NEW YORK (AP) — More U.S. beef is being recalled because it may be contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a unit of Brazil’s JBS is now recalling a total of more than 12 million pounds of raw beef that was shipped around the country. JBS Tolleson in Arizona already recalled about 7 million pounds of beef in October.

Health officials say their investigation identified additional products with the USDA inspection number “EST. 267.” The products were packaged between late July and September. The USDA says any products still in people’s freezers should be thrown away. It says 246 illnesses have been reported.

The USDA says salmonella is prevalent in raw poultry and meat and is reminding people of to properly cook and handle meat. It says cooking kills salmonella.

Adair County Extension will be hosting a private pesticide applicator continuing education class on Monday, December 10th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Casey Visitors Center, 100 E Grant Street, Casey (the former Catholic Church). State law forbids admitting late-comers, so license holders are encouraged to arrive 20-30 minutes in advance of the actual start time to register. Attending a two hour class each year allows a license holder to renew their license using the training option.

The continuing education class will be taught by Aaron Saeugling, ISU Extension Field Agronomist. There is a $20 class enrollment fee, payable at the class site to Adair County Extension. For more information about the private pesticide certification process or to make an inquiry about the status of your license, contact the Adair County Extension office at 641-743-8412 or 1-800-ISUE399.

Ankeny, IA – The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) On-Farm Network® team, in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, will host a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the ISU Armstrong Research Farm in Lewis. Discussions will focus on data collection and updates from researchers working on the soybean gall midge pest. There is no cost to attend. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. with a small group discussion hosted by ISU Extension Field Agronomist Aaron Saeugling, and ISA Field Agronomist Drew Clemmensen. Attendees will collaborate on how to improve ISA On-Farm Network trials.

“Participants can expect a highlight of what we know about this pest to better learn how to manage it,” said Clemmensen. “My hope is to gain feedback from the group on what types of On-Farm trials ISA should implement to understand what control measures not only are effective in controlling this pest but are also practical and sustainable on growers’ operations.” Lunch will be included and dismissal will be at 1 p.m. Those wanting to attend can RSVP to Sue Derscheid at SDerscheid@iasoybeans.com. For more information, go to www.iasoybeans.com.

(Radio Iowa) — A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City concludes something many Iowa farmers already know — the farm economy has yet to rebound. Fed economist Nathan Kauffman says farm income and credit conditions continue to deteriorate across the region. “The primary challenge has been low commodity prices,” Kauffman says. “We’ve seen a drop in primarily soybean prices that began earlier this summer and that has persisted through the fall. Revenue has generally been relatively weak so it has continued to weigh on the farm sector.” The report says the agricultural economy continues to suffer from high yields and and lower demand, which Kauffman says is primarily due to the trade war with China. “The China market is very large, especially going into the fourth quarter and into the first quarter,” he says. “Exports to China specifically of soybeans account for a large share of exports during that time.”

Kauffman, who is based in Omaha, says farmers have been cutting expenses, some are even taking off-the-farm jobs to cope. He says a resolution of the trade disputes would give commodity prices a boost. Kauffman says the silver lining in the agricultural downturn is strong farmland values. “It has really supported the finances and the balance sheet of a lot of producers that have equity to be able to tap in terms of farmland values,” Kauffman says. “We continue to watch that just to be sure we’re not seeing some cracks start to emerge in that particular market and so far, it’s held up okay.”

Kauffman says crop prices have pulled down the agricultural economy with the livestock sector holding stable. This is the fifth year of the economic downturn in the ag sector.

(Radio Iowa) — Senator Joni Ernst says there appears to be a breakthrough in negotiations on the Farm Bill. Ernst is the only Iowan on a conference committee that’s been struggling for weeks to reconcile House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. A provision championed by Iowa’s other Senator, Chuck Grassley, is not in the final deal. It would have imposed limits on farm subsidy payments to NON-farmers. Republicans in the HOUSE had been pressing for new work requirements for food stamp recipients. That’s not in the final version either. “That has been worked out between the House and the Senate and so I do believe that we will be able to move forward and get that bill on the floor of the Senate as soon as possible,” Ernst says.

Ernst says the Republican leader in the senate who decides which bills get debated has assured her a vote on the Farm Bill will happen in the Senate in December. “So as we’re laying out the road map for the rest of 2018 — the ‘lame duck’ session — the Farm Bill has been included in that mix,” Ernst says. “…So I believe that we will get…this done. We will get it to the president and he will get it signed and reauthorized.”

The Farm Bill expired October 1st. If congress fails to pass a replacement by December 31st, the NEXT congress would have to start at square one in drafting a bill and first pass it through COMMITTEES in the House and Senate before votes could be taken in the full House and Senate.

w/Kate Olson.

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A Sheriff’s deputy from Greene County was cited Nov. 12th following an investigation, for unlawful possession of Whitetail deer antlers. Officials with the Iowa DNR said Wednesday, that on November 3rd, 2018, a DNR Conservation Officer received a call from a man who came upon a scene of a woman who had hit a deer on N Ave. between 185^th and 190^th streets in Greene County. The man waited for a sheriff’s deputy to arrive. Once the deputy arrived, the man asked the deputy about a salvage tag. Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Hammer declined to issue him salvage tag.

