(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Get ready to welcome spring by attending the Cass County Master Gardeners’ 2025 Spring Garden Seminar, scheduled for Saturday, March 8. This year’s seminar focuses on the “Flowers, Bees, Butterflies and Trees” and is open to anyone interested in learning more about local garden topics. The daylong event will be held at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic, and feature four keynote speakers. In addition to the presentations, a variety of local vendors will be on hand with garden related crafts and décor, as well as local resources and information for gardeners of all skill levels and interests.

The event opens with registration and light refreshments at 8:30 AM. Vendor and resource tables will also be available to browse beginning at this time. The first session begins at 9 AM and will feature local garden designer and butterfly enthusiast Nicki Weiderstein sharing the monarch butterfly’s journey to their winter home in Mexico. The second speaker of the morning will be Andy Schmitz from the Brenton Arboretum with a deep dive into planting trees, including some hands-on demonstrations of root health. After the second morning speaker, a light lunch will be served and attendees are invited to visit the vendor and resource fair again to discover a variety of local treasures.

The afternoon begins with ISU Extension Bee Specialist Randall Cass, as he guides attendees through an exploration of the basics of beekeeping. Our final speaker of the day will be Aaron Steil, Consumer Horticulture Specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, discussing hydrangeas and their uses, selection and care in the Iowa landscape. The program will conclude at 3 PM with giveaways and one more chance to visit the vendor and resource fair at the end of the day.

Plan now to join the Cass County Master Gardeners as we Gather, Learn and GROW together at the 2025 Spring Garden Seminar! Cost for the seminar sessions, including food, sessions and materials is $50 for the day if paid by February 15^th. After this date regular registration and walk-in registration will be available at $55/attendee. Registration is now open and can be completed online by visiting the online registration page at https://go.iastate.edu/8PQJHF. Online registrations may be paid by credit card or check. Registrations are not refundable but may be transferred to another attendee with advance notice.

A full schedule and program registration information is also available by visiting the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, or by stopping into the Cass County Extension office. Previous seminar attendees with a current email address on record will also receive a registration link by email. Questions can be directed to Kate Olson at 712-243-1132, or by email at keolson@iastate.edu. Mark your calendars, get registered, and plan to join the Cass County Master Gardeners for the 2025 Spring Garden Seminar on Saturday, March 8!

(Radio Iowa)  – An Iowan invited to drive his tractor in today’s (Monday) Inaugural Parade — which has been cancelled — has still been able to drive his rig on the D-C streets. Gary Leffler’s 1957 Ford H tractor is painted red, white and blue and he rolled by the line of Trump supporters waiting to attend Trump’s Sunday night rally.

“A strong, patriotic theme,” Leffler says. “It’s got an American flag over the hood of it. It’s got John 3:16 right there by the steering wheel. Underneath the hood of the tractor are all the names of our family members who have served in the United States military.” The tractor has made appearances at a number of events in Iowa for Republicans and veterans, but this was its first out-of-state engagement.

“We don’t look at this as a Gary and Janelle (Leffler) tractor. We look at this as an Iowa tractor,” Leffler says. “100% of our motive is to represent Iowa and all the good people of Iowa.” Leffler, who was a precinct captain for Trump a year ago in the Iowa Caucuses, was a bit shocked the tractor was chosen for the Inaugural Parade from over 28-hundred potential entries.

Gary and Janelle Leffler drove down D.C. streets on Saturday, passing by the line of people waiting to attend a Trump rally. (Photo courtesy of Gary Leffler)

“The idea that a Gary and Janelle tractor from West Des Moines, Iowa, is being invited to this type of a thing is just somewhere off the charts,” Leffler says. “Kiddingly, I tell people I jumped so high we had to get the sheet-rock repaired on the ceiling of the room.” The cold weather in D-C didn’t phase Leffler or his wife, who rode on the tractor, too, waving at the crowd lined up to see Trump. Leffler filled up the gas tank and got the tractor spiffed it up before loading it into a trailer for the trip to D.C.

“I had to take the tractor over to the beauty shop to get its tires and fenders done,” Leffler says. “Took it over to my friend Bob Perkins at Perk’s Auto and he detailed it all out, so it looks like it just came straight out of the factory now.” Some of the Iowans who made the trip to D-C for today’s (Monday’s) inauguration attended the Midwest Ball on Saturday night and on Sunday the six Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation hosted a reception for Iowa visitors. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is among the U-S Senators who met with Trump for breakfast on Saturday morning.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings where local staff will provide updates on recently completed hunting and trapping seasons, discuss possible changes to hunting and trapping rules and regulations, and address other topics as requested.

