WASHINGTON, Iowa (AP) — Iowa farmers are joining an effort to create a habitat statewide to save monarch butterflies from extinction. The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa’s two-decade-long effort is part of a 16-state regional plan to develop up to 7 million acres of habitat for the monarch’s migration east of the Rockies. Roughly 40 percent of all monarch butterflies that overwinter in Mexico come from Iowa and other Midwestern states.

The state plans to create up to 830,000 acres of habitat and plant nearly 190 million new stems of milkweed. About 1.6 billion stems are needed in the Midwest. Dozens of conservation, government, utility and agriculture groups support Iowa’s plan, including Farm Bureau, Monsanto and Syngenta. About $5.3 million in public and private funding is dedicated to the effort so far.

The founder of Sukup Manufacturing in Sheffield died Thursday at a Mason City hospital at the age of 89. According to the company’s history, Eugene Sukup developed the company in 1962 after looking for a way to improve the grain drying process inside grain bins. He developed and patented the Stirway stirring machine at a local welding shop in Sheffield and began selling the product. Since then, Sukup’s innovative thinking led to him being awarded over 80 patents and numerous awards for the company’s innovations. Sukup served as company president for 32 years before turning the position over to his son, Charles, in 1995. Sukup’s family members now run the business , which employs more than 600 people.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, Thursday, announced that he will be making stops in 16 counties next week, including Fremont, Page, Mills, Taylor, Ringgold in the KJAN listening area. Stops are planned in the cities of Sidney, Shenandoah, Malvern, Essex, Lenox, and Mt. Ayr.

The details of his area visits are as follows:

Monday, July 16, 2018 –

Fremont County – 1:00 p.m., visit the Fremont County Fair, 1004 Legion Rd., Sidney;  Page County – 3:00 p.m., tour Green Plains Shenandoah, 4124 Airport Rd., Shenandoah; Mills County – 4:30 p.m., visit the Mills County Fair, 61317 315th St., Malvern.

Tuesday, July 17, 2018 –

Page County – 9:00 a.m., tour Johnson Locker Service, 510 Iowa Ave., Essex; Taylor County – 11:00 a.m., tour Dalton Ag Products, 602 E. Van Buren St., Lenox; Ringgold County – 1:30 p.m., visit the Ringgold County Fair, 2214 US 169, Mt. Ayr.

w/Denny Heflin.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Vice President Mike Pence says Iowa farmers “will start winning again” as President Trump pursues new global trade policies. Pence spoke Wednesday afternoon in Cedar Rapids. “When it comes to agriculture, I just want to assure all of my friends here in Iowa and all across the region that under President Trump’s leadership, we’re always going to stand with American farmers,” Pence said.

Pence sought to tamp down worries about an extended trade war with China and other key partners like Canada and Mexico. “I’m pleased to report to you we are making significant progress on reforming the North American Free Trade Agreement and we’re going to make it into a deal that works for American farmers and American manufacturers in the long term,” Pence said, to applause.

The vice president told the crowd he had talked with Trump as he flew from Kansas City to Cedar Rapids yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. Pence then mentioned President Trump’s tweets on the topic of trade. “He said: ‘Soybeans fell 50 percent from 2012. Farmers have done poorly for 15 years. Other countries’ trade barriers and tariffs have been destroying our business,’ but then he made a promise: ‘We will open things up better than ever better. We’re going to have a level playing field,’ he  said. And our farmers will start winning again all across the world and I promise you, it’s going to happen.”

Pence spoke at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, then headlined a private fundraiser for Congressman Rod Blum. Democrats criticized Blum and Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who met Pence at the Cedar Rapids airport, for failing to press Pence to end the trade disputes now.

Abby Finkenauer, the Democrat who’s challenging Blum, said the trade war “is devastating to Iowa families” and Blum should have hosted a meeting so Iowa farmers could take voice their concerns to Pence. Governor Reynolds issued a news release last (Wednesday) night, saying she brought tariffs when she spoke to Pence and told him: “these tariffs will have real consequences in Iowa.”

Reynolds also announced last (Wednesday) night that she’ll have a roundtable discussion early this (Thursday) morning with farmers in Ayrshire to discuss the impact of tariffs on China. Fred Hubbell, the governor’s Democratic challenger, visited farms in Correctionville, Newton, Deep River and Riverside this week. Hubbell says “a huge chunk” of Iowa’s economy will be damaged by the trade war.

(Radio Iowa)

The Midwestern summertime tradition of corn detasseling is in full swing. Seed corn companies hire thousands of mostly teenagers for about 20 days to remove — by hand — the very top of the corn plant to produce hybrid varieties. DuPont Pioneer is one of Iowa’s largest companies. Production manager Colby Entriken oversees three facilities in northeast Iowa and says they’ve added more safety experts.

We also bring in a field nurse that helps if we get into a situation where we need a little bit more expertise we have that field nurse as a resource,” Entriken says, “and each if the three sites also has an EMT on staff.” Those E-M-Ts handle such things as sprained ankles or heat stress. There’s also a centrally-located decontamination trailer that can be used if workers are inadvertently sprayed by a crop duster. Entriken oversees hundreds of acres in northeast Iowa and says they have procedures in place to keep track of all detasslers.

“They have to know which row each of their workers are in and that way we can track their progress throughout the field,” he says. “Also, as we get in the higher heat index days, we kick the crews out of the fields. When it hits 105 with the heat index, we shut them down right at 2 o’clock.” Entriken says the minimum age to detassel in Iowa is 14. Those as young as 12 can do the work in Illinois and Nebraska. He says he has many crew leaders who started in their teens and are now in their 50s and 60s.