According to state code, a salvage tag should be first issued to the individuals involved in the accident, and if not interested, then to any bystanders at the scene. A salvage tag was not issued. Later in the day, the same man drove past the scene and observed Greene County Sheriff’s Deputy Kirk Hammer in uniform near the deer cutting the antlers off of the deer with a saw.

When DNR Conservation Officer Nathan Haupert questioned Deputy Hammer, Deputy Hammer admitted to taking the antlers. Officer Haupert met Deputy Hammer at his home and seized the antlers. Officer Haupert explained to Deputy Hammer that it is unlawful to keep the antlers without a deer tag or salvage permit and with a salvage permit the whole deer would need to be removed from the ditch, not just the antlers.

(Radio Iowa) — It’s almost December, temperatures are chilly, and snow is on the ground in many parts of the state. That gets many of us in the mood for the annual tradition of decorating the tree. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says there are plenty of locations to find that ideal fir, spruce or pine. “We’ve got over 100 Christmas tree farms across the state and those farms produce or sell about 40,000 Christmas trees each year,” Naig says. “It’s a wonderful way to have some fun, get outdoors and support a local farm.”

It takes between six-and-12 years to grow a Christmas tree and most tree farms in Iowa are three-to-eight acres in size. Most sell trees by the choose-and-harvest method, where customers come to the farm and cut their own trees. Naig says the big boom in the tree business started late last week and will continue well into the final month of the year. “Our Christmas tree farms do a great clip of business here starting on Thanksgiving weekend and over the next couple of weekends,” Naig says. “I think folks do very, very well and most of the Christmas tree growers that I visit with have more demand than supplies.”

Speaking from personal experience, Naig offers a little advice about picking the perfect pine. “Something that we sure didn’t do as well as we should have the first time we did this, make sure you cut the right size Christmas tree,” Naig says. “Make sure you know the size of the spot in the house. It seems to look different when it’s outdoors versus when it’s in the house.”  Once you get your tree home, remember to check the water daily as trees can use up to a gallon of water every day. Also, make sure you unplug any tree lights before you leave home or go to bed. The Christmas tree industry contributes about one-million dollars to Iowa’s economy each year.
http://www.iowachristmastrees.com

(Radio Iowa) — The state ag secretary is asking lawmakers for a quarter of a million dollar budget increase — to boost the “Animal Agriculture Industries Bureau” in the Iowa Department of Agriculture. “To prepare, present, detect and, if needed, to respond in the case of a foreign animal disease.” Ag Secretary Mike Naig says Avian influenza, African swine fever and other foreign animal diseases are a threat to Iowa’s livestock and poultry industries. “Iowa’s a leader in animal production,” Naig says. “We’re number two in total livestock sales — $13.4 billion in the last census — and that number’s only growing.”

Naig has been ag secretary since March and was elected to a full term in this month’s election. His predecessor asked lawmakers for half a million dollars in 2016, shortly after a bird flu outbreak hit Iowa’s poultry industry. Legislators just provided 250-thousand dollars for the effort this year. Three weeks ago, Naig hired a veterinarian to serve as the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s emergency management coordinator. Naig is now asking legislators to provide the rest of the half-a-million dollar budget for the bureau that’s overseeing state preparations for an outbreak of a foreign animal disease.

“Animal disease is an ever-present threat and we’re all on the front line along with the industry and our inspectors and veterinarians,” Naig says. “…The increased funding will help us better support our producers, the industry. We’ll be able to hire or engage the kind of expertise that we need.”

Upgrading the department’s antiquated computer system is key, according to Naig, to ensure alerts can be sent quickly to the right people if there is an outbreak. Naig says if legislators provide the additional money, his agency will host drills for producers in how best to respond if there is an outbreak of foot and mouth or some other disease that can devastate and kill livestock and poultry.

Deer hunters will soon be trading in their bows for shotguns and body harnesses for blaze orange vests as the calendar turns to December and the first of Iowa’s three main gun seasons begin.  And based on reports, it looks like hunting will be good, if the weather cooperates. Tyler Harms, wildlife biometrician with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), says “Our deer population is similar to last year and they are definitely moving right now. The recent colder weather and rut activity have things looking positive for our shotgun seasons.” First shotgun season is Dec. 1-5, followed by second shotgun season Dec. 8-16. Late muzzleloader season is Dec. 17-Jan. 10, which it shares with the reopening of the bow season.

The bulk of the deer harvest, and hunter participation, occurs during the shotgun seasons. The Iowa DNR expects about 60,000 hunters in each shotgun season, plus 30,000 in the late muzzleloader season. The traditional technique in shotgun season is to drive and post where some members of the group post the end of the timber, while other walk through driving deer towards them. With all that activity in the timber, Harms advised hunters to keep safety at the top of their hunting plan. The hunting plan identifies where each hunter will be and how the hunt will unfold. The plan should also include checking the blaze orange and replace any that has faded over time. Hunters are required to wear one article of external solid blaze orange clothing: vest, jacket, coat, sweatshirt, sweater, short or coveralls. An orange hat alone doesn’t suffice. “You want to be seen by other hunters so it would be a good idea to wear more than the minimum amount of blaze orange required,” Harms said.

