(Atlantic, Iowa) – Spring is in the air, and plans are underway for gardening projects in Cass County. Local groups planning community gardening, beautification or education programs will again be eligible for assistance from the Cass County Master Gardeners. The group is offering grant money to be used in the 2025 growing season, to encourage gardening to grow food for donation, for gardening education, and/or for gardening projects to improve local communities.

The Cass County Master Gardener Memorial Grants are offered in remembrance of the many years of service to the community provided by long-time Master Gardener volunteers who have passed. Funds are raised by Master Gardeners at events like their spring plant sale, set for Saturday May 10, and summer events such as a bus trip and garden walk.

Any Cass County not-for-profit group may apply. Schools, libraries, 4-H clubs, Scouts, churches, or other organizations/individuals working to improving their communities can apply for money to begin or improve gardens or landscaping for community benefit, or to provide education for their members or the public.

To ensure the money is helping a wide variety of community organizations, those who were funded by 2024 grants will not be eligible to apply in 2025. Each grant has a maximum value of $300. Applications must include plans for teamwork and sustainability. All grant recipients will be expected to submit a report at the end of the growing season, detailing how the money was spent. Recipients will also be given a sign to place in their garden area for the 2025 growing season.

Applications must be received by 4:30 PM on Monday, April 14 for guaranteed consideration. They may be submitted by mail or email. Grant recipients will be informed of their application status no later than Thursday, May 1 so they can make plans for the growing season. For more information, or with questions, call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email  keolson@iastate.edu. Application forms can be printed from the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. You can also call or email the office to request a form be mailed or emailed to you or stop by 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic to pick one up.

The Master Gardener program trains volunteers to develop their knowledge and skills in horticulture. These volunteers then give back to their communities through gardening service and education. The program is available in all 50 states and Canada through land grant university Extension programs such as Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Information on upcoming opportunities such as the grant, scholarships and spring plant sale can be found on the Cass County Extension Website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass. For more information on the program, contact Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson, at 712-243-1132 or keolson@iastate.edu. You can also follow the Cass County Master Gardeners on Facebook (@CassCoMG) for gardening tips and information on upcoming events!

(Des Moines, Iowa/Iowa Capital Dispatch) -Iowans gathered at the Iowa Capitol Thursday to celebrate the parks, trails and outdoor spaces across the state. The gathering was also intended to serve as a reminder to lawmakers that Iowans care about the outdoors and about preserving access to trails and public lands. Joe McGovern, president of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, encouraged attendees to think of the creek, park trail or family farm that was special to them and to bring those feelings into the crowded rotunda. Rep. Austin Baeth, D-Des Moines, said the outdoors gives Iowans a sense of commonality, which he said is “sometimes sorely missing” at the State Capitol. Baeth said the outdoors can’t be taken for granted, and pointed at urban sprawl as a major contributor to Iowa’s loss of prairie, wetland and forest habitats. He encouraged attendees to remind legislators that the outdoors are a “top priority” for Iowans.

Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System, said outdoor recreation is Iowa’s top source of tourism and accounts for $8 billion annually in economic output, according to a recent study. Shirley said state, county and city parks alone account for $3 billion of that, which is a big increase since the last time his organization did a study in 2012 and found parks had an economic output of less than $1 billion. Shirley said the study, which is not yet published, also found the trails, lakes and conservation sites create positive environmental impacts and health outcomes for Iowans. Luke Hoffman, executive director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, said cycling and trails in Iowa have an economic impact that is on par with that of the top 50 industries for the state. This comes from a study published in January that found biking and trails have a $1.4 billion impact in the state.

Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said at every town hall, or community event he has done in the 10 years as a lawmaker, someone brings up the need to fund the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund. The trust was established in 2010 via a constitutional amendment that had more than 60% approval at the ballot box, to fund parks, trails, water resources, conservation efforts and natural areas in the state. The trust, however, has not had any allocations or withdrawals to date. “The people spoke overwhelmingly, and we need to get this done,” Kaufmann said.

Iowans gathered for Celebrate Iowa’s Outdoors Day to champion outdoor recreation in Iowa. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, said he tries to think of tax policy, as chair of the Ways and Means Committee, not just in terms of dollars and cents, but also to make a better state. “If we’re going to have a state that’s going to grow … and keep people in here and have generational families continue to be here in Iowa, we have to find some of those place making opportunities as well,” Dawson said.

The senator said he and his colleagues need to find a “tax pathway” to do what Iowans have asked them to do. The state would have to raise its sales tax rate by three-eighths of a cent to fund the trust, but Iowa has not increased sales tax rates since 2008.

Earlier this session, senators introduced a proposed constitutional amendment to repeal the natural resources trust fund and replace it with one that would provide property tax relief. Senate Joint Resolution 6 did not advance beyond its subcommittee hearing ahead of the legislative funnel deadline.

Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, D-West Des Moines, said Iowans consistently show up to make their voices heard when legislation threatens the trust fund, or the acquisition of public lands.

Senators advanced Senate File 553 to would restrict the Department of Natural Resources’ ability to purchase land and grow the amount of public land in Iowa. Trone Garriott opposed the bill in committee, because she said constituents had flooded her inbox with messages on the importance of public lands. Trone Garriott said Iowa policy and budgets need to reflect the values and priorities of Iowans.

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2025 – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, on National Agriculture Day, announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is issuing up to $10 billion directly to agricultural producers through the Emergency Commodity Assistance Program (ECAP) for the 2024 crop year. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), ECAP will help agricultural producers mitigate the impacts of increased input costs and falling commodity prices.

“Producers are facing higher costs and market uncertainty, and the Trump Administration is ensuring they get the support they need without delay,” said Secretary Rollins. “With clear direction from Congress, USDA has prioritized streamlining the process and accelerating these payments ahead of schedule, ensuring farmers have the resources necessary to manage rising expenses and secure financing for next season.”

Authorized by the American Relief Act, 2025, these economic relief payments are based on planted and prevented planted crop acres for eligible commodities for the 2024 crop year. To streamline and simplify the delivery of ECAP, FSA will begin sending pre-filled applications to producers who submitted acreage reports to FSA for 2024 eligible ECAP commodities soon after the signup period opens on March 19, 2025. Producers do not have to wait for their pre-filled ECAP application to apply. They can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to apply using a login.gov account or contact their local FSA office to request an application once the signup period opens.

Eligible Commodities and Payment Rates

The commodities below are eligible for these per-acre payment rates:

Producer Eligibility

Eligible producers must report 2024 crop year planted and prevented planted acres to FSA on an FSA-578, Report of Acreage form. Producers who have not previously reported 2024 crop year acreage or filed a notice of loss for prevented planted crops must submit an acreage report by the Aug. 15, 2025, deadline. Eligible producers can visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap for eligibility and payment details.

Applying for ECAP

Producers must submit ECAP applications to their local FSA county office by Aug. 15, 2025. Only one application is required for all ECAP eligible commodities nationwide. ECAP applications can be submitted to FSA in-person, electronically using Box and One-Span, by fax or by applying online at fsa.usda.gov/ecap utilizing a secure login.gov account.

If not already on file for the 2024 crop year, producers must have the following forms on file with FSA:

• Form AD-2047, Customer Data Worksheet.
• Form CCC-901, Member Information for Legal Entities (if applicable).
• Form CCC-902, Farm Operating Plan for an individual or legal entity.
• Form CCC 943, 75 percent of Average Gross Income from Farming, Ranching, or Forestry Certification (if applicable).
• AD-1026, Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification.
• SF-3881, Direct Deposit.

Except for the new CCC-943, most producers, especially those who have previously participated in FSA programs, likely have these forms on file. However, those who are uncertain and want to confirm the status of their forms or need to submit the new Form-943, can contact their local FSA county office.

If a producer does not receive a pre-filled ECAP application, and they planted or were prevented from planting ECAP eligible commodities in 2024, they should contact their local FSA office.

ECAP Payments and Calculator

ECAP payments will be issued as applications are approved. Initial ECAP payments will be factored by 85% to ensure that total program payments do not exceed available funding. If additional funds remain, FSA may issue a second payment.

ECAP assistance will be calculated using a flat payment rate for the eligible commodity multiplied by the eligible reported acres. Payments are based on acreage and not production. For acres reported as prevented plant, ECAP assistance will be calculated at 50%.

For ECAP payment estimates, producers are encouraged to visit fsa.usda.gov/ecap to use the ECAP online calculator.

More Information

To learn more about FSA programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center. Producers can also prepare maps for acreage reporting as well as manage farm loans and view other farm records data and customer information by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today.

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners invest in, improve, protect and expand their agricultural operations through the delivery of agricultural programs for all Americans. FSA implements agricultural policy, administers credit and loan programs, and manages conservation, commodity, disaster recovery and marketing programs through a national network of state and county offices and locally elected county committees. For more information, visit fsa.usda.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa property owners who oppose having the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline on their land are asking state regulators to pause the review of plans to expand the route. Jess Mazour of the Sierra Club’s Iowa chapter says a new South Dakota law banning Summit from using eminent domain in that state to seize land for the project is a game changer. “Too much has changed with Summit’s project to move forward with these hearings. They need to pause it and really stop it all together until Summit figures out what its next step is,” she said. Mazour is among about 70 people who gathered in the Iowa Capitol Tuesday before delivering petitions to the Iowa Utilities Board. Dennis King, a Clay County farmer, says the proposed pipeline route runs through four of his farms.

