(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is urging farmers, biofuels industry workers and everyday Iowans to get on the E-P-A website and express support for upholding the renewable fuel standard, or R-F-S. As the deadline for public comments approaches, Grassley says he and several other Midwestern senators are sending a letter to the president this week, outlining the importance of the R-F-S to the region’s economy. “He’s long been a supporter of biofuels and made a commitment to Iowa and the surrounding biofuel-producing states,” Grassley says. “The EPA shouldn’t undercut President Trump’s support of the RFS.”

The head of the E-P-A recently announced plans to change the R-F-S, reversing the terms of the deal President Trump made to ensure the oil industry blends 15-billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel into gasoline. The E-P-A claims the move would make up for waivers granted to small refineries over the past two years. Grassley says, “I urge the EPA and its administrator, Mr. Wheeler, to adjust the proposed supplemental rule to account for actual waived gallons using hard data from past practice to send an unambiguous signal to the marketplace.”

Some 30 ethanol and biodiesel plants nationwide — including four in Iowa — have temporarily or permanently closed in recent weeks because of the uncertainty caused by the waivers. Grassley says many farmers and those in the biofuels industry simply don’t trust the E-P-A to follow through on the president’s promise because of the agency’s ties to big oil. “They really don’t believe that’s going to happen, 15-billion gallons,” Grassley says, “and that the EPA’s found a way of getting around it, and still at the same time saying they’re doing exactly what was agreed to between the president and those of us that were in the Oval Office.”

The deadline for public comments on the issue is November 29th at the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The foundation that awards the World Food Prize to individuals who work to improve food security in hopes of ending world hunger announced Tuesday that its new president will be a woman who has led nonprofit organizations focused on global food security, food safety and the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity. Barbara Stinson will succeed Kenneth Quinn, the former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia whose 20-year presidency of the World Food Prize Foundation established an international presence for the organization. The foundation attracts 1,200 world leaders from 65 countries to the annual award ceremony and symposium to address issues related to global food security and nutrition.

Stinson said her goal is to focus on the platform already established over the foundation’s three-decade history and expand on its work with the goal of further alleviating hunger in the most vulnerable parts of the world. Quinn, who became the organization’s first president in 1999, announced his retirement in March. Plant scientist Norman Borlaug, the 1970 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, created the World Food Prize in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food. The award carries a $250,000 prize.

The recipient is announced in the spring, usually at the U.S. State Department, and the award is delivered at an annual ceremony in Des Moines, Iowa, where the foundation is based. The organization was initially funded by John Ruan, an Iowa entrepreneur who founded a diverse business enterprise that included transportation, commercial banking, financial services, international trading and real estate development. His son John Ruan III continues to serve as chairman of the foundation, which currently is funded by about 80 corporate, private and government donors including agriculture chemical companies Corteva Agriscience and Bayer CropScience.

The corporate sponsorship has brought criticism from some including the Iowa-based Occupy World Food Prize organization, which has accused corporate sponsors of being biotech, seed-and-chemical monopolists that promote the opposite of sustainability. The group protests at the ceremony held at the Iowa Capitol each year, events which have led to protester arrests.
Stinson, who now lives in Denver, will relocate to Des Moines as she assumes the leadership at the World Food Prize headquarters beginning Jan. 4.

(Radio Iowa) — The backup in the propane supply in Iowa is not expected to end very quickly. Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig says it continues to be a demand issue with farmers needing propane to dry crops and others needing it to heat their homes. “It’s not that there’s not enough propane in the country — it has to do with the logistics of getting it where it needs to go,” Naig says. He says it doesn’t look like there will be a big change in the situation anytime soon. “The things that are going to help alleviate that are getting the harvest completed and warmer temperatures,” Naig says. “I don’t think we are going to see any of those two in the immediate future.”

Suppliers have had to send trucks long distances to get propane and Naig says that may show up in the price. “The price will rise to accommodate for transportation issues if there are any. We hear about some folks putting surcharges on — it’s logical — it needs to be reasonable. If a supplier is having to drive to Kansas to get the supply — they will have to pass some of that cost on to consumers,” according to Naig. “We will be watching that situation closely.”

He says they would take action if they see the price being raised just to take advantage of the delays in getting propane.

Organizers of the Nov. 25th Harvest Market, in Atlantic, report the Cass County Local Food Policy Council, this week, voted to provide $200 to the Harvest Market which will be held the Monday before Thanksgiving, (November 25th), from 3:00 to 7:00 PM at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic. The funding is for produce coupons which will be handed out to the first 50 visitors to the Harvest Market with the goal of encouraging market customers to include locally-grown produce in their holiday meals.

