(Radio Iowa) — Reports that the compromise Farm Bill loosens restrictions on farm program payment eligibility are raising the ire of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. Grassley says Farm Bill negotiators have apparently adopted House provisions making it easier for nieces, nephews and cousins of farmers to become eligible for farm payments.  “I believe that they have worsened existing law,” Grassley said. “Where does this end? Are you going to have your third-cousin collect farm payments because he happens to be a Wall Street banker?”

Grassley is also upset that his provision to tighten payment limits was left out of the bill. “This is how far out of control the waste of taxpayers’ money has gone and the injustice it does to the family farmers – that have dirt under their fingernails and are entitled to some protection from the federal government,” Grassley said. “Giving all this money to people who aren’t farmers is going to just jeopardize popular support for helping the family farmer.”

Grassley voted against the 2014 Farm Bill because those payment limitations were dropped from the final version. He told ag reporters in a conference call this week that he hasn’t made up his mind whether to oppose this Farm Bill.

(Radio Iowa) — A program is again underway that takes unwanted deer hides from hunters across the state and uses them to help veterans. Spokesperson Lisa Widick says the hides can be turned in at Elks Lodges across the state for use by the Veterans Leather Program. “The hides are salted and stored here in different places in Iowa, and then they are shipped to a tannery, I believe in the Kansas City area,” Widick says. “And then they are tanned and they are turned into leather pieces.”

Widick says the leather is then used to make kits that are taken to the veterans homes in the state where the veterans turn the leather into usable items. “They make moccasins, they do purses, they do coin purses, they do anything you can make out of leather, the veterans do those things,” Widick explains. “And then they are also…there’s also a company that does manufacturing of wheelchair gloves — so that the veterans who are in wheelchairs use those gloves to keep their hands from getting calluses. And those are really beneficial to our veterans.”

Widick says many of the items the veterans make are sold to raise money. “To go back to help fund different things that the veterans need. So, it’s a wonderful big circle project. The hide comes in, it goes out to make a product that is not going to waste,” Widick says.  Hunters donated some 33-hundred hides to the program last year, and she encourages hunters to donate hides again this year.

“You can go to Elks-dot-org (Elks.org) and there’s a lodge locator. Type in your zip code and it will give you the one nearest you,” Widick says. “You can all that lodge and see if they take hides. If they do — most lodges will arrange pick up from you as well.” Widick says the deer hides are often left behind as most hunters don’t keep them. “There are few that do, but rarely do you see that. They just lay out there where the deer has been skinned and that’s where it stays. And we’d much rather have it come to us so that we can do something good with it,” she says.

Hunters in Iowa take around 100-thousand deer during each hunting season.

Iowa 4-H’ers from 10 counties across Iowa participated in a “10 Gallon Milk Challenge”.  Civic Engagement is one the program priorities for Iowa 4-H and the Social Media Challenge that originated in Ohio, was right at the heart of Iowa 4-H.  4-H’ers who participated not only supported Dairy Farmers by buying milk from their local grocery stores but also helped those in need by donating this milk to the local food pantries, shelter houses, or other non-profit organizations.

4-H’ers learned about food insecurity and the Dairy Industry, and they learned that milk is an item that is often needed at food pantries due to its nutritional value and low shelf life. Iowa participants were able to donate 626 gallons of milk to many different organizations from across the state. Shelter Houses, Crisis Centers, Community Food Pantries, and Catholic worker homes were a few of the Organizations that benefited from the efforts. After two-months of the Challenge, East Pottawattamie County 4-H’ers donated 30-gallons to the cause.

4-H officials say dairy cow produce an average of 50 pounds of milk a day and a gallon of milk is approximately 8.6 pounds. This means that 4-H’ers donated 5,383 pounds of milk or about 626 cows daily production.

w/Kate Olson.

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(Radio Iowa) — The official start of winter is still a couple of weeks off but Iowans are already slipping and sliding on ice and snow-covered sidewalks, steps and roadways. Julie Richter, with the Wright County Department of Public Health, suggests Iowans stock-up on ice melting products and — chicken grit. “Some of the local coops have what’s called chicken grit that you can put down, too, that gives you a little bit more prepared surface so it’s not so slick,” Richter says. “A lot of elderly folks can’t get out and spread it themselves, so if they’ve got a local neighbor or friend that can come over and spread it.”

Chicken grit is sharp, crushed stone, typically used by birds to help grind up seeds. To help keep your footing, ice and snow grips that go over boots and shoes are available at stores statewide, as well. Richter says we all need to remember to take our time when headed out into the slick elements on foot. “Slow down and don’t hurry and don’t try to carry a whole bunch of things with you,” she says. “Maybe make a couple of trips because the faster you go, the easier it is to slip and fall.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 42-thousand-480 workplace injuries involving ice, sleet or snow occurred in 2014.

