(Ames, Iowa) – Researchers from Iowa State University have partnered with Michigan State University to develop a robot that would detect nitrates and monitor tile health to help farmers keep their land productive. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports nearly half of Iowa’s harvested cropland has tile drainage, according to ag census data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The underground drainage systems help to boost crop productivity, but environmental and water groups have pointed out they can also deliver excessive amounts of nitrate and other nutrients downstream.

Mike Castellano, a professor of soil science at ISU, said the robots and nitrate sensors could help farmers detect where, how and how much nitrate they are losing. Castellano spoke at a virtual field day with Iowa Learning Farms Dec. 19. “That allows farmers to better manage their field at a precision scale, to improve both productivity and environmental performance of our crop production systems,” Castellano said.  Castellano said current technologies limit nitrate testing to the end of the tile pipe, but the robot would be able to pinpoint “exactly when and where those nutrients are being lost.”

Liang Dong, the director of the microelectronics research center at ISU has worked with Castellano to develop the nitrate sensor portion of this technology.  Dong said the sensor is completed and is being commercialized to be an affordable technology for farmers.   “When the sensor is small enough and the price is low enough, farmers can put the sensors into their drainage tile, and then they will know what is the waterflow and what is the nitrate loss from their field,” Dong said.

Christian Luedtke, a researcher at Michigan State University, demonstrates a prototype of a tile robot. (Screenshot from Iowa Learning Farms)

The end goal is to put the nitrate sensor, along with a camera and a waterflow sensor, onto a robot that can crawl through an entire tile drainage system and store the information for farmers. The robot, which is being developed by team led by Xiaobo Tan, a professor of electrical engineering at Michigan State University, is still a prototype. Christian Luedtke, a graduate researcher working with Tan on the project, spoke at the virtual field day and demonstrated the current prototype.  The nearly two-foot long robot is currently designed to use several fin-like barbs on the front and back to move through corrugated pipes.

Luedtke said he has learned through this project that not all tile is corrugated and it often will change diameters across a field, which present additional challenges to creating the robot. “We do not know that being engineers and not farmers,” Luedtke said.  These are things he learned while in Iowa this summer while talking about the project with farmers, many of whom have clay or concrete tiles that were installed many generations prior. Luedtke said the robot also needs to be quicker at moving through the pipes, have a battery life of at least a couple of hours and be waterproofed before the research team can begin practical tests in actual tile.

“The water quality issues here in Iowa, if we can help provide a cheap and easy solution for farmers to make decisions to help that, I think that’d be a great effect for our work to have,” Luedtke said.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa’s two regular gun deer seasons are done and the late muzzleloader season is underway along with the reopening of the archery season. The D-N-R’s state deer biologist says things are on track to hit the 104-thousand deer taken last year once all the current seasons are completed. Jace Elliott, state deer biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said roughly 15-20,000 hunters will participate in the late muzzleloader season and likely harvest about 10,000 deer. “The season is popular with hunters looking to avoid the crowds. It’s the season with the highest percentage of does harvested and is a good opportunity for herd management or to put meat in the freezer,” Elliott said. “This time of year, hunters would be wise to target existing food sources as these resources can be limited.”

While the archery season also re-opens, fewer deer are harvested during this time than during the early portion of the season. The late muzzleloader and late split archery season are Dec. 23 to Jan. 10, 2025. The final deer seasons are the two January antlerless deer only seasons – the Population Management January Antlerless Season and the Excess Tag January Antlerless Season. Both seasons run from Jan. 11-19, but there are differences between the two.

The Population Management January Antlerless Season is available only in Allamakee, Appanoose, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne and Winneshiek counties if there are more than 100 antlerless tags available in that county on Dec. 23. Since all seven counties met that requirement, all seven will be open. Hunters participating in the population management January antlerless season may use bows, muzzleloaders, handguns, shotguns, crossbows, or rifles .223 caliber and larger, as a method of take. The Excess Tag January Antlerless Season is available in all counties with unsold county antlerless tags on Jan. 11. Due to the compressed timeline, license sales will only be available over the counter, not online, until the quota is filled. Hunters participating in the excess tag January antlerless season may only use rifles from .223 caliber to .500 caliber as a method of take.

“We began running both seasons concurrently in 2023, and this past January we had just shy of 3,000 hunters participating who harvested about 1,500 deer statewide,” he said. “We will likely have similar counties participating as last year – primarily in northeast Iowa and southern Iowa – that will not fill their antlerless quota by Jan 10.” Hunters can monitor the quotas in real time at iowadnr.gov/Hunting then click on the Antlerless Deer Tag Quotas link under the Helping You Prepare heading. “If hunters are interested in using more than a centerfire rifle, they should consider purchasing the Population Management tags to have larger menu of options for the method of take,” he said.

