• KJAN, Atlantic  .18″
• Massena  1.07″
• Anita  .41″
• Bridgewater  1.6″
• Villisca  .1″
• Corning  .24″
• Oakland  .2″
• Creston  .93″
• Red Oak  .13″

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Farm Bureau is hosting an economic summit on Friday in Des Moines under the heading, “Managing Through Challenging Times.” Iowa Farm Bureau president Craig Hill says it’s been a tough couple of years for farmers and ranchers and this event will offer them help on several fronts. “We’ll bring in some experts and folks that have knowledge and wisdom about forecasting and what’s going to be happening in the future,” Hill says. “We’ll deal with macroeconomic issues as well as farm lending and what farmers’ balance sheets and current positions look like as well as going forward with trade.”

Hill says summit attendees will be able to learn more about how the Farm Bill is being implemented. “The Farm Service Agency director from Washington D.C. will be joining us to give us some insight there,” Hill says. “There’s just a whole host of people that have knowledge and beyond, talking about technology, too, and how we manage in a changing world, in a challenging world, with technology.”

A delegation of Iowa farmers recently visited one of the countries at the center of trade disputes with the Trump Administration. Hill says, “We had a market study tour to China and the insight they gained and the experiences they had while traveling in China and learning about their agriculture and their needs going forward and the trade discussion is going to be very interesting to hear.”

He says it’s also a chance to share information about new revenue opportunities stemming from hemp, crop insurance, and blockchain technology. Registrations for the summit are still being accepted at the website: www.iowafarmbureau.com.

CRYSTAL LAKE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says zebra mussels have been found in Crystal Lake in north-central Iowa. The invasive species are native to eastern Europe and are voracious eaters that gobble up plankton many native freshwater fish need to survive. The mussels can attach themselves to boat motors, bait buckets and dam mechanisms and cause damage to motors and facilities.

The Iowa department says juvenile versions of the small black and white species were discovered in a recent water sample. No adult zebra mussels were found in a follow-up survey. Officials say the mussels probably arrived on or in a boat that had been in an infested water body, such as nearby Clear Lake.

Boaters are urged to clean, drain and dry watercraft to prevent the spread.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa State Fair is a little more than one month away and administrators are now looking for people to fill paid and volunteer positions. Spokesperson Mindy Williamson says there are lots of opportunities in both areas. “We have about 16-hundred employees who come help us during the fair — and even more volunteers. So, we are looking to fill some of those employment opportunities and also our volunteers,” Williamson says.

Volunteers do a variety of things, from working at the “Little Hands on the Farm” exhibit, selling souvenirs for the Blue Ribbon Foundation, and getting everyone on the right track at the information booths. “So, if you love the fair or you know a lot about the fair, this is a perfect spot for you to come,” Williamson says. “And our volunteer program this year celebrates 25 years. So, we have some people some people in those information booths on our grounds who have been doing it for 25 years.”

You can go online to find out how to sign up. “There are individual contacts that they can reach out to — but the one place that you can go to to find all that information is on our website at Iowa-State-Fair-dot-org. You can go there and look up volunteer opportunities,” Williamson explains. You can also stop by the administration building and fill out an application. She says the benefits include free fair admission, work experience and meeting a lot of new people. “You’ll get to meet a ton of Iowans and people outside of Iowa,” according to Williamson, “and we couldn’t do it without our volunteers and were are so very thankful to the folks who do volunteer. And if you are looking to volunteer we want to welcome you to have the opportunity to come out here and have some fun and meet some great people.”

This year’s Iowa State Fair is August 8th through the 18th.

BELLEVUE, Iowa (AP) — Officials say low-flying planes will release a substance Wednesday in an effort to stop the spread of invasive gypsy moths in eastern Iowa’s Jackson County. The planes will release what agricultural officials say is a “mating disruptor” that’s made of food-grade materials and is not harmful to people, animals, birds, plants or other insects. The spraying is scheduled for more than 10,000 acres on Wednesday, west and northwest of Bellevue.

The gypsy moth has spread slowly west from Massachusetts since the 1870s. It’s an invasive species that can cause extensive deforestation as its larvae eat leaves, particularly oak leaves.
More information is available online or from the Iowa Gypsy Moth Hotline at 855-497-7966.

(Radio Iowa) — A farmer from west-central Iowa’s Greene County is taking the helm of the Iowa Soybean Association this fall but it comes with trepidation. Incoming president Tim Bardole (BAR-dole) of Rippey says these are very challenging times for soybean farmers. “It’s going to be a tough year,” Bardole says. “The association is funded from the Soybean Checkoff, a lot of it, and with the low prices, a tough planting season, there’s a lot of unknowns and a lot of budget issues.”

