Area News March 10,2010

CENTRAL IOWA

BOONE . STORY . MARSHALL . DALLAS . POLK . JASPER . MADISON . WARREN . MARION

IOWA FARM BUREAU SPOKESMAN MARCH 10, 2010

4-H members help make packaged meals with Meals from the Heartland at Hope Lutheran Church in Des Moines. The meals are bound for Haiti.

Members from Jefferson-Lee Jades 4-H Club joined hundreds of other 4-H’ers from across Iowa at the ISU women’s basketball game in Ames. PHOTOS

COURTESY OF MADISON COUNTY.

Jefferson-Lee Jade 4-H Club notesBY AVERY LANGHOLZSUBMITTED BY MADISON

The Jefferson-Lee Jades 4-H Club has had a very busy week. It started out on Saturday, Feb. 20, with our club meeting. After our regular busi-ness there were seven presentations given. Kaytlyn and Zach Ernst pre-sented on cribbage, Charles Howell presented on how to make gak, Casey Jamison and Olivia Vasey presented on fat cats, Shelby Tipling and Ol-ivia Vasey presented on the history of Sponge Bob, Tori Smiley and Libby Nible presented on how to train and show your dog, Burke Suckow read the club a story, and Reid Hoppes presented on what to put in a winter survival kit.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, nine mem-bers and several adults helped make packaged meals with Meals from the Heartland at Hope Lutheran Church in Des Moines. We wore aprons, gloves and hair nets as we fi lled bags with rice, dried vegetables, soy and vitamins. The bags were sealed and boxed. The meals we made are bound for Haiti.

Finally on Saturday, Feb. 27,

members from JLJ joined hundreds of other 4-H’ers from across the state of Iowa at the ISU women’s basket-ball game in Ames. Each person who registered received a green ISU/4-H shirt, a wonderful pork burger meal

and the chance to see an exciting basketball game. The ISU women played well and won the game.

Avery Langholz serves as report-er for the Jefferson-Lee Jades 4-H Club.

FARM FAMILYFAVORITES

Barbecue Beef CupsAnnette Waller, LaMotte (Dubuque County)

1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained

1/2 c. barbecue sauce of your choice

1 egg, beaten1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded2 (10-oz. ea.) tubes of refriger-

ated buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine egg, barbecue sauce and ground beef. Separate biscuits and press them into the bottom and sides of sprayed muffi n pan cups. Spoon beef mixture into each cup. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

St. Patrick’s CookiesMary Kilburg, Bellevue (Jackson County)

2 egg whites1/8 tsp. cream of tartar1/8 tsp. salt1/8 tsp. peppermint extract

1 c. sugarGreen food coloring1 (6 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff. Add salt and extract. Gradually add sugar and beat until thick. Add food coloring (to the shade of green you want) and chocolate chips. Drop by spoonful on parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes. Turn off oven and leave cookies in the oven until they have completely cooled.

Broccoli Cheese SoupAnn Recker, Dyersville (Dubuque County)

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli2 Tbsp. onion, chopped1 can chicken broth3 Tbsp. butter, melted3 Tbsp. flour

2 c. milk1 c. American cheese, grated1/2 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper

Cook broccoli with onion in chicken broth until tender. Do not drain. In a separate pan, blend in butter and fl our. Stir in milk. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese and heat until melted. Add the broccoli mixture and simmer 10-15 minutes.

‘Ready, Set, Retire’ workshop plannedSUBMITTED BY BOONE

If you’re looking forward to retir-ing sometime in the next fi ve to 10 years, now is the time to start prepar-ing fi nancially and in other ways as well. “Ready, Set, Retire,” a free half-day workshop on Saturday morning, March 20, in Fort Dodge, is designed to help make sure you have the infor-mation you need as you prepare for retirement.

Each participant in the workshop will be able to attend three work-shops between 9 and noon. A total of eight topics will be offered, with four in each one-hour time slot (some top-ics are offered more than once). The

annual event is sponsored by ISU Ex-tension, Elderbridge Area Agency on Aging and Iowa Central Community College.

Workshops address a variety of questions, such as: Am I fi nancial-ly prepared for retirement? When should I start drawing on Social Se-curity and how does that work?

Topics include: “Social Security - The Most Frequently Asked Ques-tions;” “Investing During Retire-ment;” “Long Term Care Insurance;” “Understanding Medicare and Medi-care Supplement Insurance Policies;” “Medicaid Eligibility for Nursing Home Care - How Does It Work?;”

Putting Your Legal Affairs in Order;” and “Welcome to Retirement - a Simulation of Retirement Expenses.” For more information, contact Elder-bridge at (515) 955-5244 or (800) 543-3280, or ISU Extension at (515) 576-2119.

No pre-registration is required, and “Ready, Set, Retire” is free. Par-ticipants are encouraged to come 10-15 minutes early to check in and to determine which sessions to attend. The workshop begins at 9 a.m. at the Applied Science and Technology Building of Iowa Central Commu-nity College (formerly the Voc-Tech Building).

