Bob Beebensee and DNR Conservation Officer Grant Gelle discuss happenings in the outdoors and conservation.

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With Iowa farmers coming off a third straight year of lower incomes, 2017 will require more belt-tightening. Persistently low prices for major commodity crops including corn and soybeans may inch up slightly in the new year, but Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says farmers are adjusting their strategies to ride out the slump.
“There’s much more of an emphasis on just getting by, making it to break-even, making sure that our business cash flows,” Hart says. “For a baseball analogy, we’re trying to hit a bunch of singles now rather than swinging for the fences and the home run.”

For some Corn Belt farmers, Hart says that may mean tipping to slightly more soybeans, while for others, it could affect their choice of seed or fertilizer-application decisions. Due to decreased revenue, the state may be forced to cut some services in 2017, in part due to the downturn in the ag economy. Hart says Iowa’s overall economy is sufficiently diverse to absorb some of the losses from farming.

“When you look at the other industries that are in Iowa, they’re actually doing fairly well right now, especially in comparison to agriculture, and they’re helping hold up, if you will, the economic activity throughout the state,” Hart says. “So, yeah, ag is big but it’s not big enough to necessarily drag everything else down with it.”

Good years as recently as 2012 and 2013 likely gave most farmers enough capital to make it through, but Hart says many will be focusing on how they can reduce expenses in the coming season.

(Radio Iowa, w/thanks to Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — A fast-growing weed that can devastate corn and soybean yields has resumed its march across Nebraska and other agriculture-heavy states. Palmer amaranth, long the scourge of cotton-growing states in the South, has been making its way north as seeds hitch rides on harvesting equipment or mingle with cotton seed hulls used for livestock feed.

The Lincoln Journal Star reports that new infestations of Palmer amaranth have been reported in Minnesota and Iowa. An Iowa State professor reported earlier this month that the plant has been confirmed in 49 Iowa counties.

Chemical weapons in the war against the weed have begun to fail as it quickly develops resistance. Many farmers have returned to more expensive means of control: hand weeding.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The head of Iowa’s agriculture department says the state is recovering from the loss of millions of laying hens caused by the 2015 bird flu outbreak. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says Iowa’s egg production in October was roughly 1.30 billion eggs, up more than 70 percent from the same time last year. The average number of laying hens on hand in October was roughly 53 million, up 55 percent from last year.

Recent federal data shows Iowa’s egg production was slightly down in November, though the number of laying hens on hand was slightly up. The 2015 bird flu outbreak resulted in the death of more than 30 million Iowa laying hens.

Northey says in an end-of-the-year news release that farmers continue to struggle with crop profitability, but agricultural exports remain strong.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced a new policy designed to allow farmers to take land out of a conservation program early if it is to be transferred to the next generation of farmers. Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary Lanon Baccam says beginning Jan. 9, the USDA will offer an early termination opportunity for certain Conservation Reserve Program contracts.

Baccam made the announcement at the Joe Dunn farm in central Iowa near Carlisle. Dunn is the father-in-law to Iowa native and former U.S. Marine Aaron White, who with his wife, are prospective next generation farmers. Baccam says the chance to give young farmers a better opportunity to succeed makes perfect sense.

Normally, early termination of a CRP contract requires repayment of all previous payments plus interest. The new policy waives this repayment if the land is transferred to a beginning farmer or rancher.

A federal court is siding with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and against environmental groups in a case that aimed to hasten water clean-up efforts. The Gulf Restoration Network and groups from Mississippi River watershed states argued the EPA needs to enforce more specific water quality standards. On appeal, a U.S. District Court ruled the Clean Water Act leaves that authority to the states.

Susan Heathcote, water program director for the Iowa Environmental Council, says the problem of cleaning up Iowa’s lakes and rivers is “the toughest problem we’ve ever tackled.” She says it’s going to take considerable public dollars and cooperation from both rural and urban Iowans. “This is a long-term investment that we have to make and it’s really an investment that we have to make for our children and our grandchildren because the nutrient levels are not going to go down overnight,” Heathcote says. “They didn’t come up overnight and they’re not going to go down overnight.”

Heathcote says the court ruling puts more pressure on local efforts. Heathcote says, “We know that increased leadership from EPA to enforce the Clean Water Act is probably less likely with the upcoming Trump administration, so we are looking at all of our options including new litigation.” Heathcote says the EPA has already settled a suit with the state of Missouri, agreeing to enforce standards for water quality in lakes there. She says now the challenge is to fund the needed landscape changes, like more conservation practices on farmland. She’s hopeful environmental, agricultural and public health groups can work together to pressure the legislature to fund more water quality projects.

