Did you know, 4-H offers over 30 interest areas for youth to learn, grow and excel in? Interest areas include STEM, Outdoor Adventures, Photography, Food & Nutrition and much, much more!  Cass County Extension will be celebrating all things 4-H during National 4-H Week October 7-13. Now is the time of year for youth to join and participate in 4-H, the youth development program of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Keep an eye out for Cass County 4-H members, volunteers, and supporters showing their 4-H pride during National 4-H Week. Many community clubs will be creating window displays in local businesses to showcase their 4-H pride. Other clubs will be doing special events and activities during the week such as wearing 4-H shirts to school to show their 4-H pride. Some clubs are even doing service projects during this celebration week!

To kick off National 4-H Week, Cass County 4-H will be hosting a Fall Fest on Sunday, October 7 from 4-6 PM at the Cass County Fairgrounds, to celebrate 4-H as well as invite new/potential 4-Hers to join in the fun and see what 4-H is all about.  “We have a variety of fun activities planned which will showcase some of the project areas with hands-on activities, games and fun! We will have youth members providing activities, a photo booth, a giant game of twister, corn hole, and much more. Also a 4-H information booth and a potluck meal will be available,” says Shelby Van Horn, County Youth Coordinator for ISU Cass County Extension and Outreach. “It will be a fun evening for all to come out and celebrate National 4-H Week!”

4-H is a year round program for youth in grades kindergarten through 12. National 4-H Week is a great time to show all the wonderful things 4-H offers to youth,” stated Van Horn. “ In fact, research has shown that young people in 4-H are nearly four times as likely to contribute to their communities and are twice as likely to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs during after school time.” 4-H is active in each of Iowa’s 99 counties and empowers youth to reach their full potential through many different types of experiences experiences including photography, music, woodworking, sewing, archery, livestock and horticulture. Youth have fun while gaining valuable skills in communication and the arts, citizenship and leadership, science, technology, engineering and math, as well as healthy living and personal life management by being involved in 4-H.

4-H grows confidence, creativity, curiosity, courage, character and much more in youth. 4-H allows youth to use the skills that they learn to go out and make a positive difference in their communities. Cass County 4-H has more than 320 4-H youth and 100 volunteers involved in the program. Interested in joining 4-H? Contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or visit the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass.

(Press release from Cass County Extension)

(Radio Iowa) — As mentioned earlier this week, President Trump is due to speak at a rally in Council Bluffs next Tuesday and is expected to announce the E-P-A will allow year-round sales of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol. Republican Congressman Steve King says the E-P-A shouldn’t set any blending limits.  “Let’s not say E15. Let’s go beyond that. I don’t want to create another blend wall at E15. There’s no reason we would do that except it’s just got stuck in our vernacular,” King says. “You know how (if) you control the language, you control the policy.”

The federal Clean Air Act requires gasoline be blended with products like ethanol to reduce carbon emissions. King says it’s time to let market forces determine how much ethanol is added. “Then the consumers can choose,” King says. “And with gas prices going up and ethanol prices going down, we need to open this up.”

King met with President Trump in the White House this past Tuesday and this was among the topics they discussed.

(Radio Iowa) — Republican Senator Joni Ernst says she’s still hopeful a group of negotiators can agree on a new Farm Bill, but she says that may not happen until after next month’s election. Ernst is the only Iowan on the congressional committee trying to come up with a compromise. The 2014 Farm Bill expired September 30th. Congress is supposed to revisit federal food and ag policy issues every five years and vote to reauthorize the Farm Bill.

“If it is possible to bring the House and the Senate together, get to a consensus, do that after the midterm election, maybe we would be able to get the Farm Bill reauthorized by the end of the year,” Ernst said. “If that does not happen, then we would be looking at some sort of extension.” Voting to keep the the 2014 Farm Bill policies in place for another year is an option. Congress has used temporary extensions in the past when negotiations over a new Farm Bill have faltered.