The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than signup deadlines for previous years so producers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) computes DCP pay-ments using base acres and payment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct advance pay-

ments based on 22 percent of the di-rect payment rate for each commod-ity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance payments for the 2010 program year. Counter-cy-clical payment rates vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are issued under the DCP program and are only when the effec-tive price (which takes into account the direct payment rate, market price and loan rate) for a commodity is be-low its target price.

More information on DCP and ACRE is available at local FSA of-fi ces and in the DCP and ACRE sec-tions on the FSA’s Web site at www.usda.gov.

Signup deadline is June 1 for USDA

programs

EAST IOWA


TAMA . BENTON . LINN . JONES . JACKSON . POWESHIEK . IOWA . JOHNSON . CEDAR . CLINTON . SCOTT
















FB presents children’s theatre

Jones County Farm Bureau members, left to right, Judy McNamara, “Bessy”; Darren Stadtmueller, “Sammy Soya”; Darrick Hall, “Farmer Foodstuff”; Dan Rickels, “Oatsy”; Garry Zumbach, “Mr. Corn”; and Grace Zimmerman, “Fanny Farmer,” presented a short program about agricul-ture for grade school children at Carpenter Elementary in Monticello on March 2. The presentation titled “Farmer Foodstuff” introduced each character who informed the children about the farmer’s role in planting and harvesting of grain for food and the importance of raising dairy cows for milk products. PHOTO COURTESY OF JONES COUNTY.

‘Stretching Your Grocery Dollar’

Food Check-Out Week is now in its 12th year. This year’s theme was “Stretching Your Grocery Dollar with Healthy, Nutritious Food.” Iowa’s farm families are committed to providing consumers with a variety of safe, wholesome and affordable food options. As part of Tama County Farm Bureau’s participation, a said amount was used to help consumers pay for some of their groceries. On Feb. 24, Pat Oettchen, Tama Coun-ty Farm Bureau Women’s chairwoman and public relations committee member, spent time at the Hometown Foods Grocery Store in Gladbrook where the county helped nine consumers by paying for their food items. Pictured is Brent Beichley of Gladbrook with Pat Oettchen. Beichely is one of those who benefi ted from this event. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAMA COUNTY.

Iowa Small Business Development Centers present

succession planning workshops SUBMITTED BY LINN

Workshops provide information, resources and hands-on assistance to business owners on how to plan for passing their businesses on to family, employees or outside buy-ers.

The Iowa Small Business De-velopment Centers are leading a public/private partnership effort to educate small business owners on how to have successful business transitions.

Many of Iowa’s small businesses have no established plan of suc-cession. Of the more than 100,000 small businesses in Iowa, more than 25 percent are owned and operated by people 55 and older, more than 10 percent are operated by people 65 or older and almost 600 are owned by people 80 and older.

Put Success in Succession work-shops across the State of Iowa will offer business owners timely in-formation, local and statewide re-sources, and hands-on assistance on how to plan for the transition of ownership of their business.

Upcoming workshops are avail-able in our region: Waterloo - March 30; and Cedar Rapids-May 26.

Topics covered at these work-shops include: selling a business to family, employees or outside buy-ers; successful strategies and land-mines; assembling a team and the succession process; buying/selling motivation and issues; legal, tax and fi nancial considerations; panel discussions with local experts and resources.

Understanding business succes-sion and the importance of planning is essential to sustaining the wealth of a business and the value of that business in our communities. Busi-ness owners at any stage of succes-sion planning, or those who want an understanding of the process for the future, are encouraged to attend these succession workshops.

Barriers to succession planning

for business owners include con-fi dentiality, family dynamics, no clear successor, not knowing where to start and who can help. Busi-ness succession planning can take a minimum of a year, and usually two to six years or more. Because of these barriers, many business owners start too late.

Workshop cost is $75 for up to four people from one company. This fee includes a meal and re-source guide for all attendees. Reg-istration, specifi c locations, times and more information is all avail-able at www.iowasbdc.org/busi-nesssuccession.aspx.

The Iowa Small Business Devel-opment Center program is an out-

reach unit of Iowa State Universi-ty’s College of Business. Partially funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the organization has 15 regional business assistance centers located strategically across the state.

Since program inception in 1981, the organization has provided ex-pert, confi dential business coun-seling and affordable, practical training workshops to hundreds of thousands of Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs.

For more information on Iowa Small Business Development Cen-ter programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org.

Sign-up deadline is June 1 for USDA programs

The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than sign-up dead-lines for previous years so produc-ers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) computes DCP pay-ments using base acres and payment

yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regard-less of market prices.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct advance payments based on 22 percent of the direct payment rate for each com-modity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance pay-ments for the 2010 program year. Counter-cyclical payment rates

vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are is-sued under the DCP program and are only when the effective price (which takes into account the direct payment rate, market price and loan rate) for a commodity is below its target price.

More information on DCP and ACRE is available at local FSA offi ces and in the DCP and ACRE sections on the FSA’s Web site at www.usda.gov.

