DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged Iowa hay and straw producers to register or update their listing on the Iowa Hay and Straw Directory.  The directory lists Iowa producers with hay and straw for sale, as well as organizations and businesses associated with promoting and marketing quality hay and straw. Naig said “The directory is a tool for both buyers and sellers and we hope farmers will take the time to review and update their information.  “This directory can serve as an important link between hay producers and those looking to buy, so we encourage Iowans to take advantage of this free directory.”

The listing is available to interested buyers throughout the nation, however only sellers from within Iowa can be included on the list. Names are gathered throughout the year with added emphasis now that hay harvest has started. Sections within the Hay and Straw Directory include “Forage for Sale,” “Forage Auctions,” “Hay Associations,” “Forage Dealers,” “Hay Grinders” and “Custom Balers.” Farmers interested in listing should visit the Department’s website at www.IowaAgriculture.gov.  An application form can be found by going to the “Marketing” link on the home page and then clicking on “Hay & Straw” on the right side of the page. For those without internet access, please call the Hay/Straw Hotline at 800-383-5079.  The Department will fax or send a printed copy of the application to be filled out.

The Department is also supporting the Iowa Crop Improvement Association’s “Iowa Noxious Weed Seed Free Forage and Mulch Certification Program.”  Through this program Iowa forage and mulch producers can take advantage of many emerging market opportunities for “Certified Weed Free” products.  For more specific information on this program producers should contact the Iowa Crop Improvement Association at 515-294-6921.  More information can also be found by visiting http://www.iowacrop.org/Weed_Free.htm.

DES MOINES, Iowa – While warmer average temperatures can have a dramatic impact in colder climates, new research shows how much crop growth can be affected when temperatures change by just a few degrees Celsius.  For Iowa, one crop that would be affected drastically is corn. The research, headed by Michelle Tigchelaar, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington, shows that an increase in average temperature of two to four degrees Celsius would decrease crop yields by at least 18 percent across the United States.

Tigchelaar said the range of the temperature increase will be a large determinant of the scale of crop failures. “So, with 2 degrees of warming, the effects are severe but somewhat, you know, manageable,” Tigchelaar said. “But with 4 degrees of warming, it becomes really sort of something that we haven’t quite seen before.” In Fahrenheit, those temperature differences are from 3.6 to 7.2 degrees warmer.

The study looked at crop yield effects around the globe, including countries such as China and Brazil, observing weather patterns and corn yields. An 18 percent decrease in crop yields would mean an Iowa farmer expecting 175 bushels of corn per acre would bring in only about 144 bushels. That would have a large impact on other products such as corn syrup and meat.  Environmentally friendly structural changes and crop adaption to higher temperatures are all possibilities for limiting the damage of a warmer climate. But for farmers, Tigchelarr said environmental changes are just some of the ongoing obstacles. “They deal with changes in their environment regularly, so to some degree you can adapt your farming practices by planting on different dates, or planting a slightly different variety,” she said.

Some scientists expect the development of biotechnology and farm management to allow corn to grow as normal, despite climate changes.

(Iowa News Service)

You’re invited to help launch “Ag 4 All,” the new parent organization of both Ag Adventure and “Who’s Your Iowa Farmer?,” by stopping by “Ag Adventure,” at Fontanelle’s 4th of July Celebration. Learn how you can support these efforts by volunteering and/or providing financial support. Blake Anderson, chair of the new group, says “This is the first time we have asked individuals to contribute money to help sustain and expand program efforts.”  Anyone donating $25 or more to Ag 4 All during the Ag Adventure event on the 4th will receive a “Who’s Your Farmer?” t-shirt, as a thank you gift.

