(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ weekly Fall Colors report, says Cottonwood and black walnut tress are starting to change color in north central and northwest Iowa. Red maples in town are starting to change colors. Early fall colors have started in central Iowa, but are still very spotty with only about 10-15 percent of the foliage showing color. Reds are beginning to appear on some maple trees, especially in towns. Maroon colors are appearing on sumac, dogwood, and Virginia creeper vines. Walnut, cottonwood, basswood, elm, and hackberry trees are turning yellow.

It’s early in the season in southeast Iowa. Mostly bottomland species are starting to change colors and lose leaves. Cottonwood, walnut, and elm trees are showing a little yellow and brown. Some dogwoods and roadside shrubs are starting to show fall colors. Walnut and cottonwood trees are starting to show a little yellow in south central Iowa. Shrubs and vines are showing some purples and reds.

Cottonwood, white ash and red maple trees are starting to change color in southwest Iowa. Upland shrubs (sumac.dogwood, plum) on south/west slopes are starting to turn red and purple.

Read more and sign-up for the weekly e-mail update, HERE.

(Radio Iowa) – A state legislator from north-central Iowa is being named the new executive director of the Iowa F-F-A Foundation. Shannon Latham of Sheffield says she brings 30 years of experience spanning business, government and communications to her F-F-A responsibilities. Latham says she’s thrilled to be giving back to an organization that had a profound impact on her life. “In fact, my FFA advisor is the one who led me toward an agricultural career path,” she says. “He took me to my college visit at Iowa State. He introduced me to the major of agricultural journalism just because he knew all of the things that I was interested in when I was in high school.”

While some people may not be familiar with the foundation itself, Latham says many people in central Iowa will recognize the F-F-A Enrichment Center on the DMACC campus in Ankeny. “A lot of groups come here, have conferences all throughout the year, and the foundation helps raise money actually for Team Ag Ed,” Latham says, “and Team Ag Ed is a bunch of partners that include the Iowa FFA Association. That is what our chapters across the state belong to.”

In addition to her F-F-A duties, Latham says she will continue in her role as a state representative. There are 20-thousand-500 members in the Iowa F-F-A program in some 270 chapters statewide.

(Radio Iowa) – President Trump says the federal government will make payments to soybean farmers who are taking a financial hit due to China’s stance in the trade war. China — the world’s largest buyer of soybeans — has turned to other countries for its soybean supply.

“We’re going to take some of that tariff money that’s we’ve made, we’re going to give it to our farmers who are for a little while going to be hurt until…the tariffs kick in to their benefit,” Trump said recently, “so we’re going to make sure that our farmers are in great shape because we’re taking in a lot of money.” Trump has not indicated when the payments will start or how big they’ll be.

“We’re going to be taking some money from all of the tariff money that we’ve taking and we’re going to be distributing it to our farmers until the tariffs kick in to their benefit, which ultimately the farmers are going to be making a fortune,” Trump said, “but it’s a process.”

Trump — in a post on social media yesterday (Wednesday) — said he will be meeting with China’s president in four weeks and soybeans will be a major topic of discussion. Last year, a little over half U.S. soybean exports went to China, but China hasn’t purchased U.S. soybeans for the past four months.

(Radio Iowa) – The latest survey of supply managers in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states shows the economy sagging under the weight of retaliatory tariffs, as the region’s manufacturing sector sheds jobs for the sixth straight month. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the September survey indicates many farmers are in for a difficult harvest season as the Trump administration tariffs are backfiring with one of the biggest trading partners.

“China just purchased soybeans from Brazil,” Goss says. “Now, they have not bought U.S. soybeans since May. That’s very unusual. They’re retaliating against our agricultural sector and they’re retaliating against other sectors. And they’re not the only one.” A year ago, China bought about 60-percent of all U-S soybean exports, and is now buying none. As a result, soybean prices are plummeting as Iowa growers are seeing per-bushel prices at one-third of what they were last fall.

Goss says the Creighton survey shows both imports and exports weakened during September, while wholesale prices rose from August and stayed at elevated levels.”Four out of five of our supply managers indicated that tariffs were pushing up prices,” Goss says. “Obviously, that’s not good. Inflation’s above the fed’s target.” Hiring is down significantly and the survey shows the Midwest region lost 38-hundred manufacturing jobs in the past month, while Goss says the U-S lost 78-thousand manufacturing jobs.

“We’re losing jobs, losing manufacturing jobs,” Goss says, “and I know I’ve raised my voice there, but we need to raise our voice about what’s going on in manufacturing because manufacturing and agriculture depend heavily on trade, and trade is not good right now.”

According to the U.S. International Trade Administration, Iowa’s manufacturing sector exported $8.4 billion in goods for the first seven months of this year, compared to $9.3 billion for the same period last year. That’s a drop of more than nine-percent.

October 1:

• Ben Gavin of Griswold (winner)
• Frank Greiner of Atlantic
• Ann Marie Zaiger of Exira

October 2:

• Karen Bateman of Atlantic (winner)
• Delaney Pruitt of Atlantic
• Julie Rasmussen of Exira

October 3:

• Jolene Roecker of Atlantic (winner)
• Tebra Haupert of Atlantic

October 4:

• Pam Reed of Atlantic (winner)
• Jeannie Ann Feltner of Omaha
• Linnea Murphy of Lewis

October 5:

• Jim Rogers of Wiota (winner)
• Bill Larsen of Brayton

October 6:

• Carly Halverson of Coon Rapids (winner)

October 7:

• Chrissy “Christopher” Finken of Atlantic (winner)
• Denise Finnell of Atlantic
• Richard Vonahme of Carroll
• Jean Petersen of Exira
• Ann Butler of Atlantic
• Dr. Hardware of Atlantic

October 8:

• Dane Paulsen of Exira (winner)
• Norman Templeman of Atlantic
• Michelle Hackwell of Exira

October 9:

• Peg Schrier of Cumberland (winner)
• Dee Bebensee of Atlantic
• Connie Wiechmann of Lewis
• Axel Ray Waters of Levine, AZ

October 10:

• Bertha Schroeter of Exira (winner)
• Gwen Weirich of Lewis
• Marlene Jensen of Atlantic

October 11:

• Cindy Kilworth of Exira (winner)
• Frank Olsen of Exira
• Vickie Asbery of Exira

October 12:

• Richard Hoffman of Cumberland (winner)
• Lenni Jo Thompson of Exira

October 13:

• Ayra Wolfe of Kimballton (winner)
• Clara Hagedorn of Audubon
• Lisa Paulsen of Exira
• Wanda Sorenson of Elk Horn

October 14:

• Ruth Meyer of Atlantic (winner)
• Carl O’Brien of Atlantic
• Paulette Boldt of Audubon
• Kevin Hinners of Elk Horn
• Noel & Neil McMichael of Audubon

October 15:

• Holly Brenton of Atlantic (winner)
• Jan Brehmer of Atlantic
• Becky Martin of Audubon

October 16:

• Lilly Barber of Wiota (winner)
• Andrea Riesgaard of Exira
• Glan Becker of Cumberland

October 17:

• Austin Eden of Atlantic (winner)
• Ron Owen of Audubon
• Allison Elmquist of Lewis
• Abigail Bieker of Harlan

October 18:

• Darla Casady of Atlantic (winner)

October 19:

• Kyler Sarsfield of Atlantic (winner)
• Lynn Mortensen of Kimballton

October 20:

• Tucker Sager of Atlantic (winner)
• Donnis Schwanke of Atlantic
• Ants Kommes of Exira
• Becky Randeris of Audubon
• Kenny Matthews of Atlantic

October 21:

• Carol Thompson of Exira (winner)

October 22:

• Sharon Crane of Atlantic (winner)
• Britni Olson of Audubon
• Mallory Kirchhoff of Atlantic

October 23:

• Vicki Brown of Atlantic (winner)
• Dennis Ballou of Exira
• Pansie Hoffman of Cumberland

October 24:

• Gary Riesgaard of Atlantic (winner)
• Jusy Lauridsen of Exira
• Tate Hill of Exira

October 25:

• Connie Steffen of Griswold (winner)
• Julie Hansen of Atlantic
• Emma Hagedorn of Audubon

October 26:

• Bernie Kilworth of Brayton (winner)
• Jade Mosier of Ankeny

October 27:

• Randy Thompsen of Exira (winner)

October 28:

• Morgan Kirchner of Atlantic (winner)
• Frankie Waters of Omaha

October 29:

• Hayden Larsen of Audubon (winner)

October 30:

• Evan Kelly of Griswold (winner)

October 31:

• Eric Casey of Atlantic (winner)
• Michelle Klindt of Henderson

(Monona County, Iowa) – On Friday, Sept. 26th, representatives with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) and their partners at the Iowa DNR, celebrated with a ribbon cutting at the former Little Sioux Scout Ranch. More than 100 neighbors and supporters of the project joined in to learn more, explore and celebrate the new addition to the Loess Hill State Forest. Permanently protected, residents and visitors of Iowa can continue to forge a connection with nature and enjoy remote camping, hiking, fishing, hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation across the nearly 1,800-acre former scout camp.

Background:

In late 2022, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation purchased the Little Sioux Scout Ranch in western Iowa from the Mid-America Council of the Boy Scouts of America. INHF raised nearly $2 million before Dec. 31, when it had to exercise an option to purchase the property. Lead donations of $500,000 from Polina and Bob Schlott of Crescent, $500,000 from the Iowa West Foundation of Council Bluffs, $300,000 from the Gilchrist Foundation of Sioux City and $250,000 from the MidAmerican Energy Foundation — along with hundreds of other private donations — made it possible to purchase the vast wilderness area.

The 1,776-acre property has been used as a scout camp for more than 50 years by troops from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. In 2021, the Gilwell Foundation, which owns all the properties used by the council, came to the difficult decision to sell the camp due to declining attendance. At that time, INHF purchased an option to buy the property that expired at the end of 2022, setting a goal to raise $2 million for the project, which will cost more than $7 million in total.

“The support for this project has been amazing,” said INHF President Joe McGovern. “Donors have told us they want to see this place protected — staying in one piece and not being developed — but they’re also excited to see it opened to the public eventually.” In working on the sale with the council, INHF has agreed to do three things: Open the property to the public; maintain the memorial to four boys that died in a 2008 tornado on the property; and honor and share the history of LSSR as a scout camp.

The site is now part of the Loess Hills State Forest and is owned and managed by the Iowa DNR.

Learn more about the project here.

(Radio Iowa & Iowa Capital Dispatch) – The U-S-D-A crop report says warm weather helped crops mature and the early harvest is running ahead of last year. The report says 15 percent of the corn is harvested statewide — four days ahead of last year and three ahead of five-year average. The southeast district leads with 32 percent of the corn harvested, followed by 23 in the southwest and 21 in the central district. The northeast and west-central districts are the only ones not in double digits. The statewide soybean harvest is at 17 percent, three days ahead of last year and two ahead of average. The northwest district has the most beans in the bin at 25 percent, with the central and west central next at 19. All districts are in double digit percentages for beans.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said farmers should continue “making harvest headway” this week with nice weather in the forecast, though “conditions may be a bit dusty.”  “Combines are rolling all across Iowa,” Naig said in a statement. Temperatures for the reporting period were 8.1 degrees above the climatological normal, which according to the report, “quickly advanced crop maturity.”

Despite a below-normal weekly precipitation average of just 0.41 inch, soil moisture conditions remain mostly adequate. Sixty-five percent of topsoil moisture and 70% of subsoil moisture conditions were adequate for the reporting period. Southern regions of the state were slightly drier than the state average, while central and northern regions were slightly wetter.  In southeast Iowa, according to the report, just 33% of topsoil had adequate moisture, while the majority, 66% of topsoil was short or very short of moisture.

According to the seven-day precipitation forecast posted Monday by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa is projected to receive less than half an inch of rain for the week.