(Lewis, Iowa) – Officials with the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development have announced the 30^th Annual meeting for the Foundation takes place March 3rd, at the Armstrong Research Farm, near Lewis**. The meeting is open to the public, and there is no fee to attend. The event begins with registration at 9-a.m., followed by a Welcome from Foundation President Mark Bentley.

This year’s speakers will include Mark Licht an Iowa State University Assistant Professor and Extension Cropping System Specialist in the Dept of Agronomy, who will be speaking on the Recent Cropping Systems Research in Southwest Iowa. His extension, research and teaching program is focused on how to holistically manage Iowa cropping systems to achieve productivity, profitability and environmental goals. His research is centered around varied aspects of soybean, corn and cover crop management. 

The second speaker is Tim Christensen, ISU Farm Management Specialist. He is currently serving 13 counties in Southwest Iowa working with the public on farm rental agreements, farm transitions, farm bill, grain marketing, and any other farm management issues that arise. Tim will be speaking on Iowa Land Values review and 2022 Cost of Production Increases.

A complimentary lunch at 11:30-a.m.will follow those guest speakers, with the Wallace Foundation’s Membership Annual Business meeting at 12:30-p.m.

**The Armstrong Research Farm is located approximately 12 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, south on 525th Street, and then east on Hitchcock Avenue.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Feb. 7, 2022) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible farm owners to apply for the 2022 Century and Heritage Farm Program now. The program was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to recognize families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively. “The Century and Heritage Farm Program recognizes the strength and resiliency of Iowa’s multi-generation farm families,” said Secretary Naig. “I always look forward to celebrating with the families and hearing stories about their incredible farming legacies. I am grateful for the investments they make to protect our rich farmland and their continued commitment to our state’s agriculture community.” To apply, download the application on the Department’s website at iowaagriculture.gov/century-and-heritage-farm-program.

Applications may also be requested from Kelley Reece, coordinator of the Century and Heritage Farm Program, at 515-281-3645 or kelley.reece@iowaagriculture.gov. Written requests can be mailed to Century or Heritage Farm Program, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Wallace State Office Building, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines, IA 50319.

To be included in the 2022 Century or Heritage Farm Program, completed applications must be received by the Department no later than June 1, 2022.

This marks the 46th anniversary of the Century Farm Program, which started in 1976 as part of the Nation’s Bicentennial Celebration. To date, more than 20,000 farms from across the state have received this recognition. This is the 16th anniversary of the Heritage Farm Program. More than 1,500 farms have been recognized since this program began in 2006. To search for previous Century and Heritage Farm recipients, visit centuryfarms.iowaagriculture.gov/. Photos from past recognition ceremonies are also available on the Century and Heritage Farm Program website.

The ceremonies recognizing the 2022 Century and Heritage Farm families will be held at the Iowa State Fair on Aug. 18, in the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting a series of town hall-style meetings starting next week. D-N-R wildlife biologist, Todd Gosselink says it’s a chance to recap the previous year and plan for the next. He says it’s a chance for hunters to tell the D-N-R what they like and don’t like and to suggest ideas for changes. Gosselink says each year has a few changes to the rules — with the deer seasons often seeing adjustments. “We’re tweaking those quotas and things like that for deer season. We have Chronic Wasting Disease in certain parts of the state — so we’ve changed deer regulations to allow for extra seasons — like a January antlerless season to try and harvest more deer in those areas that have C-W-D or Chronic Wasting Disease,” he says.

He says they will have a final meeting after all the others to talk about what they learned. Gosselink says they will reveal the changes they came up with based on public input, and then have a second round of input on the proposed changes. Gosselink encourages you to find a meeting in your area and give your input. “It really helps us gather a lot of information from the hunters out in the field,” Gosselink says. “And it definitely helps us in the decision-making process, it’s a big factor of what needs changed and addressed to.”

