(Radio Iowa) — With spring flood damage approaching three-billion dollars in Iowa and Nebraska combined, concerns are growing that waterways will again rise beyond their banks with even moderate rainshowers. Iowa State University Extension agronomist Joel DeJong says the soil remains saturated across much of the state and spring planting will certainly be delayed for many growers.
“We’ve got areas where the water seems to just not drain very well,” DeJong says. “Our soil moisture profile is just full right now so any rain we get this spring, a high percentage of it is going to run off, so we have that continued threat as we move forward. And as we get runoff from snowmelt up north, if the reports are accurate, I think we have continued threats.”

Not only is the soil too water-logged to plant, but DeJong says there are many areas where the rich topsoil has been carried away by flooding.  “The issue I have concerns about is soil erosion in areas where we had runoff, and secondly, the areas that had flooding. How long before we get dry enough to get back there?” DeJong says. “All acres are probably at risk of being a little late for planting this year but if you’re near a river where you got really saturated, it’s going to be a really long waiting game before we get a good shot at it.”

Even if the waters have receded and the soil might soon be suitable for planting, DeJong says farmers are facing other obstacles, like all the trash, sand, rocks and trees deposited by the high water. “We’ve all seen the pictures of all the flooding and how wide those rivers have been and how long they’ve been there and it’s just amazing the power that comes with it and what it takes with it,” DeJong says. “Of course, the residue is all gone from those acres and then you’ve got stuff that’s deposited on top of it. I’m sure they’re going to have sand deposits and everything else you’ve got to clean up and level out.”

DeJong advises producers not to get too concerned over the wet weather as conditions can change quickly. He says it’s a good idea to get everything ready to go for planting, so it can get done quickly when things do dry out.

(IA DNR, Des Moines) — Iowa’s youth only turkey hunting season begins April 5 for residents age 15 and younger at the time when they purchased their youth turkey license. This season is set aside to allow youths to hunt under direct guidance of an adult mentor, age 18 and older. Over the past four years, an average of 5,500 youth participated in the season. The focus of the youth season is to provide opportunities to teach skills necessary to become a confident turkey hunter.

Ideally, the experience would begin before the season where the mentor and the youth will scout the area they plan to hunt, identify roosting trees or which fields the birds are using, together, secure permission if hunting private land, and pattern the gun so the youth understands the limits of the gun and shot. It’s also a good idea for the youth and mentor to start practicing calling so when the season begins their confidence won’t be shaken.

The one-on-one relationship with the mentor has produced a higher rate of harvest than during the other spring turkey seasons 27 vs 23 percent. An unfilled youth season tag continues to be valid until filled during any of the remaining spring turkey seasons. This allows for a potential 38 day season that other hunters do not have. The key is for the youth tag to be purchased before the youth season closes because once the season is over this option is no longer available. The season ends April 7.

Mentors must have a valid turkey hunting license for one of the spring turkey seasons and may not carry a bow or firearm while participating as a mentor. Successful hunters are required to report their harvest by midnight of the day after it is tagged and be prepared to answer a few simple questions (county of harvest and spur length.) The easiest way to report is to log on to www.iowadnr.gov. Other ways to report are by calling the phone number listed on the tag or by going through a license vendor. Be sure to write the harvest registration number on the harvest report tag.  This allows the Iowa DNR to monitor annual harvest across the state.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources say campers anxious to reserve spots for the Fourth of July weekend should mark  April 4 on their calendars, when reservations for that day open. Campers can make reservations for sites three months ahead of their first night’s stay. For those planning in advance, 75 percent of electric and nonelectric sites are reservable, with the remaining sites open for walk-up camping that week.

Information on Iowa’s state parks is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/stateparks including the link to reservations. Campers can also log on directly to http://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com and enter their preferred dates and/or parks to make a reservation.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is warning that flood concerns are rising in northwest and north central Iowa. “This is not just a southwest Iowa situation,” Naig said. “It’s bad there, but folks need to be preparing and try to take precautions.” Until the waters recede, it’s hard to assess the condition of cropland. It’s likely sand will be left behind in many places, along with other debris. “That can really impact folks for longer than one growing season,” Naig said.

