(Radio Iowa) — The U-S-D-A recently approved the state’s plan for hemp production sand producers can now start applying for a hemp license. Robin Pruisner is overseeing the plan for the state Ag Department and says a public hearing Wednesday is the final step. “We have one more public hearing on this latest set of rules, and then they should go into effect April 8th without any more hiccups,” Pruisner says.  The public hearing is set for 9-10 a-m central time via teleconference. You can participate by calling 866-685-1580 and entering code 0009990941#. Pruisner says the U-S-D-A approved the plan pretty much as presented.  “There were some minor changes — I would call it wording changes — and they wanted us to carry over a few sentences that were actually in the statute and they also wanted them in the rules,” Pruisner says. “So those were our biggest changes. I think for someone looking at hemp, they are not going to see any major here that impacts them as they move forward with their plans.”

She says all the information to apply for a hemp license is online. “There will be an application form that can be downloaded from our website and they’ll need to fill that out. And then the key personnel and anybody with five percent or more legal or equitable interest will need to submit their official fingerprints to us — so that we can do the F-B-I background check that is required,” Pruisner explains.  Governor Kim Reynolds signed the hemp bill into law around one year ago — and it has been touted as an alternative crop for Iowa farmers. Pruisner says a lot has changed in the time the rules have been developed since the bill was signed into law. “Nothing is ever simple I think this world, and there’s a lot of I don’t know if you call them urban myths or rural myths out there about the enormous amount of money that can be made growing hemp,” according to Pruisner. “And maybe that might have had a little tinge of truth to it a couple of years ago when not many people were growing it.”

But she says you really need to review the market before moving forward. “I think anybody who is considering getting into this business needs to take a hard look at some of the price reports and stock reports that are available out there. My number one piece of advice is that no one should plant hemp unless you already have a contract to sell it — because of the oversupply that has reared up here in the last year,” Pruisner says. She says she had a lot of calls when the bill was first signed into law, and still gets calls from people interested in growing hemp. But, she isn’t sure how many people will be willing to jump into the hemp market.  “It’s too early to tell. And for several months I’ve answered that question the exact same way. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be more than three licenses — but less than three thousand,” Pruisner says.

Detailed instructions on how to apply for a hemp license are available at iowaagriculture.gov/hemp. This commercial hemp production program does not legalize the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for human consumption, extraction or processing in Iowa.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoege say Healthy Cass County encourages farmers and gardeners to grow a little more food this year. “Grow Another Row, Cass County!” is a campaign to encourage residents to grow and share more food in 2020. The campaign is launching now to address food challenges created by COVID-19, as more people are finding themselves needing a little extra help keeping food on the table.

Master Gardner, and host of KJAN’s “Backyard and Beyond” program, LaVon Eblen, says “These are scary times, but we have a strong tradition of offering help in emergencies.” The time is now. Farm-to-school supporter Sue Riggs says “As farmers and gardeners are beginning to plant, now is a perfect time to plant more to share.”

Healthy Cass County is identifying food donation sites across the county, and plans to offer
sites in Atlantic, Griswold, Anita, and Cumberland. The group will distribute the donated
produce across the county. Riggs says “We want everyone in Cass County to have access to local produce this summer,” comments Riggs.

For more information on the program and to register for the newsletter, visit
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/content/grow-another-row-cass-county. Healthy Cass County is a community-focused volunteer network formed to promote the health and well-being of Cass County residents. Follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty (https://www.facebook.com/HealthyCassCounty/). Reach out to Cass
County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or call 712-249-5870
more information.

The Cass County Conservation Board invites you to “Bust the boredom,” with their digital treasure hunt. Since our parks are our treasures, the CCCB would love for you to visit them. Follow the clues (Listed below), and take a picture. Two special clues involve using a GPS. Prizes will be awarded, but you will have to wait until May for the prize announcement!

Treasure Hunt Rules:

1. All photos must include at least one member of the family or person. Self-portraits are allowed as long as we can verify your location by the picture.

2. Photos shall be submitted through the following email: lkanning@casscoia.us

3. Entrant will only receive an email back if their submission was Incorrect.

4. One entry per family.

5. Deadline for submission is April 30th 2020 at 4:30 PM CST. Winners will be drawn and announced on May 20th 2020.

6. The CCCB reserves the right to display winners’ photos and other contest images.

7. Board members, staff and their families are ineligible for the drawing.

Prizes: all correct submissions will be entered into one drawing. There will be 3 additional drawings one for each of the correct GPS clues, and one for correct pictures for ALL of the picture clues.

