DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge in North Dakota has handed Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds a victory in temporarily halting enforcement of a Barack Obama administration clean water rule in the state. The Waters of the United States rule is disliked by conservative groups including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Farm Bureau Federation which claim it’s classic government over-regulation. It was challenged in court in June 2015 by a dozen states seeking to halt its implementation.

The rule, supported by environmental groups, provides a definition for which rivers, lakes and other water bodies may be regulated by federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency. Iowa was not one of the original states in the lawsuit, but Reynolds had asked the court to allow the state to join in. That would mean Iowa also could halt enforcement of the clean water rule until the issue is fully litigated in the courts. On Tuesday Judge Daniel Hovland granted Reynolds’ request.

Statewide Park Volunteer Day is this Saturday, Sept. 22. Iowans can help out at more than 40 state parks with activities that may include litter pick-up, staining or painting buildings, planting trees, clearing trails and more. Locally, volunteers are needed at Lake Anita State Park from 7-until 9-a.m., Saturday.

You’ll meet at the Primitive campground and pick up branches and rocks around the campground, and trash along the shoreline. Plan to stay aftward for a Dutch Oven cooking and sampling session from 9:00 – noon in the primitive campground.

Bring water bottle. Trash bags and gloves provided. Stay afterward for a Dutch oven cooking session and breakfast! For more info., contact: Anne Riordan at 641-295-6028 or anne.riordan@dnr.iowa.gov.

Volunteers are also needed at Prairie Rose State Park, near Harlan, Springbrook Park near Guthrie Center, Viking Lake near Stanton, and Waubonsie Park in Hamburg. Details including meeting times, locations and activities for each participating state park can be found at www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer .

Clean-up efforts are partly in anticipation of the 100th anniversary of the Iowa state park system, which takes place in 2020. The DNR is working with several organizations to create park improvements and plan activities for the centennial event. Volunteers for the Sept. 22 clean-up day are encouraged to share their activities on social media with #iowastateparks.

(Radio Iowa) — A warm and dry week of weather has helped Iowa’s corn and soybean crops. Between September 10th and 16th, there was no measurable rainfall at any of Iowa’s National Weather Service stations. Chad Hart, an associate professor of economics and grain markets specialist at Iowa State University, says farmers are thrilled with turnaround – after a very wet start to the month.

“One of the biggest things you worry about is – you like rain to grow that crop, but you like to see that rain sort of stop as we go to harvest that crop,” Hart says. “Because if you get rain now, you can have issues with molds and other things growing on the crop before you get it harvested.”

The new USDA crop report, issued Monday, shows 53-percent of Iowa’s corn is mature. That’s about a week ahead of the five-year average. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of the state’s corn crop is rated in good-to-excellent condition. Soybean fields are also maturing more than a week ahead of normal and three-quarters of those fields are in good-to-excellent condition. Last week, the USDA projected the NATION’s corn production for 2018 at just over 14.8 billion bushels. The forecast for soybeans is 4.7 billion bushels.

“These would be massive crops,” Hart said. “It would be the second-largest corn crop, with the top one in 2016. This would be the largest soybean crop this country has ever seen.” The crop production report released last Wednesday led to a drop in corn prices. Hart says record yields tend to keep commodity prices down.

“At the same time, we’ve got really good demand, it’s just that the supply…is swamping that demand. That’s been the situation for the past several years,” Hart said. The USDA project Iowa’s average corn yield at a record 206 bushels per acre — with an overall harvest of just over 2.6 billion bushels. Iowa’s soybeans are estimated to match the 2016 record of 60 bushels per acre. Iowa is project to harvest 590.4 million bushels of soybeans this year.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged ag businesses, farmers, rural residents and other Iowans that use propane to consider taking steps to ensure adequate propane supplies this fall and winter. “It is important for users to be prepared. By working with your supplier to fill tanks now and book future fills, users can help avoid any unforeseen price spikes later this year,” Naig said. As of Sept. 7, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports propane stocks in the Midwest “PADD 2” region at 25.9 million barrels. That is up from 25.8 million barrels a year ago. EIA reports that U.S. propane stocks as of that same date at 74.6 million barrels compared to 82.2 million barrels a year ago. Lower supply levels are attributed primarily to export pressures.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s most recent weekly heating oil and propane price report showed the average price for propane in Iowa at $1.26 per gallon.  Last year’s price at this time of year averaged $1.13 per gallon. Actions that farmers and other propane users can take now in order to prepare for this fall and winter include:

·         Make sure propane supplies for grain drying, livestock facilities, homes and machine sheds are full going into the fall season.