Another hurdle for the looming 2019 spring planting season is large farm equipment cannot travel on rural gravel roads that are in such soggy shape. “Be hopeful that drier conditions will prevail and we’ll end up with a largely normal spring planting season over most of the state,” Naig says, “but hard to imagine that those folks impacted by flooding today are going to have anything close to a normal growing season.”

Naig is advising farmers in the current flood zone to contact their local U-S-D-A service center to talk through what federal assistance or loans may be available. “Everybody’s situation is just a little bit different,” Naig said. “How you’ve marketed your grain, what your insurance coverage is and so it’s hard to say with a broad brush just how every individual producer would be impacted.”

Crop insurance does not cover the grain once it’s been harvested. Some farmers who have an “umbrella” policy to cover all sorts of losses might be able to make a claim for spoiled grain in storage. Grain bins have been damaged by the flooding, plus corn or soybeans inside a bin that’s been swamped may be swelling and cause more damage to the structure.

(Radio Iowa) — Farmers with flood damage to their land will want to report to their local U-S-D-A’s Farm Service Agency office in order to qualify for some flood relief funds. Iowa F-S-A Chief Ag Specialist for Conservation and Compliance, Curt Goettsch says there is financial assistance available to farmers with flood damage under the Emergency Conservation Program. He says the plan is designed to take land that has been affected by flooding and return it to its pre-disaster condition.

Goettsch they have sections to handle shaping and grading of ground where waters may have cut a gully or ravine. There is also a cost-share program used to help repair fencing, and another to get rid of debris. “A lot of times when we have floodwaters that inundate crop land, what we end up with is a lot of debris that’s left behind. And producers have to get that off of that crop ground in order to return it back to productive land,” according to Goettsch. “And so, –we might have sand, trash, rocks, trees — all of that on that crop ground that needs to be removed.”

Goettsch estimates the total damage from this year’s spring flood may actually are as bad or worse than 2011. “I do know in 2011 we requested eleven-point-one million dollars for the counties there along the Missouri for that flood event in 2011,” he says. “It would appear that in some cases this event could exceed that request.” He says they won’t know exactly until all the information is in. He says some counties might not need as much money as they did in 2011 — but some may need a lot more.

No deadline has yet been set as to when farmers need to report flood damage, but Goettsch says you should visit with your local F-S-A office as soon as possible. Goettsch suggests you bring along photographs, or other documentation showing the extent of damage on your land caused by the floods.

Interim Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen reports the walking trails ARE OPEN at the Schildberg Recreation Area, but they are asking that you use the WEST parking lot only! The east parking lot will remain CLOSED as well as N. Chestnut St. and Iowa Avenue. Rasmussen says you should use caution when walking on the connected trail from Olive Street west to the Schildberg Rec Area, as mud from the flooding left on the trails can be extremely slick.

In addition, Rasmussen reports the gates to Sunnyside Park will open by 4-p.m. today (Monday), but use great caution as you drive through the park, due to gravel and debris on the streets. Please be alert for walkers, joggers, disc golfers and children playing. The tennis courts are open and ready to use by the public for tennis, only. The restrooms in the parks will not be open until a later date, due to the risk of freezing temperatures at night, and frozen pipes.

Rasmussen and the Parks Board ask you to enjoy Atlantic’s parks, but please respect the properties, as they are for everyone to use and enjoy.

(Radio Iowa) — A farm organization based in North Dakota is offering help to the many farmers and ranchers who were hit by the recent flooding. Farm Rescue plans to activate “Operation Hay Lift” for the second time — the first time was during a drought. Farm Rescue is a non-profit organization that provides planting, haying, harvesting and livestock feeding assistance free of charge to farm and ranch families who have experienced a major illness, injury, or natural disaster. Communications Director Dan Erdmann says farmers and ranchers have their cattle herds stranded because of the flooding.

“We’re still feeling things out, and seeing what the reaction is going to be and what the need is going to be. We’re going to be hauling hay down to those ranchers, so, the big thing right now is we’re looking for hay donations to be able to haul that down to the ranchers affected by the…by the flood waters,” Erdmann says. He says they could use some drivers too.