Ag Adventure Goes to School, Ag Adventure on the 4th, and Who’s Your Iowa Farmer? were originally initiatives of Ag Works, a loose coalition of Adair County Cattlemen, Adair County and Iowa Corn Growers, Adair County Extension and Outreach, Adair County Farm Bureau, and Adair County Pork Producers; all groups with a common interest in promoting agriculture. As program efforts have grown, the leadership of the coalition decided to create a formal and more permanent structure to raise dollars for and administer the programs. Thus Ag 4 All was officially created and registered with the State of Iowa.

Anderson says “The Ag 4 All moniker was selected to communicate the importance of agriculture as the source of food, fiber, and fuel for our entire society.” It also represents the organization’s desire and dedication to provide information about the many sectors of agriculture to all audiences regardless of age. More information about the work of Ag 4 All is available from any of the Board of Director members: Blake Anderson, Greenfield; Sara Shepherd, Stuart; Grace Evans, Bridgewater; Brian Rohrig, Orient; and Randy Caviness, Greenfield. Program coordinators: Deb Hall, Massena; Beth Baudler, Fontanelle; and Jeannette Jorgensen of Adair also can help individuals wishing to support the work of Ag 4 All by volunteering or through cash contributions.

A man has survived after being partially submerged in grain at a co-op near Boone. The Boone Fire Department was called to the Landus Elevator east of Boone early Friday morning to help an employee that became trapped in a pile of corn. When the on-duty crew arrived at the scene, a conscious individual was found partially buried in an outdoor grain storage area. Rescue efforts were underway by facility staff and a Boone County Deputy Sheriff. The responding fire department crew was able to use their grain rescue equipment, along with Landus equipment, and were able to rescue the unidentified individual from the corn. There were no serious injuries reported.

(Radio Iowa)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — The attorney for an Iowa man accused of stealing trade secrets says his client will plead guilty next week. U.S. District Court records say 55-year-old Josh Isler has been indicted on charges of theft of trade secrets and making false statements to the FBI. Attorney Alfred Willett said Friday his client will enter the pleas Thursday in a Cedar Rapids courtroom.

Court documents say that while Isler was working as a technical service account manager for DuPont’s ethanol fuel enzyme division in August 2013, he downloaded hundreds of electronic DuPont files after accepting a job with an unnamed DuPont competitor. The documents say he transferred some of the DuPont information to his new employer.

The documents also say he lied to FBI agents when he told them he had not downloaded the files.

• KJAN, Atlantic  .82″
• Elk Horn  .54″
• Massena  .22″
• Audubon  .18″
• Guthrie Center  .13″
• Kirkman  .32″
• Manning  .02″
• Logan  1.3″
• Underwood  .11″

Senator Joni Ernst and the rest of the Iowa Congressional Delegation recently sent a letter to President Donald Trump expressing concern about the impact of trade negotiations on farmers in the state. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says process for handling trade issues isn’t exactly the way she would do it — but she says she the president does listen. “This president is very, very open and accessible, and more so than the last administration where we had even Democrats, some of my colleagues have stated they had very little if any interaction with the president,” Ernst says. Ernst says she favors a more linear approach to handling the trade issues. “He is juggling a number of trade deals right now, which makes it very complicated,” Ernst says. “Of course I would prefer that he take up a trade deal, we get that deal done and we move on to the next.”

She says in her talks with the president he has expressed confidence he can get the North American Free Trade Deal done by this fall. Ernst says the president says Canada has been the problem in NAFTA, so they’ve encouraged the president to do a bilateral deal with Mexico while continuing to work on Canada. “Trade is so important for us, so while we have all these trade deals up in the air, we need to have some level of optimism moving forward that these deals are going to get done. So, I want to see action on it. I want to see that we do have NAFTA done,” Ernst says. Ernst says they continue to remind the president of the concerns of farmers. “I know they are juggling a lot right now — it’s probably not the preferable way for Joni Ernst — but if we can get these deals done, I think our farmers will be doing well,” according to Ernst. “But I am extremely concerned in the short term on what it’s going to do to our markets.”

