CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports unseasonably warm weather is causing ice conditions to deteriorate across much of the state. Lakes with the best ice are north of Highway. 3. D-N-R Fisheries Bureau Chief, Joe Larscheid says you should use caution and test the ice thickness frequently if heading out and trust your instincts — if it doesn’t look right — don’t go out on the ice. He recommends you go with someone else and take some basic safety equipment. Larscheid says bring a floatable rope and ice picks. If you do fall through the ice, you can use the ice picks to climb out of the water.
He also recommends some kind of inflatable cushion that you sit on when you’re fishing on a bucket, and he says wearing a flotation coat or any kind of personal flotation device is always good. Larscheid says when the ice is thick and good for fishing it becomes the equalizer for those who don’t have a boat to use on the water to get to the best fishing holes. “When it’s ice covered, everybody can get to those sites,” Larscheid says. “On our website we have all the habitat features in lakes that are downloadable. So you can use your g-p-s unit, your can use your phone and actually go to those sites. And you are right on top of those those critical habitat areas that hold fish.”
Larscheid says ice fishing is a pretty inexpensive thing to do. “You just need something to punch a whole through the ice — a simple ice auger — and very simple fishing equipment, and if you go to our website you can find tips on how to be successful,” according to Larscheid. “And most people who go fishing love it — because you can catch a lot of fish in a very short time period — and it is a lot of fun.”
The state fishing license works for ice fishing on regular fishing and the limits are the same. Fishing licenses expire January 10th and you should check your license before heading out to be sure it isn’t expiring.
(Radio Iowa) — A federal researcher says farm runoff from the Mississippi River is a factor in damaging algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico. This year Florida saw one of its worst algae blooms on record, called a red tide. The massive event killed dolphins, sea turtles and thousands of fish, sending their carcasses onshore. Oceanographer Rick Stumpf, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, says Midwestern farm runoff contributes to red tides, flowing into the Mississippi and on to the Gulf. “Somewhat higher levels of nitrogen are found in the lower salinity water which follows with the Mississippi,” Stumpf says.
Added nitrogen in the Mississippi River can spark the blooms, but Stumpf says there are many other factors at play. “So that is another potential source,” he says. “It’s not the only source of nitrogen, I should emphasize that, but it is one.” The microscopic organisms thrive on nitrogen and Stumpf says nutrient runoff from farm fields in the Midwest is certainly contributing to the deadly blooms. “From one year to another, it might be a little more of factor if there’s a little stronger eastward transport,” he says. “So a huge part of this is going to be, what are the prevailing winds doing.”
Stumpf says other major factors in the algae blooms include runoff from Florida farms and wastewater facilities, as well as some naturally-occurring sources.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say thousands of individuals and businesses were victims of a large-scale scheme in which ordinary corn and soybeans were fraudulently marketed nationwide as “certified organic.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, said in a filing Wednesday that potentially “tens of thousands” were defrauded by Randy Constant and his associates into paying a premium for products that they didn’t want.
Constant, of Chillicothe, Missouri, and three others have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Constant, who owned an Iowa grain brokerage, acknowledged that he sold $142 million worth of corn, soybeans and wheat over a 7 ½ year period that wasn’t organic despite his representations.
Constant was aware that most of his product was grown using non-organic methods. The buyers included companies who processed the grain into other products that were marketed as organic.
(Brownfield Ag News via Radio Iowa) — Many Iowa farmers and agri-businesses continue to suffer the effects of steel and aluminum tariffs. Steve Sukup (SOO-kup), CFO of Sheffield-based Sukup Manufacturing, says trade retaliation this year from China, Canada and Mexico has resulted in a 30-percent increase in steel prices. “Our farmers and end-customers that are having to pay the price, and obviously when prices rise everyone takes a little bit of hesitation (asking) if they really want to pay that higher price. But storage is so needed out there. So, it’s a headwind,” Sukup said.
