Iowans can learn how to “Preserve the Taste of Summer” during online lessons and hands-on workshops from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The online lessons already are available and workshops are planned for July and August, 2015, including a jam and jelly workshop August 8th from 9 am to 12 noon, at the Cass County Fairgrounds.

Preserve the Taste of Summer is a comprehensive food preservation education program including online lessons, hands-one workshops and printable resources and recipes. The two-part educational series includes online classwork, covering topics such as food safety, canning basics, canning acid foods, pressure canning low-acid foods, preparation and canning of pickled and fermented foods, making and preserving fruit spreads, freezing foods, storage of frozen and refrigerated foods, and drying foods. The lessons can also be taken in a group session at the Extension Office by prior arrangement.

Once the “classroom” sessions are completed, participants can choose from four different hands-on workshops, each lasting approximately three hours, where they will practice specific preservation skills in a kitchen and take home a freshly preserved product. The four workshop choices include Hot water bath canning (salsa making) and freezing, Jams and dehydrating, Pickle making and Pressure canning.

The home food preserver registration fee is $35 and covers all eight online lessons and one hands-on workshop. The professional level of “Preserve the Taste of Summer” qualifies as continuing education for Iowa teachers and registered dietitians. The registration fee is $100 and covers all eight online lessons and two hands-on workshops.

Cass County Extension will be hosting a Jams and Dehydrating workshop in the Cass County Fair Foodstand on Saturday, August 8th from 9 AM to Noon. Other upcoming classes include a July 30yh Pressure Canning workshop in Adair County, an August 13 Pickling workshop in Carson, and an August 20th Salsa workshop in Adair County. All of these workshops require completion of relevant classroom sessions prior to attending the workshop.

For more information on cost and getting enrolled in the classes, visit the Preserve the Taste of Summer website at www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer. You can also call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 to learn more about the program, to inquire about the Group Viewing option for the classwork, or to pick up food preservation publications.

Food Preservation publications, covering 8 different types of home food preservation, with detailed recipes, can also be downloaded at no cost from the ISU Extension Online Store (https://store.extension.iastate.edu/).

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he’s not ready to declare the Midwest bird flu outbreak over. While no new cases of the H5N2 virus have been detected over for over a month, Vilsack told The Associated Press on Monday that the threat hasn’t passed. Vilsack said poultry producers have caught a break thanks to the summer weather because warmer temperatures tend to kill the virus.

But he also said his agency is aware of the need to be prepared in case the disease reappears this fall. He noted that USDA officials and poultry industry groups plan to meet in Iowa next week to discuss those plans. Bird flu has cost Midwest poultry producers about 48 million birds, mostly egg-laying chickens in in Iowa and turkeys in Minnesota.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – This year was the last for a convention that brought together John Deere fans and restoration experts from around the country to Iowa.
The 25th and final Two-Cylinder Expo was held Saturday at the National Cattle Congress grounds in Waterloo.

Organizer Jack Cherry says that expo honors, such as for excellent restoration of a machine, will still continue. He launched the Two-Cylinder Club in 1985, and it now has more than 13,000 antique John Deere tractor fans. Cherry tells the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that he’ll miss seeing people who refurbish vintage equipment converge at the Cattle Congress grounds to show their work.

A park in northwest Iowa plans to hold a two-day camp later this month designed specifically for kids and their grandparents. Karess Knudtson, with the Dickinson County Nature Center in Okoboji, is organizing what’s being called “Grandpa, Grandma, & Me!” She says the idea is to bridge generations and let both age groups grow together and create memories.

“The older generation as well as the younger generation can serve as both a learner as well as a teacher,” Knudtson says. “That becomes a very wonderful experience for them.” Knudtson says the camp has no theme, which allows for more hands-on activities like cooking, hiking and kayaking. It’s often difficult for kids and grandparents to coordinate schedules, so Knudtson says this an opportunity for both generations to spend some quality time together.

“We might get into some cooking, we might cook a snack one of the days, maybe making some Chapstik from our beeswax that we have from our bees here.” The camp is scheduled for July 30th and 31st and targets children between the ages of 5 and 13. The cost is $75 per child.

(Radio Iowa)

Lower crop prices have had a heavy impact on Iowa’s farmers and many are forming their financial plans based on continued low prices. Farmland values and rental rates are heavily influenced by farmers’ current and future revenues. So what does the future hold for Iowa land values and rents? Find out at the land valuation and leasing meeting being held in your area. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach works to bring unbiased information to both land owners and renters to help both parties make successful management decisions.

