(Radio Iowa) — Just ten percent of gas stations in Iowa have pumps that will dispense the higher blend of ethanol that’s now cleared nationally for sale year-round. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association is asking state officials for a 66 percent increase in the total amount of state “cost-share” grant money that’s available to stations that install E-15 pumps. Nathan Hohnstein, a lobbyist for the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association, says those state grants over the past few years have had a dramatic impact.

“In 2012, we didn’t have a single station or location in Iowa that was selling E15, you’re now having just roughly 230 locations that do sell E15,” Hohnstein says. “We’re very proud of this progress, however there’s a still lot of uncertainty at the federal level with the RFS and with trade.”

The state’s Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program will hand out three MILLION dollars in grants this year. The industry is calling on state officials to set aside FIVE million dollars next year — to award to stations that install E-15 pumps. “With the new rule of year-round E15, this past summer you saw E15 sales grow 46% nationwide compared to 2018,” Hohnstein says.

Hohnstein says the biofuels industry is facing economic headwinds, so expanding the number of stations where consumers can buy E-15 is important. “Roughly about 50,000 jobs are supported by the biofuels industry here in Iowa,” Hohnstein says.

There are 43 ethanol plants and 11 biodiesel plants in Iowa. (The math here is the state program will hand out $3 million in grants this year for E15 pump installation. IRFA is asking for an additional $2 million next year, for a total of $5 million in grants. That would be a 66% increase.)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is reminding snowmobile and off-highway vehicle owners and users, to renew their registrations before January 1st, 2020. Registrations for snowmobiles and OHVs purchased during the 2019 registration cycle will expire on December 31, 2019. Any decal displayed on a machine with a “19” printed on it will no longer be valid for machines to be used on snowmobile trails, public ice, or the OHV parks. Any registration that is not renewed prior to January 1, 2020 will have a late penalty of $5.00 applied to the registration cost.

All permits, which include resident snowmobiles and nonresident snowmobiles and OHVs, also expire on December 31, 2019. There is no late penalty for a permit purchased after January 1 as they are issued for a calendar year. User permits are required for nonresident and resident snowmobiles used on public land or ice. Nonresident off road vehicles registered in their home state must display a user permit. Residents operating an off-highway vehicle do not need a user permit.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources are investigating two separate hunting incidents. One happened in Warren County on December 22nd, at around 10:30-a.m.. Authorities say Austin Pontier, of St. Charles, was shot by a member of his hunting party while participating in a deer drive south of St. Charles. Pontier was taken to a local hospital and treated and released. His wound was non-life threatening.

The second incident happened Dec. 21st in Marion County. The DNR says at around 9-a.m., Andrew Strahl, of Des Moines, shot at deer as they crossed a road. While shooting, he hit a house north of Pleasantville in rural Marion County. DNR conservation officers are continuing to investigate both hunting incidents at this time.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Pork Producers are urging lawmakers to continue taxpayer support of facilities and programs designed to respond to an outbreak of African swine fever here. The association’s Drew Mogler testified at a public hearing in the governor’s office this week. “Iowa Pork is very appreciative of the communication and collaboration that’s existing between pork producers and our partners in state government as we continue to be vigilant and prepare in the unfortunate event that something like this would reach our border,” he said.

African Swine Fever has killed swine herds in Asia and eastern Europe. It has wiped out about one-quarter of all the pigs in the world — but it has NOT reached the United States. Mogler says construction of the new, 75 MILLION dollar Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Iowa State University is a priority for Pork Producers. “It cannot be overstated the critical role that the Vet Diagnostic Lab plays in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in the not only in the state of Iowa, but really the Midwest and the entire country,” Mogler said.

In addition, the Pork Producers are calling for an increase in state funding to help the Iowa Department of Agriculture prepare for an outbreak of disease among the state’s livestock herds. According to Mogler, one-out-of-12 jobs in the state are connected to pork production and he says 25 percent of the grain grown in Iowa is consumed by Iowa pigs. State officials estimate the entire livestock industry will generate about 13-and-a-half BILLION dollars in the Iowa economy this year.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of bankers indicates a waning economy in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states, and weak farm income is hurting producers’ ability to borrow money from banks. The Rural Mainstreet survey shows its overall index fell to to 50.2 this month from 54.2 in November. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy, while a score below 50 indicates a shrinking economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey and says federal agriculture crop support payments and somewhat higher grain prices kept the overall index from falling into negative territory. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

DUNCOMBE, Iowa (AP) — After more than a century, a barn near the tiny northern Iowa community of Duncombe is getting a new home and a new look. Matt and Libby Mitchell acquired the barn built in 1915 and watched nervously Thursday as it was moved about a mile over fields to a new location. Matt Mitchell prepared a path over fields by driving a blade over the land and smoothing out ruts. He now plans to restore the barn, saying, “To tear it down or burn it would have been a tragedy.”

AMES, Iowa – With fall harvest mostly done and the holidays upon us, Iowans can now sit back, relax and take it easy. Well, sort of. Farmers spent the past few months focused on one primary thing: wrapping up a historically late harvest. Now their focus will turn to family gatherings, gift-giving and making plans for 2020.

Photo credit: Rymden/stock.adobe.com

Tammy Jacobs, hotlines coordinator with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said December is typically a quiet month for calls made to Iowa Concern – the 24/7 hotline available to both farmers and non-farmers, rural and urban Iowans. But in another month or two, Jacobs said the calls and the questions will likely increase.

“What we usually see is a trend in January and February, as we enter tax season,” Jacobs said. “People realize how much they overspent at Christmas, they’re preparing to meet with their lender and they’re making plans for the next growing season.”