NORTH IOWA


MITCHELL . HOWARD . FLOYD . CHICKASAW . BUTLER . BREMER . GRUNDY . BLACK HAWK
















Developing policy

Farm Bureau Policy Development Week is March 9-12. Region 5 kicked off the process last week at the Norman Borlaug Learning Center near Nashua. About 30 Policy Development Committee members from Bremer, Butler, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy and Mitchell counties attended. County committees were provided a checklist of activities to consider in assisting in their planning for a successful policy development process. Pictured, from left, are Floyd County members Wayne Koehler, offi ce assistant Tonya Rosol, Chuck Souder and Jim Frisbie. PHOTO/RANDY HEITZ

Signup deadline is June 1 for USDA programs

The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than signup deadlines for previous years so pro-ducers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) computes DCP payments using base acres and pay-

ment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct pay-ments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct advance payments based on 22 percent of the direct payment rate for each commodity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance payments for the 2010 program year. Counter-

cyclical payment rates vary depend-ing on market prices. Counter-cycli-cal payments are issued under the DCP program and are only when the effective price (which takes into ac-count the direct payment rate, mar-ket price and loan rate) for a com-modity is below its target price.

More information on DCP and ACRE is available at local FSA of-fi ces and in the DCP and ACRE sec-tions on the FSA’s Web site at www.usda.gov.

Annual meeting to highlight farm research and grain marketing

SUBMITTED BY CHICKASAW, HOWARD

ISU Extension experts will high-light research results and grain mar-keting strategies on March 17 at the 2010 annual program and meeting of the Northeast Iowa Ag Experi-mental Association (NEIAEA).

The morning program runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon and will feature three speakers. Chad Hart, ISU ag economist, will discuss the lat-est assessments and predictions regarding grain markets and mar-keting tips. Ken Pecinovsky, ISU Research Farm superintendent, will review the farm research results from 2009. Dr. John Lawrence will

share his views of the future of ISU Extension and the ISU Research and Demonstration Farms. In Feb-ruary, Lawrence was named the as-sociate dean of the College of Ag and Life Sciences and director of Ag and Natural Resources Exten-sion.

The 2009 Research Farm Re-port with current results on fungi-cide and insecticide trials, planting dates, rates and row widths, tillage and crop rotation systems will be available.

The program is free and open to the public. Following a Dutch-treat lunch, the NEIAEA Board of Directors will meet at 1 p.m.

At the annual meeting, NEIAEA members conduct business for the association-owned farm, including election of offi cers and board of di-rectors appointments.

The program and meeting will take place at the Borlaug Learn-ing Center on the Northeast ISU Research Farm, just southwest of Nashua. Directions: From Nashua at the junction of Highway 218 and County Road B60, go west 1.1 miles to Windfall Avenue, then south 1 mile to 290th Street, then east 0.2 miles to the farm. For more information about the event, call the Borlaug Learning Center at (641) 435-4864.

Join Practical Farmers of Iowa for spring farminars

SUBMITTED BY HOWARDPractical Farmers of Iowa is ex-

cited to announce its spring lineup of online webinars, or farminars. This series of farminars, which be-gan March 2, will have a “Fishbowl” theme — you listen and learn while experienced farmers answer begin-ning farmers’ questions on pastured poultry, vegetable production and raising grass-fed beef. To register and participate in the farminars, visit www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar.

Farminar technology fosters learn-ing and networking online, allowing viewers to participate from any loca-tion that has a computer and Internet access. Practical Farmers of Iowa hosted 12 farminars last fall and this winter. These farminars have been watched by more than 2,000 people from across the United States.

Practical Farmers of Iowa spring farminars are:

• Tuesday, March 16, 7-8:30 p.m., Beginner Fishbowl — “Veg-etable Marketing”

Farmer Susan Jutz, ZJ Farms, raises vegetables and lambs on her farm near Solon. She provides more than 300 families with vegetables and herbs through a multi-producer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that has been in op-eration since 1996. Listen in as she answers questions posed by begin-ning farmer Chris Corbin of Ames, and learn about marketing tech-niques she fi nds to be effective.

• Tuesday, March 23, 7-8:30 p.m., Beginner Fishbowl — “Grass-Fed Beef”

Doug Gunnink raises grass-fed beef at Dutch Mill Farms in Minne-sota. He runs the Gunnink Forage Institute and educates people on a national level how to successfully raise grass-fi nished beef. Dave Schmidt is an Iowa native turned Californian who is moving back to begin grazing cattle near Garwin. Listen in as they talk about grass-fed beef production and setting up a system for the beginning grazier.

Did you miss the fall and winter farminar series? All archived farmi-nars are available online at www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar.

Practical Farmers of Iowa’s spring 2010 farminars are made possible by funding from the Ceres Foundation, the Wallace Genetic Foundation, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and indi-vidual donors to Practical Farmers of Iowa’s Next Generation Cam-paign.

Practical Farmers of Iowa in-cludes a diverse group of farmers and non-farmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle and hay are the top en-terprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other op-erations, including fruits and veg-etables. PFI’s programming stress-es farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstra-tion, fi eld days, conferences and more. For more information, call (515) 232-5661 or visit www.prac-ticalfarmers.org.

