A new report shows the drought zone in Iowa has greatly expanded. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 70 percent of Iowa is abnormally dry or in some form of drought. A week ago, the report indicated about half of Iowa in those conditions. The area of extreme drought has expanded as well. All or parts of seven counties in south central and southeast Iowa are now in extreme drought.

Rain is falling in western Iowa this morning. More than three inches of rain falls, on average, in Iowa during the month of September. So far this month, there are significant sections of the state that have had NO rain.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources reports Iowa resident deer hunters who are interested in additional doe tags can now purchase them. If you have already purchased one doe tag, the cost of each additional doe tag is reduced to $13.00. The DNR says while thousands of doe tags are still available across the state, you’re encouraged to purchase as soon as possible to ensure you get the tags you want; eight of the 63 counties offering doe tags are sold out, and an additional 18 counties have less than 500.

You can check current quotas here: https://jc.activeoutdoorsolutions.com/iowadnr/app/locFindPage.do?licnYear=2017&lottery=5&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

or read more about Iowa deer hunting, here: http://www.iowadnr.gov/Hunting/Deer-Hunting?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is firmly behind his grandson as a candidate to replace Bill Northey as Iowa’s secretary of agriculture.  Northey has been nominated to an undersecretary post at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is widely expected to be confirmed. State Rep. Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, has acknowledged his interest in succeeding Northey.

The Des Moines Register reports that Chuck Grassley said Wednesday that his grandson’s experience as a farmer and state legislator make him qualified to lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

And, Chuck Grassley says, “I hope he’ll be appointed.” Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is on a foreign trade mission, has said little about her plans for the appointment other than mentioning last week that several people were under consideration.

A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City shows slight improvements in the economy of the Midwestern farm sector. Nathan Kauffman, an executive with the Fed’s Omaha Branch, says lower farm incomes and weaker credit conditions continue in Iowa and neighboring states, but he says the second quarter was not quite as negative as it has been the past couple of years.

“We’ve seen commodity prices really be more or less stable the last couple of years, albeit at a lower level,” Kauffman says. “We’re just not seeing the same pace of decline that we would’ve seen a couple years ago as commodity prices had really fallen sharply.”

Kauffman says many lenders were caught off guard a few years ago with the decline in commodity prices, but he says it seems like they have adjusted. “A lot of lenders are still trying to work through some of those issues, communicate more effectively with their borrowers, maybe requiring a little bit more from their borrowers, recognizing that maybe not out of the woods even though things are not deteriorating as rapidly as they had been,” Kauffman says.

During the second quarter, more bankers reported denying new farm loan requests compared to the previous two years. Kauffman says credit conditions are weaker compared to several years ago. “There are a number of businesses that would be involved in providing service to agriculture,” Kauffman says. “So, when there are changes to the agricultural economy, that does have an impact across a larger spectrum of business interests.”

Producers are not being helped by the fact that interest rates on variable rate operating loans increased to nearly six-percent in the second quarter, the highest in five years. Kauffman says conditions are stabilizing, but commodity prices are still lower than five or six years ago.

(Radio Iowa)

Hunter Education Classroom courses are offered by knowledgeable and certified volunteer instructors and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officers. Classroom courses are typically 12-15 hours in length and are held over 2 to 3 sessions (days). In order to receive certification, a student must attend all sessions and pass the final exam. Iowa law requires that anyone born after January 1, 1972 must be certified in hunter education before they are eligible to purchase an Iowa hunting license.

Upcoming (area) Hunter Education Classes:

• Sept. 13, Exira, Audubon County Conservation Board
• Sept. 18, Clarinda, American Legion
• Sept. 23, Mt. Ayr, Dragoon Trace Nature Center
• Oct. 2, Sioux City, Elk’s Lodge #112
• Oct. 5, Greenfield, Adair County Conservation Board – Greenfield Public Library

For more information on these and other hunter education opportunities, go to www.iowadnr.gov/huntered.

Iowa hunters will have a new option this fall while hunting deer during the youth season, disabled hunter season and both shotgun seasons – rifles that are capable of shooting straight walled cartridges. The new straight wall cartridge law was passed without dissent by the Iowa Legislature, and then signed by then Governor Terry Branstad on April 13. It was enacted to allow for a lower recoil option for older and younger hunters, but is available to all hunters in those four seasons.

The law allows for straight wall ammunition that was previously approved for pistol hunting to be used in rifles. The list of acceptable calibers is in the Iowa Hunting and Trapping Regulations (p. 31, www.iowadnr.gov/hunting) along with criteria for similar sized ammunition not on the list.

