Following last weekend’s deaths of two ice fishermen who fell through the ice and into a frigid lake in southern Iowa’s Decatur County, Iowans are being warned to be extremely cautious on the ice. Ed Rotert, training officer for the Mount Ayr and Midwest Regional Dive Team, says this is a particularly bad time to be risking your life by walking onto a frozen lake or pond. “Right now, the ice looks thick but it’s rotted ice,” Rotert says. “We were breaking ice out there that was close to 4″ thick and it wouldn’t even hold us up.”

Forecasters call for high temperatures across parts of southern Iowa on Sunday in the low 40s. Rotert says the ice -may- be thick enough to be considered safe in some areas of Iowa, but certainly not all of them. “It’ll be different, lake to lake, depending on the size of the lake and whether it’s spring-fed or not,” he says. “Right now, with the warm weather we’ve been having, I would suggest nobody goes out on the ice.”

Should you decide to venture onto the ice, Rotert suggests you bring along a couple of ice picks, so if you do fall in, you can use the picks to pull yourself up and out.  “Ice fishermen can buy floatation coveralls,” he says. “Most importantly, if you’re going to walk out on the ice, take a one-inch pole, closet rod, anything like that, and as you walk, slam it into the ice. If it breaks through or fractures and starts to go through the ice, that ice is completely unsafe.”

Another tip, he says the darker the ice appears, the more thin it is likely to be. The bodies of the father and son were recovered at Little River Lake on Sunday after several hours of searching. Sixty-three-year-old David Adair and 33-year-old Joe Adair were both from Missouri. They were about 200 feet from the shore when the ice broke.

(Radio Iowa)

w/Max Dirks.

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Officials with ISU Extension say on Thursday, February 18th, Women, Land & Legacy of Southwest Iowa will be hosting a learning experience for the tastebuds. Participants will be inspired to grow fresh herbs and garden produce to incorporate into their own recipes after learning how Sauced, Red Oak’s newest restaurant, uses locally grown goods in their dishes.

The schedule for the evening includes the option to dine at Sauced, located on the southeast corner of the square at 322 E. Coolbaugh, by purchasing your own meal off the menu at 6:00 p.m. Beginning at 7:00, Sally Stoakes, the owner of Sauced, will present information about using a farm-to-table philosophy in her business. She will also introduce participants to a variety of herbs and talk about how to grow and use them at home.

Pre-registration is encouraged by Monday, February 15th by calling Iowa State University Extension & Outreach-Mills County at (712) 527-3316, Fremont County at (712) 374-2351, or Montgomery County at (712) 623-2592. Special accommodations may be requested by contacting these offices, as well. The cost is $5 per person, payable at the door. Proceeds will be used to offset the cost of the program. Menu items are available at their listed price.

Sauced just celebrated its grand opening in mid-January. The event is sponsored through a partnership of Fremont, Mills and Montgomery counties Farm Service Agency, Soil and Water Conservation District, Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, and Women, Land & Legacy of Southwest Iowa.

Women, Land & Legacy is committed to offering learning opportunities for rural women in areas such as business, management, agriculture and family.

(Press Release)

Confinement site manure applicators should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to maintain or renew their confinement site manure applicator certification. The Shelby County workshop will be offered on 2/9/2016 at 1:30 pm in Harlan at 906 6th Street.

“Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year certification period, or take and pass the exam once every three years,” said Dan Andersen, assistant professor, ISU Ag and Biosystems Engineering and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program. “If applicators fail to attend the two hours of continuing education each year, they will be required to pass a written exam to be eligible to recertify.” Each year nearly 200 confinement site applicators fail to attend training and must pass the remedial exam prior to being eligible to renew their certification for the following year.

The workshop serves as initial certification for those applicators that are not currently certified, recertification for those renewing licenses and as continuing education for those applicators in their second or third year of their license.

The 2016 Confinement site program will include rules for applicators as well as land-application requirements, update on inspections, what you need to know about nitrogen and phosphorus in manure, nitrogen inhibitors, and manure and hydrogen sulfide safety.

Operators must be certified to handle, transport, and apply manure if the confinement livestock operation has more than a 500 animal unit capacity unless the manure is applied by a commercial manure applicator. The certification fee is $100 for a three-year certificate. This fee is paid when applicators initially get certified and then every three years when they re-certify to apply manure.

Confinement site applicators are also required to pay an annual education fee of $25. All fees and application forms must be sent to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to complete certification requirements. ISU Extension and Outreach will charge a $10 fee to applicators choosing to view the certification materials on a non-scheduled reshow day at the county office. For this reason, all applicators are encouraged to attend the workshops or to plan to view training materials on the scheduled reshow date at their local county extension office. This fee will not apply to workshops or scheduled reshow dates. Please contact the county extension office to determine which days are scheduled for the manure applicator certification programs.

Applicators now have another option for certification; online certification, which an applicator can take their training on-line at DNR MAC eLearning site at https://elearning-dnr.iowa.gov/. The applicator will need to sign-in and get an A&A account. Applicators are encouraged to complete certification requirements annually prior to March 1 to meet certification deadlines and avoid being assessed a $12.50 late fee for re-certification.

For more information about meeting dates and locations, or to schedule an appointment to attend training, contact the ISU Extension – Shelby County office at 712-755-3104 or visit http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/certification/confinementsitebrochure.pdf to see the 2016 workshop schedule.