NORTH CENTRAL IOWA


KOSSUTH . WINNEBAGO . WORTH . HANCOCK . CERRO GORDO . HUMBOLDT . WRIGHT . FRANKLIN . WEBSTER . HAMILTON . HARDIN
















‘Don’t Cap Our Future’

A reception with legislators at the State Historical Building in downtown Des Moines was held Tuesday, Feb. 23, as part of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) Policy Information Confer-ence. Farm Bureau leaders presented John Moreland, aide to Sen. Harkin, with a cap promoting the “Don’t Cap Our Future” campaign. Farm Bureau leaders signed the caps to show their disap-proval of the climate and energy legislation called Cap and Trade. Pictured (from left) are Mike Coleman (Humboldt), Jeff Berkland (Palo Alto), John Moreland, Dan Chism (Palo Alto), Larry Alliger (Webster) and Vance Bauer (Webster). PHOTO COURTESY OF HUMBOLDT AND WEBSTER COUNTIES.

Shown above, from left, are Ron Buse (Calhoun), Gary Zhorne (Pocahontas), John Moreland, Lon Tweeten, (Wright), Troy Watne (Wright) and Kevin Poen (Calhoun). PHOTO COURTESY OF WRIGHT

COUNTY.


The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than sign-up dead-lines for previous years so producers are encouraged to mark their calen-dars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agricul-ture (USDA) computes DCP pay-ments using base acres and payment

yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regard-less of market prices.





Managing tough times: Refund Anticipation LoansSUBMITTED BY WINNEBAGO

“It’s tax season, and tax prepar-ers may invite you to get a ‘Refund Anticipation Loan’ or ‘RAL’ — a loan borrowed against your expect-ed tax refund,” says Brenda Schmitt, ISU Extension program specialist.

A “Refund Anticipation Loan” is a very short-term loan, arranged by a tax preparer and secured by your expected tax refund. You pay fi nance charges and tax-preparation fees. The loan is repaid when the IRS sends your full refund to the lending bank.

Refund anticipation loans are expensive. According to a 2009 re-port by the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer Law Center, consumers paid over $833 million in loan fees on RALs in 2007. The average loan costs include a $34 to $130 loan fee and admin-istrative or application fees that can range from $25 to hundreds of dol-lars. With all costs and fees, the APR (annual percentage rate) for RALs varies from 50 percent to 1,300 per-cent! That’s a bad bargain for an “ad-vance” of just a few days.

Refund anticipation loans encour-

age fraud. A 2008 IRS study found that RAL fi lings were 27 percent to 36 percent more likely to be non-compliant than were returns without a loan.

Consumers need to ask tough questions:

“How much will I pay for the loan?” The typical RAL fi nance charge for a $3,000 refund is $62-$110, or a 77-140 percent APR. Those costs can double or triple with additional fees for tax preparation, electronic fi ling or check-cashing.

“What does the fee buy me?” An RAL gets your refund to you in 1-4 days, compared to just 7-10 days for an ordinary electronic refund deposit to your bank.

IRS data shows that nearly one in 15 taxpayers took out an RAL in 2007. Two-thirds of these were low-income workers or Earned Income Tax Credit recipients (EITC) who can receive free tax assistance. Free Tax Preparation and E-Filing is avail-able at the following locations:

• Hancock County Extension of-fi ce, by appointment only — (641) 923-2856; March 15

• Winnebago County Extension offi ce, by appointment only — (641) 584-2261; Thompson — March 22; Lake Mills — March 17

• Cerro Gordo County Extension — every Tuesday, 4:30-7:30 walk-in, no appointment needed

For more information about Re-fund Anticipation Loans, contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division. Call (515) 281-5926, or (888) 777-4590 toll-free.

For more information on deal-ing with tough economic times, visit your local Extension offi ce or check out ISU Extensions Manag-ing in Tough Times Web site, www.extension.iastate.edu/toughtimes, or the www.eXtension.org Web site, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Iowa Concern Hotline offers 24-hour confi dential assistance for those dealing with stress, fi nancial concerns and legal questions. They can be reached by calling 1-800-447-1985. These resources can help you fi nd reliable resources backed by research when you are forced to make hard choices during tough economic times.

NORTH EAST IOWA


WINNESHIEK . ALLAMAKEE . FAYETTE . CLAYTON . BUCHANAN . DELAWARE . DUBUQUE



The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than signup deadlines for previous years so pro-ducers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) computes DCP payments using base acres and pay-

ment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct pay-ments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices.





Great Strides to hold Used Tack and

Clothing SaleSUBMITTED BY WINNESHIEK

Great Strides of Northeast Iowa will hold its fourth annual Used Tack and Clothing Sale on Saturday, March 20, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Community Building on the Winneshiek County Fairgrounds, Decorah. Anyone is invited to sell their equine-related items on con-signment for 15 percent commis-sion. The public is invited to come and shop for great deals.

A good selection of items is ex-pected, including saddles, tack, clothing, and 50-plus pairs of boots. A lunch stand will be available all day. Proceeds will benefi t therapeu-

tic horseback riding opportunities for people with disabilities.

