Weather kept farmers out of the fields much of last week, but the latest crop report shows planting is still on schedule. The report shows 92-percent of the corn has been planted, which is six days ahead of last year and five days ahead of the five-year average. Northwest Iowa stayed ahead of the pace — with 98-percent of the corn planting there complete. Southwest Iowa lags behind the state average with just 75-percent of the corn crop in. Sixty-three-percent of the corn has emerged, which is one week ahead of last year and five days ahead of normal. Soybean planting crossed the halfway point at 51-percent complete — three-days days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the average.

(Radio Iowa)

Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship said Monday afternoon they were responding to four probable cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in Sac and Sioux counties. With the new announcements, Iowa now has 56 cases of the disease in the state. The Department has quarantined the premises and once the presence of the disease is confirmed, all birds on the property will be humanely euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.

Two of sites in Sac County are turkey farms that have experienced increased mortality. An estimate on the number of birds at the site is still pending. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.

The two sites in Sioux County have backyard duck flocks with a total of around 62 birds that was found during monitoring activities by the Department around a previous case. Initial testing showed it positive for H5 avian influenza. Additional confirmatory testing is pending from the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames.

As the Department receives final confirmations of the disease updated information will be posted to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s website at www.iowaagriculture.gov/avianinfluenza.asp.

Governor Terry Branstad says Iowa landfills should not take advantage of a bad situation and “gouge” poultry operations hit with bird flu with exorbitant landfill fees. “We do have millions of dead birds that need to be disposed of,” Branstad says. “And we want to dispose of them in an appropriate and correct way.” Branstad and U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack talked about the issue by phone on Friday.

Bill Northey, the state’s ag secretary, and the head of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources have sent a letter to the state’s landfills, explaining the dead chickens and turkeys are being properly prepared for burial. Branstad is appealing to landfill operators to be “reasonable and fair” in determining the appropriate fees for accepting the birds. “We want them to be compensated fairly, but it’s not appropriate to gouge people when you have a disaster situation like this,” Branstad says.

Branstad has asked for a federal disaster declaration from the U.S.D.A., but Ag Secretary Vilsack says the loans that would be made available through that action actually have higher interest rates than would be available from other lenders. Branstad says he’s concerned about the job losses at the facilities which have been hit by bird flu as well as the steep decline in Iowa poultry production.

“This is a significant loss that we’re very concerned about and the impact on our economy could be something that at this point we don’t know how great, but we’re already beginning to see its impact,” Branstad says. The U-S-D-A does have an “indemnity” fund that will pay poultry producers for the “fair market value” of the birds that have to be killed. Federal payments will also cover the “reasonable costs” of sanitizing facilities where bird flu has been found.

(Radio Iowa)

The DNR has released the most recent draft of the state’s impaired waters list, which will be discussed at the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission meeting May 19th. The DNR will present commissioners with the state’s 2014 draft list of 572 impaired waterbodies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires the biennial report as a comprehensive summary of water quality in the state.

John Olson, Senior Environmental Specialist with the DNR, says “The list is tied to Iowa’s water quality standards. Making the list does not necessarily mean the river or lake has a severe impairment like a stream running with open sewage. Most of the time making the list is more like an early warning system, indicating potential water quality problems exist or are developing.”

Some impairments, however, can be more severe, such as frequent algal blooms that prevent recreational uses such as swimming at lakes. Fish kills caused by pollution also remain a severe impact of concern. The most typical impairments for lakes are algae and turbid or cloudy water. A high level of indicator bacteria is the most frequent impairment in rivers.

The DNR says Iowans are working together to address the state’s water quality issues. Communities come together through efforts to make changes on the land – in the watershed, the area of land that drains to a stream, lake or river – to reduce pollutants reaching our waters. Additionally, communities continue to upgrade or add new wastewater treatment systems and improve the way they handle stormwater.

The draft 2014 list is available at www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/WaterQuality/WaterMonitoring/ImpairedWaters.aspx. Public comments can be sent to John Olson, DNR, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines, IA 50319, or John.Olson@dnr.iowa.gov until July 2nd. At that time, the DNR will consider public comments and submit a revised draft of the list to the EPA for review and final approval.

DES MOINES, Iowa – When it comes to organic farming, Iowa has one of the largest numbers of certified operations in the nation, but there’s a real danger in the air for those farms and other growers this time of year due to the potential of pesticide drift.
Allowing pesticides to drift is against the law in Iowa, and among those who have been impacted is Andrew Dunham, owner with Grinnell Heritage Farm. He’s had pesticide drift on two of his organic crops, which then require a re-certification process that takes three years.