“South Dakota has shown us that this pipeline can be stopped,” King said, as the crowd cheered and waved signs. “Yay South Dakota. I agree.” Robert Nazario, a Republican from Iowa Falls who ran for a seat in the Iowa House last year, says pipeline opponents need to defeat Iowa lawmakers who support the project — just as South Dakotans fighting the pipeline did. “These government gansters in Iowa have got to be voted out,” he said. “South Dakota has made it known under God, we the people rule.” At least 14 Republican legislators in South Dakota were defeated by Republican challengers last year in races where the pipeline was a major issue. Marva Schuldt of Readlyn says the “phase two” extension of Summit’s pipeline route is within 450 feet of her farm in Bremer County. She’s urging people to attend a town hall meeting with U-S Senator Chuck Grassley next week. “I want all of your to come to Hampton, Iowa, and show him how many people are against this,” she said. “We have to email him, we have to call him and Joni Ernst both and tell them that we do not want this pipeline.”

Opponents of proposed carbon pipeline rally in Iowa Capitol rotunda on March 18, 2025.

The pipeline project is financed, in large part, with federal tax credits for carbon sequestration. Monte Shaw, executive director of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says the pipeline will address the demand for low carbon fuels — and its demise would be a damper on corn prices for Iowa farmers. The Iowa House has passed several bills to regulate carbon pipelines over the past four years. All of those bills have stalled in the Iowa Senate. This year, several bills addressing pipeline related issues are pending in the Iowa House.

(Radio Iowa) – While a large portion of Iowa may see thunderstorms or blizzard conditions today (Wednesday), farmers across the state are still preparing for the planting season ahead, as tomorrow’s the first day of spring. Angie Rieck-Hinz, a field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, says farmers will need to take a close look at their soil before starting to work. “There was a lot of fall tillage done. We may not need to come in and do any spring tillage this year, but in some cases, we may need to come out and make a finishing pass,” Rieck-Hinz says. “We need to think about what those soil conditions are at the time we do that. We don’t want it too wet. We just ball everything up, and then we have big clumps out in the field, and then our planter does not work efficiently.”

The amount of rain and snow we receive will also play a big role in how quickly farmers can get into the fields. “When we come back to plant, we also want good conditions, right?” Rieck-Hinz says. “We don’t want excessively wet, that maybe we’re compacting those side walls when we run that planter through, that we have germination issues. We have rooting depth issues over the course of the season.” Rieck-Hinz recommends farmers use their favorite search engine to type in “digital ag planters at Iowa State” if they could use a few more tips. “You will come up with a web page that will give you a bunch of videos for planter resources,” she says. “There’s a little picture of a planter and you can click on that. It will take you to a whole bunch of videos on planter metrics for crop scouting, using blocks to check your planter depth settings, and then studying planter downforce, so all the things we can do in advance of planting that we can actually do right in our shop.”

Rieck-Hinz covers several counties in north-central Iowa, including Wright, Franklin, Hardin and Cerro Gordo.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources report Bob Harris is the recipient of the 2024 Brass Bluegill award from the Iowa DNR’s Fish Iowa! program. Harris started a nonprofit organization in 2020 to promote fishing for Junior and Senior High School students. The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team aims to promote, advance, and sponsor amateur youth fishing for boys and girls in Southwest Iowa and surrounding communities.   Their primary initiative is to instill the ideals of good sportsmanship, education, conservation, and fish care through instruction, seminars, and training during all outdoor youth activities.

This endeavor has been a great success. Dozens of Junior and Senior High school aged boys and girls from all over Iowa have joined this team and competed in youth bass fishing tournaments locally and nationally. Harris also provides students with educational opportunities. Using fishing as a springboard, he and his team gain a better understanding of fish biology, habitat, and water management. He works with local agencies, organizations and businesses to access equipment, local resources, and funds for supplies.

The Southwest Iowa Fishing Team is committed to giving back to the natural resources in Iowa. Harris and his team successfully completed a fund-raising campaign to purchase materials the team used to build fish habitat at more than a dozen Southwest Iowa public fishing lakes.

Pictured from the left is DNR director Kayla Lyon, 2025 Brass Bluegill Award recipient Bob Harris, chair of the Natural Resource Commission, Marcus Branstad, and DNR fisheries biologist Andy Jansen. Photo courtesy of the Iowa DNR.

Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau staff have been assisting Harris and his team to help make these efforts educational and engage students to learn and expand their knowledge about aquatic fish life in the area lakes and ponds. He has built strong support for fishing, and outdoor education overall, in the area schools and community.

The award, along with a set of fishing poles to use with their Fish Iowa! programs, was presented at the Natural Resources Commission Meeting on March 13. The Brass Bluegill award has been presented each year since 1996 to Fish Iowa! educators with outstanding local programs that exemplify the goals of the Fish Iowa! Angler Education program.