Many commodities have seen poor prices for several straight years and they’re slow to recover, while Bardole says recent tariffs and trade troubles have made matters worse. “We need worldwide free trade,” Bardole says. “The U.S. farmer, even in tough times, we’re very good at producing soybeans and all of the other agricultural products. The U.S. definitely feeds the world.” Bardole took a trip to China earlier this year and saw up-close how that country’s enormous numbers depend heavily on American growers. “I’ve been to Malaysia and the Philippines,” Bardole says. “The world very much depends on U.S. agriculture for the good of their population.”

While foreign travel helps Bardole learn to appreciate what challenges other nations face, he also sees how much they appreciate us. “We have a lot of responsibility to do what we do and to do it very well,” Bardole says. “When you go to these other countries and once they find that you’re a farmer from Iowa, the respect that you get is somewhat overwhelming.”

Bardole will take office in September. He comes from a farming family and his father was the president of the I-S-A in the late 1980s. The Ankeny-based Iowa Soybean Association has 11,000 members.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest crop report shows the corn is planted across the state and beans are not far behind. Just two percent of the corn planting remained going into last week and farmers are now looking for some good warm growing days. Ninety-six percent of the crop has emerged. That’s two weeks behind where we were last year at this time and 15 days behind the five-year average.

The report shows still about five percent of the soybeans still remain to be planted. Eighty-one percent of the beans that have been planted have emerged. That’s also two weeks behind last year. The corn condition improved slightly this week — with 62 percent rated good to excellent. Sixty-three percent of the beans rate in good to excellent condition — up from 61 percent last week.

AMES, Iowa – Produce growers who want to get their water tested can do so for free, thanks to an effort by the Produce Safety Team at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, which is providing five drop-off dates and locations across the state. The first local date is Tuesday, June 25th from 4-until 6-p.m., in Atlantic. Another local pickup is scheduled for July 23rd, in Atlantic.

Cups are available for pickup locally at the Cass County Extension Office, 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic, from 8-a.m. to 4:30-p.m., Monday-Friday. Drop them off at the Atlantic Farmers Market in the Orcheln Farm & Home parking lot from 4-until 6-p.m., on Tuesday, June 25th. Rural growers can get a head start on knowing what’s in their water, before regulations take effect. Some producers are required to have their water tested, depending on the size of operation and the source of water, in order to comply with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act. Others may wish to test their water as a precaution, in case there are any issues.

Since testing is limited in rural areas, Iowa State Extension and Outreach is sending test cups to county extension offices and farmers markets across the state. Producers should use one cup per water source, and can submit multiple cups if they have multiple water sources.

Producers must follow all collection directions, being sure to mark the time on each sterile cup, and delivering the cup to the drop-off location within three hours. Members of the On-Farm Produce Safety Team will receive the samples at the drop-off locations and return them to the ISU lab in Ames. Testing and results will be completed in about a week’s time.

Dan Fillius, food safety educator with ISU Extension and Outreach, says “This is important for rural growers because water testing is going to be required by the FSMA, and there are very few labs in the state that are performing the required test.”  Fillius said FDA has pushed back the compliance dates to 2022 and beyond, depending on the size and classification of each producer. However, he said testing makes sense now, so growers can be prepared and take appropriate actions to improve their water quality, if necessary.

Growers who use public and municipal water do not need to do this test. Growers do not need to belong to a farmer’s market to drop off samples, and growers from any county are welcome to use the service. The three-hour delivery of collected samples is critical. Additional, detailed information will be provided to growers when thy pick up the cups at the Extension Office.

For more information, visit the On-Farm Produce Safety Team online, or call 515-294-6773.

The Wallace Foundation and ISU Research and Demonstration Farms will hold a Field Day July 18th, from 9-a.m. until 1-p.m., at the ISU Research Farm near Lewis. The field day will feature the latest information on crop production and crop management practices.This is a free field day and is open to the public. CCA credits will apply to those in attendance.

This year’s program will begin with an informal gathering at 9:00 with Dr. Daniel Robison, ISU Dean of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Guest speakers will begin at 10:00. Dr. Erin Hodgson, Associate Professor, ISU Entomology, will discuss soybeans insects and soybean gall midge. Dr. Chad Hart, Associate Professor, Grain Markets Specialist, will give his best understanding of today’s markets and how to help incorporate them into your grain marketing plan. Dr. Lie Tang, Associate Professor Agricultural Engineering, will present on the Global status of robotic weeding. Free lunch will be served at 12:00. Weather permitting, a tour of a gall midge test plot will take place following lunch.

The ISU Armstrong Research Farm is located approximately 12 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, south on 525th Street, east on Hitchcock Avenue. For more information contact the Wallace Foundation at 712-769-2650 or raelynb@iastate.edu