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Urban trout stocking set to begin

Ag/Outdoor, News, Sports

October 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

A truck with a tank full of trout will start making the rounds to 17 ponds across the state Friday, including 1-p.m. at Big Lake, in Council Bluffs. Iowa Department of Natural Resources regional fisheries supervisor, Mike Steuck, says it’s the start of the annual program where they stock urban ponds with the trout. “At a minimum it’ll be 15-hundred fish, and it’ll be a combination of rainbow trout and brook trout. And they will all be about 10 to 12 inches or so,” Steuck says.730_fishing_trout2

He says the trout are sort of a bait to get people to seek out more fishing. Steuck works out of northeast Iowa. He says you may’ve seen people fly fishing for trout in waders, but he says that’s not necessary and you can use regular fishing gear.

He says you can catch them with a hook and bobber just like you would bluegills. Steuck says anything flashy you can put on your line will attract the trout. Steuck says the lakes and ponds appear to be ready for the stocking. You need to have a valid fishing license and pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout.

Children age 15 or younger can fish for trout with an adult who has a license. They are limited to one trout daily. The child can purchase a trout fee which will allow them to catch their own limit.

(Radio Iowa)

Youth Pheasant Hunt Oct. 24th in Cass County

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 8th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County chapter of Pheasants Forever will hold a youth pheasant hunt on Saturday, October 24th.  The event is open to youth who have completed hunter safety training. The hunt will take place in the morning from 8-a.m. until Noon.

Pheasants 4 everParticipants will be provided a box of either 12 or 20 gauge ammunition.  If there are youth that would like to attend but do not have a shotgun, the chapter will provide one. Parent or guardians of youth who want to participate need to contact Becky Dreager, Cass County PF Youth Coordinator prior to October 22nd at 712-249-5130.

The youth will need to meet members of the chapter at the Atlantic Hy-Vee parking lot at 8-a.m..

Harvest moves ahead with dry weather

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 6th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey says the latest U-S-D-A crop report shows good progress in the harvest. According to Northey, “Last week we had five percent of the corn, seven percent of the beans out. Now we’re up to 13 percent of the corn — 32 percent of the soybeans.”  Northey says he’s hearing good things about yields.

“It’s gonna vary every place, but certainly in some areas of north-west and north-central Iowa we’re seeing 60-bushel soybeans where sometimes those are normally 50-bushel soybeans. Certainly corn in a lot of places over 200 bushels (an acre) in place that don’t always get that,” according to Northey. “We are going to have other parts of Iowa that are not going to have their best crop, but in some of these areas, that’s the best crop they’ve harvested.”

The corn harvest is 10 days ahead of last year, but eight days behind average. The soybean harvest is one week ahead of last year, but one day behind average. He expects thing to move forward quite a bit this week. “If we get a good week this week and dodge some moisture in the middle of the week, we’ll be moving along real good,” Northey says.

He says the crop appears to be pretty dry. There have been some concerns about the beans not being dry enough. “Stems are a little damp in some places, so it makes it a little hard to harvest. It takes a lot of power to get those damp stems through the combine, but with good yields, you’ll certainly take that,” Northey says.

Northey farms corn and beans near Spirit Lake.

(Radio Iowa)

The “Hunters of the Wild” Halloween Hike

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 5th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Conservation Board invites you to enjoy the 23rd biannual Halloween Hike, on Saturday, October 24th, as you follow a trail where your “Hunt in the Wild” will start. The event begins at 7:00 p.m., with small groups departing from the Camblin Addition of Sunnyside Park every ten minutes.

Kids twelve and under are encouraged to arrive early to get their faces painted. The last group will depart at 8:10 p.m. and all hikers are welcome to enjoy free tasty treats and warm drinks after their hike. It is NOT the intent of the staff to scare or frighten anyone, but rather to educate and entertain people of all ages.images

Pre-registration is required for this FREE event, so call 712-769-2372 or email lkanning@casscoia.us to make your reservations. If you leave a message please leave name, phone number, how many is in your group and what time you wish to depart on the hike.

The Conservation Dept. is also looking for volunteers to help make the event a success. The hike is sponsored by the Cass County Conservation Board.

Trumpeter Swan Contest time in Cass County

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 5th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

It’s that time of year for the Cass County Conservation Board to ask you…”When do you think the first Trumpeter Swan will arrive at the Schildberg Quarry?” You can call in your prediction (by November 11th) to the Conservation Board at 712-769-2372, leave a message and return phone number if the staff are not in.

Duplicate dates will not be allowed. For example, if a caller predicts November 25th, no one else will be allowed to predict that arrival date. Again, you can call anytime until November 11th to make your prediction. One prediction per family, please. The sponsors of thw contest will determine the official arrival of the swans. The winner will receive a Trumpeter Swan 8×10 print from the Cass County Conservation Board.

The contest is for Cass County residents only. swan

Trumpeter Swans have visited the Schildberg Quarry for, at least, seventeen out of the last eighteen winters. Arrival and departure dates of the swans have been as follows:
1997/1998 December 18 – January 2
1998/1999 Nothing on record
1999/2000 December 25 – February 15
2000/2001 November 23 – March 6
2001/2002 December 25 – February 24
2002/2003 November 23 – March 15
2003/2004 November 26 – March 21
2004/2005 November 25 – March 18
2005/2006 November 17 – March 5
2006/2007 October 30 – March 9
2007/2008 November 22- February 14
2008/2009 November 18- March 12
2009-2010 November 19 – January 5
2010-2011 November 5 – February 10
2011/2012 November 17 – February 21
2012/2013 November 24– March 4
2013/2014 November 12- April 7
2014/2015 November 11- April 6

Two livestock industry leaders retire

Ag/Outdoor

October 5th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Two executives from Iowa’s livestock industry retired after a combined 80 plus years working in the state. The executive director of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, Rich Degner, and his wife, Nancy Degner, the executive director of the Iowa Beef Industry Council put in their last day in the jobs last Wednesday. Both started their careers in Plymouth County — Nancy was a home economics teacher in Le Mars and Rich was a Vocational Agriculture instructor at Rock Valley. Both Degners says they faced many rewarding times, but also some challenges as they touted beer and pork in Iowa and across the country. Nancy says negative news about the beef industry in the media was one of the challenges.