(Radio Iowa via Pat Blank, Iowa Public Radio)

Interviews were held Tuesday at the Cass County Community Center to help determine who will be the 2018 Cass County Fair Queen and King. Seventeen area youth appeared before the judges individually and in group settings, in hopes of being selected. Fair Royalty (King, Queen, Prince and Princess) will be chosen during the Fair on July 26th, beginning at 7:30-p.m., just before the Little Miss and Little Mister contest at 7-p.m.

Pictured are 2018 candidates for the Cass County Fair King and Queen (front row, left to right) Madison Mills, Claire Smith, Nicole Eilts, Katie York and Alyssa Brockob; (second row) Tyler Comes, Haley Becker, Emily Saeugling, Teaguen Sothman, Sidney Aupperle, Myra Rubio and Nathan Behrends; and (third row) Cale Pellett, Mitchell Williamson, Caleb Schmidt, Kaleb Venteicher, and Tate DenBeste. ** Photo by Sue Fischer used with permission.

Among the male candidates, was  Cale Pellett, Mitchell Williamson, Kaleb Venteicher, Cale Schmidt, Nathan Behrends, Tate DenBeste, Teaguen Sothman, and Tyler Comes. Female candidates included Myah Rubio, Madison Mills, Haley Backer, Nicole Eilts, Claire Smith, Katie York, Emily Saeugling, Sidney Aupperle, and Alyssa Brockob. Last year’s Fair Royalty included: Princess – Paige Henderson; Prince – Cody McCreedy; King – Riley Smith, and Queen – Mariah Murphy. The title of Little Miss went to Leah Ohms, and Cooper Anderson was named Little Mister during the 2017 Cass County Fair.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today (Monday) announced that he will be making stops in 12 Counties this week, including Union and Madison Counties. His visits to both area counties will take place Tuesday, July 10th: 

Union County – 1:30 p.m., Naig will tour ZFS Creston, LLC, 1310 E. Howard St., Creston

Madison County – 4:00 p.m., Naig will tour Covered Bridges Winery, 2207 170th Trail, Winterset

Naig was appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds to succeed Bill Northey as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture on Monday, March 5, 2018. Prior to that, he had served as Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture for Northey since September 2013.

“Friends, family and fun” is the theme for the 2018 Shelby County Fair that begins Wednesday, in Harlan. On Tuesday, 4-H Static Exhibits will be entered and judged, and there’s a 4-H baked goods and garden sale. Opening ceremonies for the fair will be held at 8-a.m. Wednesday, followed by: the 4-H cake decorating and table setting; Best Of Iowa contest; open class non-livestock entries will be submitted; A carnival will be open from 5 to 11, and the Tractor Pull is in front of the grandstand.

Judging of 4-H and FFA poultry will take place Thursday morning, followed by judging of: 4-H and FFA cats and small pets, 4-H and FFA beef breeding heifers, beef cows/calves, feeder calves and dairy cattle, 4-H bottle calves, open bottle exhibitor interviews and the open bottle show. The Commercial Building on the Shelby County Fairgrounds will open at 4-p.m. Thursday, the carnival takes place from 5 to 11, the Shelby County Fair Parade at 6:30, and at 8 pm, the Crowning of the Fair Queen and Hall of Fame Recognition.

On Friday, there’s 4-H and FFA Swine judging, 4-H working exhibits, judging 4-H and FFA horses, 4-H rabbit agility, free entertainment, and the 4-H Style Show. The carnival will be open from 5 to 11 pm, the Bill Riley Talent Show Friday night at 6 pm, mutton bustin’ at 7:30, and Fireworks in front of the Grandstand at dusk.

Saturdays activities include: judging the 4-H and FFA sheep, goats and rabbits; Apple Pie Morning will be held at 8:30 am; the Baby Contest, Open Class Horse and Pony show, the Show and Shine Car Show, antique tractor and machinery show; free entertainment, kids contests, pie and muffin auction, the stuffed animal show; the carnival will be open from 1 to 11; ag olympics, pee wee cookie decorating, 4-H presentations; the Harlan Community Band will perform at 3:30 pm, the Shelby County Cattlemen’s Cook-off is at 4 pm Saturday, along with the open class lamb show, and at 6:30, car races in front of the Grandstand.

Judging 4-H and FFA market beef will start at 8:30 Sunday morning, church services will be held at 9, plus there will be the antique tractor and machinery show, free entertainment, the carnival from noon to 5 pm, share the fun, public speaking and extemporaneous speaking at 1 pm, pedal tractor pull, Clover Kids graduation and Figure 8 races at 5 pm in front of the grandstand. The Livestock Auction will wrap up the Fair on Monday (July 16th), starting at 5 pm.

The Atlantic Community School Nutrition Department and Farm to School team are working hard to bring healthy, fresh, local food to school lunch. Your help is needed, by visiting a local farm and join as a together as a community to pick locally grown sweet corn for school lunches. Who can participate? Everyone in the community is welcome! Congregations, sports teams, FFA and 4H groups, families, friends—all are welcome.  The event takes place Saturday July 21st (Rain Date Sunday July 22nd). 30 volunteer pickers and 25 processors are needed.

You will gather at the Schuler Elementary School at 7-a.m., to be transported by bus to and from the farm. The first shift is from 9-a.m. until Noon, and the second shift is from Noon until 3-p.m.  Processors will cut, bag, and prepare the corn for students to eat. That group of volunteers will be at Schuler Elementary. Sack lunch and drinks will be provided to all volunteers!

A waiver will be required to be signed by all volunteers. Children under age 18 will need a parent/guardian signature. Waivers can be picked up on the morning of July 21st at Schuler, or requested from DeeAnn Schreiner prior to the event. Suggested clothing: lightweight long-sleeve shirt, long pants & shoes that can get dirty. To sign-up, or for more information, call 243-5369 or email DeeAnn at dschreiner@atlanticiaschools.org