“We’re also looking for C-D-L volunteers to be able to haul that. We’re hoping to have a couple of trucks on the road in the coming weeks here to basically to haul continuously. That need is there, and it is a very immediate need. And also we’re looking for monetary donations to help support that cause.” Erdmann says Farm Rescue hopes to establish several drop off locations. He says applications are now being accepted from farmers and ranchers in need of the donated hay. Erdmann says for farmers and ranchers, or livestock yards wanting to make donations of hay need to contact Farm Rescue.

“If you’re looking to join on as a volunteer, provide donations, or actually apply for assistance, you can go to our website, its just Farm Rescue-dot-org. Everything you need is right there. But, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call. Again, 701- 252-2017,” he says. Farm Rescue’s first hay lift came in 2017 for those farmers and ranchers in South Dakota and North Dakota suffering from a drought. He says the organization had a successful event, hauling 275 semi trailer loads of hay to more than 154 farmers and ranchers. Erdmann says Farm Rescue hopes to have similar success with this hay lift.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of rural bankers in parts of 10 Plains and Western states shows bankers are losing confidence in the future of the region’s farm economy in the wake of falling farm income and rising floodwaters. The Rural Mainstreet survey for March shows the survey’s confidence index dropping to 45.7 from February’s 48.5. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy in the months ahead, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says March floods, tariffs, trade tensions and anemic farm income “negatively influenced the economic outlook of bank CEOs.” The survey shows more than half of supply managers reported negative economic impacts from flooding. The overall index expanded to 52.9 from 50.2 in February.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Recent floodwaters have significantly affected two Pottawattamie County Conservation Board (PCCB) parks. The Board reports Narrows River Park in Council Bluffs was affected by Missouri River floodwaters and Botna Bend Park was affected by West Nishnabotna River floodwaters. Other PCCB parks were largely unaffected.

As a result of flooding, Narrows River Park in Council Bluffs was entirely inundated with floodwater and will remain so until Missouri River levels sufficiently recede. As the park is still inundated, damage assessments are pending but the park is not expected to open for the season until cleanup efforts have been completed, likely in late-April or early-May. Snow pack in the Missouri River watershed is still high in some areas and may result in additional high-water events in the coming months requiring the park to stay closed beyond the early-May timeframe. Accordingly, and in the interest of public safety and uninhibited restoration efforts, Narrows River Park will remain closed to the public until restoration efforts are completed and water levels allow for safe visitation by the public. Park staff appreciates your understanding & support. For more information please check www.pottcoconservation.com or find Narrows River Park on Facebook at www.facebook.com/narrowsriverpark.

Although floodwaters have receded in Botna Bend Park at this time, flooding at the park was extensive. Park staff acted quickly and prior to flooding in the park, the park’s bison and elk herds were moved to higher ground within their pens. However, the floodwater’s swift velocity downed portions of the fences containing the herds and animals were able to leave park boundaries. At this time, all bison are accounted for and park staff is able to account for all but two members of the elk herd. Unfortunately, two bison are known to be deceased and the condition of the two unaccounted for elk is unknown. All penned animals are safe and healthy, and are currently being held in temporary pens until permanent fencing in the park can be repaired. Damage to park structures and roadways was also sustained. Accordingly, and in the interest of public safety and uninhibited restoration efforts, Botna Bend Park will remain closed to the public until restoration efforts allow for safe visitation by the public. Park staff appreciates your understanding & support. For more information please check www.pottcoconservation.com or find Botna Bend Park on Facebook at www.facebook.com/botnabend.

How Can  You Help? At Narrows River Park: Volunteers may be needed to assist with cleanup efforts once the risk of flooding subsides and damages can be assessed. Once damages are evaluated we may be in need of volunteer help with cleanup and repairs. Watch the Narrows River Park Facebook page and the PCCB website for details & volunteer information.
At Botna Bend Park: During the flooding, much of the animals’ stored hay was washed away or damaged by floodwaters; as a result hay for feeding is desperately needed. If you have an interest in donating or selling hay, or donating funds to purchase hay, please contact Botna Bend Park Ranger Jon Fenner (402-504-0471) or message the park directly through Facebook. Additionally, volunteers may be needed to assist with cleanup efforts once damage and safety is assessed. Watch the Botna Bend Park Facebook page and the PCCB website for details & volunteer information. Visit

w/Beth Kujala.

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