(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.

URBANDALE, Iowa [KCCI]— Hunger-fighting organizations and more across Iowa are coming together and urging Governor Kim Reynolds to submit a notice of intent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to operate the Summer EBT program in 2025. The deadline for states to submit the notice of intent is Jan. 1st. The Summer EBT program, or SUN Bucks, allows most of the families in the U.S. with school-aged children who are eligible to receive $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer.

The Urbandale Food Pantry is one of 153 Iowa organizations and groups that signed a letter calling on Reynolds to sign a notice of intent to participate in the program next summer. According to the Iowa Hunger Coalition, the letter was delivered on Tuesday. The Iowa Hunger Coalition reports that 245,000 children would benefit from Summer EBT in every community across Iowa.

The program gives eligible families $40 per child per month in the summer. Organizations and groups say this program does a lot, including giving families the flexibility to pick food for their specific needs and households.

A few months ago, Gov. Kim Reynolds had submitted a waiver asking the USDA to allow Iowa to instead provide the food directly to families. The plan would provide three months of food boxes to eligible families. The governor also says it would feed more children than the Summer EBT program. The USDA denied the waiver request.

The Governor’s Office did not share a comment, but the governor has previously said she plans to reapply after President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

(Radio Iowa) – Farm groups are urging state officials to continue funding development of livestock vaccines for bird flu and other foreign animal diseases like African Swine Fever and Food and Mouth Disease. Kelli Wicks is with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association.

“Aside from total depopulation, which takes a toll not only on producers, but on our rural economies, vaccination remains the best way to stop the spread of those diseases,” Wicks says. Joel Harris is C-E-O and co-founder of Genvax Technologies, which is based in the Iowa State University Research Park. The start-up has received a state grant and a 250-thousand dollar state loan.

“These funds are helping us invest in critical equipment, personnel, facilities,” he says, “and it’s bringing us closer to creating safe and effective vaccines that address the top disease threats to Iowa’s $35 billion livestock industry.” A decade ago, Harris was involved in previous research that developed a vaccine for P-E-D-v — a deadly virus that has killed millions of piglets. Harris says developing a bird flu vaccine is essential.

“It’s not just poultry at risk anymore, but continues to threaten dairy and swine as well,” Harris says. “Now more than ever, strong investment in foreign animal disease preparedness, especially vaccines, needs to be a priority for the state. It’s one of the best ways to protect Iowa’s agriculture and stop these outbreaks from persisting.”

The Iowa Farm Bureau is calling for state support of research into how bird flu is transmitted to cattle. State and federal officials have confirmed cases of bird flu in 13 Iowa dairy herds.

(Radio Iowa) – Lower commodity prices and a drop in farm income are some of the issues farmers have faced this year. Iowa State Extension field agronomist, Aaron Saeugling says the farmers he’s talked to in southwest Iowa are adjusting. “You know, people are probably a little more cautious than they were a year ago. I think big equipment purchases are going to be, you know — probably a lot more cautious before they make those investments,” he says. Saeugling says a lot depends which areas had the best crop development.

“Everybody’s in a little different scenario. I mean, the bushels are there, the price is not. So, you’ll hear the grain merchandisers will use terms like, you know, ‘bushel their way out of it’,” he says. “Which at least you have bushels to sell. That’s the advantage of having a big crop, is that you have something to market.” Those who had dry conditions will not have the advantage of volume.

“When you get into extremely short crops or dry crops, you just simply don’t have the bushels to market,” he says. Saeugling says planting got started late in southern Iowa and that led to a late harvest, but he some reports of very good yields.

(Radio Iowa) – A northwest Iowa banker says interest rates and commodity prices are squeezing the farm economy. Jeff Plagge served as State Banking Superintendent for four years, retired from that post last December and is now a member of a state panel that forecasts state tax revenue. “Harvest was as fast as I’ve ever seen it, personally, this year due to the dry weather and I would say yields from what I’ve heard from most people were at least at or slightly better than usual, with some exceptions in some areas of the state, but the commodity prices have challenged the market,” Plagge says.

“It’s early in the credit cycle so we’ll find out a little bit more over the winter months what the true impact of that is going to be on ag.” In the agri-business sector, Cargill — which makes livestock feed — is laying off five percent of its workforce and John Deere has laid off over 17-hundred workers from its Iowa facilities this year.

“Farmers are pretty good at closing the checkbook when they feel like there are pressures on their balance sheet,” Plagge says. Plagge says despite the headwinds, however, the overall economy has been pretty resilient. Plagge has been in Iowa’s banking industry for 44 years and led four different banking organizations, including Northwest Iowa Banking Corporation in Arnolds Park.

Plagge retired from that family-owned bank holding company in 2020, shortly after he took over as state banking superintendent.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Parks Advisory Committee, Wednesday, agreed to change the policy for shelter rental reservations from half-day, to full-day. The City has seven park shelters available for use. Commission Chairman Kevin Ferguson said the reason for the change has to do with keeping the shelters clean.

The fee for renting for a full day – regardless of whether or not it is used for that long – will be $50. The Committee will forward its recommendation to the full City Council for approval.

Sunnyside Park Shelter

The Committee agreed also to have Parks and Rec Coordinator Jeff Christensen arrange for the purchase of new trash cans for installation at the various City parks and along trails. The cost for 21 55-gallon capacity trash cans is $11,443.81. The cans, which come with lids, will be blue in color, and featured a metal, mesh construction. They will replace 21 cans that are worn out.

The Commission authorized the purchase of additional trash cans, as needed.