STANTON, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Montgomery County office will be offering two opportunities to attend the Private Pesticide Applicator Continuing Instruction Course, led by Extension Field Agronomist, Aaron Saeugling. The first session is scheduled for January 7, 9:30 AM, at the Community Room in Stanton. The course will be offered again at 1:30 PM, also on January 7, at the Community Room in Stanton. Applicators do not need to preregister for the course in Montgomery County.

The course will run for approximately two and a half hours. The registration fee is $20. To obtain additional information about the CIC, contact your county extension office.  The course will fulfill 2019 recertification requirements for private pesticide applicators. Topics to be covered include safe handling and storage of pesticides; laws and regulations; personal protective equipment, and pests, pest management, and pesticides.
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(Radio Iowa) — Republican Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is joining with House Democrats Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer in working to revive national biodiesel tax credits. The tax credits would be extended five years under amendments being added to what are referred to as the year-end tax extenders legislative package. Grassley says, “The biodiesel industry supports over 60,000 jobs across America, including, of course, thousands of Iowans.”

The biodiesel tax credits were allowed to expire two years ago. Grassley says it’s one of several elements he’s pushed to add to the year-end legislation. “This will provide some long-sought certainty for producers and farmers,” Grassley says. “These individual victories, all bipartisan, will actually make a big difference in people’s lives.” Finkenauer released this statement: “While today is a good day for an industry that has been dealt so many unnecessary blows, we should have passed this earlier in the year so our biodiesel producers had the certainty they need to make investments and move the industry forward.”

Axne also put out a news release, saying: “As the Congress considers bills this week to extend and adjust tax provisions, we are determined to fight for the investments that will support our farmers, rural communities, and good-paying green jobs. At a time when Iowa farmers are facing hardship, Congress cannot ignore the importance of including these critical provisions.”

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Department has received a donation of hockey gear from a youth hockey organization in Illinois. Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen told the Parks Board, Monday, that the Chicago Jets Hockey Club donated the gear, including pucks, sticks, skates and other items. The Club will donate additional hockey sticks this coming Spring. The Board signed a card/letter of Thanks for the generous donations.

Another donation for the Parks & Rec Department, this one in the form of cash, came from Brad Rasmussen. The funds were a combination of monies collected for his wife, who is a member of a local Birthday Club, and a woman whose tree was decorated by Bryant Rasmussen and his dad, Brad. Other proceeds came from the sale of a book Brad Rasmussen has written.

In other business, the Atlantic Parks and Rec Board approved the purchase of a snow plow blade for the Department’s 1/2-ton pickup. The basic blade with inside controls, will allow employees to stay warm in their truck while at the same time clearing the Bull Creek Pathway and the Schildberg Rec Area (SRA).

Speaking of the SRA, Rasmussen said the porta-potties have been removed. A waterless restroom is still open, and the bath house will re-open during warmer weather. Rasmussen said also, Parks Foreman Kyler Welter has been busy creating 10 raised garden beds for installation this Spring at the Mollett Park, on East 3rd Street Place. One of the beds will be maintained by the Parks and Rec Department, the others will be on a first-come first-served basis. The beds are wood with metal sheeting on the sides. They will eventually be filled with mulch and top soil in preparation for planting.

And, Rasmussen said they’re finalizing a New Year’s Resolution “Park Challenge.” He said “There’s so many things that we offer within our parks system,” (such as the SRA). The challenge will incorporate 25 things people can do, with one item coming from every park, almost like a Savenger Hunt. When all the elements are collected or recorded, Parks users would be eligible for $25 in Chamber Bucks. Additional details are forthcoming on the Challenge.

The City of Atlantic’s Parks and Recreation Department Board has a regular meeting set to take place 5:15-p.m. Monday (Dec. 16), in the Council’s Chambers, at City Hall. Among the Action items and/or New business on their agenda is: An update on the Schildberg Rec Area; Park signs and Kiosks, and Raised vegetable garden beds at Mollett Park on the east end of E. 3rd Street Place.

In his report to the Board, Parks Director Bryant Rasmussen is expected to talk about: The Festival of Trees; Trail Crossing Signs; Donations of Hockey gear, and a New Year’s Resolution Park Challenge.

(Radio Iowa) — The president of the Iowa Soybeans Association says he was a little surprised when the announcement was made this week that a deal had been reached on the U-S-Mexico-Canada-Agreement. Tim Bardole farms near Rippey and says it is good news — but past history dictates the celebration shouldn’t start just yet. “It’s one of those deals that until it’s done. I won’t believe it,”Bardole says.”We’ve heard a lot of promises over the last year and a half, on trade issues; it’s almost there, it’s almost there and then it’s not. But I really hope that everything goes kind of as planned at this point and get it done. It will be one of the stresses off agriculture’s back.”

Bardole says all farmers really want with trade agreements is open and free trade. “So without any artificial barriers, whether I be quotas or tariffs, taxes, if we don’t have that, the U-S. farmer is really the best in the world. That’s really the main thing, that we’re looking at with the U-S-M-C-A,” Bardole says.

Bardole is hopeful that the basics of the U-S-M-C-A will lead to an eventual resolution of the trade dispute with China. There were some reports Thursday that a deal with China is close to getting done.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says there could be a push for the leader of the Senate to bring up a vote on the U-S-Mexico-Canada Agreement before the end of the year — but she says the timing doesn’t look good. “The likelihood of that happening is very, very, slim. It is hard to get unanimous consent on a piece of legislation like the U-S-M-C-A,” Ernst says. Ernst is a Republican from Red Oak and says Democratic leaders in the House are to blame for delaying action on the trade deal until now. “Democrats have really backed us into this corner, they’ve orchestrated this,” Ernst says. “…(House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi is offering political cover by moving on the U-S-M-C-A. But we’ve got a lot of changes that we have not been advised on yet. We’ll have scrutinize those here in the Senate.”