Clues:

1. Get ready to Standup paddleboard! Take your picture where we start our standup paddleboard demonstrations.

2. Travel to this park on a “dry” day and take your picture with the park entrance sign!

3. Enjoy our “newest” Cass County park, take your picture near the “newest” wetland, try not to get too muddy.

4. Named after a pioneer town that had a saw mill and a hotel. Take your picture with the park entrance sign.

Get out your GPS unit for these special prizes:

Go to these coordinates (N 41˚ 18.200 W 095˚ 06.195) and leave your full name in the log to qualify for a special prize!

Go to these coordinates (N 41˚ 25.724 W 094˚ 58.955) and find a wildflower or tree sign. Email the correct name from the sign to the email above to qualify.

Reminder the deadline for submission is April 30th 2020 at 4:30 PM CST. Winners will be drawn and announced on May 20th 2020.

(Radio Iowa) — The World Pork Expo, an event that typically brings 20-thousand people from around the world to central Iowa, is among the latest casualties to coronavirus. Jen Sorenson of Ankeny, president-elect of the National Pork Producers Council board of directors, says the big gathering that was slated for June in Des Moines is being called off due to the pandemic. “We are deeply disappointed that we have to cancel this year’s expo,” Sorenson says. “It was a tough decision by the NPPC board of directors but it was, obviously, the right thing to do in the face of COVID-19.”

It marks two years in a row the expo has been thwarted by disease. The June 2019 edition was cancelled because of fears about African Swine Flu. She says producers will miss the event, but hopefully, it’ll be back in 2021. “Pork Expo is the time to come together, network, get business done, socialize, share ideas, look at the new technology and innovation that’s coming into the industry,” Sorenson says. “For us, as pork producers, it’s business as usual. We’re taking care of our animals on our farms and that’s our big priority right now.”

When it comes to staying ahead of the curve on health issues, Sorenson says pork producers remain proactive, adding, they were practicing social distancing “before it was cool.”  “With our practices to protect our herds when it comes to biosecurity, when it comes to showering in and out of our farms, using that hand sanitizer, disinfecting supplies that come into the farm,” she says, “just a whole gamut of things that we do to protect our herds.”

America’s pork producers take their jobs seriously in being an essential service, Sorenson says, helping keep the food supply chain moving and in good shape.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen reports (tongue-in-cheek) that Sunnyside Park has been “Egged!”  On April 11th, he says, the Atlantic Parks & Rec Dept. will hold an egg display/egg find, from 9-a.m. until Noon.  You will stay in your vehicle and travel through the roads in Sunnyside Park to look for large, decorated eggs along the road. The route begins at the 14th Street entrance to the park.

Along the way, take note of your favorite egg, which will be voted on. Also, there are smaller eggs hidden along the route. If you find the golden egg(s), remember what is on it/them, because there could be something special at the end.

Rasmussen and the Parks Department hope you will come out April 11th from 9-a.m. until Noon, and see all the beautiful eggs. But remember to follow the CDC rules with regard to social distancing and respecting everyone else, by staying in your vehicle during the entire trip through the park.

Officials with the Atlantic FFA Chapter report the Iowa winner in the area of Equine Science Entrepreneurship for 2020, is Taylor McCreedy with the Atlantic FFA. McCreedy’s SAE Project is her horse training business. Taylor has been showing horses competitively at a high level for many years, and began to train her own horses independently two years ago after working with different trainers. She has developed her own methods of teaching both people and horses, and wants to continue to focus on mastering her training methods for future career development. Taylors goals are to raise and train quality show horses in multiple disciplines and work with people to improve their success with their horses in the show pen.

Taylor plans to focus on working with her horses to better improve their performance, and has advanced to working with young horses to learn to break and train them from the ground up. McCreedy said, “I prioritize the importance of nutrition, different dietary needs for different stages of training, supplements, and general health as the horses age.” Taylor plans to continue to work with a training barn to further develop her skills, while helping riders by assisting with a youth camp over the summer. Taylor plans on continuing to develop her business, “This year I have expanded to include boarding, and I am responsible for the daily care of all the animals in my barn. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to work with young people, to work with younger horses, to provide board and care for horses, and to continue learning by riding other horses”. McCreedy said.

100% of FFA members have proficiencies as part of the agricultural program and the FFA. The proficiencies range in the areas of Agricultural Communications to Home and/or Community Development and from Diversified Agricultural Production to Swine Production. Proficiency Award winners have excelled in their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE) Programs. These awards encourage members to develop specialized skills that will apply toward a future career. State winners will advance to the National FFA competition where they will compete against winners from the other State FFA Associations. The Iowa FFA Proficiency Awards program is possible with support from the many partners of the Iowa FFA Foundation. The specific partner for each area is identified in our summary of results.