Those wishing to sell their items should bring them at 8:30 a.m. the day of the sale so they can be registered and tagged. You will need to pick up your money and/or unsold items by 5 p.m. Any items that are not picked up become property of Great Strides of Northeast Iowa. Organizers are offer-ing sellers the opportunity to obtain a consignment packet prior to the day of the sale so that items can be tagged ahead of time.

For more information, call (563) 539-2741, (563) 238-8811 or (563) 382-6012.

Meeting to highlight farm research and grain marketing

SUBMITTED BY BUCHANAN, CLAYTON, FAYETTE

ISU Extension experts will high-light research results and grain mar-keting strategies on March 17 at the 2010 annual program and meeting of the Northeast Iowa Ag Experi-mental Association (NEIAEA).

The morning program runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon and will feature three speakers. Chad Hart, ISU ag economist, will discuss the latest assessments and predictions re-garding grain markets and market-ing tips. Ken Pecinovsky, ISU Re-search Farm superintendant, will review the farm research results from 2009. Dr. John Lawrence

will share his views of the future of ISU Extension and the ISU Re-search & Demonstration Farms. In February, Lawrence was named the associate dean of the College of Ag and Life Sciences and direc-tor of Ag and Natural Resources Extension.

The 2009 Research Farm report with current results on fungicide and insecticide trials, planting dates, rates and row widths, tillage and crop rotation systems will be available.

The program is free and open to the public. Following a Dutch-treat lunch, the NEIAEA board of direc-tors will meet at 1 p.m. At the an-

nual meeting, NEIAEA members conduct business for the associa-tion-owned farm, including elec-tion of offi cers and board of direc-tors appointments.

The program and meeting will take place at the Borlaug Learn-ing Center on the Northeast ISU Research Farm, just southwest of Nashua. Directions: From Nashua at the Junction of Highway 218 and County Road B60, go west 1.1 miles to Windfall Avenue, then south 1 mile to 290th Street, then east 0.2 miles to the farm.

For more information about the event, call the Borlaug Learning Center at (641) 435-4864.

Join Practical Farmers of Iowa for spring farminars

BY SALLY WORLEYSUBMITTED BY CLAYTON, FAYETTE

Practical Farmers of Iowa is ex-cited to announce its spring lineup of online webinars, or farminars. This series of farminars, which be-ing March 2, will have a “Fishbowl” theme: You listen and learn while experienced farmers answer begin-ning farmers’ questions on pastured poultry, vegetable production and raising grass-fed beef. To register and participate in the farminars, visit www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar.

Farminar technology fosters learn-ing and networking online, allowing viewers to participate from any loca-tion that has a computer and Internet access. Practical Farmers of Iowa hosted 12 farminars last fall and this winter. These farminars have been watched by over 2,000 people from across the United States.

Remaining Practical Farmers of Iowa spring farminars are:

Tuesday, March 16, 7-8:30 p.m., Beginner Fishbowl - Vegetable

Marketing. Farmer Susan Jutz, ZJ Farms, raises vegetables and lambs on her farm near Solon, Iowa. She provides more than 300 families with vegetables and herbs through a multi-producer Community Sup-ported Agriculture (CSA) program that has been in operation since 1996. Listen in as she answers questions posed by beginning farmer Chris Corbin of Ames, and learn about marketing techniques she fi nds to be effective.

Tuesday, March 23, 7-8:30 p.m., Beginner Fishbowl - Grass-Fed Beef. Doug Gunnink raises grass-fed beef at Dutch Mill Farms in Minnesota. He runs the Gunnink Forage Institute and educates people on a national level how to successfully raise grass-fi nished beef. Dave Schmidt is an Iowa native turned Californian who is moving back to begin grazing cattle near Garwin, Iowa. Listen in as they talk about grass-fed beef production and setting up a system for the begin-ning grazier.

Did you miss the fall and winter

farminar series? All archived farmi-nars are available online at www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar.

Practical Farmers of Iowa’s spring 2010 farminars are made possible by funding from the Ceres Foundation, the Wallace Genetic Foundation, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and indi-vidual donors to Practical Farmers of Iowa’s Next Generation Cam-paign.

Practical Farmers of Iowa in-cludes a diverse group of farmers and non-farmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle and hay are the top en-terprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other op-erations, including fruits and veg-etables. PFI’s programming stress-es farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstra-tion, fi eld days, conferences and more. For more information, call (515) 232-5661 or visit www.prac-ticalfarmers.org.

Worley is with the Practical Farmers of Iowa.















NORTH WEST IOWA


LYON . OSCEOLA . DICKINSON . EMMET . SIOUX . O’BRIEN . CLAY . PALO ALTO . PLYMOUTH . CHEROKEEBUENA VISTA . POCAHONTAS . WOODBURY . IDA . SAC . CALHOUN . MONONA . CRAWFORD . CARROLL . GREENE



1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained1/2 c. barbecue sauce of your choice

1 egg, beaten1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded2 (10-oz. ea.) tubes of refriger-ated buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine egg, barbe-cue sauce and ground beef. Separate biscuits and press them into the bottom and sides of sprayed muffi n pan cups. Spoon beef mixture into each cup. Top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.









