“X” marks the spot where high pressure is located. Graphics courtesy Aaron Saeugling.

The latest climatological/agricultural data show a high pressure system over the south central and parts of the southeastern U-S, is keeping southwest and southern Iowa abnormally dry, and adding stress to the crops during their peak growing season. Aaron Saeugling, ISU Extension/Outlook Field Agronomist based in Lewis, reports Atlantic, Greenfield, Glenwood, Creston and Clarinda are in the top five for rainfall deficit in southwest Iowa, with Atlantic short nearly 7.7-inches, for the period covering April 1st 2020 to July 14th, 2020.

See the data below:

(Radio Iowa) — The recent U-S Drought Monitor report shows abnormally dry conditions in about 35 percent of the state, with eight west-central counties classified as being in moderate drought. Iowa D-N-R analyst Tim Hall says the state remains in a contrast when it comes to water conditions. “You almost can draw a north-south line along Interstate 35. And to the west of the interstate in the last month — those areas have been short of rainfall. And on the east side of I-35, we’ve had excess rainfall,” Hall says.

The latest drought monitor graph.

While parts of the state are characterized as dry — Hall says there are two different ways to look at it. “In drought terminology we sometimes talk about an agricultural drought versus a hydrological drought,” he says. “And the agricultural drought comes much more quickly because those crops need moisture and they typically get it from the upper part of the soil profile.” The other type of drought impacts more long-term water needs. “For drinking water for groundwater. So, we’re concerned and we are watching it, but right now the impacts are primarily agricultural. But if things don’t improve, then we’ll start to see those impacts move into other parts of the system,” Hall says.

He says not all rain will help get rid of the dry conditions. Hall says we often get thunderstorms this time of year that dump big amounts of rain and that tends to run off the ground quickly, and is not as helpful to crops. He says a slow, steady rain would be the most helpful right now. Hall says the longer the drought continues, the more you have to worry about the time it takes to come out of it. “Drought conditions typically are a long time building up — they don’t come generally very quickly. And on the other side of the coin — to move a drought out of the state doesn’t come in one rainstorm — typically it takes a prolonged period of wet weather,” according to Hall.

Hall says the rains can also be sporadic this time of year and help one area agriculturally — while leaving another area still in need of rain.

For the first time in its 38 year history, the annual Governor’s Charity Steer Show (GCSS) will not be held at the Iowa State Fair. Due to the cancellation of this year’s fair, Iowa State University will host the event. Dr. Dan Thomson, chair of the Department of Animal Science at Iowa State University, says “We are very honored to host the 38th Annual Governor’s Charity Steer Show at the Jeff & Deb Hansen Agriculture Learning Center here at Iowa State University. This event is a great opportunity to showcase how the people of the Iowa cattle industry care about our neighbors in need of help by fundraising for a very worthy cause. We are so excited to help continue this tradition to support the Ronald McDonald Houses of Iowa.” Dr. Thomson will serve as this year’s Showmanship Judge.​

The event, which raises money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa, will be held on August 15, 2020. Organized by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association and Iowa Beef Industry Council, the GCSS has raised over $3.8 million to help provide a home away from home for families of children who are being treated in nearby hospitals. Ronald McDonald Houses are located in Des Moines, Iowa City, and Sioux City.​

Twenty-five steers from across the state will compete for the championship designation, showmanship honors, and the People’s Choice award. The steers have been raised by Iowa youth involved in the cattle industry, and celebrities will accompany the young steer owners in the ring. Immediately following the competition, the steers will be sold at auction with proceeds going to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Iowa. Last year’s auction raised more than $284,000.

The event will be invite-only, and participants will be encouraged to follow the university’s social distancing guidelines. The show and auction will be streamed live online, and fans can donate to the cause and vote for the People’s Choice award online.

Worker advocates have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging that meat processing companies Tyson and JBS have engaged in racial discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic. The complaint filed Wednesday alleges the meatpacking companies haven’t implemented appropriate social distancing on production lines or slowed production speeds. As a result, it says, Hispanic, Black and Asian workers have suffered.

The complaint alleges the policies violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from racial discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance. The companies have together received more than $150 million from USDA programs this year.

w/Max Dirks.

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Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh reports that as of Monday (July 6th), the Fareway Store in Atlantic is participating in Double Up Food Bucks. Hoegh says “With this program, for every dollar customers using EBT cards spend on fresh fruits and vegetables, they receive another dollar to spend on fresh produce (up to $10/day).”

She adds “This is a great program which has been working well in other areas of the state, and it’s fantastic that we have it now available in Cass County. Fareway already does so much to address food needs in our community, this is just one more action worthy of recognition.”

Additional information on the program can be found below:

Double Up Food Bucks now available at 100+ grocery stores

Iowans facing food insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to access free fruits and vegetables at more than 100 grocery stores statewide. This month, 106 Fareway stores, 13 Hy-Vee stores, plus additional food co-ops and farmers markets are joining the Double Up Food Bucks program.

