Iowa NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94 Iowa Wed, 28 Apr 2021 13:53:50 +0000 https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Jonathan Ahl Midwest states including Missouri, Iowa and Illinois are updating the way they teach farmers to safely use pesticides, with the goals of making it easier for them to get the training and to keep the process under state control. In Missouri, such training usually happened through in-person classes that included watching videos so old they are on VHS tapes. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/state-agriculture-departments-look-update-pesticide-training 972 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:47:27 +0000 State Agriculture Departments Look To Update Pesticide Training Dana Cronin Last month, the Illinois Department of Agriculture opened applications for its second annual Fall Covers for Spring Savings Program -- which provides a crop insurance discount for each acre of cover crop a farmer plants. It filled up in less than 24 hours. “It's just really amazing that the 50,000 acres sold out on day one and that there was this huge demand of close to 200,000 acres by the end of the sign-up period,” says Kris Reynolds , Midwest Director of the American Farmland Trust, which helped get the program up and running in Illinois two years ago. Cover crops provide a myriad of benefits -- from protecting surrounding waterways to improving soil health and preventing weeds. And the first year of Illinois’ cover crop program kept the carbon equivalent of 5,000 cars off the road and 4,000 truckloads of sediment out of waterways, according to Liz Moran Stelk , executive director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance. But many farmers are reluctant to plant cover crops due to the https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/more-farmers-are-planting-cover-crops-thanks-state-incentive-programs 962 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 29 Jan 2021 19:27:06 +0000 More Farmers Are Planting Cover Crops Thanks To State Incentive Programs Dana Cronin Hemp is a hard crop to grow -- just ask Jay Kata. “We were filthy and we were dirty and we were sweaty and it sucked and it was hot and it was miserable,” says Kata, who helps run 4M Farms in southeast Iowa. So it was all the more heartbreaking when Kata and his colleagues had to burn it all down because it didn’t meet the federal tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) threshold. “I have a newborn baby, so I spent all summer, instead of playing with her, I was weeding a field,” says Kata. “And after all that, it’s like, that's cool, just going to light that on fire.” Hemp production was legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill, and while it left regulation up to individual states, it did mandate that compliant hemp test at or below 0.3% THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. Kata’s crop tested twice the legal limit. And he wasn’t alone. About 13% of Iowa’s hemp crop came in above the legal limit. In Missouri, it was about 9%. Growing pains Many of the challenges farmers faced this year can be https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/midwest-hemp-still-getting-its-footing-growers-aren-t-giving-yet 952 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Sat, 19 Dec 2020 00:52:56 +0000 Midwest Hemp Is Still Getting Its Footing, But Growers Aren’t Giving Up Yet Amy Mayer After harsh and frequent criticism from animal rights activists and environmentalists, many farmers and people who work in agriculture launched an effort to tell their stories to the broader public. A decade on, this effort has worked through several themes. With a new president coming, ag messaging may change again. But let’s begin back in 2013 when, fresh off Barack Obama’s re-election, agriculture groups were hitting their storytelling stride. The United Nations had given them a convenient factoid: by 2050, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimated the world’s population would be at least 9 billion. “When we take a look at the planet going from 7 billion people to 9 billion people over the next 20 to 25 years, obviously the need to increase food production’s very, very important, ” said Mike Vande Logt, a plant breeder who at the time was with the seed company WinField. His sentiment echoed the messages from other agribusinesses, commodity check-off groups and farm bureaus. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/feed-9-billion-trade-not-aid-farmers-will-likely-reinvent-themselves-again 953 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 18 Dec 2020 22:03:17 +0000 From 'Feed The 9 Billion' To 'Trade Not Aid', Farmers Will Likely Reinvent Themselves Again Amy Mayer Zack Smith pats the snout of a pig that stretches up to greet him from inside the back pen of a mobile barn. On this field, Smith planted alternating sections of corn and pasture, to test an experiment he calls “stock cropping.” “This is our answer for putting diversification and multiple species back on the land,” he says. “And we’re going to have a four-ring circus, was my idea, of animals parading through, grazing and laying their manure down.” https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/iowa-farmer-invents-cluster-cluck-5000-bring-livestock-back-crop-fields 933 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 23 Oct 2020 15:03:07 +0000 Iowa Farmer Invents 'Cluster Cluck 5000' To Bring Livestock Back To Crop Fields Amy Mayer Farmers are wrapping up the harvest in much of the Corn Belt and finally seeing how much they can get out of derecho-damaged fields. The August windstorm slammed 3.6 million acres of corn in Iowa alone, leaving some stalks almost flat on the ground and many others standing with a pronounced tilt. At the time, agronomists said the angle of damage would influence whether the grain could be harvested and they couldn’t predict how much the injured plants would yield. Now many of those farmers have answers, but they vary so much that Ben Hollingshead, an agronomist with Key Cooperative in Kelly, Iowa, says there’s no general takeaway. “Some hybrids, some combines, some of them didn’t do too bad,” he said. “Some of it they might have only got half of it picked up, some of it did a little better--was it the hybrid, the technique? They kind of got what they got. There’s an infinite number of variables. Some of it they were able to get two-thirds of it.” He says any claims about what worked https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farmers-see-wildly-different-yields-derecho-damaged-corn-fields 931 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 19 Oct 2020 20:16:32 +0000 Farmers See Wildly Different Yields In Derecho-Damaged Corn Fields Amy Mayer A propane tank painted to look like a watermelon sits in front of a produce stand on Highway 150 in Fayette County, Iowa. Its long-time owner, Atrus (Attie) Stepp, who was Black, launched Fayette’s annual Watermelon Days festival in 1976. “Everybody’s got good things to say about Attie,” said Charles Downs, who runs the stand now. Downs, who is white, bought the stand from Stepp’s daughter, ending the family’s long legacy. “Conservatively, I’d say it’s been here 80 years, at least, and it’s probably... maybe a hundred,” Downs said. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/why-are-there-so-few-black-farmers-midwest 928 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 16 Oct 2020 17:45:26 +0000 Why Are There So Few Black Farmers In The Midwest? Amy Mayer As the new school year gets underway, some students are in classrooms and others are at home but one thing is now clear: all kids can get free school meals. That’s because the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees the National School Lunch Program , the School Breakfast Program and the Summer Food Service Program , has extended the pandemic provisions it introduced last spring, which include eliminating the requirement that families apply for reduced-fees or free meals. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/autumn-uncertainties-more-kids-can-rely-free-school-lunches 914 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 16 Sep 2020 19:32:26 +0000 In An Autumn Of Uncertainties, More Kids Can Rely On Free School Lunches Seth Bodine Algal blooms in bodies of water often caused by runoff of manure and fertilizer on crop lands have a high price tag. An economic analysis by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group found that 22 states have spent more than $1 billion altogether since 2010. Kansas, Iowa and Texas are among the states that have spent millions clearing the algae. Of the Midwestern states in the study, Iowa has spent the most — more than $40 million across six sites since 2010. Anne Schechinger, a senior economic analyst for EWG, says algae is often treated with chemicals that can cost thousands of dollars and don’t always work. “So a lot of times people will apply the chemicals and then the next year the algal bloom is back again in the same water body,” Schechinger says. “So it’s really expensive because it’s a hard problem to fix.” Blue-green algae can be toxic and cause harm to animals and those that drink it — but instances of it are typically infrequent. Marley Beem, an Oklahoma State University https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/across-midwest-clearing-algal-blooms-nutrient-runoff-has-high-price-tag 902 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 28 Aug 2020 21:10:25 +0000 Across Midwest, Clearing Algal Blooms From Nutrient Runoff Has High Price Tag Amy Mayer Sitting on a deck at the home of a colleague in Ames, Harvard University biology professor Scott Edwards identifies robins by their call and says the particular tone suggests something is amiss—perhaps a mother bird protecting her little ones. Edwards, who studies birds and evolution, is bicycling across the country from east to west and marking his passage between regions by the birds he encounters. “I remember when I finally figured out that I was hearing this bird called a dickcissel. It’s very common in the prairie states,” he said. “And it’s great because we don’t get them in Massachusetts. And it was fun to say, hey, I’ve actually moved—I’ve gone to a new place, because this is a species that I wouldn’t normally encounter.” Edwards says he’s dreamed for a long time of biking across the country and this spring he finally decided to do it. Originally, he hoped to raise awareness about the low numbers of minorities in science, technology, engineering and math. But then the country https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/cyclist-comes-through-midwest-cross-country-ride-raise-awareness-about-blm-minorities-stem 882 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 09 Jul 2020 18:27:27 +0000 Cyclist Comes Through Midwest On Cross-Country Ride To Raise Awareness About BLM, Minorities In STEM Amy Mayer A new analysis of drinking water systems shows communities in five Midwest states have legal but potentially worrying levels of nitrates. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) found nitrate levels in Iowa , Illinois , Kansas , and Oklahoma are trending up. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/farm-states-still-struggling-polluted-drinking-water 878 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 24 Jun 2020 18:50:59 +0000 Farm States Still Struggling With Polluted Drinking Water Amy Mayer At the edge of a corn field on a clear but windy June day, microbiologist Tom Moorman lifts a metal lid and reveals a collection of bottles, tubes, meters and cables in a shallow pit. The system is designed to capture runoff from 24 plots. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/we-have-one-earth-researchers-work-boost-farm-production-without-causing-more-harm 876 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 19 Jun 2020 16:05:22 +0000 'We have one Earth': Researchers Work To Boost Farm Production Without Causing More Harm Amy Mayer This pandemic spring has changed some pathways of getting food to hungry people, but there’s still plenty being donated and distributed to meet the increased need. West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee, with stores in eight states, often makes donations to food banks, says Christina Gayman, director of public relations. But right now, many of its suppliers have approached the chain for help distributing their surplus. “They know that we have either the food bank contacts or the media contacts to share this information in local communities,” Gayman says. So, Hy-Vee acts as a conduit between the wholesalers and consumers or food banks. Hy-Vee has arranged contact-less distribution of mangoes, carrots and bananas in several communities. It also coordinated a 40,000-pound donation of watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe to the Food Bank of Iowa. Director Michelle Book says the food pantries that receive donations from the Food Bank are grateful. “It is not difficult for us to find a home for https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/how-pandemic-inspired-new-ways-get-food-those-need 866 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Mon, 25 May 2020 09:00:00 +0000 How The Pandemic Inspired New Ways To Get Food To Those In Need Pat Blank Many dairy farmers have struggled in recent years, causing some to rethink their business. One dairy in Iowa is inviting visitors to spend the night in the barn. It’s fairly easy to find a bed and breakfast somewhere in Iowa that’s housed in a former dairy barn, but New Day Dairy GuestBarn may be one of the very few where you can actually spend the night in a guest room at a working farm overlooking the cows. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/these-iowa-farmers-are-offering-weekend-getaways-their-dairy-barn 833 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 06 Mar 2020 17:13:39 +0000 These Iowa Farmers Are Offering Weekend Getaways In Their Dairy Barn Amy Mayer Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa conducted a 10-year study on the conservation benefits of planting cereal rye as a cover crop on corn and soybean fields. Their results show the practice improves soil health. The cover crop may cause a slight dip in yields the first year or two, but that can be overcome and eventually small increases in soybean yields may occur. The two agricultural non-profit groups use farmer-to-farmer education and on-farm field tests to expand growers’ understanding of different practices. The participants in this study agreed to plant strips of cereal rye as a cover crop on their corn and soybean fields, leaving neighboring areas without it. Liz Ripley, conservation and cover crop outreach specialist with Iowa Learning Farms, says after working out some kinks the first couple of years, the results were so positive it was hard to keep farmers in the study. “In the strips that had the cover crops, they didn’t see the level of erosion, right next https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/decade-long-study-finds-cover-crops-help-farmers-improve-soil 832 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 04 Mar 2020 18:46:39 +0000 A Decade-Long Study Finds Cover Crops Help Farmers Improve Soil Amy Mayer After the day’s meals are done on a recent Tuesday, Gilbert Community Schools director of food service Deb Purcell shuffles through a stack of papers. Gilbert, a town north of Ames in central Iowa, serves about 1400-1600 meals a day. “This is what I do, planning for a week,” Purcell says pointing to columns on a page. “And there's actually seven pages minimum that go with each day.” She’s counting cups of vegetables and documenting other details about every meal she’s served to comply with stringent federal rules. Her job could soon get easier. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/kids-have-been-chowing-down-healthier-school-meals-adults-may-change-rules 831 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Fri, 28 Feb 2020 19:10:07 +0000 Kids Have Been Chowing Down On Healthier School Meals But Adults May Change The Rules Christina Stella Brett Adams, who farms near the town of Peru in southeast Nebraska, takes the good news where he can get it these days. After nearly a year, the floodwater is mostly gone from his riverside farmland. Adams is on the local levee board, which manages the town’s nearly 8 miles of Missouri riverbed. And the (unpaid) work keeps him very busy: he was on a call when I first climbed into his pickup, apologetically holding a finger up every so often. After hanging up, he said he can’t afford to miss a call. Somebody might be on the other end bearing good news. “Farming was the easy part, and it seems like I don't get to do the farming part much anymore,” he said. We drove past the soaked and stubbly remains of 2018’s crop, and tools—once assumed lost—caked in the mud. After a few minutes, we reached the blown out levee that once kept the Missouri River away from his parents' house. Now a small river snakes its way through Adams’ property into a 45-foot deep pond where the last of the water https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/new-flood-season-nears-some-towns-still-cant-pay-fix-damages-2019 821 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Wed, 22 Jan 2020 16:10:38 +0000 As A New Flood Season Nears, Some Towns Still Can't Pay To Fix Damages From 2019 Amy Mayer A much-anticipated update to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement is one step closer to implementation. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, voted 25-3 to approve the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. Two Republicans and one Democrat cast the "no" votes. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/new-trade-deal-us-mexico-and-canada-clears-another-hurdle 816 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 07 Jan 2020 21:44:48 +0000 New Trade Deal For U.S., Mexico And Canada Clears Another Hurdle Amy Mayer People are eating a lot of meat, both in the U.S. and around the world, and that could be good news for the cattle sector in 2020. Things are looking up for pork, too. Lee Schulz, a livestock economist at Iowa State University, says there’s typically a 9 to 14 year cycle for beef production. At the current point in that cycle, heading into year six, he says the number of cattle should be leveling-off, which would mean farmers and ranchers would get lower prices for their beef. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/beef-and-pork-producers-2019-wasnt-bad-it-could-have-been 814 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Thu, 26 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000 For Beef And Pork Producers, 2019 Wasn't As Bad As It Could Have Been Amy Mayer Food pantry use is up in many Midwest communities, despite a reasonably strong economy and low unemployment rate. There can be several reasons for the increased need for free food. https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org/post/food-pantries-strain-serve-more-people 812 as https://www.harvestpublicmedia.org Tue, 24 Dec 2019 10:00:00 +0000 Food Pantries Strain To Serve More People