“We want people to come out to these meetings, listen to the seasons reviews, ask questions and hear directly from our staff,” said Todd Bishop, chief of the Iowa DNR’s Wildlife Bureau. “Part of the meeting will be devoted to discussing potential rule changes and collecting feedback as we work through the rules process.”

The meetings are open to the public. Comments collected from these public meetings will be considered along with other related comments received by the Iowa DNR prior to proposing changes to hunting rules and regulations. Proposed rules will be presented to the Natural Resource Commission during a regular public meeting for consideration and additional public comment.

Area Meeting dates, times and locations

• Glenwood, Feb. 17, 6:30 p.m., Southwest Iowa Sportman’s Club, 22869 Jamett Road
• Creston, Feb. 20, 6 p.m., Performing Arts Building multi-purpose room (124), 1201 West Townline Street

Any person attending the public meeting that has special requirements, such as those related to mobility or hearing impairments, should contact the Iowa DNR or ADA Coordinator at 515-725-8200, Relay Iowa TTY Service 800-735-7942, or Webmaster@dnr.iowa.gov, and advise of specific needs.

DES MOINES, Iowa (By Jennifer Bamberg, Investigate Midwest ) — For nearly 200 John Deere workers in Iowa, the first few days of 2025 marked the end of their employment. On Jan. 3, 112 employees were laid off at the Waterloo facility and 80 were laid off at John Deere Davenport Works. Next month, 75 additional employees will be laid off at a plant in Ottumwa, Iowa, according to a review of WARN layoff data. The Moline, Illinois-based agricultural giant laid off 2,167 workers in 2024 at facilities in Waterloo, Davenport, Dubuque, Ankeny, Johnston, Urbandale, Ottumwa in Iowa and in Moline and East Moline in Illinois, according to layoff data.

In a statement issued Monday, Deere attributed the cuts to “challenging market conditions” and subsequent lower demand from farmers. Deere’s profits peaked at record highs in 2022 at $10.16 billion, partly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that sent crop prices soaring in the U.S., allowing farmers to spend more on equipment, according to Bloomberg. Since then, sales have declined 20% and Deere’s stock price is down 16%, according to the company. Profits in 2023 fell to $7.1 billion. CEO John May received $26.7 million in compensation in 2023 and $20.3 million in 2022, according to the company’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a statement from Oct. 16 regarding last year’s layoffs, Deere noted that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had projected row-crop cash receipts to fall considerably for 2024 following a 5% drop in 2023. The statement also noted that the average price for corn being harvested at the time was down 37% from 2022. Soybean prices were down 24% and wheat prices had declined 35%. In June, Deere & Co announced plans to move manufacturing of skid steer loaders and compact track loaders from a facility in Dubuque, Iowa to Mexico by the end of 2026. A Deere representative told Industrial Equipment News that the move is “unrelated to the layoffs.”

In September, then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump threatened to impose a 200% tariff on John Deere products built in Mexico, and erroneously claimed in October that the company called off the move in response. A spokesperson for Deere & Co. told Bloomberg that no changes have been made to shift some production from Iowa to Mexico.

Investigate Midwest is an independent, nonprofit newsroom. Its mission is to serve the public interest by exposing dangerous and costly practices of influential agricultural corporations and institutions through in-depth and data-driven investigative journalism. Visit them online at investigatemidwest.org.

(Radio Iowa) – A new study from the Iowa Pork Producers Association finds the hog industry contributed more than 15-billion dollars to Iowa’s economy last year. Association spokesman Kevin Hall says the study, which is done every four years, identified nearly 52-hundred pig farms statewide. “We provide about one-third of the nation’s pork, and that reinforces our position as the number-one pork producing state in the entire nation,” Hall says. “We are vital to Iowa’s economy, creating more than 120,000 jobs for the state, and it really provides a solid backbone for the state of Iowa’s economy and especially our rural communities.” Among those jobs, the study says 64-thousand are in hog production, 39-thousand are in hog slaughter, and another 16-thousand jobs are in hog processing.

Overall, Hall says the pork industry contributed 15-point-4 billion dollars to Iowa’s economy last year. “When we did the study four years ago, it was $11.9-billion in value-added activities, so almost four-billion more now to the state’s economy in 2024 than it was in 2020,” Hall says, “and it just shows that Iowa pig farmers are vital to the state’s economy.” Next week, a new administration will take over the White House and there’s much discussion about threatened tariffs and the impact on international trade. Hall remains optimistic about the future and the role Iowa pork will play in it.