Depending upon the caliber, some straight wall cartridges will be effective up to 100 yards, but most will be effective to around 50 yards. The new law requires individuals caught with a rifle capable of shooting ammunition not on the approved list while hunting deer to have their hunting privileges suspended for two years and receive a $250 fine.

The Iowa deer hunting tradition will be passed on to about 10,000 youths who will participate in the youth deer hunting season, which opens on Sept. 16. This season provides an opportunity to teach deer hunting, wildlife behavior, and safe hunting practices to resident youths while they are under the watchful eye of a licensed adult.

Jim Coffey, forest wildlife research biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, said “This season is all about creating a positive experience for the hunter. It’s a learning season where mentors work one on one with the youth teaching hunting ethics and woodsmanship skills.”

The goal of the hunt should be an enjoyable and ethical experience, and harvesting a deer should be considered a bonus, not define the success of the hunt. Coffey said during late September, hunters should set up near movement areas, like between bedding sites and food sources, along known deer paths and by acorn producing white oak trees.

The youth season coincides with the disabled hunter deer season for hunters who meet eligibility criteria.  Both seasons runs Sept. 16 through Oct. 1. Youth hunters must be under direct supervision of an adult mentor, with a valid license and habitat fee (if required).  The youth license is valid statewide.

In addition, an unfilled youth season tag is valid for use during the early or late muzzleloader season or one of the two shotgun seasons. That youth must follow all other rules specified for each season. However party hunting with a youth tag is not allowed. A deer must be harvested by the youth with the tag. Youth hunters are also allowed to obtain deer tags for other season, just as any other hunter can do.

The youth deer season can bring mild temperatures and biting insects.  Hunters should be prepared for success by talking to the meat locker ahead of time and bringing frozen water jugs and/or bags of ice to cool the deer cavity. They may want to bring a protective cover like cheese cloth to help keep bugs off the fresh harvest as well.

All deer taken must be reported using the harvest reporting system before midnight the day after the deer is recovered. Harvest reporting is a very important part of the deer management program in Iowa, playing a vital role in managing deer populations and hunting opportunities.  Hunters have three options for reporting their harvested deer, the DNR website at www.iowadnr.gov, by calling the toll free reporting number 1-800-771-4692, or at any license vendor.

w/Kate Olson.

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CASCADE, Iowa (AP) – The number of organic farms in Iowa is growing rapidly, but they still constitute only a small percentage of farms in the state. Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that Iowa has seen a 42 percent increase in organic farms from 2008 to 2015. The state had more than 670 organic farms in 2015, which was less than 1 percent of the farms in the state.

Iowa Organic Association Managing Director Kate Mendenhall tells the Telegraph Herald that a growing demand for organic products is driving the increase in organic farms. Kim and Marvin Lynch had their Cascade dairy farm certified as organic in 2009. The couple had to stop using fertilizers, insecticides and synthetic herbicides for three years before becoming certified.

More women are now actively engaged in agriculture in Iowa and other states than ever before. A group of women who farm aims to start conversations about the food they grow and how to protect our land. Ashley Pool, spokeswoman for CommonGround, says they want to spread the message about what is being done on the farm and how they’re always thinking of conservation of precious resources, especially our water.

“We use a lot of conservation pools that the USDA and NRCS teams up with us, they help us to learn the new trends that are going on,” Pool says. “We also use cover crops. We like to keep our nutrients in the soil. We don’t like our organic matter to blow away.”

Pool says CommonGround stresses the importance of technology that maximizes production while conserving resources and protecting the environment.  “We are farm women. We are moms,” Pool says. “We are not going to put anything into the soil, put anything into feed that’s GMO-related. We are not going to do anything that will harm our family, our soil. We want this to last generations.”

The average American is now at least three generations removed from the farm. Back in 1920, before the Great Depression struck, one in three Americans worked and lived on farms and ranches. Today that number is about one in 50. Pool was raised in the city and says her transition to the farm has been an exciting adventure.  “Coming from the city, I just want you to know that we are thinking about cities, we are trying to produce jobs,” she says. “We are trying to make sure that this sustains our nation.”

The change from a rural, agricultural nation to one that is mostly urban and industrialized has been constant over the past century in Iowa and elsewhere. She says farmers are the best stewards of natural resources.

(Radio Iowa w/Thanks to Karla James)