w/ Max Dirks

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa House has approved a measure that would allow expanded crossbow hunting of deer.  Lawmakers unanimously passed the bill Wednesday and it now moves to the Senate. The measure would let residents hunt deer using a crossbow during the late hunting season, from Dec. 17 to Jan. 10. They would not be required to purchase a separate crossbow hunting license.

Under current law, only muzzleloader and archery hunters can hunt deer during that season. But a physically disabled person incapable of shooting a bow and arrow can get a special crossbow license to hunt deer and turkey.

Department of Natural Resources spokesman Kevin Baskins says if the legislation passes he doesn’t expect an increase in crossbow hunters to significantly reduce the state’s deer population.

A meeting for previous, prospective or interested members of the Atlantic Farmer’s Market will be held this (Wednesday) evening, in the breakfast room at the Super 8 Motel, in Atlantic. Organizers of the Farmer’s Market will go over the rules, dates and other pertinent information pertaining to the selling of your locally grown produce. The meeting begins at 6-p.m.

If you have any questions, please call Kathee at 712-249-2758.

w/ Ric Hanson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.5MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A Cass County farmer selected as a winner in a seed company’s contest, has designated her winnings for two local organizations. Ruth Steffen, of Cumberland, was selected as a winner in America’s Farmers Grow Communities℠, sponsored by the Monsanto Fund. Grow Communities gives farmers the opportunity to win a $2,500 donation to direct to their favorite local nonprofit organizations. To further support counties that have been declared disaster areas due to drought by the U.S.D.A. winning farmers in these counties were able to direct double the donation, a total of $5,000 to further support the community. Cass County was declared a disaster area by the USDA, giving Steffen, the opportunity to place two $2,500 donations. She selected Atlantic Food Pantry and Cumberland Volunteer Fire Department.

A ceremonial presentation of the checks will take place 6-p.m. Saturday, March 30th, at the Cumberland Fire Department (216 Main St.).

Officials with Diamond Vogel Paint and Keep Iowa Beautiful (KIB) have announced the recipients of grant awards for the 2012 “Paint Iowa Beautifiul” (PIB) program. The program provides free paint to a wide variety of public service projects throughout Iowa.

Among the 2013 award winners is: the City of Bedford, for it’s Hotel Garland balcony and lobby project; The Page County Fair Board in Clarinda, for County Fair buildings; The French Icarian Colony Foundation in Corning, for its Communal dining hall; The Guthrie Center Revitalization Corporation received an award for its homes project, and the Guthrie County Fair and Extension received a PIB award for its County Fair Arena. In addition:the Onawa Chamber of Commerce won an award for its Highway entrance sign project, and the City of Shelby won for a “Paint Shelby Beautiful” house project.

The PIB program is designed to improve the attractiveness of Iowa’s communities and countryside. Keep Iowa Beautiful is a non-profit organization affiliated with Keep America Beautiful. The program includes litter reduction, public nuisance abatement and beautification programs. Diamond Vogel is an Iowa-based company which has partnered with KIB for the past 10-years to help build pride in communities. The company has contributed over 6,500 gallons of paint for various and numerous projects.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Farmers are filing a record $16 billion in crop insurance claims for 2012 because of widespread drought, and the staggering amount has critics calling for changes in the federal crop insurance program. Farmers buy crop insurance, but the federal government pays 62 percent of their premiums and picks up the tab for losses over a certain amount. One analyst estimates the federal tab for 2012 will come to about $11 billion.

It’s the second consecutive year of record crop insurance payments, with flooding and drought in 2011 followed by an even worse drought. The Federal Crop Insurance Corp. puts the total losses so far at $15.91 billion, with some claims still pending. That’s at least a 47 percent increase from the $10.8 billion in losses in 2011.

The Trustee in the bankruptcy case of a Portsmouth grain company reports that on Wednesday, March 20th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture mailed checks to producers who held warehouse receipts for stored grain at G & R Feed and Grain Co., Incorporated. Deborah L. Petersen says the Iowa Department of Agriculture continues to process claims for producers who sold grain to G & R for cash, or who sold grain on an unsigned contract and were not paid. The first batch of claims has been processed, and the second batch is in progress. Once the paperwork has been returned by the claimants and processed, checks will be issued within 2 – 3 weeks thereafter.

Petersen reports as well, that the bankruptcy case is progressing. She says the deadline for filing claims in the Bankruptcy is May 20th, 2013. If you have a claim for a deferred price contract, or other amount due you, you should take action to timely file a claim with the Bankruptcy Court.

Petersen is accepting proposals for auction of the facility and all equipment. Once an auctioneer is chosen, the Court’s approval will be sought and an auction scheduled. Letters have been sent out to collect all accounts due G & R.  Petersen says as Trustee, she is still seeking recovery of the proceeds for the grain delivered in December.

An environmental group used the first day of Spring Wednesday to push for more federal funding to help purchase private land to protect it from development. Amelia Schoeneman of Environment Iowa spoke at Gray’s Lake in Des Moines, calling for full funding of the federal “Land and Water Conservation Fund . Mark Ackelson, president of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, says the fund does more than preserve land. He said “The Land and Water Conservation Fund also funds wetland protection and restoration in Iowa.

The foundation in the process of buying land in the Loess Hills, and in central Iowa’s Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Ackelson says they are currently working on buying 840 acres at the Smith Refuge. Ackelson says “In the Loess Hills the National Parks Service identified 12 special landscape areas that constitute roughly a hundred thousand acres total. And those 12 sites are distributed along the seven counties along the Loess Hills in western Iowa.”

The cost of Iowa farmland was recently reported at an all-time high, but Ackelson says the cost of buying private land for conservation varies widely. He says they find a lot of landowners “Have a lot of conservation in their heart. And many times they are willing to donate as least a part of the value. That helps them offset some of the taxes that they may have due, but it also helps them perpetuate their family legacy as well.” So, he says “This really is a partnership.”

Ackelson says the federal money is paired with state money and private donations to make the land purchases. Iowa Senator Tom Harkin has introduced a bill to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Schoeneman urged Senator Chuck Grassley to do the same. Congress is expected to vote on funding levels for the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as the National Parks budget this week as a part of the 2014 fiscal year budget.

(Radio Iowa)