“We’re going to keep an eye on what’s happening and just keep doing what we’re doing,” Hall says. “Iowa’s pig farmers, they’ve had a rough couple years in terms of their personal economies, but they are still working hard and creating jobs all over the state, 120,000 jobs in the state alone, and they’re just going to keep working hard and producing great pork products.” The study says the top five Iowa counties for hog inventories are: Washington, Sioux, Lyon, Plymouth, and Hardin. Among those, Washington, Sioux and Lyon counties each have more than one-million pigs.

Learn more HERE:
https://www.iowapork.org/producers/resources/fact-sheets

WILLIAMSBURG, Iowa (KCRG) – Kinze Manufacturing, Inc., is laying off 53 employees from its operation in Williamsburg, the company confirmed Wednesday. In the announcement, the company cited ongoing economic challenges in the agricultural sector. The January layoffs, which impact 53 of its 550 employees in Williamsburg, come after nearly 200 employees were laid off there in August 2024.

“Kinze has a fantastic workforce and this was an incredibly difficult decision,” said Susanne Veatch, President of Kinze. “Unfortunately, the continued downturn in the agricultural market necessitated this workforce adjustment.”

Kinze is a global manufacturer of planters, grain carts, and high-speed tillage equipment.

In other unemployment news, more than two dozen people are losing their jobs at a central Iowa company. According to Iowa Warn, IES Communications in Altoona is laying off 28 people. The business is not closing completely. The layoffs are taking effect immediately.

ATLANTIC, IA (January 14, 2025) – Have you heard the buzz? Produce in the Park’s Sweetheart Market is all about bees and local honey. The farmer’s market’s theme is, “Bee Mine, Honey,” and the market will feature multiple local honey vendors in addition to organizations sharing information on bees, including the Southwest Iowa Beekeepers.

Sweetheart Market will be held at the Nishna Valley Family YMCA (1100 Maple St. Atlantic, IA 50022) on Saturday, February 8 from 10 AM to 1 PM. Sweetheart Market will also be hosting The Pancake Man who will be serving all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, and drinks for $8 per adult and $5 per child (under 18). Proceeds from the pancake meal will be donated to Cass County food pantries.

Sweetheart Market shoppers can enjoy bee and honey-themed face painting, as well as a variety of local food and craft vendors. Vendors will offer lots of local vegetables including fresh greens, squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach, as well as beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and farm-fresh eggs. True to its name, the market will also offer a variety of sweet treats including gourmet cupcakes, kringle, and other baked goods and desserts. In addition to local foods, Sweetheart Market vendors will be selling candles, body products, wood craft products, seasonal home decorations, plants, earrings, and more.

Southwest Iowa Beekeepers (Photo submitted)

As with all Produce in the Park farmers markets, there is no cost to enter Sweetheart Market, and local organizations–including Cass County Tourism–will be at the market sharing information. All Produce in the Park farmers markets accept SNAP EBT, otherwise known as food stamps, for all qualifying food items. Produce in the Park continues to accept vendor applications for Sweetheart Market. Vendor of the application are available at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce (102 Chestnut St., Atlantic, IA 50022). Produce in the Park seeks vendors selling handmade or homegrown products, including local foods, as well as beauty products, candles, crafts, art, and decorations.

Sweetheart Market 2025 is sponsored by Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, Cass County Tourism, Cass Health, City of Atlantic, First Whitney Bank & Trust and Nishna Valley Family YMCA.
For the latest information on Sweetheart Market, and all Produce in the Park markets, follow Produce in the Park on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ProduceInThePark) or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/produceintheparkatlanticia/).

(Iowa News Service) – Advocates for small communities in Iowa are calling on state lawmakers not to pass the so-called “Cancer Gag Act,” which they said would give pesticide companies immunity from lawsuits by Iowans harmed by their products. Iowa lawmakers considered Senate File 2412 last year but ran out of time to act on it.

Caitlin Golle, Community Organizer for the advocacy group Iowa Citizens for Community Action, said lawmakers are already poised to take up a similar measure in the new session. She and the Iowa Cancer Registry think it is the wrong thing to do in a state already seeing high cancer rates. “In 2023, the Iowa Cancer Registry reported that Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country,” Golle pointed out. “The National Cancer Institute reported Iowa is the only state where the rate of new cancers increased significantly from 2015 to 2019.”

Agriculture tractor spraying fertilizer on green tea fields, Technology smart farm concept

Pesticides often waft into the air and seep into groundwater. Golle worries giving pesticide manufacturers immunity from lawsuits will add to the problems in rural Iowa, where large animal confinement operations are already polluting ground and surface water with manure runoff. Ag companies said they apply pesticides safely and are always looking for better ways to produce meat while keeping up with consumer demand.

