Rural growers can get a head start on knowing what’s in their water, before regulations take effect

AMES, Iowa – Produce growers who want to get their water tested can do so for free, thanks to an effort by the Produce Safety Team at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, which is providing five drop-off dates and locations across the state.

Local producers are reminded that the final drop off date scheduled in Southwest Iowa is Tuesday July 23, from 4-6 p.m. at the Orscheln Farm & Home parking lot, 1200 E. 7th St. in Atlantic. Testing kits can be picked up at the Cass County Extension office, 805 West 10th Street in Atlantic, from 8 AM to 4:30 PM. Other drop off sites for the state are listed below.

Some producers are required to have their water tested, depending on the size of operation and the source of water, in order to comply with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act. Others may wish to test their water to be precautious, in case there are any issues.

Since testing is limited in rural areas, Iowa State Extension and Outreach is sending test cups to county extension offices and farmers markets across the state. Producers should use one cup per water source, and can submit multiple cups if they have multiple water sources.

Producers must follow all collection directions, being sure to mark the time on each sterile cup, and delivering the cup to the drop-off location within three hours.

Members of the On-Farm Produce Safety Team will receive the samples at the drop-off locations and return them to the ISU lab in Ames. Testing and results will be completed in about a week’s time.

“This is important for rural growers because water testing is going to be required by the FSMA, and there are very few labs in the state that are performing the required test,” said Dan Fillius, food safety educator with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Fillius said FDA has pushed back the compliance dates to 2022 and beyond, depending on the size and classification of each producer. However, he said testing makes sense now, so growers can be prepared and take appropriate actions to improve their water quality, if necessary.

Growers who use public and municipal water do not need to do this test. Growers do not need to belong to a farmer’s market to drop off samples, and growers from any county are welcome to use the service. The three-hour delivery of collected samples is critical.

Drop-off location: Atlantic: June 25 and July 23, 4-6 p.m., 1200 E. 7th St., Orscheln Farm & Home parking lot

For more information, visit the On-Farm Produce Safety Team online, or call 515-294-6773.

Officials with RAGBRAI report a TREK (brand) bike was stolen Sunday in Atlantic from an event participant. A picture of the bike is shown below. Atlantic Police Chief Dave Erickson told KJAN news they do have a white bike with a Ragbrai sticker on the back, but he was not sure what the brand name was. The A-PD will try and contact the owner once they are officially identified.

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(Radio Iowa) — The cost to make temporary repairs to levees impacted by spring flooding along the Missouri River continues to rise. John Leighow is chief of readiness and contingency operations with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Northwestern District. Leighow says recent dry weather has allowed their teams access to more levees for assessment.

“Additional damages are being identified as the water continues to drop and our field engineers are attempting to accurately assess the scope of damages to approximately 150 miles of damaged levees,” Leighow says. He adds, the amount of money that’s been spent to temporarily fix damaged levees is growing.

“Currently, the cost of these efforts is around $123 million and it’s climbing,” Leighow says. “That’s $3 million more than what we had last week. As of now, we are not anticipating any budget constraints regarding recovery efforts.” Even though funding is currently available, Leighow says there may soon be more competing claims for the money.

“We are now approaching the peak of hurricane season right around the end of August into Labor Day — early September timeline,” Leighow says. “The peak of hurricane season will compete for the same resources that we need for our recovery efforts.” Releases from Gavins Point Dam in Yankton, South Dakota remain at 70,000 cubic feet per second — nearly double the average release for this time of year.

Missouri River Basin Water Management Division Chief John Remus says adjustments in releases are now tied to precipitation with mountain snowpack mostly gone. “The snowpack is all melted,” Remus says. “We haven’t necessarily seen all of it in the reservoir yet, but the main driver (of conditions) from here on out would be precipitation.”

To date, nine of the 51 damaged levees in the Omaha District have been temporarily repaired. Corps officials say it could be next spring before every breach in the system is plugged.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic leaders in the Iowa Legislature are calling for hearings on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ refusal to discuss why she demanded the resignation of former Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven. Senate and House Government Oversight Committee Democrats called Monday for hearings on Foxhoven’s sudden departure last month and want him to appear to explain what happened.

Sen. Tony Bisignano says a 2017 state law requires the reason for demanding a state employee’s resignation to be made public. Reynolds has declined to explain why she asked Foxhoven to resign beyond saying there were several factors. Foxhoven has declined to explain the factors behind his firing. He declined to comment Monday. Separately, Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, says he plans to investigate the reasons behind Foxhoven’s departure.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Thousands of lottery players who bought tickets for drawings that were rigged by an insider could be eligible for refunds under a tentative $4.3 million legal settlement. A judge still must approve the deal from lawyers for plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit and the Multi-State Lottery Association.

The settlement announced Monday would resolve claims stemming from former association security director Eddie Tipton’s long-running jackpot-fixing scheme. Tipton installed code that allowed him to predict winning numbers for drawings on certain days. He and his associates bought winning tickets worth millions.

