(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship awarded nearly two-point-seven (2.7) million dollars in its latest round of matching grants for14 urban water quality projects. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig (like egg) says state grant dollars will support water quality features, like native plantings, bioretention cells and a stormwater wetland.  “This is where stormwater manage meets water quality improvements,” he says. Naig made the announcement Monday at the Legacy Woods Nature Sanctuary in West Des Moines where water drains into Jordan Creek and then the Raccoon River.

“I hope it will inspire folks who spend time here to consider what they might do on their own property but also, other cities can come and see how this can be incorporated into the landscape,” Naig says. The park is adding bioretention cells to collect and filter stormwater with the help of native plants, a specific soil mix and a layer of rock. Ag Department urban conservationist Ann Seda says a stormwater wetland will collect overflow in bigger rain events. “And there again, the water will be treated to get the nitrogen uptake in that wetland before it discharges to Jordan Creek and then further downstream to the Raccoon River,” she says.

Cost-share grants through the state’s Water Quality Initiative have supported 140 projects in the last decade. Naig says they play a role in Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Local Trees Forever spokesperson Dolly Bergmann has announced spring tree vouchers are available through the Trees Forever program, beginning May 1st.  Bergmann says there is a limited number of vouchers available, and the limit is one voucher per homeowner, so more people can get a start replacing trees that are being removed.

Tree vouchers are a great way to help with the cost of a tree to plant. The vouchers are for $30 off the cost of a tree, and can be obtained at the Atlantic Hy-Vee, 1630 E 7th Street when you purchase a tree. Voucher information should be completed at the time of use, as that information is of a great help to Atlantic Trees Forever.

Hy-Vee Garden Center personnel in Atlantic can help you determine what kind of tree would work best in the location you would like to plant a tree. Bergmann reminds those who plant trees to water them this spring, and during the summer.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be presenting new proposed deer hunting regulations for portions of Western Iowa, that are intended to allow the deer herd to recover from a major sustained decline throughout the region for the past 15 years.

Proposed regulations will be presented and discussed at three public meetings: May 19, in Denison, at Yellow Smoke Park Lookout Shelter; May 20, in Hinton, at Dennis L. Sohl Center; and May 21, in Sioux Center, at Sandy Hollow Lodge. The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

“Hunters have an opportunity to provide support or concern for these proposals to help guide our path forward,” said Jace Elliott, state deer biologist with the Iowa DNR. “Deer hunting is one of Iowa’s most recreationally and economically important traditions. Our goal is to manage deer numbers at a level that is acceptable to our citizens and that supports a quality hunting experience.”

The Iowa DNR held eight meetings in Western Iowa last July to address the sustained decline in deer population in that region. Attendees were provided with information on the population decline, impacts of disease, changes in land cover and high doe harvest over the past decade, and were surveyed for their satisfaction of the local deer density, current antlerless harvest restrictions, support for further harvest restrictions and more. The results from the survey guided the new proposed regulations.

This is the second phase of the Western Iowa deer initiative where the Iowa DNR will present specific proposed regulations for the region, different from anything done in the past, and gauge the support and tolerances of the hunters.

(Radio Iowa) – There was planting progress last week despite widespread rain.The U-S-D-A report says there were just two-point-three days suitable for fieldwork due to wet conditions. The corn planted was up 16 percent to 34 percent, and that is two days ahead of the five-year average. Soybean planting moved from eleven to 25 percent complete, which is four days ahead of last year.

The report says cooler temperatures have slowed the emergence of the seeds already in the ground.

WEST DES MOINES, IA – The U-S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that due to fuel supply shortages, the agency will issue emergency waivers to permit the nationwide sale of E15 for the 2025 summer driving season. Even though Iowa and seven other Midwest states received approval to allow year-round sales of E15 on a permanent basis, a nationwide waiver provides additional E15 access to consumers outside of the eight Midwest states.

Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) Executive Director Monte Shaw said “While Iowa consumers and retailers already have E15 certainty, we still want consumers all across the nation to have the ability to save 15 to 20 cents per gallon at the pump. And during a time of tight fuel supplies, it would be ridiculous to tell retailers to bag their E15 pumps. Today is good news for Iowa farmers as well when you consider that 96.5 percent of ethanol produced at Iowa plants is utilized outside of the state.”

