Do you have a love for gardening, a desire to learn more about the world of gardening, and a commitment to being a positive part of your community? If so, the Master Gardener program may be right for you!! Master Gardeners are members of the local community who take an active interest in growing flowers, vegetables, fruits, shrubs, trees and lawns, and also have a desire to share their knowledge through education and community involvement.

Master Gardener trainees attend 40 hours of classes taught by Iowa State University Extension staff and specialists in topics ranging from lawn care, flower and vegetable gardening, ornamental trees and shrubs, fruit crops, and houseplants to insect, disease, and weed control, soil and plant nutrition, and pesticide safety.

In exchange for training, participants are asked to volunteer 40 hours of service to their local extension program. The service opportunities are wide-ranging. Master Gardeners answer telephone requests for gardening information, staff plant clinics or displays, speak to local groups, teach youth, provide horticulture therapy activities for the elderly, and supervise or judge county fair horticulture activities as judges or project coordinators. Cass County also has an active Master Gardener group that meets regularly to coordinate volunteer and educational opportunities for members.

Classes will be held at the Cass County Extension office, located at 805 W. 10^th Street in Atlantic. The first session will be Tuesday evening, September 6 from 6:30 to 9:30 pm, and will continue on consecutive Tuesday’s through November 1.  There will also be three Thursday evening sessions, and one Saturday in October will be spent on the ISU campus for hands-on training in the horticulture department.  The cost for the entire program, including reference materials and all training, is just $150 per person.

Registrations must be in the Cass County Extension office by August 30 to have materials available for the first training session. Persons interested in becoming a trained Master Gardener in Cass County are encouraged to contact the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass for information on signing up for the fall certification classes, or to learn more about Iowa Master Gardeners.

Do you want to learn how to preserve food but don’t know where to begin?　 Have you been canning for years but want to learn the latest recommendations? Food Preservation 101 will be offered, free of charge, on Thursday, September 1 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the ISU Extension office in Cass County, located at 805 W 10^th Street in Atlantic. The program will be presented by Barb Fuller, Nutrition and Health Program Specialist with ISU Extension. Topics covered will include canning, freezing and dehydrating food, as well as tips for keeping food safe.

In addition, free testing of pressure canner lids will be offered before the class, from 5:15 to 6 p.m. on the 1st. Only the lids need to be brought in for the testing, and those unable to attend may drop their lids off to be tested prior to this time. While there is not charge to attend the class, pre-registration is requested in order to have enough materials available.　 Please call the Cass Co. Extension Office at 712-243-1132 by August 31st to pre-register.

(Cass Co. Extension Press Release)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says much of the state is dry and in need of rain as the quality of the corn crop dipped slightly. Northey released his weekly crop report Monday saying corn was in 67 percent good to excellent condition, down slightly from last week and 1 percentage point behind the average. Soybeans were in 70 percent good to excellent condition.

Northey says the big issue for Iowa is the need for rain. Topsoil moisture was 46 percent short or very short with 52 percent adequate and 2 percent at a surplus. Subsoil moisture was 36 percent short or very short, 62 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus. Northey August is a critical month for soybean development and some timely rain would be beneficial.

While the flooding on the Missouri River has caused a lot of headaches for the people living there, an expert with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it looks like its going to be a good thing for the animals that live in the river. Southwest Iowa fisheries supervisor, Chris Larson, says the flooding is having a major impact on the habitat.

“It’s kind of a biological payday for us in fisheries because the fish have been restricted to the channel for almost 57 years, and now they have this huge expanse of area to live and reproduce and grow and things like that,” Larson explains. Larson says there was an effort to improve the habitat before the flooding, and this is an extra benefit.

He says they obviously did not want to see the river flood to such extent that it damaged human property and lives, but he says there will be a small benefit from shallow habitat areas created that weren’t here before. He says the floodwaters are teaming with life.

Larson says crews have been doing some sampling and they are seeing “young of year” fish species all over the flood plain that they have not seen in the past, especially above Omaha where the river has rarely been out of its banks. He says they are seeing “paddlefish and saugers and blue suckers and all different kinds of species that’re taking advantage of the smorgasbord of food that’s left out there for ’em.”

Larson says there should be a wealth of good new fishing in the area after the floodwaters finally recede Larson says he can’t think of any fish species that have not been found in the floodplain in their limited sampling. The floodwaters are expecting to continue recede through the month of August.