Hemorrhagic Disease Update

Public reporting data suggests that 2024 was Iowa’s most severe hemorrhagic disease (commonly known as EHD) outbreak in recorded history. While more than 3,000 suspected EHD mortalities have been received this year in 94 counties, research suggests that multiplying that total by 10 would provide a more realistic, yet still conservative, estimate of total EHD-related mortality. “This means that many hunters and landowners throughout the state are noticing fewer deer during the hunting season, specifically in central and northwestern Iowa,” Elliott said. “While there is still plenty of harvest opportunity during our late seasons, it’s important for our hunters to adapt their harvest goals to the current status of their local deer population. Talk with your neighbors to better understand population impacts in your area, and understand that deer tend to congregate in the late seasons, which can lead to false perceptions of abundance on certain properties.”

A new EHD reporting tool and dashboard can be found on the DNR Deer Hunting webpage at https://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Deer-Hunting. “While the majority of Iowa’s counties appear to be spared from severe population impacts from this recent outbreak, hunters should always consider the bigger picture and understand the role they play in managing balanced, healthy deer populations,” he said. “Successful local deer management relies on being informed and working together with neighbors, especially during severe EHD years.”

Chronic Wasting Disease Update

The Iowa DNR has raised its deer sample quota this year due to the sampling increases around the new positive deer from 2023. This year, the DNR has collected more than 5,000 samples from across the state to date and the lab at Iowa State University is working through them. So far, 26 deer have been either confirmed as having chronic wasting disease or are suspected and subject to a follow up test. The 26 positive deer includes three new counties – Davis, Shelby and Wapello – where the disease has been confirmed.

Late Muzzleloader season

Method of Take: Bows, muzzleloaders, handgun, or crossbow
Season is Dec. 23-Jan. 10. 2025
Population Management January Antlerless Season

Method of Take: Bows, muzzleloaders, handguns, shotguns, crossbows, or rifles .223 caliber and larger
Season is Jan. 11-19, 2025 – only in Allamakee, Appanoose, Decatur, Lucas, Monroe, Wayne and Winneshiek counties if there are more than 100 antlerless tags available in that county on Dec. 23.
Excess Tag January Antlerless Season

Method of Take: Rifles .223 caliber to .500 caliber
Season is Jan. 11-19, 2025 – available in all counties with unsold county antlerless tags on Jan. 11, and sales will only be available over the counter, not online, until the quota is filled.

(Radio Iowa) – Egg prices have reached a record high in the U-S and the Iowa Egg Council says bird flu is the biggest reason for the price jump . I-S-U Extension poultry vet Yuko Sato says the market determines the cost of eggs.  “One common misconception is people think that the egg prices are driven by what the farmers set the price on. They have no control over any of that, it’s basically what the commodity market is doing,” she says.

Because farmers must destroy flocks if they’ve been infected by bird flu, some farmers are losing money. Wholesale egg prices in the Midwest reached five dollars and 27 cents a dozen last Wednesday. Iowa Egg Council C-E-O Mindy Larsen says the rising cost of labor, packaging, and shipping – affect prices at the grocery store along with the bird flu. “Every single thing in our economy as a whole that impacts anything that you buy at the store is also going to impact eggs,” she says.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that overall grocery costs are roughly 20 percent higher than they were before the pandemic. Egg prices are expected to drop next year when flocks rebuild.

(Anita, Iowa) – CAM High School Head Speech and Debate coach Manda Thomas recently received the Don Crabtree Distinguished Service Award on behalf of the National Speech and Debate Association. The award is given to coaches who perform service for the Association, such as hosting tournaments, writing or presenting about the Association, recruiting a new chapter school, or writing an article for Rostrum, and earn service citations.

Those who earn 20 citations are given a special gold key. Those who receive an additional 50 citations are presented with a bronze plaque. In 2018, the awards were named in honor of Don Crabtree, former NSDA Board of Directors president, nine-diamond coach, Hall of Fame member, and service citation record holder.

Mrs. Thomas has put in a great deal of extra work into not only the CAM program, but programs at the state and national levels. She has spent endless hours volunteering to host tournaments and has put in hours of extra work. She was recognized at the home basketball games on December 17th. Congratulations, Mrs. Thomas.