The land valuation and leasing meetings discuss current land values, rental rates, trends and projections of how values and rents might change in the coming years. Other topics will include: how to calculate a rental rate based on county specific information, the variety of leasing arrangements that land owners and tenants may use, and the expected cost of crop production in the coming year.

There will be a leasing meeting held on July 29th at 9:30 am in Harlan, Iowa, at the Shelby County Extension Office, located at 906 Sixth Street. The cost is $20/person pre-registered, or $25/person without pre-registration. Attendees will receive a land leasing handbook with reference and resource materials. The workshop will last approximately 2 ½ hours. Shane Ellis, ISU farm management specialist for the west central region of the state will be presenting. To register, please call the Shelby County Extension office at 712-755-3104.

Getting started in agriculture can be a daunting undertaking that requires a significant amount of resources. To help beginning farmers, both young and not so young, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is providing a Beginning Farmer Night on July 22 in Harlan, IA. The presentation starts at 6pm and will be held at the Shelby County Extension office located at 906 Sixth Street.

This meeting will focus on state and USDA programs designed to help new and some existing farmers find the capital resources to start or expand their operation. Existing farmers and landowners may be interested to learn about programs that reward them for mentoring or leasing land to beginning farmers. Speakers will include Steve Ferguson of the Iowa Finance Authority, Bill Anderson with USDA Farm Service Agency, and Shane Ellis, ISU Farm Management Specialist.

This will be an excellent opportunity for current and future producers to learn about beginning farmer programs and loans available directly from program administrators. Bring your questions for an open and friendly group discussion. For more information and to RSVP, please call the Shelby County Extension office at (712) 755-3104.

(Press Release)

The Audubon County Fair Queen contest was held Thursday night at the grandstand on the Audubon County Fairgrounds.  2014 Fair Queen Cassie Irlmeier passed along her crown to Tess Albright, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Audubon High School.  Albright was crowned queen out of a field of 7 contestants.  1st Runner-Up was Deann Irlmeier, an 16-year-old Sophomore at Exira-EHK.  2nd Runner-Up went to Jessica Wood, an 18-year-old recent graduate of Exira-EHK High School.

The candidates met on Thursday, July 9th at the Audubon County Extension Office to enjoy a meal catered by Simply Sweet.  That night they were interviewed as part of the judging process on criteria that included community involvement, speaking abilities and poise.  The Audubon County Fair Board supports the contestants by providing the meal, crown and sash, prizes, and State Fair accommodations to the winner.

Albright will now participate in the Iowa State Fair Queen Contest August 11th-15th. Coronation of the State Fair Queen will be Saturday, August 15th at 7 pm on the Anne and Bill Riley Stage.

The full list of candidates were: Tess Albright, Emily Campbell, Ashley Hansen, Deann Irlmeier, Sarah Mosinski, Aly Vance, and Jessica Wood.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it considers many factors when determining ways to euthanize large numbers of animals during a disease outbreak. The agency released the statement Thursday in response to a letter from an animal rights group criticizing a USDA proposal to respond to a future outbreak of bird flu.

The Humane Society of The United States’ letter focused on statements made by USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford during a Senate committee hearing last week. Clifford said shutting off ventilation systems to barns when the highly contagious disease is found may be more humane and efficient than gassing or using foam to suffocate the birds. Those methods were used amid this year’s outbreak.

The animal rights group says the latest idea is gruesome and should be scrapped.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new survey suggests modest economic growth ahead in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states, but the predicted decline in farm income this year remains a concern. The overall Rural Mainstreet economic index inched into positive territory in July at 53.4. In June the index registered a neutral score of 50.

The index has risen for four months. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the trend is encouraging, but the bankers surveyed still aren’t very optimistic. The confidence index remained in negative territory at 46.6 after improving from June’s 45.9.

The survey indexes range from 0 to 100. Any score below 50 suggests decline in that factor in the months ahead. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Persons attending the Shelby County Fair have a chance to partake in the Commodity Carnival. Brought to you through a partnership between CME Group and the National 4-H Council, the Commodity Carnival – now in its third year – is an interactive, educational fair experience that allows young fairgoers to play games that teach them about managing the risks and costs associated with producing and bringing animals to market. The Commodity Carnival booth will be at the Shelby County Fair from July 16th through the 18th, and fairgoers can even take the newest “Risk Ranch” game home with them on their mobile device.

To see Risk Ranch in action, you can download the game for iOS or Android, or to find out more information, go to http://www.cmegroup.com/education/4-h.html. The app launched last year and now allows you to raise both a hog and a steer while learning about commodities.