Ernst says the impeachment trial will take up time along with budget issues. She says she hasn’t seen anything that has swayed her opinion on impeachment. “I’ll be honest — what they have offered up as their articles of impeachment — I don’t see any evidence that supports impeachment at this point,” Ernst says. “Now maybe there’s some rabbit in a hat that Democrats are going to pull out in a trial that might sway members.” Ernst says the witnesses called by House Democrats all talked about things they heard secondhand or third hand and wasn’t really based on factual evidence. “I think the trial could be relatively short. I don’t know that additional witnesses are necessary,”

She says. Ernst says the people she hears from in Iowa only have one concern about the impeachment trial. “Get this over with and get your job done. And that is to be working for the people of Iowa. And it is really hard to get things like U-S-M-C-A done, to get appropriations bills done, to get VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) done when we have the Democrats who are pulling these slick maneuvers,” according to Ernst. “So I am very focused on getting through the trial and moving on ahead with what Iowans want us to be focusing on — which isn’t the trial.”

Ernst made her comments during her weekly conference call with reporters.

(Radio Iowa) — The annual Iowa State University survey shows the statewide value of an acre of farmland increased by two-point-three percent and now is estimated at seven-thousand-432 dollars. Wendong Zhang conducts the survey and doesn’t think it’s a sign of any big upward trend.”It is an increase — which is encouraging — but I wouldn’t hail this as a solid rebound of the market, ” he says, “because the magnitude is still quite modest. It just exceeded the pace of inflation.”

That increase means an acre of farm ground is worth 168 dollars more than the year before. He says low commodity prices and low interest rates both helped keep the values from going up much more. Zhang, who is an assistant professor of economics, doesn’t think values are dropping off either. “All the eight districts –except for northeast Iowa — showed modest growth. Especially in central Iowa, we see some growth at a level of five percent. In general I think shows a stabilizing land market,” Zhang says.

Zhang says low dairy prices hurt the land values in the northeast district. The northwest district reported the highest overall land values at nine-thousand-352 dollars ($9,352) an acre. The south-central district reported the lowest overall land values at 44-hundred-87 dollars ($4,487) an acre. Scott County reported the highest land values at 10-thousand-837 dollars an acre. Decatur County reported the lowest at three-thousand-586 dollars an acre. It’s the seventh straight year Scott and Decatur have been the top and bottom county. Low-quality land statewide now saw an increase of three-point-three percent — more than the higher quality soils.

Zhang says the general economy is still strong and that tens leads to more recreational demand for land and that brings up the price of the lower quality land. He says the demand for urban development help bring up the land in the central Iowa district. Zhang says there are two things he is watching that could impact the land values in the coming year. He says one is whether we will have a trade deals and the details of those deals — while the other is whether or not the Fed Reserve cuts the interest rates again or stay with the original plan to gradually increase the interest rates.

Zhang says the rate cut would be more positive news for landowners. “In general lower interest rates tend to support land values,” Zhang says. The I-S-U Land Value Survey started in 1941. Zhang has been overseeing the survey for the last five years.

This year’s record rainfall and devastating flooding are forcing tough decisions about the future of farming in in the face of climate change. Farmers who lost billions of dollars in grain, livestock and equipment must decide whether to continue to gamble on fertile bottomlands, as federal officials determine how many damaged levees can and should be rebuilt.

Chart shows the percent change for the annual average number of days with at least one inch of rainfall for 2009-2018 compared to the annual average from 1950 to 2018

Many farmers now believe heavier rains are the new normal _ even those skeptical that human activity is a factor. With the ground still soggy heading into winter, experts say the stage is set for more flooding next spring.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — Iowa politicians, commodity groups and Iowa’s business community are celebrating news of a deal that will lead to U.S. House ratification of a new trade agreement to replace NAFTA. Passage of the U-S-Mexico-Canada Agreement will close out 2019 with a win for farmers who’ve had a difficult year, according to the Iowa farmer who’s president of the National Corn Growers. Iowa Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat from Dubuque, says public confirmation of the deal just happens to come on the same day House Democrats announced articles of impeachment against the president.  “This was something that happened about yesterday,” Finkenauer says. “It sounds like we finally got the deal and the negotiation had worked itself out and just needed to get done and that’s why you see things playing out as they are today.”

Canada and Mexico are Iowa’s two largest trade markets. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says passage of the U-S-M-C-A provides certainty for Iowa farmers and manufacturers. Finkenauer says this final deal is “very different” from what was agreed to by the three countries in 2018. “Although I believe there was some really good intentions with the original USMCA about bringing jobs back home…there wasn’t a lot of enforcement to make that possible,” Finkenauer says.

Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Iowa City, says Democrats won “robust enforcement mechanisms” that weren’t in the original U-S-M-C-A. Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says President Trump kept his campaign promise to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement and Grassley says Americans will reap many benefits from the new deal. Republican Senator Joni Ernst, though, says an end-of-the-year vote in the Democratically-led House is dangerous, because Republicans who lead the Senate won’t have time to hold a vote to ratify the U-S-M-C-A before 2020.

Congressman Steve King, a Republican from Kiron, says House Democrats “didn’t want to face criticism” so they announced a deal on the U-S-M-C-A on the same morning they revealed articles of impeachment. “I”m glad we’ve got USMCA moving,” King says. “The president’s doing his job. His economic numbers are great. Our national security is strong.”  King says House Democrats are trying to use passage of the U-S-M-C-A as “frosting” to cover up the impeachment saga.