(Radio Iowa) –  The Iowa D-N-R says a sample from a road-kill deer in Marshal County has tested positive for Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). D-N-R biometrician, Tyler Harms, says it’s the first detection there and the 16th county overall in the state with the disease. Harms says the D-N-R will increase surveillance efforts in Marshall County to try and determine how widespread the disease might be by getting more samples from hunters.

The next step for counties that have a new case of C-W-D are informational meetings to makes residents aware of what this disease is. They also talk about ways to manage this disease like proper carcass disposal, and not doing things to artificially congregate deer like bait piles or mineral blocks.

The D-N-R has scheduled two meetings to update the public on chronic wasting disease surveillance and management efforts in Jasper, Marshall, and Grundy counties. They are scheduled for 7 p-m on August 29th at the Baxter Public Library, and October 10th at 7 p-m at the Wellsburg Memorial Building.

The 2023 Cass County Fair held it’s Grand Champion Beef selection on Monday night at the outdoor show ring. Morgan Will came away with the Overall Market Champion with her 1,487 pound purchased market steer. Morgan is a member of the Benton Franklin 4-H Club.

Reserve Market Champion went to Haidyn Suhr with her 1,368 pound purchased market steer. Suhr is a member of the Grant Guys and Gals 4-H Club.

Other big winners from the beef show were:

FFA Grand Champion Market Heifer: Graham Hagen
FFA Reserve Champion Market Heifer: Miraylie Stuart
FFA Grand Champion Market Steer: Brookelyn Steffen
FFA Reserve Champion Market Steer: Graham Hagen
4-H Grand Champion Market Heifer: Jake Wailes
4-H Reserve Champion Market Heifer: Holden DeVore
4-H Grand Champion Market Steer: Morgan Will
4-H Reserve Champion Market Steer: Haidyn Suhr

4-H Carcass Winners: Purple- Claire Pellett. Lavender-Callee Pellett
FFA Carcass Winners: Purple- Miraylie Stuart. Reserve: Natalie Boose

Watch the replay of the Grand Champion selection here:

(Radio Iowa) – The Nestle Purina Plant in Clinton is running at increased capacity after a 156 million dollar expansion of its production lines that upped its capacity for dog and cat food by roughly 80-thousand tons. Plant manager, Justin Wilkinson says another key addition was a technical training center for employees.  “As we continue to grow, and we continue to bring in newer associates, new members to our team, we needed to do a better job of teaching them how do we make pet food,” Wilkinson says. He says the nearly 575 employees are able to go to the center and use an ipad to call up a video to learn new information.

“They watch the video on how to how to do a certain set of tasks and so that area is blocked off and left open 24/7 for that, self learning time,” he says. Wilkinson the plant isn’t like the old days where workers stand shoulder to shoulder on an assembly line, as technology is a big part of the process. “Every operator has an iPad and they use that iPad to show how well we’re running, they’ve got a dashboard and so we can see hey, we’re running well or not running well,” he explains. “There’s still some manual pieces where we have to set things up, there’s still some manual pieces where we have to adjust things,but the extruder itself is very much you type in the settings and the control valves change if you want to put the right amount of water or different amount of steam or however, those things automatically do it.”

He says they do use some robots to stack the material on pallets as it is prepared for shipping. Wilkinson says some of the employees have been around long enough to remember when the process involved more manual labor. “They tell stories about having to hand stack 55 pounds of bags of dog Chow, onto a rail car, packing it to the roof, and we don’t do that anymore. And the robots we do have are to help stack those into pallets and get those to where we can automatically put those away,” he says. Wilkinson says they have used some Cobots that work closely with people in a few different areas — and that is one area they are interested in as they look at continuing to evolve and improve. The pet industry itself has evolved to where they also produce a lot of nutrition products for pets.

“An example of that is a product called Live Clear. We produce that here in Clinton, one of our specialties and the only spot we make it,” Wilkinson says. “So if you have an allergy to a cat, there is a product that you can feed the cat which helps reduce the dander which helps reduce your allergies.” He says it’s part of the changing way we look at pets. They were once animals that stayed outside, but are now welcomed into our homes.

“We have the culture that is rightfully, and it’s great to watch, treat them as a family member that is in the house and in the bed. And…we still have those products for those that have the farm dogs and throw the bag on the ground in the barn,” he says. The Clinton plant produces animal treats along with the dry food. Nestle Purina has another dry food factory in Davenport, and a plant that makes wet food in Fort Dodge.

