(Radio Iowa) – North America’s first commercial-scale “green ammonia” field trial is underway in Boone. Landus Cooperative partnered with the company Talusag to produce farm fertilizer using solar energy, air and water. Hiro Iwanaga is C-E-O of the start-up. “Traditional ammonia depends on, depends on a global supply chain that’s costly, that’s unreliable, that’s carbon intensive. We manufacture closer to where the product is used. We cut down risk while giving farmers a stable, more predictable source of one of the most critical inputs,” he says. Landus vice president for strategic initiatives, Brian Crowe, says the process reworks the entire system.

“We’re not only changing how fertilizer is produced, but where it’s made, how it gets to our growers,” Crowe says. He says the system in Boone can produce around one ton per day, but a larger scale model being built in Eagle Grove will produce twenty times more.

Earlier this month, Landus applied green ammonia to corn field trial plots on-site and will compare results with control strips throughout the growing season. The partners hope to have green ammonia commercially available next year.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Voters in Lewis will have a chance to cast their ballot for Mayor, during a Special Election on Tuesday (April 29th). Candidates (all from Lewis) whose names will appear on the ballot for the April 29th Special Election include:

• Christopher Jahnke
• Russell L. Miller
• Jeffrey Witt
• Anthony L. Sorbello
• Nancy J Cerica-Joens

The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., Tuesday.  The polling site is the Lewis Community Center.

The Special Election in the City of Lewis is to fill the position that was recently left vacant. Persons with questions may call the Cass County Auditor’s Office at (712)-243-4570.

(Radio Iowa) – Trump Administration budget cuts proposed for the U-S Department of Health and Human Services could reduce the budget for the Iowa Cancer Registry. The Registry operates with a combination of state and federal funding. Sarah Nash is director of research at the Iowa Cancer Registry. “There’s a lot of uncertainty and we don’t yet know where the cuts are going to have an impact,” Nash says.

In 1973, the National Cancer Institute launched registries in Iowa and eight other states to track cancer rates and there are now cancer registries in 46 states, gathering data on cancer cases. While the president’s budget plan does not call for elimination of the National Cancer Institute, it does call for a 44 percent cut in funding of the agency that oversees the institute. Nash says federal funding touches every part of the effort to reduce cancer.

“The research, the surveillance, the screening, the early detection, the access to care pieces,” Nash says. “…Having the federal cuts, it could potentially devastating, I think, to this problem that we’re all trying to address together.” The Iowa Cancer Registry’s annual report shows Iowa continues to have the second highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers. Governor Kim Reynolds has proposed spending a MILLION dollars in state funds to support University of Iowa research to evaluate the risk factors that may be contributing to Iowa’s rising cancer rate.

Sarah Nash of the Iowa Cancer Registry and Kelly Wells Sittig of the Iowa Cancer Consortium on the “Iowa Press” set. (Iowa PBS photo)

Kelly Wells Sittig is executive director of the Iowa Cancer Consortium, a non-profit that provides resources and technical assistance to agencies and institutions that are working to address cancer-related issues. “We’re really pleased the governor has shown support in acknowledging the importance of figuring out what’s happening with cancer here in Iowa and making an investment in that,” Wells Sittig said. “…I think it’s also important to note that cancer is so complex…and that means we are going to need to invest for a long term and in a lot of different ways.”

Wells Sittig and Nash made their comments on a recent episode of “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans for Tax Relief has created an online portal with information about every public school in Iowa. Sarah Curry — research director for the Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation — says it includes the graduation rate for each district, as well as things like A-C-T scores, enrollment and budget data. “To help parents, school board members, taxpayers and just everybody in Iowa learn a little bit more about what their school districts are doing and how students are doing.” Curry says the website will let Iowans compare the performance of school districts.

“It’s really important to me personally because I’m a mom and I’ve got three kids here in Iowa that are attending public school,” Curry said. “Just like any parent, I want what’s best for my kids and a quality education that sets them up for success.”

The website shows the percentage of third graders in each district who are reading at their grade level. “Parents should know their school board members and they should have open lines of communication and sometimes that intimidation factor is so high because they don’t know the information and they don’t know what questions to ask,” Curry says, “and we’re here to bridge that gap and help parents get the information and feel empowered to talk to their school board members, ultimately, for our children so that way they can do better.”

The website shows property tax levy rates for each school district, but is also includes the Iowans for Tax Relief opinion on whether it’s reasonable. Iowans for Tax Relief is lobbying legislators to cut property taxes.

(Iowa News Service) – Despite pushback from the Trump administration on colleges and universities recruiting foreign students, the University of Northern Iowa is part of a new exchange program. The school is partnering with a university in Thailand to allow students to earn international business degrees, through its “2+2” business degree partnership program. Students from Assumption University in Thailand can take two years of classes at home and finish their international business degree at Northern Iowa’s Wilson College of Business in Cedar Falls.

Chris Schrage, global opportunities coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa, said the opportunities run the gamut. “Accounting, finance, management, marketing, supply chain,” Schrage outlined. “All of our majors are aligned with their majors.” Schrage pointed out the “2+2” program is largely self-funded by students and private donors, which should allow the university to sidestep the controversy over international students in the U.S.

