(Radio Iowa) — Scientists predict the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico will be bigger than usual this summer, between the sizes of Massachusetts and New Jersey. The oxygen in the area is depleted because of nitrogen and phosphorus running off Midwestern farm fields and going down the Mississippi River. Gene Turner, with Louisiana State University, is part of the annual dead zone forecast team.

“What it continues to say every year is that we’re not making any progress on improving water quality in the Mississippi River,” Turner says, “which means all the states that are contributing to it also don’t have really any improvements in their water quality.” Turner and his team will collect data in late July. He says the dead zone could be smaller than predicted if there are tropical storms that month.

The nitrogen and phosphorous nutrients trigger algae blooms that deplete oxygen, threatening fish and shrimp. Chris Jones, a University of Iowa researcher, says there’s been some progress in cutting phosphorus runoff from Iowa, but much remains to be done to curb nitrogen. “We need more cover crops on our farm fields, for example,” Jones says. “We need more edge-of-field treatment practices to be implemented, things like wetlands, and we need to very carefully manage our manure.”

While Turner’s team predicts a near-record-sized dead zone this summer, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts it will be smaller.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — A dairy farm in northwest Iowa is hosting an open house today (Wednesday) to show off a unique series of robots that keep the operation running smoothly. Scott Schroeder, executive director of the Western Iowa Dairy Alliance, says the farm of John and Sharon VanderWaal near Sioux Center is one of the most technologically advanced in the state. “Rather than seeing a milking parlor, you will see four robots in the pen with the cows,” Schroeder says. “The cows can go in up to seven times each day. They’ll walk into the pen with the robot and a gate will shut so no other cows can interrupt the cow being milked, and the milking unit will attach itself to the cow and milk the cow.”

Long gone is the three-legged stool and metal bucket, as the robots work quickly to do their job in the pen. “While the cow is in there, they also get some candy-treats, that’s the incentive that draws the cows into the robot,” Schroeder says. “When they are finished in about seven minutes, the machine will detach and the cows are let out and the next one is ready to come in. Once they’ve been trained, they come in on their own. You don’t ever have to try and force them to go in. They freely are able to go in to the robot.”

Besides the robotic milking system, Schroeder says the VanderWaal’s have implemented several other other robotic advances. “They also have some robotic pen scrapers so you can see how they keep the pens clean,” Schroeder says. “They also have a robotic feed pusher to make sure when John feeds his cows, that the feed is fresh and it gets rotated so they always have feed and water.”

Schroeder says the VanderWaal’s started using the robotic method in 2017. The farm has about 250 cows and is one of the smaller dairy farms in the area. He says Sioux County has the most dairy cows in Iowa, with each cow representing an economic benefit of 23-thousand dollars. The J & S Dairy Farm in Maurice is hosting the open house from 4 to 8 P-M.

w/Kate Olson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

(Radio Iowa) — A western Iowa farmer invited to speak when President Trump visited a Council Bluffs ethanol plant yesterday (Tuesday) used the moment to make a plea on behalf of “corn country.” “Mr. President, you delivered on E15, but we have more work to do,” he said. “EPA’s oil refinery waivers threaten to undo your good works. I ask that you listen again because the pain that the ethanol and biodiesel industries have endured is holding back a farm economy that has further capacity to produce clean air and clean liquid fuels for this country.”

Kevin Ross is a sixth generation farmer from Minden. Trump complemented Ross for his speech, but did not directly address the E-P-A waivers that let big oil companies avoid adding ethanol to gasoline. Trump told the crowd the deal recently struck on immigration with Mexico includes a pledge to buy more U.S. ag commodities. “Mexico’s going to be doing a lot of buying, a lot of buying,” Trump said, to applause. “Within a year and a half, would say, you’ll be in the best position that you’ve been in in 15 years as farmers and you deserve it.”

Trump signed an executive order at the event in Council Bluffs. It directs federal agencies to streamline regulations that deal with agricultural biotechnology.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered its estimate of this year’s corn crop to the lowest in four years, saying wet weather has delayed planting and reduced acres planted and the expected per-acre yield.