Sukup told Brownfield Ag News he’s surprised U.S. tariffs on Canada and Mexico remain in place despite leaders from all three countries signing a new trade agreement. “You know, lead times are the same and the only reason prices went up was because the U.S. steel mills could do it,” Sukup said. “And we’ve always bought all U.S. steel, so it feels like we’re getting a double-whammy there.” Sukup is a leading manufacturer of grain storage and grain handling equipment.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources reports the River Valley OHV Park in Council Bluffs, will remain closed for 2019 due to necessary cleanup following floods and a major fire this past summer. The 360-acre park is located just east of the Missouri River and adjacent to a levy that often causes excessive amounts of standing water for extended periods of time following flooding events. After a period of closure, the park was open from 2017 until May 2018 when an illegal campfire destroyed the park and created unsafe conditions for users. Following the fire, several flooding events have occurred which delayed addressing the hazards.
Cleanup work can only take place between November and March due to the Indiana Bat being present in the area. The Indiana Bat is a native of North America and is commonly found in the Midwest and is on the endangered species list. This, coupled with the weather conditions, has created a challenge for the DNR to find a time for potential contractors to evaluate the area on-site in safe conditions and form a plan of removal of the debris.
The park will remained closed until further notice. The park has signage posted and all use of the park is restricted, including motorized and non-motorized recreation. Any violators will be charged with trespassing.
(Radio Iowa) –More than two dozen Iowa state parks are hosting so-called First Day Hikes next Tuesday — on New Year’s Day, free hikes guided by park staff. Todd Coffelt, chief of the Iowa D-N-R’s State Parks Bureau, says hikers get the chance to experience the quiet beauty of nature in winter as well as spectacular views and a host of cultural treasures offered by Iowa’s state parks. “The ability for people to get out and exercise in a controlled environment,” Coffelt says. “You have other people there, you have the support. A lot of the locations have a warming house so there’s going to be a fire going, some coffee and hot cocoa. This is the best way to get started on some of those resolutions.”
Many parks have hosted the First Day Hikes for five years now with 27 parks participating this time. Coffelt says the hikes are a great way to get outside, exercise, enjoy nature and welcome the New Year with friends and family, in addition to learning about the parks. “You’re going to see wildlife, you’re going to see birds, you’re going to see the habitat as it exists in these beautiful areas that we have, and all the while, you’re going to be going through the hike, listening and following and watching,” Coffelt says. “Before you know it, it’ll be over and you’ll have your steps in for the day, you’ll get started on the resolution and hopefully, you’ll make a new friend.”
The hikes will all start off relatively short — but they can also be much longer depending on the location. “Staff are pretty cognizant that we have a lot of different user groups and that some of them are going to be a mile long, some are going to be a mile and a half and some will be as long as you want,” Coffelt says. “You can get a hike in all the way around the lake, you can get a hike in all the way around the park and a lot of those parks have different opportunities.”
In past years, more than 12-hundred people began the year in an Iowa state park, hiking more than 11-hundred total miles. The 2019 First Day Hikes will be held in the following area parks: Prairie Rose State Park; Springbrook State Park; Green Valley State Park; Lake Anita State Park, and Waubonsie State Park.
Learn more at: www.iowadnr.gov/firstdayhikes
(Radio Iowa) — The Sioux Honey Association Co-op in Sioux City wants Americans to know who their honey comes from and they have launched a national campaign. Co-op chairman Rob Buhmann, says the campaign features the faces and stories of local beekeepers across the country. “it’s our product, we are putting a domestic product on the shelf. We are not doing anything to it to damage it,” Buhmann says.
He says they work hard to make sure they keep up the standards. “We are checking ourselves constantly with testing protocols to make sure that the honey produce, any honey we purchase is what it says it is,” according toe Buhmann. The Sioux Honey Association was established in Sioux City in 1921 to operate based on “what’s best for its beekeepers, its honey and its customers.”
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS