(Radio Iowa) – A federal report on economic activity shows Iowa’s gross domestic product — or G-D-P — fell just over six percent in the first three months of the year. The G-D-P fell in 39 states, but Nebraska and Iowa tied for the biggest drop. Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem says Iowa’s has been growing more slowly than the rest of the country. “We started growing more slowly than the U.S. in 2018 and if you go back to the start of the pandemic, we’ve not added any jobs,” Orazum said, “so I don’t think Iowa has been doing particularly well not in just the last quarter, but the last seven years.” The latest figures show about about 36-thousand fewer people are in the Iowa workforce compared to early 2020.

“And Iowa goes into the pandemic as one of the older labor forces in the country,” Orazem says, “and so one of the problems that Iowa has faced since the pandemic recovery has been we simply don’t have enough workers to fill jobs, and atypically compared to other states.” Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says the feed grains side of Iowa’s agricultural sector is struggling right now, which has had an impact on ag-related manufacturing. “We think of Deere. We think of Kinze,” Hart says. “…We’ve seen the layoffs over the past year with those two big giants, along with a lot of other smaller firms doing that.” Hart says agricultural sector of Iowa’s economy took a hit a few years ago and then farm income dropped about four percent again in 2024.

“When we think about agriculture here in Iowa, it impacts all other sectors as well,” Hart says. “…When you think about what’s the biggest thing on the real estate side, that’s farm values…The crop insurance industry is a big industry here and so when you think about, ‘Ag slows down,’ all these other industries related to that slow down as well.” The two I-S-U economists made their comments during a recent appearance on Iowa Press on Iowa P-B-S. Last week, Governor Reynolds said the recent drop in Iowa’s G-D-P is linked to declines in Iowa’s ag sector, plus challenges in the state’s financial services and insurance industries. Iowa’s insurance industry accounts for about 11 percent of the state’s G-D-P.

AMES, Iowa — Farmers, landowners and friends of farmers are invited to participate in Practical Farmers of Iowa’s 2025 field day season. This year, more than 60 farmer-led events are happening across Iowa and surrounding states from June through November. All events are led by PFI farmer members who are eager to share their knowledge, discoveries, mistakes and successes so others can learn and grow their own operations. One of the PFI Field Day events will take place July 22nd, from 10-a.m. until Noon, near Elliott (IA). The event is free to attend and open to the public.

Liz Kolbe, PFI’s farmer-led education director, says “It doesn’t matter if you’re just getting started or have been farming for decades, or if you farm 2 acres or 2,000 – there’s something for everyone at a PFI field day.” Field days cover a wide range of topics, showcasing farmers with operations of all sizes and production practices. This year’s events explore conventional and organic field crops, cover crops and small grains; livestock systems of various scales and species; fruit and vegetable production; flowers and orcharding; efforts to add habitat and conservation practices; and more.

Health and Happiness With Pastured Farrowing

To continue to serve PFI’s growing network, 13 field days will be held in states outside of Iowa, including Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin. PFI field days are free to attend and open to all – membership in Practical Farmers of Iowa is not required or expected. Events are marked by a welcoming atmosphere, a spirit of curiosity, a culture of mutual respect and farmers openly sharing their knowledge and experience.

All events occur rain or shine. While RSVPs are not required for most field days, they are appreciated to help with event and meal planning. The full list of events – along with additional information about PFI field day policies and logistics – is available at practicalfarmers.org/field-days.

Practical Farmers’ 2025 field days are supported by Level A sponsors Choose Iowa | Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship; Diverse Corn Belt; Grain Millers; Green Cover; Mad Capital; Naylor Seed; Niman Ranch; Organic Valley; Sunderman Farm Management Co.; and Tidal Grow AgriScience.

