(Radio Iowa) — Leaders in northwest Iowa’s Great Lakes area are enlisting the help of a University of Iowa scientist to study ways to manage flooding. Heavy rains this past summer caused shoreline erosion and temporarily shut down the region’s lakes. Bill Van Orsdel, with the Iowa Great Lakes Association, says closing the lakes causes serious economic damage to a community that thrives on recreation. “It’s devastating to the homeowners, to the residents and to the vacationers,” Van Orsdel says.

Scientists project that over time, these rains will get heavier and the risk of flooding will increase, so the association wants to do something about it. Larry Weber, a U-I Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is working with a team using computer models to estimate how much the Lower Gar Lake will rise with different amounts of rainfall. Flood control measures include adding more channel structures called culverts, or using a bridge or dam that could handle water flow differently. “We want to make sure we design something that has the utility and lifespan of many decades,” Weber says. “So we want to make sure we think of increasing intensity of rainfall in the future.”

Weber and his team plan to continue to look at different rainfall conditions and will share results with Iowa Great Lakes officials and residents in early 2019.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

A man from Madison County was hospitalized Sunday after he was accidentally shot while hunting. The Madison County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting that a hunter had been shot near Macksburg. Deputies identified the hunter as Ronald Butler, of Macksburg. Investigators said Butler was with two other adults when the shooting happened. They say he apparently dropped his shotgun as he got out of a vehicle, causing it to discharge.

Butler was taken to the Madison County Hospital, then flown to a Des Moines hospital for additional treatment for his injuries. He was conscious at the time of the shooting, though his condition was unclear as of Sunday night.

And, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fatal hunting incident in eastern Iowa’s Marion County. The incident happened late Sunday afternoon, just north of Lake Red Rock. One person died, but their name and the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear. No other details were immediately available.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – Dec. 7, 2018 – Ryan and Alle Bailey of Ringgold County have been named Iowa Farm Bureau Federation’s (IFBF) 2018 Young Farmer Achievement Award winners at this year’s IFBF “Century Strong” 100th annual meeting in Des Moines, Dec. 3-5.  The award honors Iowa farmers between the ages of 18 and 35 who demonstrate outstanding management ability on their family farms and have a positive presence in both Farm Bureau activities and their local community.

As fifth generation farmers raising grain and cattle, the Baileys agree there’s no better place to grow up than on an Iowa farm. Because Ryan says legacy is very important to him, he and Alle have continuously worked to improve their family farm by converting old buildings on their land into areas where their cattle can have access to feed, seek comfort during inclement weather and have a designated place to give individual attention to cattle that need it. By working with nutritionists, veterinarians and with the use of genetics, the Baileys have seen health improvements within their livestock, creating a greater efficiency in getting cattle to market.

On the crop side, the Baileys run their own retail seed business. They offer drone crop scouting and agronomic solutions for their clients. On their own farm, they use precision ag to apply fertilizer where it is needed in the exact amount that is needed. They’ve also planted 50 acres of cover crops with a goal to increase these acres for cattle grazing. Their other goals include increasing their cattle herd size, finding ways to implement additional water quality practices and adopting new technologies for record-keeping. The two are on the Ringgold County Farm Bureau and members of the IFBF Young Farmers. They are also active within the cattle industry, serving various positions with the Iowa Beef Industry Council, county cattlemen and Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. In their community, they are involved in their church and civic groups.

As winner of the Young Farmer Achievement Award, the Baileys will have the option to lease a John Deere G-Series Skid Steer/Compact Track Loader (one year/1500 hours), 5-7 Series Tractor/Loader combo (1 year/300 hours) or take home a 590E Gator (valued at $9,500). They also receive a 90-day no payment, no interest (NPNI) John Deere Financial Certificate up to $5,000, and an all-expense paid trip to the 2019 GROWMARK annual meeting in Chicago. In January, the Baileys will travel to New Orleans where they will represent Iowa in the national Young Farmer Achievement Award competition at the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) Annual Convention.

(Radio Iowa) — The soggy weather in recent months frustrated many farmers who were delayed in harvesting crops, but Iowa’s wettest fall since 1941 has pulled the entire state out of drought conditions for the first time since May of last year. Tim Hall, coordinator of hydrology resources for the Iowa DNR, says the key to becoming drought-free was southeast Iowa getting plenty of precipitation. “And (that area) has gotten a lot of precipitation over a long period of time, which is really what it takes to get us out of a sustained drought like we’ve been in,” Hall explained.

The final remnants of drought in Iowa were erased in November. “In addition to the drought designation being removed, all of our shallow aquifers across the state appear to be in really good shape going into the winter,” Hall said. “That means we should have adequate groundwater supplies going into the spring months and we’re very encouraged by that because it’s been some time since we’ve felt comfortable with that.”

Iowa’s rainfall total for September, October, and November was about six inches above normal.

(Radio Iowa/Brownfield Ag News) — A top Iowa Farm Bureau official says he’s thankful Mexico didn’t start a food fight during the renegotiation of NAFTA. David Miller, the IFB’s director of research, notes – unlike other countries – Mexican trade officials did not target agricultural products when retaliating to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs. “I’ll call it normal course relative to corn imports, and pork and beef trade with Mexico has remained solid,” Miller said. “So, Mexico has remained a very good agricultural product importer and trade partner with us, and I think us with them.”