(Article written by: Ada Hansen and submitted by Maggie Chapman, CAM Agriculture/FFA)

Two Iowa State University professors recently inducted into a national organization recognizing inventors and their accomplishments said they are proud of the work they’ve done and the impacts that they’ve seen first-hand from projects they’ve led or had a hand in. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports Agricultural and biosystems engineering professor Matt Darr and chemical and biological engineering professor Eric Cochran were both chosen to become National Academy of Inventors 2024 fellows, a cohort that Darr said would provide them with more connections and help them open doors for future inventors. “We’re proud of the fact that the work that we do through innovation and inventions, through patents and tech transfer, doesn’t just stop at a research lab, but ultimately does get in the hands of men and women who feed and fuel the country,” Darr said.

The National Academy of Inventors has more than 2,000 fellows in its ranks from all over the U.S., 11 of whom are from ISU, including Cochran and Darr. According to its website, the goal of the organization is to “recognize and encourage inventors with U.S. patents, enhance the visibility of academic technology and innovation, encourage the disclosure of intellectual property, educate and mentor innovative students, and to create wider public understanding of how its members’ inventions benefit society.”

(Photo by Brooklyn Draisey/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

The two professors are credited with 141 patents and technology transfer licenses between them, with Darr having authored or co-authored 88 and Cochran having been involved in 53 finished patents and dozens more currently in the process of becoming official patents. Eric Cochran said he can’t discuss technical details of the patents currently under review, but his body of work so far has fallen into three categories — transforming vegetable fats into plastics, rubbers and other coatings; additives and other products for the asphalt industry, and chemical recycling of plastics.

Darr’s work is in the field of agricultural technology, he said, with his most well-known projects focused on yield data and monitoring. He likened picking his favorite product of his work to choosing a favorite child, but when it comes down to it, for him it’s all about the impact the work makes on the world and the people in it.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who have sidewalks and driveways they care for sometimes face a quandary during the wintertime about the use of salt to break up ice and provide traction. Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture specialist at the Iowa State University Extension, says if you don’t use enough ice melt, you might slip and fall, but if you use too much, the eventual runoff could critically damage your lawn and nearby plants. “Excessive salt can be a problem, especially for those areas near sidewalks and driveways,” Steil says, “and the best option is just to not overuse salt.” The chemicals used in some ice-melting pellets can cause damage to your concrete, especially if it’s newly poured this year. Steil says there’s a simple remedy that only employs the use of two key ingredients.

“One of the things that we do here on the campus of Iowa State, that’s a really nice way to reduce salt but still have the safety that you need, is to mix salt with sand,” Steil says. “Doing that, you get some traction and you’re using less salt.” When spring arrives, you’ll likely know right away if you used too much salt, as anything that was growing nearby may be struggling — or it’s already dead. “When we have a buildup of salt in the soils next to these areas that are heavily salted, it can cause a drying out, as salt can desiccate roots and those kinds of things,” he says, “and so it can cause some damage when it’s in excess.”

Steil says it’s possible those plants can be revived in the spring with a heavy watering to wash out the salt.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) is reporting the first human case of avian influenza A(H5) in the state. The individual was exposed to infected poultry while working with a commercial flock in northwest Iowa. The individual reported mild symptoms, has received appropriate treatment and is recovering. The case was identified through testing at the State Hygienic Laboratory and confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

As of December 20, 2024, the CDC has reported 64 confirmed human cases of H5 HPAI across nine states. The majority of the exposures are linked to infected poultry or dairy cows. There is no evidence that human-to-human transmission of influenza A(H5) is occurring in the U.S.

Although human infections are rare, the virus is spread through prolonged exposure around infected flocks and herds, through the eyes, nose or mouth. Any individuals with direct contact who develop flu-like symptoms or an eye infection should contact their doctor. To reduce the risk of infection or spread, people in direct contact with exposed animals should wear proper PPE and avoid direct contact with sick or dead animals, including birds.

“Iowa has monitored the spread of avian influenza closely since it was first detected in poultry in the state in 2022, and our state is prepared with the established knowledge, strong partnerships, and effective tools to mitigate its impact on our community,” said Iowa HHS State Medical Director Dr. Robert Kruse.

There is no concern about the safety of eggs and poultry products or pasteurized milk and dairy products. As a reminder, consumers should always properly handle and cook eggs and poultry products, including cooking to an internal temperature of 165˚F. Pasteurization has continually proven to successfully inactivate bacteria and viruses, like influenza, in milk.