Golle and other grassroots advocates want to see Iowa join a growing list of states refusing to give pesticide makers like Bayer immunity from lawsuits brought by Iowans, who said they have suffered health effects from chemicals like glyphosate.
“Chemicals like glyphosate, or ‘Roundup,’ are known to cause cancer,” Golle noted. “A study published by Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society finds that pesticides may cause cancer on a level equivalent to smoking cigarettes.” The pesticide company Bayer has four registered lobbyists in Iowa compared to other large companies with just one, if any.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement held a webinar late last week to mobilize people on the issue before the bill is introduced.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan. 14, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development State Director in Iowa Theresa Greenfield today (Tuesday) announced that she is departing her leadership position effective at noon on January 20, 2025. Deputy State Director Kate Sand will then assume responsibility for the Agency’s role in providing loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for thousands of Iowans in rural areas.

“It’s been an honor to serve the people of Iowa as State Director for USDA Rural Development,” said Director Greenfield. “From helping to fund healthcare needs—for example—in Muscatine, Shenandoah, Sioux Center, and Grundy Center, to supporting our Iowa co-operatives in Boone, Butler, and Calhoun counties, to fostering the movement to clean energy on hundreds of livestock and grain farms, USDA is making a positive impact in the lives of Iowans. What a privilege it has been to be a part of that!”

Director Greenfield began her tenure at USDA in November of 2021 after a career focused on community development, housing, and real estate. During her time at USDA, she oversaw the distribution of millions of congressionally appropriated dollars for critical hospital, emergency response, and water infrastructure projects across the state.

Theresa Greenfield, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa, spoke with Kate Sand, USDA Rural Development Deputy State Director in Iowa, at a training conference for USDA employees at the Neal Smith Federal Building in Des Moines, Iowa, on September 13, 2022. USDA photo by Cecilia Lynch

Acting State Director

Acting State Director Sand has worked alongside rural Iowans since she began her career with USDA Rural Development in 2004. She has served in in multiple positions, programs, and area offices while serving rural communities, businesses, and homeowners for the past 20 years. For nearly ten years, she served as the Community Program Director before taking on the role of Deputy State Director in November of 2022.

Sand grew up on a corn and soybean farm near Joice, Iowa, population 208. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake and a Master of Arts degree in political science from the University of Iowa.

For the complete list of leadership for USDA Rural Development programs in Iowa, read it online here.

(Radio Iowa) – A former N-F-L cheerleader who’s spent the past 25 years as an explorer for National Geographic will open the Des Moines Civic Center’s “Explorer Series” next week. Mireya Mayor travels to some of the world’s most remote locations where animals are critically endangered, and she’s discovered new species. Mayor says she’s come a long ways, growing up in Miami as the only child of very protective, Cuban immigrant parents. “I remember when I asked my mom if I could join the Girl Scouts, and she said, ‘Absolutely not. That is far too dangerous,'” Mayor says, laughing. “So the fact that I went on to become an explorer and in fact, National Geographic’s first female wildlife correspondent, really speaks to the testament that — go after your dreams.”

Mayor says she’s overcome a host of stereotypes, like becoming a scientist after her early career of cheering for the Miami Dolphins. As a primatologist and anthropologist, Mayor says she’s swam with sharks, been chased by gorillas, stampeded by elephants, bitten by snakes, and much more — but wouldn’t trade any of her experiences. “There are times I look back and think I am either incredibly brave or just, you know, really stupid, taking all these risks,” she says, “but there are no regrets. First of all, yes, I’ve been charged by no less than dozens of gorillas, but only a couple times have I felt like maybe it may not end well.” Those times include surviving a plane crash in the Congo, but Mayor says the stories she’s able to bring to the global Nat Geo audience make her lifestyle very worthwhile.

Mireya Mayor (Submitted photo)

“It’s all about being out there and trying to make a difference. And some of the animals that I’ve studied had never been studied before. They were on the verge of extinction, and I think pretty much had been written off,” she says. “So it feels really good to really make a difference and try to help them.” Mayor is the mother of six. Her kids range in age from nine to 19, so maintaining a work/life balance can be challenging, given her weeks-long adventures. She says she runs her life much like she runs her expeditions. “I have a Plan A and a Plan B, and always a contingency Plan C, because as you know, things change, especially with kids, and the same is out in the field,” Mayor says. “I say it takes a village. I kind of have a village. I have my mom and very supportive husband and I just make it work.”

Mayor’s lecture, called “Pink Boots & a Machete,” is scheduled for next Tuesday at the Des Moines Civic Center.

(On the web at civiccenter.org)