DES MOINES, Iowa, July 31, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Matt Russell, today (Monday) announced that 46 Iowa Counties are now authorized for emergency haying or grazing use of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres for fiscal year 2023. The 26 counties approved for emergency haying or grazing include: Allamakee, Audubon, Benton, Buena Vista, Carroll, Cedar, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clarke, Clayton, Crawford, Decatur, Des Moines, Fremont, Henry, Humboldt, Ida, Jones, Louisa, Marion, Muscatine, Page, Pocahontas, Sac, Shelby, and Washington.

With 20 Iowa Counties restricted under Emergency Haying Criteria Based on Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) authorization: Appanoose, Cass, Davis, Harrison, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Lucas, Lyon, Mahaska, Mills, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Van Buren, Wapello, Wayne, Woodbury.

Counties are automatically approved for CRP emergency haying and grazing when they reach the D2 (severe drought) level on the U.S. Drought Monitor and are outside of the primary nesting season (May 15th through August 1st). Additionally, the 2018 farm bill also authorized counties with a documented 40-percent loss of forage production to be eligible for emergency haying and grazing. Local FSA County Committees can review forge loss data and make a recommendation to the Iowa FSA State Committee to authorize emergency haying and grazing.

A CRP participant must receive approval for emergency haying from their county FSA Office before any action is taken.  The emergency haying authorizations end on August 31, 2023. The emergency grazing period for these counties will end Sept. 30, 2023.  CRP participants are eligible to seek approval for either emergency haying or emergency grazing but cannot do both on the same acres.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is updated every Thursday and new counties may become eligible for emergency haying and grazing.  Participants in newly approved counties will need to sign up at their local FSA offices and get approval prior to completing any haying or grazing activity. USDA Director Matt Russell says “Eligible producers who are interested in emergency haying and grazing of CRP must request approval before haying and grazing eligible acreage and must obtain a modified conservation plan from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) that includes haying and grazing provisions.”

There will be no CRP annual rental payment reduction for 2023 emergency haying and grazing authorizations. CRP participants in counties not eligible for Emergency Haying and Grazing are eligible for Non-Emergency Haying and Grazing starting August 2nd.  CRP participants should check with their local FSA office to determine their eligibility and specifics.  They need to sign up and get approval from their local FSA office before any haying or grazing is started.

For more information and to request approval for emergency haying or grazing use of CRP acres, contact your local USDA Service Center.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The final, full day of fun at the 2023 Cass County Fair, on Monday, July 31st, features the Beef show at 8-a.m. One-hour after conclusion of morning beef show, there will be Beef Fitting Contest. At 9-a.m., the Best of Iowa contest begins.

All contestants for the Best of Iowa must select a recipe using an Iowa product or products as the main ingredient in this unique competition. The dish is prepared in front of a judge within a twenty-minute time restriction. Participants are assessed on the food preparation, the abundance of and application of Iowa product(s), and the finished product’s quality in a conversation-based judging once they have completed the dish.

In this 2023 contest lineup, there are sixteen contestants entered in three different categories depending on their 4-H grade they just completed. To round off the competition, three Senior 4-H members will compete by preparing a Family Favorite recipe that uses one or more homegrown Iowa product(s) to make the recipe healthier.

Again, this year, Clover Kids members will have a chance to participate in their own unique Best of Iowa exhibit! Sixteen members who have completed kindergarten through third grades will have the opportunity to demonstrate how to make a simple after-school snack utilizing Iowa ingredients. Clover Kids will have a Senior level 4-H member to assist and help with safety and kitchen skills.

Superintendent Tracy Marshall encourages the public to attend and support the 4-H’ers as they get imaginative with their Iowa-grown foods. Chairs will be set up to provide an audience area where the public can view the contestants as they cook and engage with judges. All finished products will be arranged on a tasting table, so the public can sample the 4-H member’s masterpieces after the judging is concluded.

