July 1:

• Mark Knudsen of Atlantic (winner)
• JoAnn Brahms of Anita
• Michelle Kirchoff of Lewis

July 2:

• Kay Wickman of Atlantic (winner)
• Emmy Benton of Exira
• Julie Vais of Exira
• Giovanna Gotto of Altoona

July 3:

• No Birthdays Submitted

July 4:

• Greg Waters of Sydney, Australia

July 5:

• Chris Wahlert of Exira (winner)

July 6:

• Jordan Dailey of Atlantic (winner)
• Heather Sager of Atlantic
• Duane Christofferson of Elk Horn
• Bev Moffatt of Atlantic

July 7:

• Reed Mosier of Atlantic

July 8:

• Bill Fancher of Audubon (winner)
• Chris Williams of Atlantic

July 9:

• Helen Lauritsen of Audubon (winner)
• James Klindt of Atlantic
• Barb Hansen of Audubon

July: 10

• Emery Nelson of Audubon (winner)
• Bev Schelling of Atlantic
• Chris Witzman
• Ellie Wahlert of Exira
• Zach Blanchard of Atlantic

July 11:

• Lynn Andersen of Exira (winner)
• Ylene Alm of Atlantic
• Maddox Pope of Atlantic

July 12:

• Wednesday Pruitt of Atlantic (winner)
• Leah Schmidt of Harlan
• KJAN’s Jack McGonogol of Atlantic

July 13:

• Carol Seddon of Atlantic (winner)
• Mara Jo Nelson of Creston
• Annette Andersen of Kimballton

July 14:

• Joel Jens of Atlantic (winner)
• Olivia Jo Bateman of Atlantic
• Keegan Kemp of Atlantic
• Ray Armstrong of Atlantic
• Rebecca Bak of Avoca

July 15:

• Brayden Androy of Kimballton (winner)
• Parker Grace Wedemeyer of Van Meter
• Bill Michael Stockwell of Elk Horn

July 17:

• Erin Kelly of Massena (winner)
• Mike Haley, Sr. of Exira
• Brother Mike Waters of Atlantic
• Hayden Landsdown of Atlantic
• John Paul Walker of Exira
• Spencer Sothman of Cumberland

July 18:

• Kaiti Anthofer of Exira (winner)
• Vern Kinnison of Wiota
• Pat Barnes of Atlantic
• Mike Mathisen of Lewis

July 19:

• Megan Wedemeyer of Van Meter (winner)

July 20:

• No Birthdays Submitted

July 21:

• Hervetta Ronnfeldt of Hancock (winner)
• Heath Robinson of Atlantic

July 22:

• Judy Hill of Exira (winner)
• Howard Lawshe of Audubon
• Bill Larsen of Atlantic
• Madison Loving of Atlantic
• Laura Jurchen of Atlantic
• Vickie Christensen of Anita
• Janie Voss of Villisca
• Xander Cook of Adair

July 23:

• Glen Meyers of Exira (winner)

July 24:

• Paul Christofferson of Exira (winner)
• Ruth Barton of Exira

July 25:

• Harper Embree of Massena (winner)
• Kim Kopp of Anita
• Ella Rossell of Atlantic
• Sheila Hayden of Atlantic
• Rumor Norma Jean Waters of Levine, AZ
• Nancy Armstrong of Atlantic

July 26:

• Connie Paulsen of Anita (winner)
• Nick Templeman of Wiota

July 27:

• Susanne Meyer of Atlantic (winner)
• Janice Rasmussen of Atlantic

July 28:

• Fletcher Toft of Atlantic (winner)
• Brinley Knutsen of Marne
• Randy Steffen of Griswold

July 29:

• Nick Myers of Atlantic (winner)
• Kim Wood of Exira
• Duane Weirich of Lewis
• Kerrigan Larsen of Audubon

July 30:

• Dean Schwab of Brayton (winner)
• Mariah and Haley Huffman of Atlantic

(Radio Iowa) – University students from across the country recently met in Ames for the annual CyberTractor Challenge where they tried to make tractors do things they’re not supposed. John Deere global chief information security officer James Johnson started the CyberTractor Challenge four years ago as the need for cybersecurity has grown alongside precision agriculture. “The more dependent we are on technology, the bigger the challenge that we’re going to have as a company,” he says. The technology includes G-P-S guidance, internet-connected sensors and other data-driven technology in tractors and other machines. Johnson says it’s not just about John Deere.