(Radio Iowa)

For the third year in a row, an Adams County man has captured a State Fair title for a prize winning bull. Jim Stalcup‘s 2,768 pound bull “Bubba“ won the Super Bull category at the fair. For Stalcup, of Prescott, it was not only his third win in a row, but his sixth overall. Stalcup will celebrate 60-years in the cattle business, in 2012.

“Bubba” the bull was about 1,000 pounds heavier than the average bull, and more than double the size of market-weight cows that go to slaughter. The six-year old beast eats about a bushel of corn each day, but during the recent heat wave, he ate less than half of that, and lost about 300-pounds.

Bubba has sired about 300 calves since he came of age, five-years ago. His reign as a bull among bulls will come to an end after the fair, when he is sent to his demise, and future as hamburger.

An Audubon County teen was named the second runner-up during the selection of the State Fair Queen title, Saturday night. Chelsea Nelson, the daughter of Dave and Trudy Nelson, of Exira, was a finalist in the contest. The second runner-up wins $700 in scholarship money and a $250 Jordan Creek Mall gift card.

The title of Fair Queen went to Paris Schnepf, of Granville, in O’Brien County, who won a $2,800 scholarship and $600 gift card to the Jordan Creek shopping mall. Her name will also be placed on a brick at the Riley Stage, on the State Fairgrounds.

Cassie Galm, of Spencer, in Clay County was named 1^st runner-up, and Kelsey Orr, of Sioux City, in Woodbury County, was the third runner-up for the title.

The winners were chosen from 101 county queens, and had spent several days with judges at the fair. Last year’s Iowa State Fair Queen, was Lacy Stevenson.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State environmental and agricultural officials are beginning to provide guidance to farmers who may have grain damaged by floodwaters along the Missouri River. Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture say the floodwaters came up slow enough that most farmers and businesses had time to move their grain. But they say grain that was left behind likely won’t be suitable for animal feed or human consumption. They say it can mold rapidly and contain toxins that are unsafe for livestock and wildlife.

Officials say owners must test the grain and submit a plan to the Iowa Department of Agriculture if they wish to salvage it. Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say few options exist for disposing of the grain because birds are especially sensitive to toxins in the grain.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Federal authorities are forecasting a 2011 Iowa corn harvest of 2.43 billion bushels, a figure that would match the Iowa record set in 2009. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says the estimate is based on Aug. 1 conditions. Last year, 2.15 billion bushels were harvested in Iowa. The area expected to be harvested for grain is up to 13.75 million acres, compared with 13.05 million acres in 2010. The expected yield for 2011 is 177 bushels an acre. That’s 12 bushels higher than last year’s production but 5 bushels under the record set in 2009.

Duffy tribute - Butter Sculpture

A massive sculpture made of more than 12-hundred (1,200) pounds of butter was unveiled this (Thursday) morning as part of the opening ceremonies for the 2011 Iowa State Fair in Des Moines. It’s located in the Ag Building near the famous life-sized butter cow which has now been part of the Fair for 100 years. The Fair’s “butter cow lady,” Sarah Pratt, also created the surprise sculpture which includes a cow and a young boy teaching a calf to nurse. It’s placed on a turntable so the entire sculpture rotates 360 degrees.

“Some people might know, but I’ll let out the secret, the other cow isn’t completely finished all the way around. It’s only finished on the parts that you can see from outside. So, I was excited to be able to do a sculpture that everyone could see from all sides,” Pratt said. The sculpture, located behind glass in a 42-degree cooler, pays tribute to Norma “Duffy” Lyon – who served as the Fair’s “butter cow lady” for 45 years. Lyon passed away earlier this year at the age of 81. Pratt says she was inspired by a story about how Norma met her husband Joe. Their first meeting involved a minor argument about Norma chasing a butterfly. The sculpture includes a young Norma Lyon with a butterfly in her hand.

“To me, it signifies her curious spirit and her love of all living things. But also, just that spirit that embodies the Fair of curiousity and learning and exploring,” Pratt said. “So, I hope when people are on the fairgrounds and they see a butterfly they might remember Norma.” The 34-year-old Pratt, who’s from Norwalk, learned the art of butter sculpting from Lyon and took over the role of the Fair’s “butter cow lady” in 2006. She spent three weeks working on the sculpture revealed this morning.

“Because it rotates and people can see it from all different angles, there was a lot of consideration taken into all the angles. And because it was all done in secrecy, it made it difficult to come outside and view the sculpture,” Pratt said. “Now that I can see it from outside, I think there are some things I might go in and fix up a little bit.” A long line of people stretched throughout the Ag Building this morning as fairgoers waited to see the butter cow and Pratt’s sculpture of Lyon.

(Radio Iowa)

w/ Kate Olsen

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