Awards will be presented Monday afternoon, along with awards for several other contests, beginning at 4:00pm in the Cass County Community Center. Here’s the rest of Monday’s schedule at the Cass County Fair, and a look at what’s in-store for Tuesday:

11:00 A.M……………………………………..Rotary Watermelon Feed
9:00 A.M-12:00PM……………………………Cass County Cattlemen’s Kids Play Area
2:00 P.M………………………………………Dairy Cattle Show
4:00 P.M………………………………..……..Building Awards
5:45 P.M………………………….……………Parade of Champions/Bucket of Junk/Fundraising Auction
6:30 P.M………………………………………………….Grand Champion Beef Selection
7:45 P.M……..………………………………………Livestock Released
8:00 P.M. -9:00 PM……………………………Static Exhibits Released

TUESDAY, August 1
8:00 A.M……………………………………….Livestock Sale

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The next to last full day of activities at the 2023 Cass County Fair take place Sunday July 30th, here in Atlantic. Activities kick-off as early as 7:30-a.m., with the Swine Show. Antique Tractor Rides are being offered, beginning at 8:30-a.m. Those machines will be on display from Noon until 3-p.m., Sunday. The schedule of events also includes a Poultry Show at 10-a.m., and Decorator’s Showcase in the Community Center, from Noon- until 4-p.m.

The Decorator’s Showcase allows youth to decorate a room with their own individual style. Participants select coordinating textures and colors, the level of formality, or semi-formal looks and then put their selections into a display. Samples from books are used, they cut out pieces they like and designate that samples to be their wall, color, curtains, dresser table, or chair fabric. The samples are labeled and placed in a pop flat arranged completely by the youth.

Each member is allowed one hour for the contest, to complete their display. Senior members will be given a special decorating challenge. The challenge changes every year and is kept secret till the start of the contest, so they are granted an extra 30 minutes put together their exhibit. Intermediate members may select any room and must use a minimum of six samples of designs laid out for them to use during their hour. Junior members are tasked with decorating a bedroom and using a minimum of four different samples.

Local businesses have donated and loaned samples for 4-Hers to use, including wallpaper, paint chips, paneling, carpeting, upholstery fabrics, drapery, and curtain pieces. Awards for the contest will be handed out on Monday, July 31st at 4:00-pm in the Community Center. Be sure to stop by the Community Center to admire the creative handiwork of these young decorators!

The featured meal at the Food Stand on Sunday is a Windsor Chop!.

Here’s the rest of Sunday’s schedule:

1:00 P.M. ……………………………………..Pig Pals Show

2:30 P.M. ……………………………………..Pedal Tractor Pull

3:00 P.M. – 3:30 P.M………………….……….Feeder Calf Weigh-in

4:30 P.M………………………………………County Fair Church Service

5:30 P.M………………………………………Cow/Calf Show

6:00 P.M………………………………………Feeder Calf Show

6:30 P.M…………………….…………………Horse Fun Show

7:00 PM……………………………………….Golf Cart Races

A reminder: Carnival Rides are available from Noon until 10-p.m. each day of the fair (through Monday). The Commercial Buildings are open from Noon until 8-p.m. Each day of the Fair, with Bingo on Sunday from 2-until 5-p.m.

The Cass County Fair is FREE. There is no charge for admission, parking, exhibits or Grandstand entertainment! For more information, find a full fair schedule HERE.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  The Atlantic Chamber Ambassadors, Thursday, visited the Cass County Fair in Atlantic, to learn more about this week’s schedule of events, what the fair has to offer, and the community’s support.

Liz Denney, Fair Food Stand Superintendent and Fair board member, shared about what her different roles are around the fair, which are a year-long commitment. For 26 years, Denney has had the privilege of working in the 4-H Food stand, and she enjoys every moment of it. With the help of two other assistant superintendents, Mike McDermott and Derek Sanny, she helps out by lining up volunteers to run the food stand and explaining the different required duties. Denney also shared about the different lunch specials that the 4-H Food stand serves such as chicken & noodles on Friday, ham balls or lamb on Saturday, Windsor chops on Sunday, and a roast beef dinner on Monday.

Another important aspect that was shared was how important the community’s support to the food stand is, as it helps continue to keep the Cass County Fair free. The Cass County Fair is the only 100% free county fair in the state of Iowa, which is something that the Fair Board and others involved are proud of. The many contributions and generous support to keep the fair the best that it can be is deeply appreciated, as it also helps continue the great nightly entertainment. The different events that are going on include the daily livestock shows, a bull ride on Friday night, and tractor pull on Saturday night.