Cass County: Corn $4.09 Beans $10.18
Adair County: Corn $4.06 Beans $10.21
Adams County: Corn $4.06 Beans $10.17
Audubon County: Corn $4.08 Beans $10.20
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.12 Beans $10.18
Guthrie County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.22
Montgomery County: Corn $4.11 Beans $10.20
Shelby County: Corn $4.12 Beans $10.18

Oats: $3.20 (same in all counties)

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The start of the 2025 Cass County (IA) Fair, in Atlantic, is a little less then three-weeks away. Officials with Cass County ISU Extension say Fair week is a celebration of hard work and dedication to 4-H and FFA programs throughout the past year. The week is filled with activities: free entertainment, great food, and projects to view both in the building and barns. Fair week officially kicks off July 24th and ends July 29th, after the livestock sale.

4-Hers have been working hard all year to complete projects and get them ready for this week-long showcase. Their first opportunity for judging starts with the Clothing Event contest along with the Table Setting contest. These events are judged before fair starts and are on display in the building during fair week. Awards for these contests will be given Friday evening as part of the Friday Evening Building Showcase.

Clothing Event involves 4-H’ers across Cass County who will display their skills in purchasing and creating outfits for all purposes. The judging of this contest will take place before the fair starts on July 10th at the Cass County Community Center. Participants competed in three divisions: Fashion Revue, Clothing Selection, the $20 Challenge, and Innovative Design.

Fashion Revue participants made their garments using design elements and principles such as line, shape, color and texture. Members who chose to participate in this event must sew, construct, hand-knit, machine-knit, crochet garment(s). Clothing Selection outfits and are evaluated on overall appearance, as well as their knowledge of selection, including appropriateness, care, and money spent on the outfit. The $20 Challenge is an opportunity for 4-Hers to challenge themselves by purchasing a complete outfit for under $20. Innovative Design is a challenge for participants to create a costume, cosplay, wearable technology, sustainable/upcycled fashion, accessible fashion, or outfits that use unconventional materials.

Table Setting is a fun way to learn how to properly set a table, plan nutritious meals, and express originality and creativity. Exhibitors choose a theme, present to a judge, express knowledge of food, nutrition and food safety, and have fun planning a special occasion meal for entertaining. Exhibitors can enter a casual or formal place setting display, dishes to menus, and decorations to clothing worn during judging! Judging for this event will take place on July 15th at the Cass County Community Center. Entries are photographed and will be displayed at the fair for public viewing in the Community Center.

Awards will be presented during Friday Evening’s Building Showcase in the Community Center. Winners will be chosen from each age division and in each category. Those winners will have the opportunity to advance to the Regional Table Setting Contest in August.

Be sure to check out all the entries from this year’s Clothing Event contest and the Table Setting Contest which will be on display in the Community Center during fair week!

(Des Moines, Iowa) – This holiday weekend, 13 beaches in Iowa have advisories posted with regard to swimming. (More information can be found HERE) Beaches are updated each Friday with advisories Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

The Iowa DNR’s State Park Beach Monitoring Program indicated the following:

10 Beaches with an E. coli Advisory:
Backbone Beach (Dundee, Delaware County, IA)* 
Beed’s Lake Beach (Hampton, Franklin County, IA)* 
Denison Beach (Black Hawk Lake, Lake View, Sac County, IA)*
Lake Darling Beach (Brighton, Washington County, IA)*
Lake Manawa Beach (Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, IA)* 
Lewis and Clark Beach (Blue Lake, Onawa, Monona County, IA)* 
Lower Pine Lake Beach (Eldora, Hardin County, IA)* 
Nine Eagles Beach (Davis City, Decatur County, IA)* 
North Twin Lake West Beach (Rockwell City, Calhoun County, IA)*
Prairie Rose Beach (Harlan, Shelby County, IA)* 

3 Beaches with a Microcystin Advisory
Green Valley Beach (Creston, Union County, IA)*
Lake Darling Beach (Brighton, Washington County, IA)*
McIntosh Woods Beach (Clear Lake, Ventura, Cerro Gordo County, IA)*

3 City and County Beaches exceed the state’s advisory threshold for E. coli.*
(City and County beaches do not report levels of algal toxins) 
View the map on our website to see where.

*Data from the Iowa DNR State Park Beach Monitoring Program
**Data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District

Note: Monitoring has been suspended at Lake Keomah due to renovation activities. George Wyth Park is closed due to flooding.