·         Take advantage of early buy/booking programs.

·         Consider expanding on-site capacity at facilities and homes.

·         Communicate early and regularly with propane suppliers.

According to the Sept. 10 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Iowa Crop Progress & Condition report, 87 percent of the corn crop has reached the dent stage or beyond with 28 percent mature, one week ahead of the five year average. “The Iowa Propane Gas Association and the state propane suppliers do a great job keeping abreast of supply and demand issues for this vital agricultural energy resource. We communicate regularly with all of our partners, especially during the harvest season, to ensure we are aware of and responding to any issues,” Naig said.

MURRAY, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man from northern Iowa died in an accident involving a tractor in eastern Nebraska. The accident occurred Tuesday evening, about 3 miles southeast of Murray. The Cass County (NE) Sheriff’s Office says the man became pinned between a tractor tire and a machine he was trying to attach to the tractor. The sheriff’s office says the man already was dead when deputies and medics arrived. He’s been identified as 61-year-old Richard Kruse. He lived in McIntire, Iowa.

w/Beth Kujala.

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(Radio Iowa) — A delegation of Iowa farmers is in Washington D-C for the National Farmers Union Fly-In, underway through tomorrow (Friday). Iowa Farmers Union president Aaron Lehman (LAY-mun) says getting a new Farm Bill through Congress is their first major goal. “We want to see a Farm Bill taken care of here in the dwindling days of the session,” Lehman says. “We need a strong safety net in place. We need some certainty for our farmers. Negotiations are ongoing but we need to see that work pushed through to a good conclusion.”

He says trade disputes on multiple fronts are costing agricultural producers billions. “Our folks are extremely concerned about the trade situation,” Lehman says. “They want to talk to both administration officials and to members of Congress and let them know how dire the situation is an how we need a long-term solution that’s going to bring some real results to the marketplace.” Lehman says they’ll also be talking to our elected leaders about issues like market concentration in the agribusiness industry. “And we’ll also be talking with folks about our concerns as a lot of farmers in Iowa are impacted by pesticide drift,” Lehman says. “We want to be sure that’s going to be handled in the right way as well.”

Lehman says the best lobbyists for rural America are farmers themselves and that’s why this Fly-In is so important.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A new survey report says the Iowa farmland average values have dropped 1.7 percent in the past six months. The report from the Iowa Chapter of the Realtors Land Institute says the decline over the past six months left the values at a little over $6,800 an acre. But the report issued Tuesday also says the values climbed 1.2 percent higher over the past 12 months.
Values went up in the past six months only in northeast Iowa, rising 0.7 percent. The report blamed the state decline in part on tariffs that affected crop prices and on rising interest rates.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State agricultural officials say an insect that’s killed millions of ash trees has been found in central Iowa’s Grundy County. Officials said in a news release Wednesday that emerald ash borer samples were found in a city-owned tree in Dike. The confirmation brings the state infestation total to 65 counties.

Adult Emerald Ash Borer

People are urged to report any suspected infestation. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship says tracking the whereabouts of emerald ash borers across the state helps in formulating treatment recommendations.

Infected trees usually lose leaves at the top of the canopy and the die-off spreads downward. The trees usually die within four years. The bugs are native to Asia and were first reported in the U.S. in Michigan in 2002 and in Iowa in 2010.

EAB larva stage

(Radio Iowa) — A boater in northern Iowa got a little more lake than he bargained for yesterday (Tuesday) morning in Rudd. The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office says a truck sank to the bottom of the lake at Rudd Park shortly before 11:30-a.m., Tuesday. The incident happened when a 2015 Dodge Ram, along with a boat on a trailer, lost traction while being backed down a boat ramp, causing both the truck and boat to start floating. The driver, James Lines of Marble Rock, was able to get out of the truck before it sank to the bottom of the lake.

No injuries were reported. Damage to the truck is estimated at $20,000.