“In the case of the hay field in 2009, we had to wait until 2012 to be re-certified, so we had non-organic hay,” says Dunham. “The market price isn’t so different there, so that wasn’t as big a loss as the asparagus.” Dunham says his asparagus was hit by pesticide drift in the fall of 2013, and the loss of the organic certification will mean $2 to $5 less per-pound until their crop of 2017.

Also at risk of damages from pesticide drift are some home gardens, along with the state’s fruit and vegetable farms. Paul Ovrum, program planner with the Iowa Department of Agriculture, urges owners of such specialty and organic farms to report any pesticide misuse and sign up for the Sensitive Crops Registry. “This is a registry for producers of sensitive crops, and also bee-keepers,” syas Ovrum. “To list their locations and it’s used by pesticide applicators so that they can minimize the potential for pesticide drift damage.”

Ovrum says the latest count shows more than 2,000 farms and apiaries on the Sensitive Crops Registry statewide.

(Iowa News Service)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Two more Iowa farms have tested positive for bird flu.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture says two northwest Iowa farms raising young chickens to eventually lay eggs likely have the virus. No estimate of numbers was immediately released for a farm in Sioux County, the 12th case in that county and one in Plymouth County, the first case there.

Iowa has 52 bird flu cases in 14 counties. Nearly 25 million chickens and 970,000 turkeys will die.

South Dakota announced Thursday its first chicken farm with 1.3 million egg layers. The state earlier found the virus on turkey farms.

Nebraska officials confirmed their second case, a chicken flock, and Minnesota reported two new cases.

The USDA lists 162 confirmed cases nationwide affecting more than 33 million birds.

Cass County: Corn $3.39, Beans $9.38
Adair County: Corn $3.36, Beans $9.41
Adams County: Corn $3.36, Beans $9.37
Audubon County: Corn $3.38, Beans $9.40
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.42, Beans $9.38
Guthrie County: Corn $3.41, Beans $9.42
Montgomery County: Corn $3.41, Beans $9.40
Shelby County: Corn $3.42, Beans $9.38
Oats $2.40 (always the same in all counties)

(Information from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency offices)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A virus known for attacking a horse’s nervous system has been confirmed at a stable in Iowa’s Warren County.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture said Wednesday that the stable has several confirmed cases of a neurological disease associated with Equine Herpesvirus infections. Officials say the disease poses no threat to humans.

The disease was detected at the Warren County stable when horses began to show symptoms including fever, decreased coordination, lethargy and inability to rise.

A news release says the horses are being monitored and aren’t permitted to leave the stable. The virus is spread through direct horse-to-horse contact. Objects contaminated with the virus, such as grooming equipment and feed and water buckets, also contribute to its transmission.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Another Iowa farm has tested positive for bird flu.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture says an egg-laying farm with 238,000 chickens brings the total number of infected farms to 50 in the state.

The farm is in Sioux County, which now has 11 cases of bird flu. Once the disease is confirmed by a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory in Ames, all the chickens will be euthanized.

Iowa has bird flu cases in 13 counties. Nearly 25 million chickens and 970,000 turkeys will die.

Minnesota, where 4 million turkeys have been affected by the flu, reported no new cases Wednesday.

The USDA reports more than 150 confirmed cases nationwide which will lead to the death of more than 32 million birds.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today said that the strawberry growers around the state are nearly ready to welcome customers with an earlier than normal harvest and a good crop of berries. Strawberry growers from the western part of the state are reporting that strawberries will be ready to pick within the week. Reports from the other parts of the state are showing that harvest season for strawberries should arrive in about two weeks.

“Strawberries are the first fruit crop of the season. Visiting a local farmers market or going to a you-pick farm is a great way to find fresh berries that can be enjoyed fresh, used in backing or preserved as jellies or jams,” Northey said. “Regardless of where you get your berries, act fast as strawberry season in Iowa only lasts a few weeks.”

Once picked strawberries do not continue to ripen like some fruits and vegetables so select vibrant red berries. Also, shop early and often because strawberries have a short shelf life and should be eaten within a few days of being picked.

If taste alone isn’t enough to encourage you to indulge in strawberries, here are a few more reasons to consider:

· Strawberries are low in calories and fat-free: one cup of unsweetened strawberries has only 55 calories.

· Your kids will eat them; over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit

· Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C and good sources of folic acid, potassium, and fiber.

Support a local grower and treat your family to a fun-filled trip to the strawberry patch and make memories that will last a lifetime. If visiting a strawberry patch, be sure to call or check the website for their harvest information.

You can find strawberry growers by visiting our Fruit and Vegetable Farms Directory at https://www.idalsdata.org/fmnp/index.cfm or on the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association “farm search” page at http://www.ifvga.org/en/about_us/farm_search/.