The healthy food incentive program allows SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers to match purchases of fresh fruits and vegetables made with their EBT card, up to $10 per day, with Double Up Food Bucks which can be spent on additional fresh produce.

Double Up Food Bucks received $1 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to fund the grocery sector expansion. This funding was made possible through the leadership of Gov. Kim Reynolds in consultation with the Feeding Iowans Task Force, led by Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, to expand access to nutritious food for Iowans in need.

• Effective July 6, the program is available in all Fareway stores statewide
• Effective July 20, the program is available in 13 select Hy-Vee stores
• Double Up Food Bucks is also available at more than 20 farmers markets, farm stands and food co-ops across Iowa

Find a Double Up Food Bucks location

The CARES Act provides temporary relief funding and expires December 31, 2020. All new locations added with CARES Act funding will be considered temporary locations.

Learn more about Double Up Food Bucks

Double Up Food Bucks provides a solution to give Iowans access to more healthy food and double their food assistance dollars while recovering from COVID-19. Learn more about how the Double Up Food Bucks program works in both farmers markets and grocery stores at DoubleUpIowa.org.

(Radio Iowa) — Many Iowa pork producers are facing significant troubles due to the pandemic, as are many of Iowa’s restaurants, and a new promotion aims to help both groups. Kelsey Sutter, spokeswoman for the Iowa Pork Producers Association, says they’re launching what’s being called the Iowa Pork Crawl Freestyle, encouraging Iowans to visit multiple eateries and order pork from the menu.

“You create your own crawl. You just need to do five — five restaurants and five pork entree’s,” Sutter says. “Then, simply document it with a picture of you and your entree, a selfie or have somebody else take it, and then share it on your favorite social media platform, either Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.” Use the hashtag, “#iowaporkcrawl”. Those Iowans who respond quickly to the promotion will be rewarded.

Sutter says, “The first 25 people that get their crawl done will win a swag bag from us that will include our famous, ‘Pork, it’s what we smoke here’ t-shirt, a meat thermometer and $10 in pork cash.” The deadline to enter is August 30th. Once the crawl ends, there will also be a drawing for two grand prizes.

“One prize is a catered party for up to 20 guests or up to $500,” Sutter says. “You pick your favorite local caterer, you pick your date before the end of the year and Iowa pork foots the food bill.” The other grand prize is a Yeti Explorer Package, which includes a $300 Yeti cooler containing some Yeti products, $100 in pork cash and a $25 gas card.

Learn more at
www.iowapork.org/iowa-pork-crawl-rewards-customers-for-supporting-restaurants/

(Radio Iowa) – The Clay County Fair, one of northwest Iowa’s biggest county fairs, is joining the list of casualties from coronavirus. The Clay County Fair Association says the decision was made amid concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. After weeks of looking at various options, the fair decided it could not protect the health and safety of fairgoers, staff, and volunteers.

Despite the postponement of the fair, 4-H/FFA livestock competitions will be held this fall. The 2021 Clay County Fair will be held September 11th through the 19th.

(Radio Iowa) – A report finds up to ten-percent of food grown in Iowa is left in the field because it’s not visually attractive or can’t be sold, while more than 300-thousand Iowans can’t cover their basic food needs. Those facts are prompting an effort to find volunteers to glean surplus vegetables from Iowa’s fields to donate to the hungry. Nicki Ross, executive director of the Table to Table Food Rescue, says nutritious food is vital, now more than ever. “We need volunteer gleaners, folks who are willing to get out there and pick the food from the farm and prepare it to be delivered to people who need it,” Ross says. “We are also looking for farm partners. We know there are a lot of local farms, a lot of them are organic farms, who sell what they can and then leave the rest.”

That produce would otherwise go to waste. The Feeding Iowans Task Force also seeks AmeriCorps members and hunger relief organizations willing to be host sites to help in the effort to harvest food, fight hunger and build community. Gleaning leftover produce is not an easy job, but it’s rewarding. “If I know anything about Iowans, it’s that they’re hearty,” Ross says. “Getting out there and doing hot, maybe challenging work would appeal to some folks. Also, with so many things across the state cancelled, people are looking for things to do with their time.”

Potential volunteers, she says, would -not- be spending eight hours a day, toiling in the summer sun. “We will keep those gleaning operations to a few hours a piece with a few people at a time to make it as enjoyable of an experience as possible,” Ross says. “I think ultimately, folks know that they’re doing something that’s really valuable to their community and getting food to people who really need it.” Blueberries are already ripe and ready to be picked, while Ross says there’s a cornucopia of other veggies that need to be harvested now or very soon. “There’s all kinds of crops like green onions, kale, lettuces, kohlrabi and even broccoli is coming right up,” Ross says. “We’re watching this now and we expect in another month, we’re going to have even more things to glean from the fields, like tomatoes and zucchini and cucumbers, and of course, corn when it comes ripe.”

People who want to volunteer should send an email to the Iowa Gleaning Network at gleaniowa@table2table.org.

https://table2table.org/