Speaking this week to Brownfield Ag News at the Iowa Farm Bureau’s annual meeting in Des Moines, Miller said he wishes that would’ve been the model for other countries involved in trade disputes with the U.S.  “That you would not be moved to use food and agriculture products as the retaliatory products,” Miller said.

Miller was quick to point out China did retaliate on U.S. food and ag products and that Mexico has done so in the past. He added it’s “refreshing” that, for the most part, the U.S., Canada and Mexico have kept food out of the tariff dispute.

(Radio Iowa) — Reports that the compromise Farm Bill loosens restrictions on farm program payment eligibility are raising the ire of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. Grassley says Farm Bill negotiators have apparently adopted House provisions making it easier for nieces, nephews and cousins of farmers to become eligible for farm payments.  “I believe that they have worsened existing law,” Grassley said. “Where does this end? Are you going to have your third-cousin collect farm payments because he happens to be a Wall Street banker?”

Grassley is also upset that his provision to tighten payment limits was left out of the bill. “This is how far out of control the waste of taxpayers’ money has gone and the injustice it does to the family farmers – that have dirt under their fingernails and are entitled to some protection from the federal government,” Grassley said. “Giving all this money to people who aren’t farmers is going to just jeopardize popular support for helping the family farmer.”

Grassley voted against the 2014 Farm Bill because those payment limitations were dropped from the final version. He told ag reporters in a conference call this week that he hasn’t made up his mind whether to oppose this Farm Bill.

(Radio Iowa) — A program is again underway that takes unwanted deer hides from hunters across the state and uses them to help veterans. Spokesperson Lisa Widick says the hides can be turned in at Elks Lodges across the state for use by the Veterans Leather Program. “The hides are salted and stored here in different places in Iowa, and then they are shipped to a tannery, I believe in the Kansas City area,” Widick says. “And then they are tanned and they are turned into leather pieces.”

Widick says the leather is then used to make kits that are taken to the veterans homes in the state where the veterans turn the leather into usable items. “They make moccasins, they do purses, they do coin purses, they do anything you can make out of leather, the veterans do those things,” Widick explains. “And then they are also…there’s also a company that does manufacturing of wheelchair gloves — so that the veterans who are in wheelchairs use those gloves to keep their hands from getting calluses. And those are really beneficial to our veterans.”

Widick says many of the items the veterans make are sold to raise money. “To go back to help fund different things that the veterans need. So, it’s a wonderful big circle project. The hide comes in, it goes out to make a product that is not going to waste,” Widick says.  Hunters donated some 33-hundred hides to the program last year, and she encourages hunters to donate hides again this year.

“You can go to Elks-dot-org (Elks.org) and there’s a lodge locator. Type in your zip code and it will give you the one nearest you,” Widick says. “You can all that lodge and see if they take hides. If they do — most lodges will arrange pick up from you as well.” Widick says the deer hides are often left behind as most hunters don’t keep them. “There are few that do, but rarely do you see that. They just lay out there where the deer has been skinned and that’s where it stays. And we’d much rather have it come to us so that we can do something good with it,” she says.

Hunters in Iowa take around 100-thousand deer during each hunting season.

Iowa 4-H’ers from 10 counties across Iowa participated in a “10 Gallon Milk Challenge”.  Civic Engagement is one the program priorities for Iowa 4-H and the Social Media Challenge that originated in Ohio, was right at the heart of Iowa 4-H.  4-H’ers who participated not only supported Dairy Farmers by buying milk from their local grocery stores but also helped those in need by donating this milk to the local food pantries, shelter houses, or other non-profit organizations.

4-H’ers learned about food insecurity and the Dairy Industry, and they learned that milk is an item that is often needed at food pantries due to its nutritional value and low shelf life. Iowa participants were able to donate 626 gallons of milk to many different organizations from across the state. Shelter Houses, Crisis Centers, Community Food Pantries, and Catholic worker homes were a few of the Organizations that benefited from the efforts. After two-months of the Challenge, East Pottawattamie County 4-H’ers donated 30-gallons to the cause.

4-H officials say dairy cow produce an average of 50 pounds of milk a day and a gallon of milk is approximately 8.6 pounds. This means that 4-H’ers donated 5,383 pounds of milk or about 626 cows daily production.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The official start of winter is still a couple of weeks off but Iowans are already slipping and sliding on ice and snow-covered sidewalks, steps and roadways. Julie Richter, with the Wright County Department of Public Health, suggests Iowans stock-up on ice melting products and — chicken grit. “Some of the local coops have what’s called chicken grit that you can put down, too, that gives you a little bit more prepared surface so it’s not so slick,” Richter says. “A lot of elderly folks can’t get out and spread it themselves, so if they’ve got a local neighbor or friend that can come over and spread it.”

Chicken grit is sharp, crushed stone, typically used by birds to help grind up seeds. To help keep your footing, ice and snow grips that go over boots and shoes are available at stores statewide, as well. Richter says we all need to remember to take our time when headed out into the slick elements on foot. “Slow down and don’t hurry and don’t try to carry a whole bunch of things with you,” she says. “Maybe make a couple of trips because the faster you go, the easier it is to slip and fall.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 42-thousand-480 workplace injuries involving ice, sleet or snow occurred in 2014.