“One really huge one was the e-coli incident out in Washington with the Jack-in-the-Box. When people got sick and died after eating a hamburger that was contaminated with e-coli,” Degner says. “That sent shock waves through our industry and cause concerns with consumers about the safety of beef.” Other beef industry issues during her career included the detection of “mad cow disease”, and three years ago, when some national news media outlets referred to finely textured ground beef as “pink slime”.

Degner says the beef industry has only recently been able to recover from those setbacks. Rich Degner says a challenge he faced was when the pork industry was evolving from the smaller sized producer to the commercial size operations we see today. He says as a result of that change, society dictated the pork industry follow additional environmental government regulations and be more aware of quality assurance.

“I tell people we have this license to operate — which are the regulations that the state of Iowa requires — and then we also have to have a license to basically be able to market our hogs,” Degner says. Both industries saw demand increase with use of check-off program funds to create the “Beef, Its What’s For Dinner” campaign and the “Pork: The Other White Meat” campaign. Rich Degner says one of the big successes for his industry is the Pork Tent at the Iowa State Fair. It’s almost a standard requirement of presidential candidates to stop by the tent and grill some pork chops as part of their campaign.

“Ever since the Iowa Pork Tent opened in 1981, this country has had a president who has been at the Iowa Pork Tent,” Degner says. “And that was an unexpected benefit of creating the Iowa Pork Tent. And it has been really enjoyable for me to watch that and what has occurred over time.” Now that they are retired from touting the benefits of pork and beef, Rich Degner says he wants to pursue doctorate degree. Nancy says she doesn’t have any specific plans, but hopes that she and her husband can enjoy some traveling.

(Radio Iowa)

New version of CRP offers farmers grassland grazing option

Ag/Outdoor

October 5th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

Iowa farmers who agree to use sustainable grazing practices may be eligible to take part in the updated Conservation Reserve Program, or C-R-P, for grasslands. Katie Olthoff, spokeswoman for the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, explains how the familiar program has been switched up. “This program is a change to the federal CRP,” Olthoff says. “It now includes a grasslands program nationally. That means farmers can use their grasslands areas for grazing, as long as they agree to certain conservation practices on that land.”

Farmers who are interested can sign up immediately. “You can participate by applying at your local FSA office,” she says. “The application period is open right now through November 20th, but there will be more application periods after that.” While the C-R-P has been around for years, this is the first time the new extension has been around.

“The CRP Grasslands program was created in the 2014 Farm Bill but there have been some changes just this summer in the July 2015 edition of the Federal Register, so this is the first time it’s been available for Iowa’s farmers.” Learn more about the program at the Iowa Cattlemen’s website. www.iacattlemen.org

(Radio Iowa)

Sioux City looking to develop riverfront RV campsite

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 4th, 2015 by Ric Hanson

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City officials are looking to develop a recreational vehicle campsite along the Missouri River in one of two parks on the city’s east side. The Sioux City Journal reports that it would be the first campground of its kind in Sioux City.

Parks and Recreation Director Matt Salvatore said Friday that the project was first identified by the City Council three or four years ago, and his department “is finally getting somewhere to bring that forward.”

On Monday, the City Council will be asked to approve a $72,340 contract with a consulting group to analyze which park — Chris Larsen Park or Bacon Creek Park — would be most suitable for an RV campground.

Man injured during deer stand fall near Lucas

Ag/Outdoor, Sports

October 3rd, 2015 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa DNR say a Slater man suffered a broken ankle after falling while setting up a tree stand Friday afternoon in Stephens State Forest near Lucas. 42-year old Derek A. Kahler was putting up the tree stand and accidentally cut through the strap holding the stand in place while he was cutting branches shortly before 3 p.m. He fell 16-feet and had not yet attached his safety harness. Kahler was transported by ambulance to Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines where he was being treated for the non-life threatening injury.

According to Allen Crouse, a recreational safety officer for the Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources, setting up tree stands can be a potentially dangerous situation for hunters. He says “It is important that hunters are wearing proper restraints even when they are setting up their tree stands.”

Crouse said hunters need to check the straps being used to secure tree stands to make sure they are strong enough to hold the hunter and stand in place. He said hunters should also double check straps for any damage that may cause them to break, particularly if the straps have been left outside and could have been weakened by being exposed to the elements over time.

USDA awards $35 million in local food, farmers market grants

Ag/Outdoor, News

October 2nd, 2015 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $35 million in federal grants to support farmers markets and other local farm programs.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Friday the distribution of funds allocated in last year’s farm bill to hundreds of local food marketing programs. Iowa farmers market promotion grants include $97,000 for Fort Dodge, $61,000 for Belmond and $35,000 for Creston.

The North Iowa Fresh food hub in Belmond gets nearly $100,000 to expand. The Nebraska Food Cooperative in Belgrade receives nearly $100,000 to develop and promote a local food supply network. The USDA says purchases of locally-produced food have reached nearly $12 billion as farmers increase direct sales to local grocers, institutions and restaurants. The number of farmers markets has surged to more than 8,500 from 5,200 in 2009.