Four officers were elected during the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Shelby County extension council organizational meeting Jan 2nd. The nine-member county extension council annually elects officers to comply with Iowa law.

Julie Klein, of Harlan, was re-elected as chairperson. Klein will preside at all meetings of the county extension council, have authority to call special meetings and perform duties as performed and exercised by a chairperson of a board of directors of a corporation. Michele Monson, of Irwin, was elected vice chairperson.

Sheila Rihner, of Shelby, was elected secretary and has the responsibility of keeping the minutes of all county extension council meetings and signing required papers for the council.

The council re-elected Elaine Baughman, of Kirkman to the treasurer position. The treasurer has charge of all of the funds of the county extension council; receives, deposits, pays and disburses. The treasurer insures an accurate record of receipts and disbursements and submits reports to the county extension council.

As elected officials, the county extension council is the governing body of ISU Extension and Outreach. The county extension council hires county staff, manages the county extension budget of approximately $122,719 and helps determine programming.

In partnership with ISU Extension and Outreach, the council provides educational opportunities that bring university resources to the needs of the county and region. The county extension office is located at 906 6th Street in Harlan. To learn more about ISU Extension and Outreach in Shelby County, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/shelby.

A recent study finds opioid addiction is hitting farm families much harder than the rest of rural America and a new outreach campaign is targeting those populations in Iowa and elsewhere. Will Rodger, director of policy communication for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says the research found 74-percent of farmers and ranchers may have a problem themselves or they know someone who’s already hooked. Rodger says, “Most of them are going to know somebody who is strung out on drugs or who is trying to get clean, one way or the other.”

The survey by the Farm Bureau and the National Farmers Union found that rural adults do recognize opioid abuse can start accidentally with the use of what are deemed as “safe” painkillers. “We’re not talking about recreational drugs,” Rodger says. “We’re talking about folks who have fallen into addiction through little or no fault of their own. They got injured, they started on a course of opioids and for whatever reason, whether it’s bad treatment or genetic susceptibility or a combination of the two, they’ve gotten to the point that they can’t get off the drugs.”

The campaign called “Farm Town Strong” provides resources for those in rural America who need help battling opioid addiction. “It puts together a number of resources that people can turn to so that if they do have an addiction problem or know someone who does, they can get ahold of people who can give them treatment, help them with prevention, folks who can serve as sounding boards so they can figure out what their next step needs to be to get well again,” Rodger says.

The leaders of the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union are holding discussions on overcoming the opioid crisis at the bureau’s annual convention, underway through Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.
More info. at FarmTownStrong.org

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Ice fishing is now open on DeSoto Lake from now through the end of February. The DeStoto National Wildlife Refuge says it’s up to individual anglers to determine whether the ice is safe each day. A general guideline is 4 inches of clear and solid ice at a minimum for foot travel and ice fishing.

The refuge’s visitor center is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except on federal holidays. Visitors can see the lake from inside the center. In recent days, eagles, ducks, swans and geese have been seen from the visitor center. The center also has bird feeders that attract an array of birds.

DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge is located north of Omaha, near Missouri Valley, Iowa and Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold an informational meeting in West Des Moines to discuss a planned tree harvest from a central Iowa state park campground site.

Officials with the Cass County Conservation Department report tomorrow’s (Saturday’s) Soiree with the Swans will not take place at the Schildberg Recreation Area, as originally planned. Instead, you may join Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning for the Soiree with the Swans at the Atlantic Public Library. Lora will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans at the from 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available.

Hot chocolate, cookies, Sandwiches, and other snacks will be provided free of charge with donations being accepted (for swan care). The event is sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

Despite the brutal cold weather and a sharp increase in demand from farmers and homeowners, liquid propane prices are -not- bounding in Iowa, according to Paul Ovrom, an ag marketer at the Iowa Department of Agriculture.

“The average price for the state right now is coming out at $1.49 a gallon,” Ovrom says. “That is just two cents higher than a week prior to that.” While two pennies a gallon is a very small rise, he says it’s typical to see price spikes during the wintertime.

“The cold snap that we’re having hasn’t influenced the prices too much yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that changes within the next week or two,” Ovrom says. “Sometimes there’s a lag in the pricing.” Propane prices are up substantially from a year ago, about 27-percent higher. Ovrom says several factors may be coming into play. Ovrum says L-P prices often bounce between October and March as that’s when much of the product is exported to nations like China.

“Propane is tied to crude oil,” Ovrom says. “Crude oil production, a byproduct of that is propane and as crude oil prices go up or fluctuate, that impacts the price of propane.” Even with the cold weather, he does not expect the record demand Iowa saw in 2013 when then-Governor Terry Branstad declared an energy emergency as propane prices averaged as high as $4.71 a gallon.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES — Iowa received a statewide annual precipitation of 33 inches in 2017, more than two inches less than normal, according to the latest Water Summary Update from the Iowa DNR. The year began with a wetter than normal spring, followed by drier than normal summer and fall months, with the exception of a very wet October. “The distribution of rainfall was uneven this year, with some areas of southeastern Iowa ending the year more than 10 inches short on rainfall,” said Tim Hall, the DNR’s Hydrology Resources Coordinator. “Good spring rainfall will help to restore soil moisture and shallow groundwater in those areas.”

Streamflow has been generally normal for the second half of the year. Southeastern Iowa remains an area of concern after two consecutive years of drier than normal conditions.  Meanwhile, 2017 was an unusually warm year with a statewide average temperature of 49.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.8 degrees above normal. This ranks as the eighth warmest year on record.

For a thorough review of Iowa’s water resource trends, go to www.iowadnr.gov/watersummaryupdate.

w/Max Dirks.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A high school student from Audubon County was one of four winners in an essay contest for active FFA members, sponsored by Growmark. Anna Campell, of Hamlin, joined students in Illinois, Missouri and Wisconsin as State winners in the contest, the theme for which was “How can cooperatives demonstrate their value to the next generation of agriculturists?”​

2018 is the 25th year for the essay contest sponsored by GROWMARK and participating FS member cooperatives. The goal of the contest is to encourage students to develop writing skills, learn about current issues impacting agriculture and understand the unique role of cooperatives. You can view her essay under a pdf of her essay, here:  2018-Iowa-Winning-Essay

State winners receive a $500 award. The FFA chapter of the state winner receives $300 award, and four runners-up per state: each receive a $125 award.

This Year’s Topic: The average age of farmers in the United States is 55 years old, meaning many current farmers are nearing retirement age. Cooperatives have played a vital role in agriculture for many years, offering products, services, and expertise to help farmers increase efficiency and profitability, while keeping up with a rapidly changing industry. As a younger generation steps up to fill their shoes, they will need a wide variety of resources and technology to be successful. What does the next generation of agriculturists need from a cooperative partner, and how can cooperatives work with young farmers to remain relevant?

FARLEY, Iowa (AP) — Frigid temperatures are creating challenges for Iowa farmers who say animals can endure cold winter conditions but need extra attention to stay healthy and productive. Iowa entered 2018 with subzero temperatures. The National Weather Service reported a Jan. 1 record temperature in Dubuque of 21 degrees below zero (-29 Celsius). And wind chills on the first two days of the year reached negative 30 degrees.

Dairy farmer Wayne Kramer tells the Telegraph Herald that his livestock needs to be partially protected from the frigid conditions. He says the cold weather can make cows uncomfortable and cut into productivity. Livestock farmer Craig Recker says the wind poses a threat to his cattle. Recker uses corn stalk fodder for his cattle’s bedding, which he says helps them generate heat.