(Press Release)

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding Owl Prowl. The Owl Prowl will be held at the Pellett Memorial Woods outside of Atlantic, IA on February 13th 2016 at 7:30 PM. The CCCB invites you to come out for a great night hike, and all of the surprises nature may have in store.  Drive the short drive and hike off that dinner! You’ll hike and try to call in various species of Owls that may be in the park that night! All ages welcome! The event is FREE. Dress for the weather. All ages are welcome!

w/Kate Olson.

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DES MOINES, IOWA— Seven Atlantic FFA members attended 31st Annual Legislative Symposium at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates and the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines to build character and promote citizenship, volunteerism, and patriotism.

Atlantic FFA members with IA (R) Gov. Terry Branstad.

FFA members Alexis Boes, Cale Pellett, Carly Westphalen, Clayton Saeugling, Haley Carlson, Heather Freund, and Josh Rossell along with 350 high school students wearing blue corduroy from more than 50 schools flooded the Iowa State Capitol Building in Des Moines on January 26. These members exhibited skills learned in the agriculture classroom and learn the importance of citizenship. This is all part of the 31st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol.

At the beginning of the morning session, FFA members heard from leaders in the agriculture industry at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. Libby Crimmings of the World Food Prize addressed students about the future of Iowa agriculture and the importance of being involved with statewide issues.

FFA members then had a tour of the tunnels that connect the Capital and other state offices.

Atlantic FFA members w/Rep. Tom Moore

Atlantic FFA members visited with Senator Tom Shipley and Representative Tom Moore. Senator Shipley discussed the value of being an FFA member and talked about his experiences in high school agriculture and the FFA. Representative Moore talked about the new experience he is having as he was just elected to his office. Both men also discussed the importance of education and agriculture to Iowa. Haley Carlson said, “Spending the day visiting with our legislators is an honor.

Atlantic FFA members w/Sen. Shipley

We had the chance to bring up issues that relate to us and speak for the Iowa FFA Association and Agriculture Education.”

The FFA members also had an opportunity to hear remarks from Governor Terry Branstad about the importance young agriculturalists can play in the legislative process. Governor Branstad also signed the FFA Week Proclamation, declaring February 20-27, the week of President George Washington’s Birthday, FFA Week in Iowa. The proclamation signing took place during a special ceremony at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates following legislative visits at the Iowa State Capitol Building. Alexis Boes said, “The Legislative Symposium was full of interesting information and facts and I also got to meet all sorts of new people.”

The 31st Annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium and FFA Day at the Capitol is made possible with support from Iowa Farm Bureau Federation through the Iowa FFA Foundation.

Are you looking for something to bring your family together to learn teamwork, improve communication, and have fun while cooking and eating good food? Iowa State University Extension and Outreach—Montgomery County is pleased to offer a new program called Food, Family and Fun! Sponsored in part due to grant funding from Boost 4 Families, this program is geared towards families with children aged 5-18.

Families will get together with program instructors and volunteers once a month for six months to prepare healthy meals through hands-on cooking experiences. Families will also receive parenting resources and participate in activities that will focus on communication, teamwork, relationships, and health and nutrition. At the end of each session, families will take a meal home with them to freeze or eat later in the week.

There are two locations for Food, Family and Fun—Red Oak High School and Southwest Valley Middle School in Villisca. Sessions are planned to start on February 10th and 11th. Families can pay $50 for the program in either one lump sum or $10 at each session.

Registration is limited due to space, so sign up TODAY! Families need to fill out the registration form found in the brochure at www.extension.iastate.edu/montgomery.

Questions about the program? Contact Stephanie Langner, Montgomery County Extension Program Coordinator at 712.623.2592 or slangner@iastate.edu .

(Press Release)

Farmers! Are the youth you hire for summer work certified to drive tractors for you? The Shelby county/ISU Extension and Outreach office will be conducting a Tractor Safety Certification course for youth between the ages of 13-16. This certification is required by Iowa law for 14-17 year olds who will be operating a tractor over 20hp for neighbors or relatives.

At the six week course, participants will learn how to operate a tractor safely, safety on the road, tractor controls and maintenance, how to avoid other farm accidents and other pertinent information. The course will be held at the Shelby County Extension office at 906 6th Street in Harlan. Classes will run each Monday beginning Feb. 29th through April 4th, with the driving test on Saturday April 9th. Classes begin at 6:30 and will end at 9:00pm.

The cost is $50 and checks should be made payable to Shelby County Extension and Outreach. Registration forms are available at the Shelby County Extension office and are to be returned by Feb. 22nd. Interested persons may also call the Shelby County Extension office at (712)755-3104 and a registration form will be mailed to them.

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources say a man was injured Sunday afternoon during an accidental shooting in Guthrie County. 33-year old Jeremy Cooper, of Bagley, was injured at around 1-p.m., while target shooting at the Bays Branch shooting range near Panora.

Authorities say Cooper was target practicing with his .17 caliber rifle  when the wind blew his paper target off the stand at the 50-yard berm. He had left his gun propped on some sandbags on the shooting bench and walked down to fix the target. While he was trying to rehang his target, the gun fell off the sandbags and fired with bullet hitting his left arm, passing through and also hitting him in his left upper torso.

Cooper was transported by ambulance to Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.