“I would much rather have the Farm Bill reauthorized than go through these short-term extensions,” Ernst says. A few federal programs have been impacted since the Farm Bill expired five days ago. “However, SNAP and crop insurance, they are still good to go,” Ernst says. “No worries there, those remain in place.” SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also referred to as food stamps.

Having the so-called “lame duck” congress approve the next Farm Bill in November or December — after the election — is not unprecedented. The 1970 and 1990 Farm Bills were passed in the weeks after the mid-term elections in those years. The 2014 Farm Bill was actually supposed to be passed in 2013, but it took congress 21 months to come up with a final deal that could pass both the House and Senate.

A public hearing featuring a large crowd, was held Wednesday morning in Greenfield, as part of the Adair County Board of Supervisors’ meeting. The hearing was with regard to an amended Ordinance “Assessment of Wind Energy Conversion Property,” and was followed by passage of the third and final reading of the Ordinance, which affects persons who are both in favor of, and opposed to, the construction of numerous Mid-American Energy wind turbines throughout the county.

The amended ordinance sets a 2,000-foot setback for turbines from non-participating residences, and an 800-foot setback for property owners who wish to be associated with Mid-American Energy wind farm turbines.

The Arbor Hill and Orient wind energy projects tentatively calls for the construction 275 turbines, and the option to build 100 more. In all nearly 500 turbines are expected to be built, and will be spread throughout the County. Currently, more than 400 landowners have signed-up to have the turbines built on their land.

And, while the Adair County Supervisors passed the amended Ordinance, they tabled a more comprehensive plan addressing the health concerns, noise and other issues dealing with the turbines.

w/Denny Heflin.

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(Radio Iowa) — A Midwest ag economist is predicting a return to profitability for pork producers. But, Purdue University’s Chris Hurt says the turnaround likely won’t come until sometime next year. Back in August, Hurt suggested pork producers could face losses this fall that haven’t been seen since the late 1990s. “The outlook is still suggesting losses this fall and winter, but much less than in August,” Hurt says.

He’s now forecasting losses of $10 to $20 per-head this fall and winter, while projecting profits of $5 to $10 next spring and summer. Hurt points to positive export developments with Mexico, Japan, and South Korea. “Needless to say, the pork outlook has improved with considerable uncertainties remaining,” Hurt says.

Those uncertainties center primarily on the trade dispute with China and that country’s attempt to control African Swine Fever. In addition, tariffs on U.S. pork to Mexico and Canada remain in place despite the recent U-S trade deal with those two countries. Hurt says one certainty is that pork supplies will be at record levels and an expanding U.S. hog herd probably cannot be sustained. Iowa is by far the country’s leading pork producer. The USDA reported last month that Iowa now has a record 23.6 million pigs.

Red Oak, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office will offer the Mosquito/Public Health Pest Management Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. The program provided by the ISU Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) can be seen at office locations across Iowa. The local attendance site for the Oct. 25 CIC is the Montgomery County Extension office located at 400 Bridge Street Suite #2 in Red Oak.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. followed by sessions from 9 to 11:30 a.m. The registration fee is $35 on or before Oct. 18 and $45 after Oct. 18. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact Katie Hart at the ISU Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office at (712) 623-2592.

The course will provide continuing instruction credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 7D (Community Insect Management), 8 (Public Health Pest Control), and 10 (Research and Demonstration). The course will cover topics such as: equipment calibration; reduction of offtarget/drift of pesticides; and pests, pest management, and pesticides.

Additional information about this and other courses offered through the Pesticide Safety Education Program may be accessed at www.extension.iastate.edu/psep.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The three Democrats challenging Iowa’s three Republican congressmen are calling on Rod Blum, David Young and Steve King to pressure their G-O-P leadership for action on the Farm Bill. Cindy Axne is the Democrat running against Congressman Young.

“I hope they get back to work and go back out to Washington and demand that we settle this Farm Bill because it really impacts the lives of Iowans, our farmers, our rural communities and, as everyone well knows, our overall economy,” Axne says. The 2014 Farm Bill expired Sunday and there’s no replacement yet. Republican leaders do not intend to reconvene the U.S. House until after the November election. Axne says Iowa farmers are paying the price for Washington dysfunction.