The expected production was cut in a monthly report released Tuesday by 1.4 billion bushels to 13.7 billion bushels, the lowest since 2015. While weather problems also have slowed soybean planting, the USDA didn’t change estimates since farmers have several more weeks to plant.

The USDA will release a report June 28 to provide updated farmer surveys more accurately reflecting the number of acres farmers planted. The USDA report also says disputes with China and other nations have reduced corn exports for the current-year crop by 100 million bushels and soybean exports by 75 million bushels.

GREENFIELD, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa DNR report the water level of Meadow Lake near Greenfield in Adair County will be lowered 3 feet starting June 14, to help improve the size of bluegills in the lake. The water will be released slowly over the next two weeks to avoid any downstream impacts.

A water level draw-down is a common fisheries management technique used to improve the size of panfish.  Meadow Lake has an abundance of 6-inch bluegills that lack the quality anglers are looking for.

“Crowding the fish into a smaller area makes them more susceptible to predation by largemouth bass and reduces the number of small bluegills,” said Bryan Hayes, fisheries management biologist. The reduced number will improve growth in the coming year. “A draw-down in 2016 had this effect and we had good bluegill fishing in 2017 and 2018,” Hayes noted.

The draw-down is expected to have minimal effect on public access to Meadow Lake.  The boat ramp will be usable and the lake will remain open during the draw-down.  Meadow Lake will be allowed to refill starting in September.

Meadow Lake is a 34 acre lake in the middle of the 317 acre Meadow Lake Fish and Wildlife Area located in the north central part of Adair County.  It has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 7.3 feet.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A study shows Iowa leads the nation in the amount of human and animal waste it produces. Christopher Jones is a scientist at the University of Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that Jones’ study shows the state of 3.2 million people and total livestock population of nearly 110 million produces as much manure as a human population of 168 million.

His study indicates pigs are responsible for driving the state to the top of the rankings. Jones writes in a blog on the university’s website that Iowa is home to at least 23 million pigs. In another study, Jones found that growth in the state’s livestock population has led to a doubling of nitrate levels in two western watersheds near the largest concentrations of pigs and cattle.

The Cass County Conservation Board held a youth fishing derby at Cold Springs Park on Saturday, June 8th. Prizes were awarded for the most overall weight: 1st place went to Tobin Juhl, 2nd place to Slade Sandbothe, and the 3rd place winner was Mason Daugherty. Awards also given for heaviest single fish: Slade Sandbothe; longest single fish: Carson Parks, and shortest single fish: Traven Thomas.

The CCCB wants to thank all those that donated items for the event: Weirich Welding for the trophies, Cappel’s Ace Hardware, Wal-Mart, Scheels, and Bass Pro Shops, for prizes. They also thank the Lewis Improvement Committee for making lunch available.

(Left) Mason Daugherty; Traven Thomas (1st from left); Slade Sandbothe (2nd from left); Tobin Juhl (3rd from left); Carson Parks (Right)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A seed developer from the Netherlands credited with introducing high quality disease-resistant vegetable seeds to more than 60 countries including the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia is the 2019 recipient of the World Food Prize. Simon Groot, a sixth generation seedsman, began his search to create better vegetable seeds to help farmers in Southeast Asia in 1981. Groot’s award was announced Monday at the U.S. Department of State.

The foundation that awards the $250,000 World Food Prize is based in Des Moines, Iowa. Groot will receive the prize at an Oct. 17 award ceremony at the Iowa Capitol. The prize was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Norman Borlaug in 1986 to recognize scientists and others who have improved the quality and availability of food.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — Officials at a chicken processing plant in northeastern Iowa announced the plant will close in August, taking 500 jobs with it. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the Simply Essentials chicken processing plant in Charles City closes on Aug. 5.

Employees were told Thursday in a letter that 479 plant workers, 22 administrators and 12 field operations workers would be laid off. The letter says the layoffs are expected to be permanent.

Simply Essentials has been in business since 2013, with a primary focus on health and wellness foods. It bought the Charles City plant in 2016. The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board awarded the company $1 million in investment tax credits and $66,000 through a refund of sales and other taxes paid during construction.