Jason Wickizer, Operations Officer for the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency, reports the Fire Danger index in Shelby County, will remain in the MODERATE Category through the weekend. He’s asking anyone planning to conduct an outdoor burn, to please call 712-755-2124, AND your local fire chief.

w/Kate Olson.

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Spring is here, and tomorrow (Thursday, March 22nd) will mark the 2nd Produce in the Park planning meeting of 2018. The meeting will be held at 4:30-p.m. in the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce meeting room at 102 Chestnut Street, Atlantic. Anyone interested in this community event is invited to attend, especially those interested in selling locally grown produce and handmade crafts. The market is always looking for fresh ideas for entertainment and kids activities as well.

The opening date for Produce in the Park is May 31 and it will be held every Thursday night, 4:30 to 6:30 in Atlantic City Park. The vendor fee is $60 for the season. Funding and budget will be discussed as well as volunteer opportunities and a discussion on sampling goods at the market. Decisions are made by attendees of the meeting. The mission of Produce in the Park is promoting local food production and consumption, and building community to enhance the health and well-being of residents. Produce in the Park provides opportunities for direct marketing for producers, access to fresh local foods for consumers, social networking and educational opportunities for all participants.

For more information contact Emily Paulsen, Susan Retz, Emily Krengel, LaVon Eblen or the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

Shelby County Emergency Management Officials say fire stations and participating Fire Danger program businesses should keep their Outdoor Fire Danger signs in the Moderate category, through Thursday…the next time an update on the burning conditions will be posted. If you are planning on doing a controlled burn, notify your local fire chief.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has rejected a petition from an animal rights group that sought more humane treatment for turkeys and chickens sent to slaughter.

California-based Mercy For Animals filed a petition in November asking the USDA to include poultry in the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, a 1958 law that makes it a crime to abuse or neglect pigs and cows during slaughter.

The head of the USDA’s Office of Food Safety said in denying the petition that other regulations ensure humane poultry treatment.

Mercy for Animals says it has proof chickens are abused or scalded to death in tanks of hot water and sometimes have legs and wings cut off while still conscious.
The group’s attorney said Friday legal options to overturning the decision are under consideration.

A bill eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate would let state officials charge varying camping and lodging fees at state parks. Senator Dan Dawson of Council Bluffs says it would allow officials to employ “dynamic pricing.” “There are peak times and non-peak times and we have a bunch of great properties and we have to ask ourselves: ‘How can we bring more traffic there?’ — especially in non-peak times, because it’s better for everyone in the end,” Dawson says. Dawson envisions varying fees for lodging and camping spots within a state park. “There might be a lake there where the more desirable cabins are down by the lake as opposed to a little far removed,” Dawson says.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources oversees the state’s parks, reserves and forests. There are more than 47-hundred campsites within those state-owned properties.  “We’ve got great parks. We’ve built some brand new cabins over the last few years and they’re just fabulous,” Dawson says, “And we ask ourselves: ‘How can we get more traffic there?’ So I think this is kind of creative a great way to drive that traffic.”

Another senator suggests say state officials might opt for two-nights-for-one pricing specials during the early spring and late fall to attract more off-season campers. The bill got unanimous approval in the Senate Ways and Means Committee, on Wednesday.

(Radio Iowa)

AMES, Iowa – Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is once again working with experienced farmers across the state to offer aspiring farmers on-farm job opportunities through the Labor4Learning program. For the 2018 season, 14 experienced farmers from around the state have signed on to hire an employee through the program and to provide additional training on topics critical to successfully running a farm business. To qualify as a trainee, applicants must have a strong desire to learn; apply to and be hired by a trainer farm; and be or become a member of Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Locally, 2018 Labor4Learning Farms include:

• Dale and Marcie Raasch – Bridgewater Farm – Adair County (Bridgewater) – Certified organic vegetables and fruits; hay, cattle, hogs, broilers, laying hens
• Denise O’Brien and Larry Harris – Rolling Acres Farm – Cass County (Atlantic) – Produce, cover crops, poultry
• Jon Bakehouse – Maple Edge Farm – Mills County (Hastings) – Corn, soy, alfalfa, beef cattle, pasture, small grains

Officials with PFI say having sufficient on-farm work experience is vital to the success of new farmers just starting on their own. Most on-farm employment opportunities, however, are limited in scope and don’t expose employees to the full range of skills needed to be successful.

Now entering its sixth year, Practical Farmers’ Labor4Learning program helps fill the need by connecting aspiring farmers seeking paid on-farm training with experienced farmers looking for eager employees. In addition to their normal job responsibilities, those in the program receive training on topics such as record keeping, marketing and other skills important for running a farm business. At the start of employment, the trainer and trainee agree on a set of learning outcomes to address during the course of employment, beyond the normal job-related work activities.

Complete job descriptions and program details can be found at practicalfarmers.org/labor4learning.

The Shelby County Emergency Management Agency is asking fire departments and businesses in the county to “Please keep your local fire danger signs in the Moderate category through the weekend. Some precipitation will occur Friday, but any sunshine and wind will quickly dry the dead vegetation. Fire trucks and larger vehicles are not able to get into many fields this time of year due to the soft conditions as the frost leaves the ground. Please use caution and plan your burn before striking the match.!”

The National Weather Service has issued a “Red Flag Warning,” for the southwest corner of Iowa. The warning currently affects Fremont and Page Counties, where potentially dangerous fire weather conditions will exist this afternoon. The warning is in effect from 1-p.m. today until 7-p.m.

Gusty southwest winds (at 15-to 25-mph) combined with low relative humidity values and dry fuels, will result in dangerous fire weather conditions across parts of southeastern Nebraska and southwestern Iowa this afternoon. As temperatures climb well into the 60s today, humidity levels will drop below 20 percent. These low relative humidity values, along with southwest winds gusting to 25 mph, will make any fires that develop difficult to control.

A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now, or will shortly. A combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures can contribute to extreme fire behavior.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa officials have set new goals for monarch butterfly habitat to help keep the insect from being listed as an endangered species. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Iowa Department of Natural Resources wants to have 480,000 to 830,000 acres of habitat across the state. That’s room for about 127 million to 188 million new milkweed stems, which is the only plant monarch butterflies lay their eggs on. The goal: plant about double Iowa’s estimated amount of milkweed.

It would be part of a national effort to get 1.3 billion new milkweed stems for the monarch’s migration. Resources department director Chuck Gipp told station KCRG that, without adequate action to increase the monarch numbers, it could get listed. Iowan landowners then would have to contend with national species protection laws.