FB donates to Burgess Health Center Foundation

Monona County Farm Bureau made a generous donation of $1,000 to the Burgess Health Center Foundation to help with renovations to the hospital kitchen. Farm Bureau Board President Troy Hadden presented the check to Fran Tramp and Shirley Bruegger. Also present was Vincent Willey, Monona County Farm Bureau director. PHOTO

COURTESY OF MONONA COUNTY.


The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Pro-gram. The June 1 date is earlier than signup deadlines for previous years so producers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) computes DCP payments using base acres and payment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regardless of market pric-es.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct ad-

vance payments based on 22 per-cent of the direct payment rate for each commodity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance pay-ments for the 2010 program year. Counter-cyclical payment rates vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are is-sued under the DCP program and are only when the effective price (which takes into account the di-rect payment rate, market price and loan rate) for a commodity is below its target price.


Leaders meet with Harkin aideSUBMITTED BY CALHOUN, PALO ALTO, POCAHONTAS

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, several area Farm Bureau leaders met with Senator Harkin’s aide, John Mo-reland, in Des Moines. During the meeting Mr. Moreland was pre-sented with caps which had been signed by members of the Farm Bureau board of directors. The caps were to represent the disapproval of the proposed Cap & Trade Bill. The Farm Bureau slogan was “Don’t Cap Our Future.” The volunteers took the opportunity to discuss oth-er congressional issues including a proposal to ban therapeutic antibi-otics in livestock production, repeal of estate taxes, the Clean Water Restoration Act and international trade with Panama, Columbia and Korea.

Pictured, from left, are Ron Buse (Calhoun County), Gary Zhorne (Poca-hontas County), John Moreland, Lon Tweeten (Wright County), Troy Watne (Wright County) and Kevin Poen (Calhoun County). PHOTO COURTESY OF CALHOUN

AND POCAHONTAS COUNTIES.

Extension to host employee management workshop for livestock producers

SUBMITTED BY LYON, SIOUXHave you ever wondered what it

would take to hire an excellent em-ployee or why you can’t keep a good employee once you fi nd one? The Employee Management Workshop will look at these and more topics. This is a three part workshop series to discuss and learn about improv-ing employee management skills to increase employee satisfaction and productivity.

This is a hands-on workshop that will look at your operation to deter-mine what you need for employees as well as your labor management style in the fi rst session. The next work-shop looks at the needs your opera-

tion has and creates job descriptions for the types of position(s) you need to fi ll. Finally, in the last workshop we will look at developing a pool of applicants, how to hold interviews and to hire the right person. Other topics that will be intertwined in each workshop cover communication and some of the legal aspects of having employee(s).

Sometimes that employee is a brother, aunt or another family mem-ber. Creating the right job descrip-tions and an understanding of the needs of the operation will assist in family harmony. Even if you don’t think you need more employees now, this workshop will assist you in mak-

ing your operation one where em-ployees want to come and work.

The workshops will be held on March 26, April 1 and April 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room C349 on the Northwest Iowa Com-munity College Campus in Sheldon.

The Lyon County Extension Coun-cil will sponsor this workshop which allows you to come and learn at no cost. Since we will be offering a noon meal at each program, we ask that you pre-register by March 19. Please call the Lyon County Extension Offi ce, (712) 472-2576, the Sioux County Extension Offi ce, (712) 737-4230, or e-mail [email protected] to reserve a spot.

SOUTH EAST IOWA


MAHASKA . KEOKUK . WASHINGTON . LOUISA . MUSCATINE . MONROE . WAPELLO . JEFFERSON . HENRY . DES MOINES . APPANOOSE . DAVIS . VAN BUREN . LEE

















The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than sign-up deadlines for previous years so pro-ducers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) computes DCP payments using base acres and pay-ment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct pay-ments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct advance payments based on 22 percent of

the direct payment rate for each commodity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance pay-ments for the 2010 program year. Counter-cyclical payment rates vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are is-sued under the DCP program and are only when the effective price (which takes into account the direct payment rate, market price and loan rate) for a commodity is below its target price.


Pictured, from left, are Lara Alderson, A Quilters Dream; Sherry Fisher, Cop-per Lantern; Jen Schaefer, Healing Touch with Jen; Linda Kay Taylor, Paws-it-iviely Purr-fect; Gene Mohling, Iowa State Region 15 Extension. Not pictured: Charles and Tonya Sellers. PHOTO COURTESY OF KEOKUK COUNTY.

Small business workshop participants receive funding

SUBMITTED BY KEOKUKTen prospective and current small

business owners participated in an in-depth workshop developed and presented by ISU Keokuk County Extension and the Indian Hills Com-munity College Small Business De-velopment Center. The small busi-ness workshop was designed to give small business people the know-how to be successful. Potential small busi-ness people starting from ground zero learned to identify the business’s potential and to express that in a busi-ness plan which is essential to fund-ing and in fi nding collaborators to help build the business.

