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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Iowa Agribusiness Network!
CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
(Radio Iowa) – A bill being considered in the legislature would eliminate the state sales tax on Iowa beehives. Beyond honey production, hives are often sold or rented so the bees can pollinate fields or orchards. Representative Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids guided the bill through the House this week. “It treats bees as we treat any other livestock,” Jones said. The bill passed the House unanimously — after Representative Chuck Isenhart of Dubuque rattled off some puns.
“This is a sweet bill, I have to say. It’s creating a lot of buzz around the capitol and I promise you if you vote for the bill you won’t get stung,” Isenhart said. “In fact, your constituents will swarm around you with adultation.”
According to the state apiarist, there are around half a million beehives in Iowa and about a dozen beekeepers raise bees on a commercial scale, with thousands and thousands of hives. Iowa currently ranks 16th in honey production.
DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a diesel spill on the Middle Nodaway River in Adair County.
On March 7, the DNR Atlantic Field Office received a call from an Adair County Conservation Officer reporting a red sheen on an unnamed tributary located on G27 between Indian and Jordan Avenues in Adair County. Field Office staff responded and discovered that diesel had overflowed from a vent tube of an above ground storage tank at a farm operation owned by Kading Land Company, Inc.
The discharged diesel reached a stormwater intake located inside the secondary containment area and continued flowing via field tile, eventually reaching an unnamed tributary of the Middle Nodaway River.
The amount of diesel spilled is unknown. No dead fish have been observed. Staff will continue to work with the responsible party to clean up the spill. The investigation is ongoing.
Red sheen at tributary of Middle Nodaway River: Photo Courtesy: Iowa DNR
To report a release after hours, please call the DNR’s emergency spill line at (515) 725-8694. Quick reporting can help DNR staff identify the cause of an incident. The DNR website has more information about spill reporting requirements.
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa D-N-R is keeping an eye on the weather as it prepares for its annual spring trout stocking. Trout are a cool water fish naturally found in northeast Iowa streams and the D-N-R’s Mike Siepker says the unseasonably warm weather may bring up water temperatures in urban ponds and lake. “That is something we will keep an eye on as we get later into the spring. You know our April 19th and 20th stockings we will definitely keep an eye on it,” he says. “But you know, it’s Iowa so you never know what the weather is going to do. And it may cool down and allow us to stock those trout.” Siepker says they started the urban stocking program to introduce people to trout fishing.
“For folks that live in the bigger urban areas of Iowa it gives anglers an opportunity to catch trout, in a close to home area and instead of having to drive in northeast Iowa,” Siepker says. Siepker is the Northeast Iowa Region Fisheries Supervisor, where he oversees the hatcheries that produce the trout. “We spawn all of our trout at the Manchester Fish Hatchery. And then once they reach about a three to four inch size we move those fish to Big Spring or the Chuck Gipp Decorah Fish Hatchery. And they’re in the hatcheries from egg to stocking size for about 18 months,” Siepker says.
The stocking size for trout is usually ten to 12 inches. Siepker says the ultimate goal is to get people interested in trout fishing and some may end up taking a trip to northeast Iowa to catch the trout in their natural stream habitat. The stocking starts April 19th, and there is a list of locations on the Iowa D-N-R website. Siepker says you don’t have to be there when the trout are released into the water to catch one. “There are fish in these ponds quite a while after we stock them, so even if anglers can’t make it to the opening day stocking, we definitely encourage anglers to go out and give it a try because there will be trout in those ponds for quite a while after we stock,” Siepker says.
You do need an Iowa fishing license and trout stamp to take the trout from the lakes and ponds. They plan to stock one to two-thousand trout in nine different lakes.
(Washington, D-C) – The USDA recently announced the latest round of loans and loan guarantees designed to build and improve rural electric infrastructure throughout the country. Rod Bain reports:
DES MOINES, Iowa [KCCI] – The 2024 Iowa State Fair Grandstand lineup is now complete. Rock band Greta Van Fleet and country star Brett Young will fill the final two remaining spots. Greta Van Fleet will take the stage on Sunday, Aug. 11, while Young will perform on Monday, Aug. 12. Tickets to both shows will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, March 8. You can find more information here.
(Radio Iowa) – Summit Carbon Solutions has announced a partnership with ethanol producer Valero for the use of its proposed carbon pipeline. Valero has five Iowa ethanol plants in Albert City, Charles City, Fort Dodge, Hartley, and Lakota, along with others in Nebraska, Minnesota, and South Dakota. They produce one-point-one BILLION gallons of ethanol every year.
Summit says the company would capture three-point-one million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually that would be shipped through the pipeline that will run through Iowa. The Iowa Utilities Board held an eight-week public hearing on the pipeline permit that ended in November, and Summit is waiting for the I-U-B decision on the issue.
(Atlantic, Iowa) – Cass County Master Gardeners (CCMG) are again offering a $1,000 scholarship to local students, with applications due April 1, 2024. The purpose of this scholarship is to provide post-secondary funds to individuals who are studying and intend to pursue a career in a horticulture-related field. This scholarship is available to students who are graduating seniors in any of the following Iowa school districts, in which currently reside members of CCMG: Atlantic, AHSTW, CAM, Griswold, or Red Oak. This scholarship is also available to previous graduates, of any age, of any of these school districts. Scholarship committee members want to emphasize that students of any age studying in a horticulture-related field are encouraged to apply, regardless of the type of program they are studying, as long as they intend to obtain some degree or certificate in a horticultural-related field.
The goal of the Master Gardener program is to support horticulture education and community service. CCMG members provide many hours of volunteer service and gardening education within their local communities. This scholarship is designed to further that focus on education and community service. Enrollment in a horticulture-related program of study is required for consideration. Examples of horticultural-related fields are included on the application to give applicants an idea of degree fields that may be eligible to apply. The scholarship winner will be selected based upon horticulture-related career goals, history of community service, academic success, and quality and completeness of application. (Financial need is NOT a criterion.)
The scholarship is for any student pursuing post-secondary education during the 2024-2025 school year. A scholarship check will be issued in January 2025, in the student’s name directly to the academic institution, upon receipt of an official grade transcript for the completed Fall 2024 semester, demonstrating a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5. A previous scholarship recipient may re-apply, but an individual may only receive a total of two scholarships from this program.
The application form is available through the high school guidance departments of any eligible school district, or on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/. Applications should be submitted to the Cass County Extension Office, 805 W 10th St, Atlantic, Iowa 50022, or emailed to keolson@iastate.edu on or before the April 1 deadline for consideration. Questions can be directed to the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132.
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