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued the following statement in support of the Environmental Protection Agency’s emergency approval of the summer sale of E-15: “President Trump is committed to lowering energy prices by unleashing American energy production, and it all starts with U.S. farmers. This move to allow the summer sale of E-15 will provide immediate relief to consumers, provide more choices at the pump, and drive demand for corn grown, processed, and used right here in America. Our nation’s great corn growers are critical to helping the U.S. achieve energy independence which is essential to national security.”

Rollins said “At USDA we look forward to our continued partnership with EPA and are working diligently to increase our energy dominance in the U.S. and abroad by expanding market access for American biofuels on the world stage.”

(Radio Iowa) – North America’s first commercial-scale “green ammonia” field trial is underway in Boone. Landus Cooperative partnered with the company Talusag to produce farm fertilizer using solar energy, air and water. Hiro Iwanaga is C-E-O of the start-up. “Traditional ammonia depends on, depends on a global supply chain that’s costly, that’s unreliable, that’s carbon intensive. We manufacture closer to where the product is used. We cut down risk while giving farmers a stable, more predictable source of one of the most critical inputs,” he says. Landus vice president for strategic initiatives, Brian Crowe, says the process reworks the entire system.

“We’re not only changing how fertilizer is produced, but where it’s made, how it gets to our growers,” Crowe says. He says the system in Boone can produce around one ton per day, but a larger scale model being built in Eagle Grove will produce twenty times more.

Earlier this month, Landus applied green ammonia to corn field trial plots on-site and will compare results with control strips throughout the growing season. The partners hope to have green ammonia commercially available next year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardeners have a busy month planned in May! On Saturday May 10, the group will host their annual Spring Plant Sale on the Cass County Fairgrounds. A few weeks later, on Wednesday May 21, the annual Master Gardener Bus Trip will leave from the fairgrounds for a day of education, garden exploration and plant nursery shopping. Any interested member of the public is invited to both events to help kick off the start of the gardening season!

The Plant Sale begins at 8 AM on May 10, and will be held in the front parking lot of the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. The event promises to have a wide variety of perennials available for gardeners to add to their landscape this year, as well as lawn tools, décor, and gardening books. Interested gardeners are encouraged to arrive early for best selection. The sale closes around 10 AM or when most plants are sold out. All items will be sold for a free will offering, with all proceeds used to support Master Gardener community grants, scholarships, and other projects around the county. A resource table with information on spring gardening topics and local projects will also be available.

For the annual spring sale, the Cass County Master Gardeners offer a variety of perennial plants from their own gardens, as well as plants dug from gardens in the local area. Plants expected on the sale so far include daylilies, grape hyacinth, sedum, ferns, hosta, columbine, walking onions, mukdenia, and a variety of houseplants and succulents. Others may be added closer to sale day. Community members are welcome to donate plants to this event, and members may even help you dig! If you are dividing perennials in your yard this spring and have extra plants to donate, please call in advance and make arrangements to drop off donated plants before the date of the plant sale. The Atlantic FFA chapter and horticulture students will also be set up at the plant sale again this year, offering tomatoes, peppers and flowering annuals for sale. All FFA plants will be sold at a separate booth and individually priced. Information will also be available on student plant sales from other Cass County schools.

The annual Bus Trip on May 21 features a full day of garden visits, educational activities, and a chance to explore and shop specialty plant nurseries. The trip heads east this year, and includes stops near Lorimor, Cumming and Norwalk in central Iowa. The bus departs the fairgrounds in Atlantic at 8 AM and returns around 6 PM. The trip is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners, but is open to everyone. Registration closes on May 15, or when the bus is full. Registrations are taken on a first-come basis, so register soon and be sure to reserve your spot on the bus! The cost is $65 for the day, which includes transportation, a meal and snacks. Registration forms are available at the Cass County Extension office, and can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at www.exension.iastate.edu/cass. A full itinerary is on each registration form.

The goal of the Master Gardener program is to provide local community service and education in horticulture.  The Cass County Master Gardeners utilize funds raised from their annual spring and fall plant sales for community projects across the county, include maintaining community garden spaces, providing education programs to youth and adults, and providing financial support to local horticulture projects and scholarship opportunities. Other upcoming events from the Master Gardeners include a local garden walk on June 22 and the fall plant sale on September 13. Master Gardeners will also be providing education to community members at events throughout the summer.

For more information about the plant sale, bus trip, and other Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.  In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program to keep up with local events and tips for gardening and learn more about becoming a Master Gardener in Iowa!