The funding will also be used to promote including local produce holiday meals. Harvest Market Manager Brigham Hoegh said “Many people don’t realize that fresh locally-grown produce is available around here in late November. Iowa people are pretty well aware that we have local produce available during the summer, but many don’t realize many of our local growers have tunnels which allow them to continue to harvest crops, such as leafy greens and carrots, after our temperatures drop. The goal of this grant is to encourage people to make space on their tables for these delicious locally-grown vegetables, in addition to more traditional fall crops, such as squash and sweet potatoes.”

Earlier this year the Cass County Local Food Policy Council also granted $1300 to Produce in the Park, the parent organization of Harvest Market, to encourage area residents to visit Cass County farmers’ markets and to eat locally-grown produce. Most of that funding was used for coupons redeemable for produce, and the rest was used to reimburse Guest Chefs at Produce in the Park for purchasing produce ingredients from local growers. The grant initially included funding to provide free produce snacks to kids visiting Produce in the Park, but a Farm to School grant was later awarded to the market for that specific purpose.

“This year the Cass County Local Food Policy Council specified that the coupons could only be redeemed for fruits and vegetables,” explained Hoegh. “We gave produce coupons to both children and adults, but we could easily observe the shift towards a focus on produce in children. We gave each child a $1 produce coupon just for tasting the -vegetable of the week.’ We also gave a $1 produce coupon to any kid who completed the weekly scavenger hunt at the park.” These scavenger hunts sent kids to visit the Guest Chef for that week, had them ask vendors about particular vegetables they offered for sale, and ended by asking kids what they planned to buy with their produce coupons. “After a kid tried a produce snack, did a scavenger hunt oriented around produce, and walked away with $2 in coupons for produce, they were really thinking about produce,” said Hoegh. She notes that volunteers, such as Cass County Local Food Policy Council chair Jake Theis, were very helpful in handing out the sample produce and talking with the kids.

Hoegh and Theis agree the best moments of the summer included comments from adults who couldn’t believe the children they had brought with them to the market had tried—and liked—a vegetable that was new to them. “The best moment had to be when Sue [Irvin’s] grandkid, who wouldn’t eat tomatoes told sue that he liked them. Now Sue is the produce grower who runs Sue’s Country Garden, a big vegetable vendor at Produce in the Park, and a person who does a great job of getting kids to try different vegetables. However, it was Jake who convinced her grandson to try tomatoes. We all thought that was pretty funny,” laughed Hoegh.

Hoegh and the Cass County Local Food Policy Council are now aiming to shift adults’ mindsets on including local produce in their Thanksgiving meals. The Cass County Local Food Policy Council encourages you to visit Harvest Market November 25, and reminds you that locally produced produce can become your favorite dishes at your holiday meals.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she’s talked directly with President Trump about the furor over proposed E-P-A rules which Ernst says do not fulfill the deal Trump struck in September on the renewable fuels standard. “I did visit with the president actually, again, two nights ago on this issue and several other issues, but largely focused on the RFS,” Ernst said. “And the president is upset that this is not the same formula that we agreed on in the Oval Office.”

Ernst says there is what she calls “an opportunity for correction,” but she’s not sure now is the time for that to happen. A public comment period is currently underway on the E-P-A’s mandate on ethanol and biodiesel production in 2020. “When I spoke to the president the other night, we would be circling back up, so I do anticipate that between the White House and the staff that’s actively working on the RFS, we’ll be able to visit again with them,” Ernst says.

Ernst and Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Chuck Grassley, have filed written statement today (Thursday) with the E-P-A, urging agency officials to “uphold their end of the bargain” that Trump struck with the biofuels industry. “I think with overwhelming support, we can hope to fix this error that has been made, you know, it’s not an error. I think Andrew Wheeler, of course, did it on purpose,” Ernst says.

Ernst has previously called for E-P-A Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s removal if the E-P-A doesn’t adjust its plan for next year’s federal production mandate for ethanol and biodiesel.

Cass County 4-H is hosting the 4-H County Convention this Sunday, November 10. The annual awards program will begin at 2:00 PM at the Cass County Community Center, and is being organized by the 4-H Youth Council and Youth Action Committee.  At County Convention, members and leaders of all twelve 4-H clubs in Cass County will be present on stage to receive recognition. Record book project awards will be announced and recognition will be given to members who did outstanding project work throughout the year. Local club leaders will be recognized for their service to the 4-H program.