“We’re already seeing banks not loaning as much. We’re seeing implement dealers not getting as many new orders for next year because of the uncertainty with the trade wars,” Axne says, “so the increased uncertainty by not having a Farm Bill go through in a timely fashion just adds to that.” Abby Finkenauer, the Democrat running against Republican Congressman Rod Blum and Democrat J.S. Scholten, Republican Congressman Steve King’s opponent, signed onto a letter with Axne on this topic.

The impasse revolves around new work requirements for food stamp recipients. President Trump and House Republicans support the move, but Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says there aren’t enough votes in the senate to stop a filibuster on the Farm Bill if that’s included.  “I think it’s going to be impossible for us to go along with the House and get 60 votes in the United States Senate,” Grassley says. “Now, it happens that I favor what the House is doing, but we’ve got to have a Farm Bill and if this is holding it up, I’ve got to say that even what I think is a good idea has to go by the wayside.”

As for the timing of the Farm Bill’s passage, Grassley says for the time being, farmers should be o.k. “Immediately, I don’t see a problem,” Grassley says, “but if you get into November, December, I think there’s problems.”  A campaign spokesman for third district Congressman David Young says Young “is disappointed a new bipartisan Farm Bill has not been enacted” and he says Young is monitoring the ongoing negotiations to ensure his priorities are including, like a bipartisan measure to address gaps in the mental health system for farmers and agricultural workers.

Fourth district Congressman Steve King told a crowd in Carroll this week that he would have liked to have had the Farm Bill done last month, but King predicted it will pass congress some time in early December.

WEST BRANCH, Iowa – The Sustainable Iowa Land Trust has recognized Denise O’Brien of Atlantic with its 2018 Leadership Appreciation Award.  “As a SILT co-founder, Denise has been committed to our organization’s values and goals even before its very start,” said executive director Suzan Erem. “We appreciate her leadership, guidance, tremendous knowledge and commitment to sustainable agriculture more than words can say. Hers is a commitment that extends far beyond her involvement with SILT to a life’s work in support of sustainability and women in agriculture.”

O’Brien, who has served as SILT’s vice president since January, was honored at SILT’s annual Foodie Fest in Windsor Heights. The Sustainable Iowa Land Trust currently protects five farms across the state, providing land for farmers who produce healthy, locally grown food and offering solutions to families who want to protect their land from development. O’Brien and her husband, Larry Harris, operate Rolling Acres, a community supported agriculture farm that includes three acres of fruits and vegetables and six acres of apples. They also raise organic chickens and turkeys.

O’Brien, who was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000, grew up in Atlantic before attending the University of Iowa and Creighton University. She has lobbied with the Iowa Farm Unity Coalition, directed the Rural Women’s Leadership Development Project of PrairieFire Rural Action, Inc. and was president of the National Family Farm Coalition. She co-founded the Women Food and Agriculture Network in 1997, is a former W.F. Kellogg Food and Society Policy Fellow and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture advisor in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. “A guiding principle in my career has been the unwavering belief that we must all do the right thing by protecting our land and water. A key part of that commitment is to help young people who want to practice sustainable and regenerative agriculture can afford to get started,” O’Brien said. “That’s why I’ve been devoted my energy to SILT and I encourage others to take up this important cause.”

Through SILT, property owners can protect their land by donating some or all of an acreage or farm, or placing a land protection agreement on their deed. Depending on location, SILT will protect parcels as few as five acres or as many as 500 or more acres. On donated farms, SILT offers long-term leases that farmers can pass on to their children and grandchildren, so long as they want to farm the land sustainably. The farmers earn equity in the house, barns and business they can cash out when selling to the next farmer for that land. On farms protected by land protection agreements, families retain ownership of their land. Future farmers have the opportunity to purchase the land at an estimated half of its value on the market, because it comes with sustainable food production requirements that SILT monitors and enforces for generations to come.

Additional information is available here: silt.org