Beyond earning educational credentials, Schrage noted the program also takes cultural differences into account, helping students become better employees for international companies after they graduate. “Understanding how both sides do business will help build the trust and know what steps to take in both situations,” Schrage emphasized.

Northern Iowa is in the process of recruiting students now and Schrage added they hope to have Thai students on the Cedar Falls campus next year.

DENISON, Iowa – An estimated 500 gallons of wastewater entered the Boyer River early Sunday morning due to a valve malfunction at Smithfield Fresh Meats Corporation in Denison. The company notified the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Field Office in Atlantic about the incident.

The valve malfunction allowed wastewater to flow through an open storm drain, discharging into the Boyer River. Upon discovering the issue, Smithfield staff promptly closed the storm drain, halting the release of wastewater to the Boyer River.

The DNR is currently monitoring ongoing cleanup efforts. Until cleanup is complete, the public is advised to avoid contact with the Boyer River. No dead fish have been reported at this time.

The DNR will evaluate appropriate enforcement action following the conclusion of its investigation.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Master Gardeners have a busy month planned in May! On Saturday May 10, the group will host their annual Spring Plant Sale on the Cass County Fairgrounds. A few weeks later, on Wednesday May 21, the annual Master Gardener Bus Trip will leave from the fairgrounds for a day of education, garden exploration and plant nursery shopping. Any interested member of the public is invited to both events to help kick off the start of the gardening season!

The Plant Sale begins at 8 AM on May 10, and will be held in the front parking lot of the Cass County Community Center on the fairgrounds at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic. The event promises to have a wide variety of perennials available for gardeners to add to their landscape this year, as well as lawn tools, décor, and gardening books. Interested gardeners are encouraged to arrive early for best selection. The sale closes around 10 AM or when most plants are sold out. All items will be sold for a free will offering, with all proceeds used to support Master Gardener community grants, scholarships, and other projects around the county. A resource table with information on spring gardening topics and local projects will also be available.

For the annual spring sale, the Cass County Master Gardeners offer a variety of perennial plants from their own gardens, as well as plants dug from gardens in the local area. Plants expected on the sale so far include daylilies, grape hyacinth, sedum, ferns, hosta, columbine, walking onions, mukdenia, and a variety of houseplants and succulents. Others may be added closer to sale day. Community members are welcome to donate plants to this event, and members may even help you dig! If you are dividing perennials in your yard this spring and have extra plants to donate, please call in advance and make arrangements to drop off donated plants before the date of the plant sale. The Atlantic FFA chapter and horticulture students will also be set up at the plant sale again this year, offering tomatoes, peppers and flowering annuals for sale. All FFA plants will be sold at a separate booth and individually priced. Information will also be available on student plant sales from other Cass County schools.

The annual Bus Trip on May 21 features a full day of garden visits, educational activities, and a chance to explore and shop specialty plant nurseries. The trip heads east this year, and includes stops near Lorimor, Cumming and Norwalk in central Iowa. The bus departs the fairgrounds in Atlantic at 8 AM and returns around 6 PM. The trip is coordinated by the Cass County Master Gardeners, but is open to everyone. Registration closes on May 15, or when the bus is full. Registrations are taken on a first-come basis, so register soon and be sure to reserve your spot on the bus! The cost is $65 for the day, which includes transportation, a meal and snacks. Registration forms are available at the Cass County Extension office, and can also be found on the Cass County Extension website at www.exension.iastate.edu/cass. A full itinerary is on each registration form.

The goal of the Master Gardener program is to provide local community service and education in horticulture.  The Cass County Master Gardeners utilize funds raised from their annual spring and fall plant sales for community projects across the county, include maintaining community garden spaces, providing education programs to youth and adults, and providing financial support to local horticulture projects and scholarship opportunities. Other upcoming events from the Master Gardeners include a local garden walk on June 22 and the fall plant sale on September 13. Master Gardeners will also be providing education to community members at events throughout the summer.

For more information about the plant sale, bus trip, and other Master Gardener activities in Cass County, please call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132, or email Cass County Extension Director and Master Gardener Coordinator Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu.  In addition, you are invited to follow the Cass County Master Gardeners at their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CassCoMG or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/master-gardener-program to keep up with local events and tips for gardening and learn more about becoming a Master Gardener in Iowa!

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds’ bill to provide 16 MILLION dollars in new grants to partnerships between child care centers and preschools that provide a full day of care to four-year-olds has cleared the Senate. The grants could be up to 100-thousand dollars a year over a three year period and could be used for things like expanding four-year-old enrollment or providing transportation between a preschool site and a child care center. The bill would require shifting funds from existing child care programs. Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia says Senate Republicans decided to have the changes go into effect in the middle of next year after hearing concerns about making the changes immediately.

Senate Democratic Leader Janet Weiner says the bill is not a real solution for Iowa’s child care crisis.

Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, says it would make more sense to provide state funding for a full-day of preschool for four year olds.

Evans says full-day preschool would cost the state another 90 million dollars. The bill would qualify the state for five MILLION dollars in additional federal funding and Evans state funding will still be provided to support half a day of preschool for four-year-olds. The bill also eliminates the requirement that preschool programs partner with a public school district in order to get state funding. Evans says churches and non-profit groups may choose to open more preschools as a result.

The governor says two-thirds of Iowa four-year-olds are currently enrolled in preschool and her bill seeks to help working parents find seamless options for preschool as well as child care.