NEW YORK (AP) — More U.S. beef is being recalled because it may be contaminated with salmonella. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says a unit of Brazil’s JBS is now recalling a total of more than 12 million pounds of raw beef that was shipped around the country. JBS Tolleson in Arizona already recalled about 7 million pounds of beef in October.

Health officials say their investigation identified additional products with the USDA inspection number “EST. 267.” The products were packaged between late July and September. The USDA says any products still in people’s freezers should be thrown away. It says 246 illnesses have been reported.

The USDA says salmonella is prevalent in raw poultry and meat and is reminding people of to properly cook and handle meat. It says cooking kills salmonella.

Adair County Extension will be hosting a private pesticide applicator continuing education class on Monday, December 10th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Casey Visitors Center, 100 E Grant Street, Casey (the former Catholic Church). State law forbids admitting late-comers, so license holders are encouraged to arrive 20-30 minutes in advance of the actual start time to register. Attending a two hour class each year allows a license holder to renew their license using the training option.

The continuing education class will be taught by Aaron Saeugling, ISU Extension Field Agronomist. There is a $20 class enrollment fee, payable at the class site to Adair County Extension. For more information about the private pesticide certification process or to make an inquiry about the status of your license, contact the Adair County Extension office at 641-743-8412 or 1-800-ISUE399.

Ankeny, IA – The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) On-Farm Network® team, in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, will host a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Dec. 11 at the ISU Armstrong Research Farm in Lewis. Discussions will focus on data collection and updates from researchers working on the soybean gall midge pest. There is no cost to attend. The meeting will start at 10 a.m. with a small group discussion hosted by ISU Extension Field Agronomist Aaron Saeugling, and ISA Field Agronomist Drew Clemmensen. Attendees will collaborate on how to improve ISA On-Farm Network trials.

“Participants can expect a highlight of what we know about this pest to better learn how to manage it,” said Clemmensen. “My hope is to gain feedback from the group on what types of On-Farm trials ISA should implement to understand what control measures not only are effective in controlling this pest but are also practical and sustainable on growers’ operations.” Lunch will be included and dismissal will be at 1 p.m. Those wanting to attend can RSVP to Sue Derscheid at SDerscheid@iasoybeans.com. For more information, go to www.iasoybeans.com.

(Radio Iowa) — A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City concludes something many Iowa farmers already know — the farm economy has yet to rebound. Fed economist Nathan Kauffman says farm income and credit conditions continue to deteriorate across the region. “The primary challenge has been low commodity prices,” Kauffman says. “We’ve seen a drop in primarily soybean prices that began earlier this summer and that has persisted through the fall. Revenue has generally been relatively weak so it has continued to weigh on the farm sector.” The report says the agricultural economy continues to suffer from high yields and and lower demand, which Kauffman says is primarily due to the trade war with China. “The China market is very large, especially going into the fourth quarter and into the first quarter,” he says. “Exports to China specifically of soybeans account for a large share of exports during that time.”

Kauffman, who is based in Omaha, says farmers have been cutting expenses, some are even taking off-the-farm jobs to cope. He says a resolution of the trade disputes would give commodity prices a boost. Kauffman says the silver lining in the agricultural downturn is strong farmland values. “It has really supported the finances and the balance sheet of a lot of producers that have equity to be able to tap in terms of farmland values,” Kauffman says. “We continue to watch that just to be sure we’re not seeing some cracks start to emerge in that particular market and so far, it’s held up okay.”

Kauffman says crop prices have pulled down the agricultural economy with the livestock sector holding stable. This is the fifth year of the economic downturn in the ag sector.

(Radio Iowa) — Senator Joni Ernst says there appears to be a breakthrough in negotiations on the Farm Bill. Ernst is the only Iowan on a conference committee that’s been struggling for weeks to reconcile House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill. A provision championed by Iowa’s other Senator, Chuck Grassley, is not in the final deal. It would have imposed limits on farm subsidy payments to NON-farmers. Republicans in the HOUSE had been pressing for new work requirements for food stamp recipients. That’s not in the final version either. “That has been worked out between the House and the Senate and so I do believe that we will be able to move forward and get that bill on the floor of the Senate as soon as possible,” Ernst says.

Ernst says the Republican leader in the senate who decides which bills get debated has assured her a vote on the Farm Bill will happen in the Senate in December. “So as we’re laying out the road map for the rest of 2018 — the ‘lame duck’ session — the Farm Bill has been included in that mix,” Ernst says. “…So I believe that we will get…this done. We will get it to the president and he will get it signed and reauthorized.”

The Farm Bill expired October 1st. If congress fails to pass a replacement by December 31st, the NEXT congress would have to start at square one in drafting a bill and first pass it through COMMITTEES in the House and Senate before votes could be taken in the full House and Senate.