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CLICK HERE for the latest market quotes from the Brownfield Ag News Network!
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture is estimating that 550,000 acres of Iowa corn will not be harvested this fall due to damage caused by the Aug. 10 wind storm that swept across the state. That estimate places the value of the lost corn crop based on the yield and price anticipated before the storm at around $344 million. Corn prices have gone up due to the crop losses so farmers will likely get more money for the corn they do harvest. Most farmers also have crop insurance to cover some of the loss and other federal programs may help. The soybean crop was largely unaffected.
BEIJING (AP) — The U.S. ambassador to China will step down early next month, ending a three-year tenure marked by a trade war and increasingly bitter relations between the world’s two largest economies. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing says former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad confirmed his decision in a phone call with President Donald Trump last week. It did not give a reason for his departure.
FILE – In this June 28, 2017, file photo, U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad makes comments about pro-democracy activist and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo during a photocall and remarks to journalists at the Ambassador’s residence in Beijing. Branstad appears to be leaving his post, based on tweets by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Pompeo thanked Branstad for more than three years of service on Twitter on Monday, Sept. 14, 2020. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
Trade relations soured under Trump, and other disputes followed over technology, human rights and the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Branstad became embroiled in a recent controversy when China’s official People’s Daily newspaper rejected an opinion piece by him.
Anita, Iowa – In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Iowa state parks in 2020, you are invited to join the staff and Friends Group of Lake Anita State Park on Sept. 26th, to help care for the park at a special clean-up event. Nearly 30 parks across Iowa are hosting volunteer events. Todd Coffelt, DNR Bureau Chief of State Parks says “Iowa state parks are important places many people enjoy for their natural beauty and outdoor recreation. We know volunteering in state parks is important to many people who want to help care for them, and Statewide Volunteer Day is a great opportunity to lend a hand.”
The volunteer event at Lake Anita State Park will start at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 26th. Volunteers will help add rock along the multi-use trail and various spots. As an alternative, volunteers can also pick up trash around the campground. Please bring gloves, hard rakes, brooms or blowers if you have them.
For details about the statewide Volunteer Day, visit www.iowadnr.gov/volunteer. Activities will be unique for each park depending on clean-up needs, but may include litter pick-up, staining or painting buildings, planting trees, clearing trails and more. Park staff will encourage social distancing.
Volunteers are encouraged to share their activities on social media with #IowaStateParks100.
(Radio Iowa) – President Trump made an ethanol announcement via twitter this weekend. Trump indicated E-P-A rules will be changed so states may choose to let gas pumps dispense a 15 percent blend of ethanol — called E15 — from pumps currently used for E10. Trump called Iowa Senator Joni Ernst Saturday as she was meeting with campaign volunteers.
“I’m just putting out an order that…our important ethanol industry will be allowed to use the 10% pumps for the 15% blend. That saves tremendous amounts of money for the people in the ethanol industry, like hundreds of millions of dollars I hear is the conversion and there’s no reason to do it,” Trump said.
Farm groups said the news will help promote consumer acceptance of the higher blend of ethanol and suggested it will increase demand for corn and corn prices. Critics called Trump’s announcement an election year gambit that depends upon state approval and faulted Trump for failing to deny waivers the oil industry seeks to get out of the requirement that ethanol be blended into gasoline.
As Trump spoke by phone with Ernst on Saturday, he thanked the campaign volunteers in the room and revealed former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad — the current U.S. Ambassador to China — will be flying back to Iowa to campaign for Trump’s reelection. Branstad’s son, Eric, played a key role in Trump’s 2016 victories in Iowa and Wisconsin and is a senior advisor to Trump’s 2020 campaign.
The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department reports they will be closing the road between Kiddie Koral and the Bandshell at Sunnyside Park, this Sunday, September 13th, 2020, from 9-a.m. – until 1-p.m. During those hours, a local church will use the Bandshell for a church service, and the Kiddie Koral for their coffee hour. 
Park officials say “With kids attending, it is a safety concern of the Parks Department to have kids crossing the road, potentially back and forth, and to have cars coming around the turn so we are closing a section of the road to allow people to go back and forth during the morning hours. There is still a way through by the skate park.”
Cars may still use the service road past the skate park to get through if needed. A reminder, also: Sunnyside Disc Golf league is Sunday morning @ 10:00. The league asks you to please not park on the cement tee pads or in the fairway on hole 13, to the west of the bandshell.
The Parks Department thanks you for your cooperation, and apologizes for any inconvenience.
Officials with the Carstens 1880’s Farmstead (located between Minden and Shelby) have announced the annual potato harvest, or digging, has been postponed due to the recent heavy rainfall. Officials had announced last June that the Annual Carstens Farm Days would be postponed until 2021, but the potato harvest would go on this Saturday, Sept. 12th. However,the weather has forced the event to be delayed until Saturday, Sept. 19th.
Those who attend Carstens Farm Days know that the soil on the farm grows a large crop of flavorful potatoes each year. The public is invited to come to the farm on Sept. 19th, and gather the freshly dug potatoes.
Carstens Board of Directors President Mel Hursey says that the farm’s gate will be open to the public from 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday, September 19. Potatoes will be on the ground and on a trailer as in past years. Hursey said “The rain has been good to get but it is too muddy in the potato patch now. We’re postponing the potato digging until we’re able to take a tractor and potato digger through without getting stuck.”
The Carstens Board of Directors is asking that a donation be made to the farm by anyone who gathers potatoes. The donation will be used to help with the maintenance of the farm. Hursey added, “We’ve got a bumper crop of potatoes. We’ll welcome folks to come out, keep a safe social distance and gather a supply of good spuds.”
Clarinda – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has relaxed the fishing regulations at Pioneer Park Pond in Page County to allow anglers to more freely harvest fish before the pond is renovated this fall.
Pioneer Park Pond has suffered from numerous summer fish kills due to its shallow depth and significant algal blooms. The quality of the sportfish community has declined due to abundant populations of common carp and black bullhead.
Page County Conservation Board will begin to drain the pond at the end of September for the renovation project. Planned improvements include targeted dredging, construction of a forebay area to reduce sedimentation in the pond, fishing jetty construction, elimination of injurious fish including common carp and black bullhead, and fish habitat improvements.
Anglers with a valid sport fishing license may harvest all sizes and unlimited quantities of any species of fish from Pioneer Park Pond. Any number of fishing poles or jug fishing is allowed. Anglers must remain in sight of these lines at all times, and follow all other fishing regulations and area rules. Trot lines will be allowed (name and address must be attached), however lines may not be set across the entire water body.
Liberalized fishing regulations for Pioneer Park Pond will be in effect through Oct. 15. Specific regulation changes include:
Dynamite, poison, electric shocking devices or any stupefying substances are not allowed. It is illegal to sell fish or stock captured fish into public waters.
The DNR will restock the pond after the project is complete and the pond has refilled.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2020 — Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue designated 13 Iowa counties as primary natural disaster areas. Producers in Adair, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, Sac, Shelby and Webster counties who suffered losses due to recent drought may be eligible for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) emergency loans.
This natural disaster designation allows FSA to extend much-needed emergency credit to producers recovering from natural disasters. Emergency loans can be used to meet various recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation or the refinance of certain debts.
Producers in the contiguous Iowa counties of Adams, Buena Vista, Cherokee, Hamilton, Harrison, Humboldt, Ida, Madison, Monona, Montgomery, Pocahontas, Polk, Pottawattamie, Story, Union, Warren, Woodbury and Wright are also eligible to apply for emergency loans.
The deadline to apply for these emergency loans is April 26, 2021. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.
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