Here are some of the Meeting dates, times and locations:
Creston, Feb. 21, 6 p.m., Multi-Purpose Room, Southern Prairie YMCA, 1201 West Townline Street
Sac City, Feb 22, 6:30 p.m., Sac County Conservation Center, Hagge Park, 2970 280th Street
Onawa, Feb. 23, 6 p.m., Lewis and Clark State Park visitor center banquet room, 21914 Park Loop
Council Bluffs, Feb. 24, 6:30 p.m., Council Bluffs Fish & Game Club, 531 Comanche St.

Chris Parks and Cass/Adair County Conservation Officer Grant Gelly talk about all things outdoors. This week they discuss licensing numbers from 2021, a little ice fishing, and land vegetation improvement opportunities.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (9.8MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Perry, Iowa – Iowa 3rd District Representative Cindy Axne, today (Friday) highlighted two businesses in Iowa’s Third District that this week received nearly $3.3-million in loan guarantees and grants from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The Kerns Farms Corporations in Taylor County received $167,019 to assist with market expansion and pork processing fees for specialty retail cuts and ground products, and another $40,504 grant to help process specialty retail cuts and ground products of Mangalitsa pork. The Kerns Farms Corporation is a leading producer of heritage breed Mangalitsa pigs in the United States and project funds will be used for market expansion.

This investment reflects Rep. Axne’s recent efforts to support small- and medium-sized meat producers and to improve market transparency in order to create more competition, fairness in the industry, and a more reliable supply chain.

T.C. And B. Corporate Wearables Inc. in Dallas County received $3,090,000 to help assist the customized apparel business in overcoming lost revenues created by closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding will help TC & B, which employs 35 people in Perry, supplement working capital to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus by guaranteeing loans for rural businesses and agricultural producers. This loan guarantee comes from the CARES Act, COVID-19 relief legislation that Rep. Axne helped pass in March 2020.

More information about the more the grants and loans distributed by the USDA to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of lives for millions of Americans who are living in rural America can be found by clicking here.

SPIRIT LAKE – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is reminding snowmobilers operating on the Iowa Great Lakes to use caution as ice conditions change throughout the winter.  Freezing, thawing, and refreezing creates ice heaves, berms, and frozen drifts, and heavy snowmobile use has created ruts and rough ice. Snowfall and drifting snow can hide these obstructions.

Officers with the DNR said there were a number of incidents over the past week where snowmobilers have collided with these obstructions. Snowmobilers should always use safe operating practices. Operate at reduced speeds to avoid colliding with hard to see obstacles.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill designed to increase the availability AND sales of gasoline with a 15 percent ethanol blend has cleared the Iowa House. Governor Kim Reynolds proposed an IOWA Renewable Fuels Standard a year ago, but it stalled. House Speaker Pat Grassley spoke with reporters right after the revamped bill passed on an 82-to-10 vote.

“It’s very important for us here in Iowa to show the support for the renewable fuels industry and I think the House has done that today with a very strong, bipartisan vote,” Grassley says. “…We would love to see this get to the governor’s desk to send a very strong message to the federal government.” Uncertainty about the federal Renewable Fuels Standard spurred development of this state plan. Republican Representative Lee Hein of Monticello says much of Iowa’s corn crop is destined for ethanol.

“Moving biofuels forward and standing up to let the rest of the country that this is a good product and a good thing is huge for the Iowa ag economy,” Hein says. If the bill becomes law, stations installing new underground storage tanks after January 1st of next year would be required to sell E-15. The requirement to sell E-15 would go into effect for ALL stations in 2026. The bill does include mandatory waivers for small gas station owners who show they cannot afford the equipment upgrades required for higher ethanol blends. Representative Mary Wolfe, a Democrat from Clinton, says the waivers are key.

“It does both expand the ethanol market here in Iowa,” Wolfe says, “but it also does protect small town, smaller fuel retailers.” This was the first bill to be debated in the full House this year and House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst emphasizes it passed by a wide, bipartisan margin. “This is an issue that’s too important to us to let politics get in the way,” Konfrst says.

