The Cass County Board of Supervisors today (Tuesday) approved the assignment of a Tax Sale Certificate to Donna M. Hansen, of Massena. The Certificate applies to Lot 1 – Block 7, & Lot 6 – Block 6, in Massena’s First Addition, and a vacated street between the two lots. In other business, the Board heard from County Conservation Director Micah Lee. He started his report with an update on Cold Springs State Park. He said after the campground closed for the season, they had a leaky Iowa Hydrant [a hand-pump water source] galvanized line which was dug-up and replaced with a plastic line. The campground, including the shelter house, was winterized.

As far as the T-Bone Trail is concerned. Lee said since there hasn’t been much snow, they’ve been working on brush removal along the trail and some bridge decking repairs. There are still a few days of brush removal left to complete the work needed. At West Nodaway, he says they laid down a couple of more food plots and cleared about 15 acres of Cedar trees off of the property, burn the area and seed it with native grass/plants later this Fall. In the Nodaway Recreation Area, an apparent Muskrat den caused the road to sink over a foot, creating a big pothole. The area was dug out and repaired with large gravel. Lee says they hope to accomplish renovation work out there this Summer.

At the Pellett Memorial Woods north of KJAN, a split-rain fence was starting to rot out. Repairs are underway, and new, Interpretive signs and posts are being ordered for installation later on. Work continues as well at the Hitchcock House property, including the Grainery restroom, and at the Outdoor Classroom. Micah says the Conservation Department received a grant from the Schildberg Foundation for multi-media equipment in the Outdoor Classroom’s enclosed shelter. A large screen TV and Blu-Ray DVD player were purchased to replace an old tv and VCR. Users will be able to hookup a laptop computer to the device and run programs on the screen rather than by a projector.

The Outdoor Classroom is used for conservation department presentations, social events and outdoor groups. There is currently no fee charged for use of the shelter, but Lee says he agrees with the Supervisors that there should be a fee, especially in light of the electric connections, a new kitchenette, heat and water. The decision will be up to the Conservation Board. Micah said also, Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning presented over 120 programs and saw about 2,300 people.

The Supervisors went into a closed session to interview a candidate for the County Engineer’s position, but no action was taken on hiring the individual following the session.

(Iowa News Service)  Ames, IA — Going into 2020, there’s continued excitement for alternative meat products and their benefits. But an Iowa-based expert says consumers should learn more about them. Over the past year, the food world buzzed over marketed items such as plant-based hamburgers, which are designed to taste like meat but don’t come at the cost of hurting the environment because of how they’re produced. There’s also the perception that they are healthier to eat.

Ruth Litchfield is a professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University. She says the environmental benefits are there, but not necessarily the health benefits. “My biggest concern about some of these products is not what the constituents are for, so it’s not the ingredients that are of concern to me, but it’s the consumer perception that these are going to be nutritionally very similar to the traditional product. ”

For example, Litchfield says some plant-based burgers on the market are higher in saturated fat and sodium. She says they also have less protein and a lower-quality protein. She says a lot of the perception mirrors what happened when many different styles of milk hit the market in recent years.

The Impossible Foods company recently unveiled plans for an alternative form of pork. That has some worried about how this might harm producers in Iowa, which is the leading pork-producing state in the U.S. But Litchfield says it’s too early to say how this might affect them. “It really could go either way, and it’s really going to depend on the consumer demand and the acceptance of these products.”

Despite some of the hype and popularity surrounding alternative meat products, research has shown the U.S. consumption of traditional meats has rebounded in recent years.

(Radio Iowa) — With ratification of the U-S Mexico Canada Agreement expected soon and the lifting of a ban on U-S exports to China, Iowa’s turkey producers are expecting 2020 to be a banner year. Iowa Turkey Federation executive director Greta Irwin says new biosecurity measures are in place at all of Iowa’s 130 turkey farms following a devastating round of avian flu in 2015.

“We really work hard to make sure we have clean boots when we go into a barn,” Irwin says, “because that would be the number-one way that you’re going to track in a virus and we are constantly keeping the water clean and healthy and sanitized for the birds here on the farm.” Back in November, China announced that it was lifting an import ban on U-S turkey products that had been place since 2015.

“Even our turkey feathers were not allowed to come into China and as you think about turkey feathers,” Irwin says. “You say, ‘Wow what do we use turkey feathers for?’ Well, decorative masks, costumes, feather boas, even fishing lures. China would make those products out of our turkey feathers.” The U-S-M-C-A passed the U-S House last month and cleared a U-S Senate committee last week, with passage by the full Senate expected soon. Mexico is Iowa’s top trading partner, followed by China, then Canada.