Players who purchased tickets for drawings between 2005 and 2013 that were tainted by the scheme would be eligible. The lottery association would establish $4.3 million fund for eligible class members, attorneys’ fees and other costs. The named plaintiff, Iowa resident Dale Culler, would receive a $20,000 incentive payment.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Some Nebraska and Iowa businesses are still struggling to recover from flooding that damaged their properties or otherwise kept customers away from their doors.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency estimated that in Nebraska alone, more than 1,000 businesses were affected by March’s severe weather. Flooding continued into May and June in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa, especially along the Missouri River. Central Nebraska got hit by flash floods earlier this month this month, hurting Kearney’s hotel and tourism industry.
The Omaha World-Herald reported that businesses and boosters have been taking extra steps to send a message: Our towns and businesses haven’t been wiped out, and we need customers now more than ever.

A Harley-Davidson dealership in (Iowa’s) Pacific Junction threw a party at the end of June to celebrate the dealership’s return to its regular location after cleaning up and repairing soggy drywall. Loess Hills Harley-Davidson moved employees and motorcycles to a temporary building in nearby Glenwood for months after taking on 18 inches of water. “We can either sit back and say we’re victims and we’re going to play the pity party or say, hey, were going to take the opportunity to make something good out of something bad,” general manager Dan Roland said.

Agricultural company Cargill has helped employees pay for hotels in Nebraska City to ensure operations at its plant there weren’t interrupted too much by road closures and detours. Interstate 29 across the river in Iowa was closed by flooding, and the Iowa Highway 2 link to the bridge over the Missouri to Nebraska City was underwater for weeks as well. In northeast Nebraska’s Knox County, officials have been handing out maps so visitors can navigate flood-damaged roads and bridge reconstruction. The community of Verdigre held an event called “Good As New” at the end of May.

Developers are speeding plans to build more housing on the Nebraska City side of the Missouri, in case Iowa residents hurt by flooding decide not to rebuild, said Dan Mauk, executive director of the Nebraska City Area Economic Development Corp.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State University is dropping claims of wrongdoing against a former employee and paying her $225,000 to resolve a legal dispute over its popular outdoor sculptures made from Legos. As part of the settlement, Iowa State has also taken several steps to restore the reputation of Teresa McLaughlin. Iowa State President Wendy Wintersteen has written her a glowing letter of recommendation calling her an honest, innovative employee.

The school also will dedicate a bench for McLaughlin in Reiman Gardens, the campus landmark that McLaughlin spent most of her career building as its director. Those steps will resolve a contentious three-year legal dispute that derailed Nature Connects, the traveling Lego art program conceived by McLaughlin. McLaughlin had accused the university of failing to pay her commissions. The university accused her of working with the artist to market competing exhibits.

Human remains discovered January 24th, 2019 at the former No Frills Supermarket in Council Bluffs have been identified. Council Bluffs Police say the Iowa DCI Lab in Ankeny reports the deceased individual was Larry Ely Murillo-Moncada, who had been reported missing since Nov. 2009, after he became upset and ran out of his parents’ home. The man was 25-years old when he was last seen. His identity was learned through an analysis of DNA collected from his biological parents. Murillo-Moncada was employed at No Frills Supermarket at the time of his disappearance. The store closed in 2016. The autopsy indicated no signs of trauma.

Former employees at the store, which was located at 1817 W. Broadway Street in Council Bluffs, told investigators that it was common for workers to be on top of the coolers, as the space was utilized for storage of goods. Investigators believe that Murillo went to the store after leaving his home and climbed on top of the coolers, where he fell into an approximate 18” gap between the back of the cooler and a wall, getting trapped. The case is being closed and classified as an accidental death. The family of Murillo has requested not to be contacted, so they can grieve the loss of their family member.

(Radio Iowa) — Clean-up is underway in Waverly after a weekend storm injured five people and left wide-spread damage throughout the northeast Iowa community.  Officials say straight-line winds uprooted trees and blew down utility lines around noon on Saturday. The sudden storm hit Waverly just as the city’s annual Heritage Days Festival was getting underway following a parade. High wind hit the fairgrounds and collapsed the beer tent, injuring five people. Festival organizers reported the injuries were all relatively minor. Despite the storm damage, Waverly Heritage Days went on as scheduled.

No one was injured when a pickup struck a cow on 110th Street in Union County, early this (Monday) morning. The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports 16-year old Gauge Mitchell, of Creston, who wore his seat belt, was driving a 1997 Chevy K1500 pickup westbound on 110th Street at around 12:37-a.m., when the vehicle struck a cow on the traveled portion of the road. Following the collision, authorities say “The cow exited to road to the south.” Mitchell pulled the pickup into a private driveway and parked, because the vehicle had sustained disabling undercarriage damage estimated at $1,500. No citations were issued. The report did not indicate who the owner of the cow was.