The bill also calls for tank upgrades to spur sales of B-20 — biodiesel with a higher percentage of a soybean-based additive. Marinas with just one fuel tank are exempt from the proposed requirements. The bill now goes to the Senate.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Elite Octane announced on their web page, today (Wednesday) that an expansion of the company’s corn receiving and storage capacity in Atlantic, is under construction, with a completion date in 2022. The Company says it is making a significant investment as it plans to be a preferred destination for southwest Iowa corn farmers for years to come.

The company says the following changes are forthcoming with the expansion project:

• Increasing Storage Capacity going 4-million to 8-million bushels.
• Increase Receiving Capacity from 60,000 to 90,0000 bushels per hour.
  

  Additional storage graphic (from the Elite Octane website)

• Having two truck probes with three inbound lanes.
• and having two inbound scales.

Elite Octane says  “The American farmer continues to raise the standard in production agriculture while preparing for the future. Much like the farmer, Elite Octane is committed to raising the standard of what should be expected for speed and capacity. We’re here to grow with you.”

(Ames, Iowa) – Officials with the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Tuesday, said Robbins Land & Cattle, of Scranton, is among one of six regional honorees of the Environmental Stewardship Award Program, organized by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). Justin and Lacie Robbins, owners of Robbins Land & Cattle, LLC, received Region III honors at the 2022 Cattle Industry Convention, in Houston, TX.

The Environmental Stewardship Award Program (ESAP) annually recognizes the outstanding stewardship practices and conservation achievements of U.S. cattle producers. Regional winners are commended for their commitment to protecting the environment and improving fish and wildlife habitats while operating profitable cattle operations. Robbins Land & Cattle, LLC received the Region III ESAP award for the following efforts:

The ICA says Robbins Land & Cattle, LLC, which runs along the North Raccoon River, is committed to improving the land and natural resources. For nearly two decades, Justin Robbins has dedicated a lot of time and energy to enhancing his farming operation. From rebuilding and implementing farm ponds on pasture ground to establishing cover crops on a large portion of his row crop acres, Justin strives to “leave the land better today” than how he found it yesterday.

Photo credit goes to the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association for Robbins Land & Cattle.JPG and Baxter Communications for ESAP2021-R3-IA_0679.

For instance, Justin Robbins first incorporated cover crops in 2013. He primarily seeded cover crops on harvested corn acres, but now works to establish cover crops on at least 50 percent of his farming operation. “Building soil health is the long game,” Justin says. Cover crops benefit soil structures in generating nitrogen, reducing erosion, supporting earthworms, and suppressing weeds. Additionally, cover crops provide another forage source. In utilizing cover crops and other corn residue, Justin has slashed feed costs, which can quickly add up when feeding 200 registered Angus cows.

In 2020, Robbins Land & Cattle, LLC started to sell their naturally raised, homegrown beef through an online store. The couple saw the value-added opportunity as a way to share their story of environmental stewardship with their community and local customers. One year after opening their online store, Robbins Land & Cattle, LLC saw tremendous growth, doubling its sales despite a global health pandemic.

Robbins Land & Cattle will now compete for national honors. The national ESAP recipient will be announced in late July.

(Radio Iowa) – Three state agencies have started to review plans for how the State of Iowa would respond to a significant drought. Iowa Department of Natural Resources director Kayla Lyon says her agency issued weekly reports on drinking water supplies last year as extreme drought hit some areas of the state. “We were really close to having a real problem,” Lyon says, “and it was pretty dire in some parts of the state.”

Despite heavy rains in the fall, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows more than half a million Iowans live in an area where drought conditions persist. The state’s current drought response outlines were developed in the 1980s according to Lyon. “So our staff are working together with some of the same players to modernize our state drought plan,” Lyon says.

A D-N-R spokesperson says the plan will likely look at how water users in the public and private sectors are prepared for drought conditions and how the state would respond if water supplies are endangered by a long-term drought. It’s expected to take a year for the D-N-R, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Homeland Security Emergency Management to produce an updated drought plan.