Special recognition will be given to 4-H clubs for exceptional community service projects, herdsmanship at fair, 4-H Endowment Fund contributors, and promotional activities during National 4-H Week. Club officers will also be recognized for their excellent work. Shelby Van Horn, Cass County Youth Coordinator, says “This is a great event for 4-Hers to receive recognition for their accomplishments. We will also be recognizing community members and businesses for their continued 4-H support. Without those individuals, our 4-H program would not be as strong.”

This year there are 23 Clover Kids who have completed 3rd Grade and moved into 4-H. A Clover Kids Graduation ceremony will be held to recognize those members, and help them transition into the 4-H program. This is the third year of the event. 4-H’ers serving on the 2018-2019 Cass County Youth Council are Claire Smith, Katie York, Eric Plagman, Nathan Beherends, Mitchell Williamson, Aly Brockob, Grace Clay, Emily Plagman, Carli Henderson, Craig Alan Becker, Jacob Rattenborg and Haley Becker. Graduating members will be recognized and final activities of the day will be the announcement and installation of the 2019-2020 Cass County 4-H Youth Council.

Parents, relatives, friends and 4-H supporters are invited to attend the celebration and recognition event for Cass County 4-H members and leaders.

(Radio Iowa) — While many Iowans are spending a large portion of time toiling in their yards with the chore of raking leaves, an environmental expert suggests they leave the leaves alone — at least some of them. Jill Utrup, a biologist with the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service, says create a pile of leaves at the edge or your yard or behind the house and just — leave it. “By not raking your leaves, you’re actually leaving a lot of beneficial habitat for many of our beneficial pollinators,” Utrup says. “One pollinator in particular that we’re concerned with is the rusty patched bumblebee, which is a federally-endangered species.”

If you’re concerned about having a hive of unruly insects in the vicinity of your home, she says not to worry. “Only a single queen will actually overwinter, the rest of her colony will die off and she will overwinter,” Utrup says. “She uses what we’d typically see as an unkept spot, leaf piles and brush piles — that type of thing, is what they’re looking for.”

Don’t worry about getting stung next spring, either. She says this is among the first insects to emerge once the snow melts. The rusty patched bumble bee was designated as endangered in 2017 and special teams fanned out in Iowa and several other Midwestern states during 2018 to search out the insect and determine its status here. Their findings were something of a surprise. “They’re thriving still in people’s backyards, believe it or not,” Utrup says. “Whereas a lot of our endangered species we’re finding in more pristine and intact habitat, the rusty patched is more of a generalist. We’re still learning about its requirements and the threats to the species as well.”

The bees were confirmed in multiple Iowa counties and in several metro areas, including: Ames, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Iowa City, Le Mars, Sioux City and Waterloo. Learn more at www.bumblebeewatch.org.

(Radio Iowa) — An Iowa State University study finds farm equity across the state is on the decline. The study of more than 200 mid-size Iowa farms found 44-percent could be classified as having vulnerable liquidity in December of 2018. That percentage was just 31-percent in December of 2014. I-S-U Extension economist Alejandro Plastina says several factors have led to the fall. “There’s been trade issues as of recently, there’s been uncertainly about crop prices,” Plastina says. “In 2019, pushing liquidity even further down, weather issues prevented planting and delayed planting.”

Those factors combined put a lot of stress on farm operations, he says. The average loss of working capital on Iowa farms and ranches between 2015 and 2017 is about 189-dollars per acre. Plastina says, “Mostly all farms lost substantial amounts of working capital and the slight increase in working capital over 2018 was not enough to compensate the loss in working capital since 2014.” Without government assistance last year, including 646-million dollars in Market Facilitation Program — or M-F-P — payments, he says economic conditions on Iowa farms would have been even worse.”In 2019, we saw a small increase in liquidity from 2017 levels but still, liquidity levels are low compared to the last ten years,” Plastina says. “Most of that increase in liquidity, unfortunately, is not coming from crop revenue or livestock revenue, but from government payments.”

Plastina expects the numbers for 2019 to be poor as well. He’s advising producers to secure their operating loans for the next year or two and to do as much as they can to protect their working capital.

w/Kate Olson.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has put on hold a lawsuit by environmental groups that claims the state isn’t doing enough to control farm pollution of a major river used for drinking water and recreation. An order signed Monday by Justice Edward Mansfield means the court will consider whether to uphold or reverse a district court judge’s decision to allow the lawsuit to move forward.

The state argues that courts traditionally do not intervene or attempt to put on trial legislative and executive action that involves a political question and the court should dismiss the case. The lawsuit filed in March by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Food & Water Watch contends the state is violating its public trust obligation to ensure clean drinking water sourced from the Raccoon River.