 No advisories
 E. coli advisory
 Microcystin advisory
 E. coli and microcystin advisories
 Exceeds state advisory threshold for E. coli (what does this mean?)
 Beach closed

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is in the middle of its annual Canada goose banding effort across the state.

Geese that nested and had young are currently flightless, allowing staff and volunteers to capture the waterfowl, collect some demographic information, and place a metal band on their leg before being released.

“This is one of the best sources of information on Canada geese – it allows us to monitor where the birds are captured, where they are recovered, either by hunter or by the general public who can report the band, which provides important estimates for demographic rates, such as survival rates, recovery rates – and that’s really the fine scale information that allows us to manage the population,” said Orrin Jones, state waterfowl biologist with the Iowa DNR.

To learn more about the Canada goose banding project, go to the DNR’s YouTube channel

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is looking for help with the annual wild turkey production survey.  During the months of July and August wild turkey sightings are recorded to estimate this year’s nesting rates and nest success.

Participation is easy – just note the date and county in which the turkey was seen, if it was an adult female or adult male – males have beards on their breast – and if and how many poults (baby turkeys) were present. The survey is available online at www.iowadnr.gov/turkey, then click on Wild Turkey Survey. There is also an identification guide on documenting wild turkey broods on the survey webpage, that provides tips on how to determine males from females, and different flock scenarios with poults of different ages.

Annual population surveys conducted by the DNR are an important component of managing the wild turkey. Turkey populations can fluctuate annually across all regions of the state.  All participation is appreciated.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking informal comments on administrative rules for ginseng harvesting and sale.  Executive Order 10 (EO10), signed by the Governor on January 10, 2023, requires all state agencies to identify which administrative rule chapters will be retained or rescinded. The EO10 process includes public engagement with the opportunity for meaningful input.   The Iowa DNR has reviewed 571 Iowa Administrative Code (IAC) Chapter 78 titled Ginseng Harvesting and Sale. This chapter has been revised to eliminate redundancies, improve efficiency, and provide clarification and consistency with federal rules as managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Ginseng in autumn color with the minimum “3 prongs” required for legal harvest (ISU Ext. photo)

The public is invited to provide informal comments on the proposed rule changes. DNR will accept written comments through July 16, 2025. Written comments or questions regarding the proposed rule should be submitted to: Karmin.Klingenberg@dnr.iowa.gov. Comments should be made to specific  portions of the rule.  After receiving and reviewing informal comments, the DNR will create a draft Regulatory Analysis and draft Notice of Intended Action. The DNR will host a formal public comment period for these drafts, followed by a public hearing in September 2025.

Drafts of the rule, including a “clean” copy and a version showing revisions, can be found on the DNR webpage: www.iowadnr.gov/eo10.

(Radio Iowa) – A member of the Iowa Soybean Association’s board of directors says the Trump Administration’s proposed 2026 production mandate for biofuels should spur production this year. Dave Walton, a farmer from Wilton, runs all of his farm equipment on soybean-based biodiesel.

“In Iowa we have a number of biodiesel plants that are either shut down, slowed down or running at far less than their capacity,” Walton says, “so this should send a signal to the marketplace that they need to get those plants turned on again and start using soybean oil.” There are 10 biodiesel plants in Iowa and industry experts say up to five have been shut down.

“Those plants employ about 1600 folks,” he says. “You want to talk about economic impact and keeping our people here and in rural Iowa, there’s a direct link between keeping those biodiesel plants up and running and keeping our rural communities energized.” Walton says production should ramp up due to growing demand from trucking companies for B-99 — the highest blend of biodiesel.

“In the past that hasn’t been possible because of the equipment,” Walton said. “Now we have companies like Optimus Technologies that are making that bolt-on that you can put on virtually any semi to be able to run B99 year round without any other modification.”

The E-P-A is proposing that at least five-point-six billion gallons of biomass-based diesel be produced next year. That exceeds the amount the biodiesel industry was lobbying for. The Renewable Fuels Standard production levels for all biofuels will become final after a public comment period and the E-P-A has the authority to adjust its recommendation based on that feedback.