Iowa Concern provides access to an attorney for legal education, stress counselors, and information and referral services for a wide variety of topics. To reach Iowa Concern, call 800-447-1985; language interpretation services are available. Or, visit the website, https://www.extension.iastate.edu/iowaconcern/, to live chat with a stress counselor one-on-one in a secure environment. Or email an expert regarding legal, finance, stress, or crisis and disaster issues.

On the website, visitors can also find additional information and publications related to finance, stress, crisis and disaster, and legal referrals. Jacobs said caller information is kept confidential, and the staff of Iowa Concern connects the caller with the kind of help and resources they need. “Each call just kind of depends on what that person is looking to do, and the level of stress they are experiencing,” Jacobs said.

Iowa Concern receives about 15-30 agriculture-related phone calls per month, according to Jacobs. ISU Extension and Outreach has offered the hotline since 1985.

Jacobs is coordinator for Iowa Concern and all Human Sciences Extension and Outreach hotlines at Iowa State. She also suggests visiting Human Sciences Extension and Outreach’s “Finding Answers Now” website, for additional information and resources on dealing with stress.

(Radio Iowa/Brownfield) — A northwest Iowa farmer who was at the White House earlier this week says he’s disappointed President Trump has failed to uphold the renewable fuels deal he agreed to in September. Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a farmer from Primghar, said “It is pretty upsetting to American farmers and rural America.”

Nieuwenhuis and four other Iowans met with Larry Kudlow, the president’s top economic advisor, on Tuesday — and Kudlow provided a briefing on the E-P-A’s final decision on the ethanol production mandate. “We knew right away that this wasn’t the deal that was promised,” Nieuwenhuis says. Nieuwenhuis was at the White House with representatives from the Iowa Corn Growers and the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association. Nieuwenhuis says the group made it clear to Kudlow the E-P-A’s 2020 biofuels blending requirements are “woefully inadequate.”

“He didn’t understand. He couldn’t figure out why we wouldn’t be happy with this deal,” Niewenhaus says, “and we just basically told — or I did — that, you know, for us to put the word trust and the EPA in the same sentence was not possible.” Nieuwenhuis says Senator Grassley set up the meeting with the president’s economic advisor, so the Iowans could make a last-minute pitch for changing the E-P-A’s plan for ethanol and biodiesel.

“We were firm with him, yet respectful,” Nieuwenhuis says. “…But you know this wasn’t the certainy of the deal that we had with the deal that they made with Senators Ernst, Grassley and Governor Reynolds and the ethanol industry.” Nieuwenhuis says it’s frustrating the president didn’t keep his promise. “Again we feel the oil industry took charge of the situation and pretty much forced the hand of our leaders and made then lean their way with the ruling,” Nieuwenhuis says.

Nieuwenhuis is chairman of the board of Siouxland Energy. The ethanol plant in Sioux Center shut down for a few weeks, but has been running this fall at about half its normal capacity.

(Additional reporting by Brownfield Network’s Ken Anderson)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Some farm groups and farm-state lawmakers are expressing anger at the Trump administration over final ethanol rules that they say fail to uphold the president’s promises to the industry. The Environmental Protection Agency has released final renewable fuel standard rules for next year that do not include language President Donald Trump agreed to that would guarantee 15 billion gallons of ethanol is blended into the nation’s gasoline supply.

The EPA contends it’s fulfilling the promises. Industry groups say the language in the final rule is too vague and could allow EPA to miss the mandated ethanol requirements.

(Radio Iowa) — Leaders in Page County held two public hearings this week to gather residents’ comments on wind power, whether to allow more wind turbines to be built or to enact tighter regulations on the turbines. County Supervisor Chuck Morris says the purpose of the meetings is to find a way to balance property rights with economic opportunities. “Our intent in having an ordinance is to protect people,” Morris says. “I’m proud of that fact. Is it perfect? No, that’s why we’re debating here. How do we make this ordinance work best for everybody? It’s a tough issue. You have land rights that are important, whether that’s with a windmill or without a windmill.”

Morris pointed to other counties in the state which have no wind turbine ordinances. He says having something on the books promotes expansion of the industry while providing some sort of protection for property owners. “If you have an opportunity for some expansion in your economy and in your tax base, we’re not doing our job if we don’t take a reasonable look at it,” Morris says. “We very much appreciate the feedback. I wish that there was an answer that everybody is going to happy, but that’s not going to happen.”

Page County resident Rex Engstrand says if the county goes too far with setback regulations, wind energy companies will not invest the time or money to come there. “Any time you put ordinances in place,” Engstrand says, “you’re keeping companies from being able to come in — some for very good reasons — but you are limiting your tax base, you’re limiting your property owners the option to put windmills up.”

Resident Jane Stimson says one of the reasons she chooses to live in Page County is because of a lack of “visual pollution,” while adding wind turbines would negatively affect her view. “I appreciate being able to see the sunrise, the sunset and I’ve put trees in my yard so I could keep my view,” said Stimson. “I’ve got a pleasant ridge that I can pretend is a mountain ridge and to have windmills in that sight, would make me crazy.” Resident Galen Peery says he recently moved to Page County from Ida County, where about 150 windmills are located. “The biggest concern up there was the noise, the interference with televisions, if you’re just on an antenna,” Peery says. “We had a lady come in who had had one for several years. She said there was a crop reduction. The biggest complaint up there is that it messed up the scene of the outdoors.”

Robin Sunderman, who lives on a farm northwest of Clarinda, expressed concern over the decommissioning of wind turbines. She also outlined the dangers of turbines to the environment, as well as the impact on land values. “In my opinion, instead of having fields of dreams in Iowa,” Sunderman says, “we’re going to have fields of abandoned junk in the next 20 years.” Board members say any possible ordinance changes won’t take place until mid-January at the earliest.