More than $2,000 was awarded program participants who completed and turned in a business plan. The awards are to be used for technical project assistance for the small busi-ness. The program was funded by a grant from the Iowa State University Community Vitality Center and the USDA.

Project participants included: Healing Touch with Jen, Jen Schae-fer; Copper Lantern, Sherry Fisher;

Horras Realty, Sara Horras; Paws-it-iviely Purr-fect, Mark and Linda Kay Taylor; A Quilter’s Dream, The Lara Alderson Family; and Charles and Tonya Sellers who were working on several business activities.

Iowa State Extension and the In-dian Hills Community College Small

Business Development Center en-courage anyone with an interest in starting or further developing a small or large business, to get in contact with them by phone at (641) 622-2680 or [email protected] or by calling Bryan Zigler at the SBDC at (641) 683-5127.

Southeast Iowa to receive broadband funding

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) an-nounced that more than $3.8 million will be coming to Eastlight LLC for projects to bring broadband Internet access to residents and businesses in rural southeast Iowa.

This loan will provide high-speed broadband to residents and business-es in the 12 Iowa counties of Davis, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, Jefferson, Ke-okuk, Louisa, Mahaska, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello and Washing-ton. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and

was funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“In order for rural communities and businesses to thrive in today’s economy, broadband Internet access is absolutely essential,” said Harkin. “(These) funds will not only provide this necessary utility to underserved areas, but will train residents how to utilize it and will also improve public safety.”

This project will extend high-speed broadband coverage into towns and unincorporated collections

of farms, businesses and homes in 12 Iowa counties covering 6,226 square miles.

The funds will also be used to work with regional community colleges to provide education to upgrade the ba-sic digital literacy and skills in using the Internet for job hunting, Web-based education and electronic com-merce. Additionally, the funds will be used to work with the regional man-agers of 911 service in each county to improve access by public safety and emergency services.

Forestry assistance taking rootSUBMITTED BY JEFFERSON, VAN BUREN

Pathfi nders Resource Conservation and Development Council recently hired Phil Sim-mons as its forestry consultant for the Total Forestry Pro-gram (TFP). Since taking the reins on Feb. 1, Simmons has worked with private landowners to discuss timber sales, tree planting, Timber Stand Improvement projects and discuss other forestry related issues. Sim-mons, who lives with his family in

northern Jefferson County, has more than 20 years of experience provid-ing forestry services to landowners across southeast Iowa and northern Missouri.

“Many landowners do not under-stand the full potential value of their timber land,” says Simmons. “For example, a timber seller is much bet-ter off getting competitive bids for their timber instead of agreeing to sell for the price one logger might offer.”

The Total Forestry Program was established by Pathfi nders to maxi-mize the production of timber prod-ucts and increase the overall health of timber resources. The program also

helps private landowners maximize on available cost-share to develop a windbreak, tree plantation or main-tain the health of their forest.

Services available from TFP in-clude the development of forest man-agement plans, coordination of tim-ber sales implementing timber stand improvement, timber appraisals, tree planting services and maintenance on established tree plantations.

For more information about the Total Forestry Program, or to arrange for Phil to speak to your community group or civic organization, call (641) 233-7197, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.TFPforestry.com.

PHIL SIMMONS

SOUTH WEST IOWA


HARRISON . SHELBY . AUDUBON . GUTHRIE . ADAIR . CASS . WEST POTTAWATTAMIE . EAST POTTAWATTAMIE . MILLS . MONTGOMERYADAMS . UNION . CLARKE . LUCAS . FREMONT . PAGE . TAYLOR . RINGGOLD . DECATUR . WAYNE



1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained1/2 c. barbecue sauce of your choice

1 egg, beaten1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded2 (10-oz. ea.) tubes of refriger-ated buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine egg, barbe-cue sauce and ground beef. Separate biscuits and press them into the bottom and sides of sprayed muffi n pan cups. Spoon beef mixture into each cup. Tope with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.








Cook broccoli with onion in chicken broth until tender. Do not drain. In a separate pan, blend in butter and fl our. Stir in milk. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Add cheese and heat until melted. Add the broccoli mixture and simmer to 10-15 minutes.


The Iowa State FSA Offi ce re-minds agricultural producers that they have until June 1, 2010, to sign up for the 2010 crop Direct and Counter-cyclical Payment Program (DCP) or ACRE Program. The June 1 date is earlier than sign-up deadlines for previous years so pro-ducers are encouraged to mark their calendars to meet the deadline.

The U.S. Department of Agri-culture (USDA) computes DCP payments using base acres and pay-ment yields established for each farm. Farmers receive direct pay-ments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices.

For 2010, eligible producers may request to receive direct advance payments based on 22 percent of

the direct payment rate for each commodity associated with the farm.

USDA has begun issuing DCP and ACRE direct advance pay-ments for the 2010 program year. Counter-cyclical payment rates vary depending on market prices. Counter-cyclical payments are is-sued under the DCP program and are only when the effective price (which takes into account the di-rect payment rate, market price and loan rate) for a commodity is below its target price.