“It’s about, how do we make the industry more resilient and more secure because our customers might drive a John Deere tractor and pull a red planter or a blue planter,” he says.
Johnson says attracting more talent to cybersecurity benefits manufacturers, farmers and the national food supply. Students tried to hack into the machine’s operating systems. John Deere’s Carl Kubalsky says precision agriculture can make farming more efficient, but it can also open more points of attack for cyber criminals.

“The work that these students are doing and the careers that they’ll go on to do is important for all of us, whether it’s John Deere or C-N-H or another manufacturer,” he says Students from seven universities across the country attended the CyberTractor Challenge.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – State Climatologist Justin Glisan said the June 23 through June 29 reporting period was the “wettest” of the season, with precipitation totals 2-4 inches above normal in some areas. While the rain hindered some field work, it was overall beneficial for Iowa crops which continue to rate highly according to the crop progress and condition report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig said corn tassels are beginning to show, “signaling crop development remains on track.”

According to the report, around 3% of Iowa corn was beginning to silk and the crop rated 85% good or excellent. Soybeans were also a couple of days ahead of average, with 22% of the crop blooming across the state. Soybeans rated 77% good to excellent. “Last week brought multiple rounds of rain to much of the state, marking the wettest seven days of the growing season thus far,” Naig said. “In addition to benefitting the corn and soybeans, the moisture helps to replenish our streams, pastures and hay fields.”

(Photo by Preston Keres/USDA)

As a whole, the state averaged 2.81 inches for the reporting period, which was more than an inch and a half above normal. Precipitation maps show central and western parts of the state received the most rainfall during the period.

The rain pushed some areas, most severely north central and central Iowa, to hold excess soil moisture. Around 40% of topsoil moisture rated surplus in these regions and in north central Iowa, nearly 50% of subsoil had surplus moisture.  The state average topsoil moisture condition rated 65% adequate and 21% surplus. Subsoil conditions on average were 70% adequate and 27% short.

The first cutting of alfalfa hay all but wrapped up during the reporting period, with 97% completed across the state and 30% of the second cutting of hay complete. Oats also progressed, with 90% headed and 39% coloring. Iowa’s oat crop rated 83% good or excellent.

In addition to heavy rainfall, it was also a hot week across the state. The statewide average high temperature for the week, at 92 degrees Fahrenheit, was 10 degrees above the normal. Forecasts for the coming week show Iowans can expect an inch or two of rain and slightly above average temperatures, which Naig said will be “pleasant conditions for a festive and fun Independence Day weekend filled with fireworks, cookouts and outdoor celebrations.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (KCRG) – The Supreme Court has decided not to hear Iowa Pork Producers petition to California’s Prop 12 law regarding animal welfare.The Iowa Pork Producers Association have attempted to abolish the animal welfare law on June 30. They were rejected by the Supreme Court with no explanation. The Association believes the law treats out-of-state producers unfairly and gives California producers an upper hand.

The National Pork Producers made another attempt to petition against the law in 2023. It was dismissed based on legal standards regarding state laws being overly restrictive of moving goods across states.

In a social media post, Bird said “I am disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the lowa Pork Producers’ case to stop California’s mandate against lowa farmers. I will continue to fight for our producers and farmers …just as I did with this case and Massachusetts Question 3. States like California and Massachusetts should not dictate lowa farming practices.

“I will continue to fight for our producers and farmers in the active challenges still working their way through the courts, just as I did with this case and Massachusetts Question 3. States like California and Massachusetts should not dictate lowa farming practices.”

The Iowa Pork Producers Association is disappointed with the SUPCO decision. Iowa officials plan to find other ways to abolish the law.

Cass County: Corn $3.95 Beans $9.83
Adair County: Corn $3.92 Beans $9.86
Adams County: Corn $3.92 Beans $9.82
Audubon County: Corn $3.94 Beans $9.85
East Pottawattamie County: Corn $3.98 Beans $9.83
Guthrie County: Corn $3.97 Beans $9.87
Montgomery County: Corn $3.97 Beans $9.85
Shelby County: Corn $3.98 Beans $9.83

Oats: $3.32 (same in all counties)

DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI]— The Iowa DNR suggests avoiding 10 beaches this weekend where E. coli levels are too high.