(Radio Iowa)

Cass County/ISU Extension invites cattle producers to attend an educational program entitled “Improving Margins in the Cow-Calf Enterprise.” The program will be held at the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic, Jan. 5th, from 6-until 9-p.m. Pre-Registration is $20 if registration is completed by today (Dec. 29th), but you may pay at the door. The cost is $25 for walk-in’s, but there is no guarantee of a meal. To pre-register, call the Iowa Beef Center at 515-294-2333, Chris Clark at 712-769-2650, or e-mail beefcenter@iastate.edu, or caclark@iastate.edu.

Presenters at the event include Patrick Gunn, Extension Cow-Calf Specialist, and Chris Clark, Extension Beef Field Specialist. The program will cover controlling costs and careful marketing to maintain profits, and ways to reduce feed costs as well as improve revenue, from both cows and calves.

Cass County Conservation has teamed up with the Atlantic’s Orscheln’s store, to help feed the Trumpeter Swans (at the Schildberg Recreation Area, in Atlantic). From now until January 31st, you can buy a bag of Whole Cleaned Corn at the registers and Orscheln’s staff will put it aside for the Trumpeter Swans. Four bags fill the feeder.

And, don’t forget to join Cass County Conservation Staff at Atlantic’s Schildberg Recreation Area on Saturday, January 7th, 2017.  CCC Staff will be giving ten-minute presentations regarding the Trumpeter Swans every half-hour beginning at 11:00 a.m. with the last one being presented at 2:00 p.m.

The Schildberg Quarry is located on the northwest edge of Atlantic, on the north side of Highway 83.

IF THE WEATHER IS “BAD” OR THE SWANS ARE NOT AT THE QUARRY…the program will be held at the Atlantic Public Library from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with a light lunch available. The event is being sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the Atlantic Public Library.

A study finds suicide rates among farmers are the highest of any occupational group and the numbers have steadily risen since the Farm Crisis of the 1980s. Brandi Janssen, director of Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, says a federal study shows the suicide rates among farmers exceed rates in other high-risk populations, including veterans.

“They compared workers in the agricultural, forestry and fishing industries with all other occupations and they found suicides among agricultural populations were higher than any other occupational group,” Janssen says. “This was a big surprise to many people.” Janssen says most people think the 1980s had the highest rates of farmer suicide. However, using the numbers from the Centers for Disease Control, she found a 50-percent higher rate of suicides today than those tracked by the National Farm Medicine Center several decades ago.

“Rates were about 58 suicides for every 100,000 male farmers, that was in the 1980s,” Janssen says. “The rates that the CDC reported just this year among men in farming were 90 per 100,000. So they’re significantly higher than they were even at the time that we associate with the most economic stress and challenge in agriculture.” Janssen says there is no single cause for suicide, but it most typically occurs when there are stressors like economic challenges. There are things to watch for in your loved ones.

“Certainly, a change in behavior is sometimes a sign something is going on,” Janssen says. “People may become more emotional, maybe they are quicker or more irritable or they seem to look traditionally depressed, they seem down and sad or stop doing activities they like. There are often warning signs.” Janssen says there is more help available now than in the ’80s, and people should not be reluctant to seek it. One place is the Iowa Concern Hotline at 1-800-447-1985.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Concern Hotline is seeing a boost in calls from farmers and those who depend on agriculture-related businesses. Hotline director Margaret Van Ginkel says that sector of the economy was thriving just a couple of years ago, but three straight years of low commodity prices are pushing things in a different direction now. “We’re hearing some concerns from those smaller machinery businesses that are looking down the road to see how much that farmer might have to spend on machinery this year,” Van Ginkel says. “They could be having a tough year, too.”

Large equipment manufacturers are also feeling the pinch. Quad Cities-based Deere and Company has idled more than three-thousand workers since 2014. Van Ginkel says the Iowa Concern Hotline is not just for farmers, as counselors have been offering advice to anyone who asks for more than 30 years. Phone calls are free and confidential.  “Call and just talk with someone,” she says. “Sometimes, you just need get a few things off your chest and just get rid of some of that stress. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You can just call. You can be anonymous. You don’t have to give us your name.”

Van Ginkel says the economy is usually one of the main topics of discussion. She says they often hear from families who wonder how they’ll make their budget stretch if food prices and other costs continue to rise. The hotline was set up by the Iowa State University Extension to offer advice to farmers back in the mid-1980s. The hotline is open round-the-clock at 800-447-1985.

(Radio Iowa w/thanks to Pat Blank of Iowa Public Radio)