(Story and photo’s submitted by the Atlantic FFA Chapter)

The Cass County Conservation Board, at their last meeting on Thursday, determined that the campground including the playground at Cold Springs, and all restroom facilities throughout the county parks system will remain closed until further notice. The campground at Cold Springs park only has one community water source as well as one payment box/self-check-in location, and dump station.

Those community areas were of concern to the Conservation Board as a place where everyone would be using them if the campground was opened. All other parts of the Cass County Conservation Board system are open to public use and you are encouraged to use them at this time, while still following guidelines for social distancing.

If you have any questions please call the Cass County Conservation office at 712-769-2372.

The Guthrie County ISU Extension & Outreach office says they’ve made the decision to close theirdoors to the public due to the current COVID-19 situation. The decision was made under guidance from ISU and discussion with some council members for the best way to protect staff and clients during this time. This means the doors will remain locked during normal business hours Monday-thru Friday, but staff will still be in the office working. They will be available to answer your questions and assist, you by phone and email. You can contact the office at 641-747-2276 or via email at xGuthrie@iastate.edu.

All Guthrie County ISU Extension programs have been canceled or postponed until May 9th, 2020. If anything changes please look to their social media and website for more information. Officials said also, “Over the past few weeks, we have been bombarded with information about preparing for and protecting ourselves from being infected with COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus. If this has caused you to feel overwhelmed, there are resources available to help:

Iowa Concern, offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, provides confidential access to stress counselors and an attorney for legal education, as well as information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. With a toll-free phone number, live chat capabilities and a website, Iowa Concern services are available 24 hours a day, seven days per week at no charge. To reach Iowa Concern, call 800-447-1985; language interpretation services are available. Or, visit the website, https://www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/, to live chat with a stress counselor one-on-one in a secure environment. Or email an expert regarding legal, finance, stress, or crisis and disaster issues.

211 is a free, comprehensive information and referral line linking Iowa residents to health and human service programs, community services, disaster services and governmental programs. This service is collaborating with the Iowa Department of Public Health to provide confidential assistance, stress counseling, education and referral services related to COVID-19 concerns.

The Disaster Distress Helpline provides crisis counseling and support for anyone in the U.S. experiencing distress or other behavioral health concerns related to any natural or human-caused crisis. Calls (1-800-985-5990) and texts (text “TalkWithUs” to 66746) are answered by network crisis centers, who provide psychological first aid, crisis assessment and intervention, and referrals to local behavioral health services for follow-up care and support.”

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (Telegraph Herald) — An agency wants to fine an eastern Iowa animal food operation for workplace safety violations, saying it has exposed employees to risks that include long falls. The Telegraph Herald reports that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants to impose fines of more than $74,000 on Devenish Nutrition. The company is based in Fairmont, Minnesota, and has a feed mill in Maquoketa. Company officials have declined to comment.

Inspectors said after a Dec. 2-3 check that they found a lack of proper protection from falls along the Maquoketa building’s catwalk. Inspectors also say employees were exposed to explosive dust hazards.

(Radio Iowa) — The outlook for spring planting in Iowa is much improved over last year thanks to less rain and snow during the past winter. Iowa State University Extension field agronomist Joel DeJong, based in Le Mars, says at this time a year ago, farmers in many parts of the state were already dealing with significant challenges. “Last year, we were just getting rid of snow cover and it came with a massive quantity of other water and, of course, all the low-land flooding,” DeJong says. “At this time last year, the flooding was just starting. Our soil moisture is still full. We kind of almost had a wintertime drought so the amount of precipitation we’ve had in this region hasn’t been excessive. We’ve got some surface drying.”

With the soil already saturated, DeJong says there is no room for any additional — or even normal — spring rain. “Top five feet around here will hold about 10 to 11 inches of water,” DeJong says. “Our history is, on November 1st, we could have numbers that are 6 to 8 is normal. I didn’t even pull samples this fall because the math said we were at 11. That’s the gap that we can typically absorb and hold some water in the spring and we don’t have that space this year.”

The 90-day outlook from the National Weather Service calls for above-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation. DeJong says heavy rain could quickly change the planting outlook. “When you get this much water in the system, it’s hard for me to think that we’re going to be drier-than-normal in the spring,” DeJong says. “My best advice is to make sure everything is ready to go and when we have opportunities, we’re in the field and we’re not waiting to fix equipment we could’ve had done before that window came open.”

DeJong says most farmers got fall fertilizer on their fields but not much tillage was done, so that narrows the spring planting window even more.