Ernst and Senator Chuck Grassley recently met with Terry Branstad, who is the former Iowa governor and now Ambassador to China to discuss trade with that country. “The ambassador did give us good feedback. I won’t discuss it openly today because of course we have a number of ongoing issues with China,” Ernst says. She says they also talked with Branstad about North Korea and while they have trade issues with China — China is important in helping to ensure the de-nuclearization of North Korea.

(Radio Iowa)

A new Iowa State University Extension survey finds much of Iowa’s 30 million acres of farmland doesn’t change hands very often. Iowa State University economist Wendong Zhang conducted the 2017 survey. “About 22 percent of the land is owned in the structure of sole ownership. Another 28 percent is owned in joint tenancy — which is often between a spouse, husband and wife — and eight percent are tenants in common or other sorts of co-ownership structure,” Zhang explains. He says the co-ownership is often among siblings. Twenty percent of the farmland is owned by a trust, with many of them what are called revocable trusts, which means the ownership can be changed. “Typically they last for the lifetime of the owner who set it up…and the beneficiary tends to be the kids or grandkids of the current owner. So, it’s mainly used for the tax planning, estate planning or transition planing purposes,” according to Zhang.

He says 10 percent of the farmland is held in corporations that include families and are also used for tax planning purposes. Zhang says the use of trusts has increased since 1982 when only one percent of the farmland was structured that way. “Declining is sole owners and joint tenancy. So, over time there’s a gradual movement moving away from more individual ownership — especially sole owners to a more institutionalized ownership in terms of trusts and corporations,” he says. Another key finding in the survey is that 82 percent of the owners have paid off the land. Zhang says the amount of debt-free farmland impacts values.”Farm income has declined by almost half off the 2013 peak, but the farmland values have only declined about 15 percent. One of the key reasons is a lot of the owners have no debt — so they are not in a position to sell their land.”

The survey found 20 percent of farmland was owned by the same person for at least 40 years and 55 percent of the land was owned by the same person for more than 20 years. That stability also helps land values. “Farmland tends to be a long-term investment, not a whole lot of people are flipping farmland, so you see a very low turnover and the limited turnover tends to support the higher land values,” Zhang says. The state started requiring a survey of who owns Iowa farmland every five years beginning in 1949.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the number of pigs on farms has reached a record high for June 1. The agency says in a report released Thursday that the inventory of pigs was 73.5 million, up 3 percent from a year ago and up 1 percent from March 1.

It’s the highest June 1 inventory of all pigs since estimates began 54 years ago.
The USDA says 33.2 million baby pigs were born from March to May, the largest number of new pigs for the same period since 1970 when records began.

Iowa has the most pigs with 22.7 million animals, also a June 1 record for the state. North Carolina is second with 8.9 million and Minnesota third with 8.6 million.

Key members in Iowa’s congressional delegation are expressing frustration about how the Environmental Protection Agency is managing the mandatory ethanol production target. The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a slight increase in the amount of biofuels that must be blended into gasoline and diesel fuel next year. However, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley suggests E-P-A Administrator Scott Pruitt may be violating the law by granting waivers to oil refineries so they don’t have to blend ethanol into gasoline. Republican Senator Joni Ernst says Iowa farmers aren’t getting the “honesty and transparency” they deserve from the E-P-A because Pruitt is handing out “an unprecedented number” of waivers. Congressman Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Iowa City, says those waivers were intended for small refiners in danger of going bankrupt. Instead, Loeback and the others in Iowa’s congressional delegation complain Pruitt has been granting waivers to huge companies that are making huge profits.

Trade groups are raising the same issue. According to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the E-P-A administrator is granting oil refiners a “back-door” option that has already cost farmers and the ethanol industry more than five billion dollars. One ethanol industry executive says the E-P-A’s proposed ethanol production mandate for 2019 “isn’t a real number” because of the waivers Pruitt is granting the oil industry.

(Radio Iowa)