Hunters will notice few regulations changes from 2017. The DNR has added a January antlerless season in four counties and new deer management zones near Harpers Ferry, Elkader and Seymour. Unfilled youth deer licenses are now valid for any remaining seasons, but are still mentor licenses and they must follow all other rules specified for each season. Iowa’s overall deer harvest across all seasons last year was 105,578 and the 2018 harvest should be similar.

Report your harvest: The deer is down, tagged and on its way to the truck. But the harvest is not complete until the deer is registered; either online, over the phone or at a license vendor. Online, it takes just a couple minutes. Go to www.iowadnr.gov/hunting and click on the orange ‘Report Your Harvest Online’ bar in the middle of the page.  From there, scroll down and follow instructions. Be ready to enter your tag’s nine-digit harvest report number. By phone? Call 800-771-4692. The deer should be reported by the hunter whose name is on the tag…and it must come before midnight, the day after the deer is tagged. Reporting your harvest is important because harvest numbers are used to manage Iowa’s deer herd annually and it is required by law.

Safety reminder: Hunters are encouraged to use safe hunting practices and to discuss the hunting plan so each member of the hunting group knows where the others will be at all times during the hunt.

Tips:

• Treat every gun as if it is loaded
• Wear plenty of blaze orange
• Be sure of the target and what’s behind it
• Don’t shoot at running deer

Turn in poachers: See something in the field that doesn’t look right? Report hunting violations to Turn in Poachers as soon as possible by calling 1-800-532-2020. Provide as much information as possible like a description of the individual(s), vehicle and time and location of the violation. You can remain anonymous.

Chronic wasting disease: The Iowa DNR has launched a new online system where hunters who provide samples for chronic wasting disease testing can check on the test results themselves. Go to www.iowadnr.gov/hunting and click on the CWD reporting system link on the right. There, they can enter either their hunter identification number or the nine digit registration number on the deer tag. Results should be available in 2-3 weeks. The Iowa DNR is continuing to monitor for the always fatal disease with increased focus areas along the Nebraska border, northeast and north central Iowa, and Wayne, Appanoose, Davis, and Keokuk counties. New deer management zones were added in Allamakee, Clayton and Wayne counties this year to increase deer tissue samples in the area where chronic wasting disease has been confirmed in the wild herd and allow hunters an additional opportunity to go deer hunting. Hunters using a management zone license are required to provide a tissue sample and hunt within the zone boundaries. Licenses are available locally. More details are available at www.iowadnr.gov/cwd.

January antlerless season: The DNR has added an antlerless deer season January 11-27, 2019, in four counties: Allamakee, Clayton, Wayne and Appanoose. Licenses are available until the season ends, or the quotas fill, whichever comes first. Hunters may use a bow, muzzleloader, handgun, shotgun, straight wall cartridges or centerfire rifles shooting .24 caliber or larger in this season. Each of the participating counties has more than 1,000 antlerless licenses available.

Youth license: New this year – an unfilled youth deer season license is valid for the remaining deer seasons until filled. The youth hunter must follow the method of take for that season. The youth license is still a mentored license where they must hunt under the supervision of a licensed adult.

Help Us Stop Hunger – HUSH: Have an extra deer at the end of the hunt? Maybe you bought an extra tag, to hunt longer? Consider donating to Iowa’s HUSH program. HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) works with 66 participating lockers to provide high quality meat to needy Iowans, through the Food Bank of Iowa. Field dressed deer are skinned, de-boned and ground into two-pound packages…then distributed to local needy families. The program is funded by hunters, who pay a dollar surcharge with each deer tag purchase. HUSH has provided meat from nearly 74,000 deer to those who need it—nearly 3,800 last year. Processors receive $75 for their end of the work. The Food Bank of Iowa picks up $5, as it oversees distribution. Each locker will accept whole deer, asking the hunter to fill out a Hunter HUSH card. There is no fee paid at the locker. A list of participating lockers is available in the Iowa Hunting Regulations and online at www.iowahush.com.

Donated deer hides benefit disabled veterans: Hunters donated more than 3,300 deer hides to Elks Lodges across Iowa last year that were used by the Veterans Leather Program to make professionally-crafted leather gloves for veterans in wheelchairs, and turned in to leather used for therapy programs for recovering veterans. The Veterans Leather Program relies on the charity of hunters to donate their deer hides. Hunters willing to donate their hides are encouraged to contact the local Elks Lodge for drop off locations or visit www.elks.org to find the nearest lodge. The therapeutic kits and gloves are distributed at no cost to the veterans. Contact Lisa Widick at 208-360-6294 or lwidick@theperrychief.com for more information.

Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase deer licenses: Deer hunters are encouraged to avoid the last minute rush and buy their deer licenses soon. An estimated 60,000 deer hunters are expected to participate in each of the two shotgun seasons. Deer licenses are available at nearly 750 license vendors across the state.