governor Tom Vilsack vetoed legislation that limited the power of local governments to seize private property for commercial development through the eminent domain process — and 87 percent of the Iowa legislature’s members voted to override that veto. A year ago, Governor Kim Reynolds said she favored local control and opposed statewide regulation of where wind turbines may be located.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN) – With low temperatures this (Monday) morning in the 40s and 50s across Iowa, it’s becoming clear that August could contain a radical shift from the extreme heat of July. State climatologist Justin Glisan says July wrapped up on Friday being much warmer and drier than normal. “Typically, we expect the temperature to be around 74 degrees, the average temperature for the state, and it’s looking like anywhere from two to three degrees above average, depending on where you are in the state,” Glisan says. “In terms of precipitation, the story of the month is drought conditions creeping into western Iowa.”

The latest surveys show more than half of Iowa is either in drought already or has very dry conditions, with the worst areas being in western Iowa and moving eastward. “Typically, we expect four-and-a-half inches of rainfall across the state and there are parts of the state that only received 25% of what they normally would get in July,” Glisan says. “There are pockets in west-central Iowa that are anywhere from three to four inches below average.” Coming out of the hotter, drier July, Glisan says August promises to be a cooler, wetter month. “That would be an absolute gift for our drought region. We have 22 counties that are currently in D-2 drought, which is severe drought,” Glisan says. “Cooler temperatures and more rainfall would help mitigate any kind of crop stress that we’re seeing out there but it would also help improve the drought conditions that we’re seeing.”

High temperatures for the week ahead are expected to be in the 70s and low 80s with mostly dry conditions in the forecast.

(Radio Iowa) – Three free, virtual workshops are planned over four days this week that are designed to connect beginning farmers with experienced farmers and landowners who are working toward farm succession. Sally Worley, executive director of Practical Farmers of Iowa, says this is the group’s third annual Next Generation Summit. “There are a lot of aspiring farmers out there but land is one of their biggest barriers,” Worley says. “At the same time, there are a lot of people retiring from farming who are trying to figure out what to do to leave a legacy for their land that matches their goals. This series of workshops is trying to get at both of those things.”

Farming is often billed as being one of the nation’s most difficult and dangerous jobs, yet many young people continue gravitating toward agriculture as a career. “Farming isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s a lot of hard work, physically and mentally,” Worley says, “but farming is such a fulfilling career for people who are able to provide food to their communities and to care for the land.”

The first day of workshops is for farmland owners who are considering a transition, while the second day targets aspiring and beginning farmers to help them set goals, determine their farming purpose, and plan ways to acquire farmland. “A lot of people are seeking that kind of vocation,” Worley says. “It comes with a lot of challenges but it’s also not just a day job. It’s a passion for many people.”‘ The final workshop will zero in on networking opportunities to match up aspiring farmers and landowners. Worley says the aim is to connect all the generations that make farming possible and support those from the next generation. “This is our third year of doing this, but because of restrictions on in-person gatherings, we are doing this virtually, which brings with it some new opportunities including being able to bring in a speaker from Oregon,” Worley says. “We are super-excited about that and we have a lot of good, engaging things planned for these three days of workshops.”

The free workshops will be held Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Pre-registration is required. Sign up here: practicalfarmers.org/next-generation-summit

(Radio Iowa) – A study of drinking water systems shows communities in Iowa and four other Midwestern states have legal but potentially worrying levels of nitrates. The Environmental Working Group found nitrate levels in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma are trending up. Report author Anne Schechinger says spikes can occur after heavy rains and she found nitrate problems are more frequent in smaller communities.

“Small systems are more likely to be rural and they’re more likely to be ground-water systems,” Schechinger says, “and a third point, these smaller systems are way less likely to have nitrate removal treatment systems.” Schechinger says proximity to farm fields is also a factor. The report analyzed water data from ten states and praised Hastings, Nebraska, for building a system that removes nitrates before they enter the drinking water supply. Hastings’ environmental director Marty Stange says the innovative system is working well.

“We’ve actually seen it clean up that area that we’re getting our water from,” Stange says. “It’s actually cleaned up slightly faster than what we anticipated.” Stange says preventing nitrates from getting to the water is far cheaper than building a system to remove the pollutant once it’s there. Elevated nitrate levels can cause blue baby syndrome and more recently have been associated with upticks in colorectal cancer and certain birth defects.

(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)