(Reporting by Pat Blank, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — The Prairie Woods Nature Center held its grand opening over the weekend at Oak Grove Park near Hawarden in northwest Iowa. The project is a dozen years in the making, according to Sunday Ford, the environmental education coordinator for the Sioux County Conservation Board. “With the number of students we get every year and the number of families and individuals that want that outdoor connection, we had outgrown our building that we were using for education,” Ford says. “We really just needed a place for the environmental education programs and also for the self tours to learn about the outdoors.”

During the summer months, the staff will be joined by two naturalist interns and many volunteers, which, according to Ford, serve a very important role. “We have a wonderful core group of volunteers that are excited about the building, excited to help with teaching, help with summer camps, greet people when they come in, and do projects that have to do with the outdoors,” Ford says. “Our volunteers are what’s going to make this building what it is.”

The goal is to provide education that enhances the outdoor experiences for all ages in Sioux County, leading to environmental appreciation, understanding, and stewardship. The facility is a two-level, 12-thousand square foot building that will host school education programs, field trips, nursing home visits, preschools, library programs, public programs, partnerships with civic groups, and more. Inside the center are hands-on activities for kids and adults, reading, live animals and exhibits.  “When you get out of your car in the parking lot, you’re going to take in this majestic view, rolling hill prairies,” Ford says. “Walking the sidewalks into the building, there are animal tracks that are in the concrete from foxes to deer and we’ve got a woodpecker.”

Inside, she says, the vaulted ceilings and wood create a cabin feel. The four-point-eight million dollar project included a local fund-raising campaign to raise two-point-three million — and that mark was surpassed. The project also received an Enhance Iowa community grant of 600-thousand dollars. The facility is closed Sundays and Mondays, so official business hours begin tomorrow (Tuesday).

BENTON COUNTY, Iowa — Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Sunday, said that around 12:21-p.m. Saturday, a man was shot in the leg in eastern Iowa, while pursuing a coyote across a field. The incident in Benton County happened in a field just north of Highway 30 at 13^th Avenue, southwest of Keystone.

Authorities say 41-year old Brian McManemy of Blairstown, was a passenger in a pickup truck while coyote hunting when one of the firearms in the vehicle discharged and struck him in the left leg. He was transported to a Cedar Rapids hospital with non-life threatening injuries. .

Thes incident remains under investigation by the DNR. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the incident.

The Atlantic Archery Club recently held a raffle fundraiser and gave away a bow. The winners of the bow were Briley and Troy Dunning. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone that contributed to the fundraiser.

Front Row: Jaylen McDaniel, Xander Cook, Hayden Kline, Rylee Bengel, Mariah
Hadley, Troy Dunning raffle winner, Henry Knudsen, Kaydee Pedersen, Kaylee
Stetzel, Conner Johnson
Second Row: Halie Kelsey, Rylie Vandevanter, Bennet Whetstone, Connor Sarsfield,
Cayleigh Sarsfield, Aubrey Graham, Lily Johnson, Margaret McCurdy, Zander Pieken,
Kipp Namanny, Brett Dreager, Dylan Comes, David Retallic, Mason Dougherty, Head
Coach Clint Roland, Volunteer Coach Rob Kirchner
Third Row: Volunteer Coach Tyler Petty, Volunteer Coach Dent Petty, Wyatt Simons,
Braden Spurr, Belle Berg, Kyler Edie, Rio Johnson, Savanah Cameron, Clayton Jipsen,
Zane Berg, Derek Dreager, Cooper Jipsen, Dayna Dreager, Koby Namanny

Bow Winner
Briley Dunning & Troy Dunning

Jim Field speaks with Cass County ISU Extension Coordinator Kate Olson about the Cass County Master Gardeners program.

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Adair County ISU Extension and Outreach is offering a Farmers’ Excel Budgeting Class on Monday, January 20 from 6pm-9pm. Farmers will learn to use Microsoft Excel to create and track their personal farm finances. Diane Clayton will lead the class teaching attendees Excel basics that they will need to create their budget. We request all attendees bring their own laptop for this class. There is no cost to attend, and there will be a light soup supper served during class. The registration deadline is Monday, January 13 by 4:30pm. To register please contact the Adair County Extension Office at 641-743-8412 or email sdmorgan@iastate.edu.

Jim Field visits with Cass County Fair Board President Curtis Bierbaum about a recent award given to the fair.

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w/Kate Olson.

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