(Photo Courtesy Paige Jensen/Atlantic Chamber)

For more information about the Cass County Fair, visit their Facebook page, Cass County Fair – Iowa or call the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132. The Fairgrounds are located at 805 W 10th Street in Atlantic.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The 2023 Cass County Fair has a number of activities in-store for Saturday, July 29th, dubbed “Family Fun Day.” A Sheep Show kicks-off the events at 8-a.m. The rest of the schedule shapes up like this:

8:00 A.M. – 8:00 P.M…………………….…….4-H/FFA Exhibits Open

10:00 A.M……………………………………..Pet Show

11:00 A.M……………………………………..Meat Goat/Dairy Goat Show

12:00 P.M………………………………………Communication Events

1:00 P.M………………………….……………Youth Water Fights

The Exotic Creatures show take place at 1-, 3- and 5-p.m. Saturday and Sunday

3:00 P.M………………………………………Livestock Judging Contest

6:00 P.M………………….……………………Tractor Pull

The featured meal at the Food Stand, Saturday, is Ham balls or lamb.

The Clover Kids Animal Show at 10-a.m. allows youth to display their knowledge of animal care and handling. The Pet Show will be held at the north entrance of the Cass County Community Center, and includes a wide range of animals, from cats to mice and even llamas.

During Communication events at the Community Center, Saturday, 4-H members have an opportunity to share their knowledge and showcase their public speaking skills, in the areas of: Working Exhibits; Educational Presentations, and Extemporaneous Speaking.

Cass County 4-H and FFA members also have an opportunity to showcase their skills in evaluating livestock during the Livestock Judging Contest, Saturday. Registration will begin at 2:00pm underneath the FFA Food Stand’s awning, and the contest will start at 3:00pm at the Cass County Fairgrounds Outdoor Show Ring. Atlantic FFA advisor Eric Miller serves as superintendent, assisted by Coleen Babe.

Livestock categories judged will include breeding and market beef, breeding and market sheep, breeding and market swine, and breeding and market goats, in addition to knowledge-based questions regarding livestock judging.

Carnival Rides are available from Noon until 10-p.m. each day of the fair (through Monday). There’s mechanical bull riding all-day on Saturday. The Commercial Buildings are open from Noon until 8-p.m. Each day of the Fair, with Bingo on Saturday and Sunday from 2-until 5-p.m.

The Cass County Fair is FREE. There is no charge for admission, parking, exhibits or Grandstand entertainment! For more information, find a full fair schedule HERE.

(Radio Iowa)- A fire in northwest Iowa last night (Thursday) caused major damage at the site of Rembrandt Enterprises, an egg production facility north of Storm Lake. A total of 14 fire departments from four counties, as well as other agencies, responded to the scene near the town of Rembrandt. The first call was received at 6:18 Thursday evening, and the fire was extinguished a little over three hours later.

Fire crews remained on the scene for the next couple of hours dealing with hot spots and debris. Two facilities were completely destroyed, according to the Buena Vista County Emergency Management Coordinator. There were no injuries. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

City of Storm Lake Facebook page

The 2023 Cass County Fair got into full swing on Thursday night with the Little Miss/Mister and Queen and King contests. The event was moved to the outdoor show ring to provide some relief from the hot weather and a large crowd was on hand for the crowning.

10 queen candidates and four king candidates competed for the titles this year. The candidates went through some preliminary judging in both group and individual interviews. Judges also considered their leadership and involvement along with their communication skills. All four king candidates and the top four queen candidates were able to share a bit more about themselves at the event Thursday night and then answer a random question from their peers for final judging.

At the end of the night Natalie Behnken was crowned 2023 Queen and Dylan Comes was crowned 2023 King. Behnken is the daughter of Blaine and Kim Behnken and is a member of the C&M Champions 4-H club and CAM FFA. Comes is the son of Chad and Tresa Comes and is a member of the Atlantic FFA.

The Princess award went to Rio Johnson of the Grove H.O.T. 4-H club and Atlantic FFA. The Prince award went to Tristan Becker of the Union Leaders 4-H club and CAM FFA. Miss Congeniality went to Claire Pellett of the Pymosa 4-H Club and Atlantic FFA. Mr. Congeniality was awarded to Comes.

The Little Miss contest had 17 entrants and the Little Mister contest had 11 entrants. The Little Miss drawing was won by Eve Erickson and the Little Mister drawing winner was Milo Sager.

Watch the full KJANTV broadcast of the event below.