Swimming is not recommended at the following beaches:

• Backbone Beach
• Beeds Lake Beach
• Black Hawk Beach
• Blue Lake Beach
• Bobwhite State Park
• Lake Darling Beach
• Nine Eagles Beach
• North Twin Lake West Beach
• Pine Lake South Beach
• Union Grove Beach

All 10 beaches exceeded the standard for E. coli levels in recent testing. This can indicate higher levels of different viruses and bacteria. The DNR conducts weekly tests at more than three dozen state-owned swimming beaches between the week before Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Another beach, George Wyth Beach in Black Hawk County, is closed due to flooding.

(Iowa Capital Dispatch) – A press released Thursday from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, about the department’s response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza, shows the nation imported more than 26 million shell eggs, counted by the dozen, since January, which is more than 10 times the amount imported during the same period in 2024.

Increasing egg imports, enhancing biosecurity, researching vaccine options and providing financial relief to farmers were all elements of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins’ plan to combat HPAI and lower the cost of eggs. Rollins said her five-pronged plan “has worked,” noting a 64% drop in wholesale egg prices and more than 900 completed biosecurity assessments at poultry farms across the country.

Rollins announced the $1 billion plan to combat the bird flu in February after three years of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu had eliminated nearly 170 million poultry birds and caused domestic egg prices to skyrocket.

From January 2024 to June 2024, the U.S. imported around 2.36 million shell eggs and just over 9.2 million egg products, according to an egg markets report from USDA. The USDA release said the U.S. had imported more than 26 million shell eggs, by the dozen, from Brazil, Honduras, Mexico, Turkey, and South Korea and imported an additional 14 million egg products, measured in dozen shell-egg equivalents since January 2025. The USDA press release said the efforts to increase imports have helped to “bolster domestic supply” and said by comparison, domestic egg production in 2024 totaled 109 billion eggs.

Iowa remains the top egg producing state in the country and to date has lost more than 29 million birds associated with commercial table egg production impacted by HPAI, according to data from the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

As part of Rollins’ plan, producers could have free biosecurity assessments at their facilities and receive USDA assistance for biosecurity improvements. According to the release from USDA, nearly 1,000 facilities have received the assessments, including 162 facilities in Iowa. Iowa ranked second on the list of states with the highest number of biosecurity assessments, behind Ohio at 214 assessments and above Pennsylvania at 144, Indiana at 129 and Missouri at 80 assessments. Of the assessments completed, 372 have looked at wildlife biosecurity according to APHIS.

The department also announced a grant challenge opportunity in March for research projects to support HPAI prevention, therapeutics, and potential vaccines. The Thursday release said the department received requests for more than $793 million in funding and the awards will be finalized in the fall.

(Radio Iowa) – Red Haw State Park is reopening its campground next week, more than three years after a powerful tornado tore through the southern Iowa park near Chariton.

Chad Kelchen, a district supervisor with the Iowa DNR’s Parks, Forests, and Preserves Bureau, says it’s been a challenging process to make repairs, and clean up and haul away the many hundreds of downed trees. Kelchen says campers and picnickers will notice some changes at the park.

“With the tornado coming through the campground like that, we were forced to rearrange the campground,” Kelchen says. “We’ve actually subtracted sites, making the sites a little larger and a little easier to get into. We have a few pull-through sites that overlook the lake now, and we have 52 sites in total, with the majority being electric sites.”

Red Haw State Park in 2025 (DNR photo)

The tornado struck on March 5th of 2022 and it was a whopper, rating as an EF-3 — with winds approaching 165 miles an hour — reducing wide sections of dense forest to an absolute mess.

“The tree damage was so severe that some of those trees were not safe to take down. We had to bring in specialized equipment, specialized labor forces to do that,” Kelchen says. “Then things like underground cables were ripped up by tree roots being pulled out of the ground by the winds. There was a lot of unforeseen damage that we found. The further we got into cleaning it up, the more that we found.”

Over the past three years, several events at the park have rallied dozens of volunteers to help remove debris and restore order.

“They were crucial,” he says. “That’s a small park with a single staff person in it, so bringing in those extra hands really helped us bring the debris out of the timbers and plant the new trees and all that we’ve done to bring the park back up and ready to go.”

While an untold number of trees were lost in the twister, Kelchen says they’ve planted many hundreds more since 2022, and they’ll continue doing so.

“I think we planted 1,000 trees in the timber, and then 50 or 60 in the campground to get us started,” Kelchen says. “Tree planting will be something that will occur each year in a smaller scale, just so we get a diverse year class and a diverse species we expect in the campground and in the area surrounding.”

The park features a 70-acre lake and more than four miles of grassy trails. The campground is slated to reopen July 1st.