Spring Garden Seminar planned for March 27 in Atlantic

SUBMITTED BY ADAIR, CASS, FREMONT, RINGGOLD, TAY-LOR, WEST POTTAWATTAMIE

After a record-breaking winter, everyone is ready to see and do any-thing that relates to gardening. In order to fi nd out the latest gardening research, many people are making plans to attend the 12th annual At-lantic Spring Gardening Seminar on Saturday, March 27.

The event will take place at the Iowa Western Community College campus in Atlantic. This is a change of location from previous years. The address for IWCC is at the corner of 7th and Walnut streets in Atlantic. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a continental breakfast and the event concludes at 3:30 p.m. This conference is one of the largest of its type in southwest Iowa.

Participants will have the chance to participate in four breakout ses-sions during the day with a choice of 28 different topics from which to select. There are more than 20 ex-hibitors that will have information to share and products for purchase. Once again the planning committee has a great lineup of speakers cover-ing a wide range of gardening topics.

Experts presenting include Bob Anderson, presenting “Growing Vegetables;” Kathleen Cue, discuss-ing EarthKind® Roses; Quincy Hunt, on “Water: Magic in the Gar-den;” Sue Irvin, presenting “Native Plants of Iowa;” “Simplifying Your Garden” with Marcia Leeper; Gayle March, on “Passive Solar Green House Designs;” “Creating a Great Midwestern Lawn” with Marc Mon-

tanye; Lora Schwendinger, discuss-ing “Bird Homes in Your Backyard;” “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” with Diane Weiland; Donna West, discussing “Fun With Container Gardening;” David Williams, presenting “In and Out - Caring for Plants on the Move;” “Dream Garden Design” with Susan Appleget Hurst; and “Best Land-scaper Peonies” with Hollingsworth Nursery.

Other workshops and presenters include: “Quilt Gardens: Binding Plants with Patterns” by Ed Mo-ran; Dr. Jesse Randall, presenting “Windbreaks and Wildlife Habi-tat;” “Growing and Using Flavorful Herbs” by Susan Appleget Hurst; “Tree Care” with Tyler Carney; Ber-nie Havlovic, presenting “Pests: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly;” “Veggie Variations, It’s Not Your Typical Gar-den” by Ann Johnk; “How to Build a Backyard Butterfl y Habitat” by Kathleen Ziemer; “Do-It-Yourself: Basic Landscape Design” with Katie Ketelsen; “Common Tree Diseases” with Dr. Jesse Randall; “Outdoor Living Spaces,” presented by Nicki Wiederstein; Bob Anderson, dis-cussing “Concord Grapes;” LaVon Eblen, presenting “Yes, You Can Can;” “Multiply Your Garden” with Kristen Kruger; “Exploring Vermi-composting” by Kathy Morris; and “Fresh Flower Design” with Sherri Wilkerson.

The conference registration fee is only $25 per person and includes lunch and handouts. Please register by March 19. After March 19 the fee will increase to $35. Registrations are available at Iowa Western Communi-

ty College, 705 Walnut St. in Atlan-tic, or by calling (712) 243-5527 or e-mailing [email protected]. To see the complete list of workshops and descriptions or to print a registration form, visit the Cass County ISU Ex-tension Web site at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass or the Iowa Western Community College Web site at http://www.iwcc.edu/cass/.

This event is brought to you by Iowa Western Community College and the Gardening Seminar Com-mittee in partnership with: Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, At-lantic Coca-Cola Bottling Compa-ny, Atlantic Community Promotion Commission, Atlantic Trees Forever, Blue Bird Nursery, Bonnesen’s Five & Dime, Brink Flower & Gift Co., Brown’s Shoe Fit, Cappel’s, ACE Hardware, Cass County Con-servation Board, Cass County ISU Extension, Cass County Master Gardeners, Corner Stone Land-scaping, David’s Home & Garden Center, Dolly Bergmann - Longa-berger consultant, Downtown Beautifi cation Group, Downtowner Care, Fareway, Fischer Photography, Frederick’s Photography, Garden Designs by Nicki, Geis Perry Jewel-ry, Harrisdale Homestead, Holling-sworth Peonies, Hy-Vee, Lindeman Tractor, Main Street Grill, Outfi t-ters Plus Outlet Store, Pizza Hut, Pondabilities, Power Wash, Pross Design, Rex Pharmacy, Sue’s Coun-try Garden, Subway, The Nest Egg, TimberPine Nursery & Gift Store, Tinder Box, Unique Beauty Salon, Wallace Centers of Iowa and W&S Appliance.

Tri-Center celebrates National FFA Week

Tri-Center FFA students celebrated National FFA Week with various planned activities throughout the week. Some of the events that took place were placing a FFA Week sign on the fence in front of the school, Green Hand Day, hosting the sub-district FFA contests, faculty/staff appreciation breakfast and FFA T-shirt day. Other activi-ties the group has participated in were Husker Harvest Day (shown above), Carsten’s Farms Kiddie Tractor Pull, Kinze/Ziegler Cat Tour and the National Western Offi cer trip. The FFA program director at Tri-Center is Kevin Matulka. PHOTO COURTESY OF WEST POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY.

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Area News March 10,2010

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