(Radio Iowa) – Can poinsettias kill you? There’s a long-standing rumor about the red-and-green flowers traditionally associated with Christmas being deadly if eaten. Janna Day, a nurse and the education and outreach manager at the Iowa Poison Control Center, says that’s simply an urban legend that is not true. “Unfortunately, poinsettias have really gotten a bad reputation over the years, and a lot of folks think that they are poisonous and that they could hurt you or even kill you,” Day says, “but what we have found is that really they’re not as toxic as maybe we once thought.” One study found that a child would have to eat as many as 500 poinsettia leaves to become poisoned. Aside from that, Day says the leaves taste terrible so no one would likely ever eat a lethal dose of them. They’re a lovely plant, she says, and they shouldn’t concern you.

“Swallowing some of the leaves could cause some mild stomach upset and make you not feel great, but you would have to ingest a lot of the leaves to really get quite ill,” Day says. “We feel like it’s okay to have those poinsettias in your home, and give them to your family members who are in the nursing homes, and those types of things. They are really quite low risk.” Sometimes dogs, cats and other pets will nibble the leaves of houseplants, or even chew them down to the stem, so are these decorative flowers a risk to Fido and Fluffy?

“Were not as concerned with the poinsettias and poinsettia leaves with pets,” Day says. “They could cause some upset stomach, but it would take quite a lot of the leaves to make that pet ill.” Other plants that may appear in your house during the year-end holidays could pose a more significant threat. Day says to take care with holly berries and mistletoe as they -can- be poisonous. If you have a question or concern, call the Sioux City-based Iowa Poison Control Center anytime at 1-800-222-1222.
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The poinsettia is native to Mexico and dates back centuries to when the Aztecs cultivated them to be more like trees that grew to be ten feet high. Seventeenth-century Franciscan priests in Mexico used poinsettias in nativity processions, the first recorded use for a Christmas celebration, though they weren’t called poinsettias then. That didn’t come until Joel Robert Poinsette introduced the plant to the U.S. in 1825 while he was the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico. The plants were later named to honor him.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University researchers say the recent outbreaks at several poultry operations in northwest Iowa are connected to a virus circulating in wild birds. I-S-U veterinarian Yuko Sato says the version that has hit twelve poultry operations is different from the strain that infected 13 dairies and three poultry operations in late May and June.

“And one of the first ways we know what kind of virus is out there to figure out that link is to find dead wild birds in the area,” she says. The Iowa D-N-R says there’s been a spike in sick and dead waterfowl from avian influenza since early December. The D-N-R’s state wildlife veterinarian Rachel Ruden asks everyone to be on the lookout for diseased birds and report them to a conservation officer.

“If you see sick birds in your yard or at the park or whatever, you know, keep your pets away from direct contact. And, you know, don’t handle those birds, but we still want to hear about them.” Ruden says the D-N-R is tracking detections of the virus in wild birds to understand the scope of the current outbreak and will remove infected carcasses where possible to prevent the spread of the virus.

(Radio Iowa) – Tomorrow (Saturday) will mark the official arrival of winter, and with spring a long three months away, some outdoor plants may need special care. Aaron Steil, a consumer horticulture specialist at the Iowa State University Extension, says the past few years of drought have been tough on our landscaping, and some recent plantings, trees and shrubs may already be stressed as cold weather settles in. Steil says it’s normal for some shrubs to turn brown or orange at this time of the year.

“Eastern red cedar, for example, tends to get kind of a brownish color in the winter, but it’s more dark green during the summer,” Steil says. “It’s been a pretty stressful growing season. Most of the state has been on the dry side this year and the last couple of years, and so it’s starting to build up, especially on younger or less established plants in our landscape.” Homeowners may be concerned about their trees and other plants being damaged by a heavy, wet snow, especially if their limbs are sagging. “Most of the time, plants do a pretty good job of shedding that snow off all on their own,” Steil says, “but if you do have a younger plant, or an evergreen that seems to be very weighed down by snow, you can go out and brush it off using your hand or a broom.” If you want to clear that snow off yourself, he says there is a right way — and a wrong way — to go about the process.

“Just make sure you do it in an upward motion instead of a downward one,” he says, “so that you don’t stress branches that are bending down even more.” Steil says ice can do infinitely more damage to young plants than snow, however, he says you need to resist the urge to try to remove ice from their frozen boughs and limbs. “You’re likely to do more damage than good. If you try to go out and remove ice from shrubs and trees in your landscape, you can go out and maybe prop something up with a board, if you’re really worried about it,” Steil says. “Otherwise, trying to break it off or throwing hot water on it to try to melt it off, all of those always do more damage than help.”

The best thing you can do for an ice-coated tree, he says, is to leave it alone and let the sun warm it up.