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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
(Radio Iowa) — Iowans who are buzzing with enthusiasm for boosting the pollinator population ought to take part in the second annual Backyard Bumble Bee Count, starting Friday. Jill Utrup, a biologist with the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service, says even if you can only spare a few minutes and manage to spot a couple of bees, it will be worthwhile to log in and join the cause. “The purpose of the Backyard Bumble Bee Count is really to enlist the help of folks who are interested to help document bumble bee occurrence and overall abundance,” Utrup says. “We’re looking at this as kind of an outreach tool for the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee but this project really helps us learn about all different species.”
You’ll need to get close enough to the bees to take a few pictures over the course of the nine-day count. It’s a valid concern to be cautious about getting stung, and Utrup assures, if you approach slowly and carefully, you should be fine. “Bumble bees are quite docile and what you’ll notice is, if you do get a little bit closer to them, you’ll notice they want nothing to do with us,” Utrup says. “They’re very different from wasps and hornets. When they are focused in on nectaring, they’re not paying attention to us at all.”
The dates of the count run from July 24th through August 2nd, during which you’re asked to count the number of bees and species you see, while documenting the time you’ve spent observing and where. “These surveys can be just a few minutes, if you happen to find just a couple of bumble bees in your front yard, or they can be a more structured survey,” Utrup says. “If you happen to be in a park for a good half an hour or something like that, we actually have survey sheets you can print out to help you structure your survey a little bit more.”
Register for the count through the i-Naturalist website. (https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/backyard-bumble-bee-count)
(Radio Iowa) – A 65-year-old man died in a grain bin accident east of Le Mars around 10 this (Tuesday) morning. Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies confirmed the individual had safety measures in place, but was still pulled into the corn when the crust had broke. 
The body of the victim was recovered about an hour after rescuers arrived as they needed to empty the corn that was being stored in the grain bin to assist with the recovery efforts.
The name of the victim is not being released at this time pending family notifications.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has recently confirmed that zebra mussels are in Lake Manawa. A homeowner on Lake Manawa reported finding zebra mussels on rip-rap along his shoreline. Investigation by DNR staff discovered low numbers of zebra mussels around the lake. DNR staff will conduct additional surveys at Lake Manawa this fall and next summer to monitor the abundance and distribution of zebra mussels. The documentation of zebra mussels in another lake highlights the spread of aquatic invasive species in Iowa waters.
Kim Bogenschutz, DNR Aquatic Invasive Species Program coordinator, says “The zebra mussels in Lake Manawa probably arrived on or in a boat that had picked up the mussels from an infested water body, like the nearby Missouri River.” Zebra mussels look like small, D-shaped clams that have alternating light and dark bands. Most are less than one inch long. They are filter feeders that can form dense clusters as they attach to hard underwater surfaces. Large infestations may interfere with aquatic food chains, kill native mussels, clog water intakes, increase algae blooms, and cover beaches with dead shells. Currently there is no effective treatment to control zebra mussels once they have infested a lake.
Young zebra mussels are microscopic and can be unintentionally transported with water in live wells, bilges, ballast or bait buckets. Adult zebra mussels can attach to boats, trailers and aquatic vegetation. It is illegal to possess or transport prohibited aquatic invasive species, such as zebra mussels, in Iowa. Boaters must also drain all water from boats and equipment before they leave a water access and must keep drain plugs removed or opened during transport.
Bogenschutz says “Boaters and anglers can unintentionally spread zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species if they do not take the proper precautions to clean, drain, and dry after each time out on the water.”
“Draining all water is a critical step in preventing the spread of zebra mussels,” reminds Bogenschutz. Find more information about aquatic invasive species and a list of infested waters in the 2020 Iowa Fishing Regulations booklet or on the DNR’s website at www.iowadnr.gov/ais
(Radio Iowa) – The U-S-D-A is seeking public comment on changes it claims will make it easier for rural communities to get loans for major projects. Four loan guarantee programs reassure banks they’ll be repaid when towns borrow for infrastructure. Johnathan Hladik, at the Center for Rural Affairs, says more banks might be willing to work with rural communities under the plan, but he says rural leaders should review it with a skeptical eye. “There’s every reason to think that this was something that was developed with banks in mind,” Hladik says. “So just to be sure, it’s going to be important for us to read that fine print and to make sure it’s a positive for those communities.”
The proposal would streamline the process and is intended to reduce red-tape, according to a U-S-D-A statement. That could entice more banks to participate. Hladik says the change might make things easier for towns, or it might make more money for large banks. He has a recommendation for community leaders considering the loan guarantee programs. “Take a look at what these regulations look like and what those restrictions look like because this cannot be something that is good for banks only, it’s got to be good for the community,” Hladik says.
Done right, he says, it could achieve the USDA’s stated goal of encouraging private investment in rural communities for efforts like rural water, waste water, energy and community-building projects. The public comment period goes through mid-September and the rule is slated to take effect October 1st.
(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa egg producers who euthanized hens as a result of plummeting demand caused by the coronavirus will be eligible for payments to cover the cost of disposal.The Iowa Disposal Assistance Program has been paying pork producers $40 for each market-ready hog they have been forced to euthanize as a result of supply chain disruptions.
Thousands of hogs were killed as processing plants slowed production in April and May due to coronavirus outbreaks. On Monday (today), the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said the program would be expanded to benefit egg producers who have been forced to reduce the size of their flocks.
(Radio Iowa) – The extreme heat of July is starting to stress some of Iowa’s corn and soybean crops, as conditions vary across the state. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz says much of the corn crop in western Iowa is having a difficult time. “Even the rain we get now is probably not going to help that a whole lot, just because it’s been so dry there for so long,” Rieck-Hinz says. “The rest of Iowa, like northeast Iowa, is fairly wet. I don’t anticipate seeing any yield loss potential on that, simply from the standpoint that they’ve had adequate rain.”
The condition of Iowa’s soybean fields is wide ranging as well. “South-central Iowa, west-central Iowa, southwestern Iowa, those beans look stressed,” she says. “You get anywhere else in north-central Iowa and going into northeast Iowa, the beans look really good. Almost to R-3 in almost all of the bean fields, which means we’re at beginning pods.” This past weekend brought Iowa some of the most oppressive heat of the year, with heat indices statewide in triple digits, so soybeans are becoming more and more stressed.
“We’re really pushing that crop this year with this heat,” Rieck-Hinz says. “I think the big challenge we’re going to look at going forward in time with beans is, we’ll see whether we get a pest outbreak or not.” Rieck-Hinz is based at the Wright County Extension Office in Clarion.
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