Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Rieck graduates from Morningside

Two hundred ninety-six undergraduate students and 375 graduate students earned their degrees from Morningside College in the spring of 2020.

Included in the group was Kenna Rieck, of Hartley, who earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration, Summa Cum Laude.

Summer camps offered as take-home virtual activities

Even though COVID-19 threw them a curveball, ISU Extension and Outreach staff in Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O’Brien and Cherokee counties say that their 2020 summer camps will go on, just in a different manner.

Staff collaborated to create innovative take-home virtual camps, which they named “Clover Crates.” Parents can sign their children up online and then pick up the Clover Crate at their local Extension office. Youth can do the activities at home. For those that have access to YouTube and Zoom, Extension is offering online interactions, although interacting online is not mandatory to participate.

Parents can learn more about Clover Crates online at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/obrien/summer-camps or by contacting their local Extension office. To sign up for the camps, parents/guardians should visit nwiasummercamps.fairentry.com. Registration deadlines for Clover Crates are four days prior to the date of the virtual camp in your county, so parents or guardians should register their children ASAP.

In regard to the rest of the summer, Youth Program Specialist Beth Bunkers said that county staff is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation. At this time, they are planning Clover Crates through June 16.

Iowa cash rents show slight increase

Despite another difficult year in agriculture, cash rents still posted an increase of about 1.4 percent, according to this year’s Cash Rental Rates for Iowa 2020 Survey which was recently released.

Rates across the state averaged $222 per acre compared to $219 per acre in 2019, the fourth year of relatively stable rates but at levels about 18 percent lower than the historical peak of $270 per acre reached in 2013.

The percentage of increase varied across the state, with the lowest quality land showing the largest increase at 2.7 percent per acre, compared to the 0.4 percent increase for high quality land.

According to Extension economist Alejandro Plastina, most cash rents for 2020 were determined by September 2019, during expectations of federal Market Facilitation Program payments and expectations of higher soybean exports to China. The challenges of 2020 were mostly not yet considered and could lead to some future renegotiations and softening of rates.

Plastina noted that information in the survey is “intended to serve as a reference point” for negotiating an appropriate rental rate for the next year. Rents for individual farms should be based on productivity, ease of farming, fertility, drainage, local price patterns and other factors.

FSA expands set-aside loan provisions

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will broaden the use of the Disaster Set-Aside (DSA) loan provision, normally used in the wake of natural disasters, to allow farmers with USDA farm loans who are affected by COVID-19, and are determined eligible, to have their next payment set aside.

In some cases, FSA may also set aside a second payment for farmers who have already had one payment set aside because of a prior designated disaster.

According to Administrator Richard Fordyce, FSA direct loan borrowers will receive a letter with details of the expanded Disaster Set-Aside authorities, which includes the possible set-aside of annual operating loans, as well as explanations of the additional loan servicing options that are available. To discuss or request a loan payment set-aside, borrowers should call or email the farm loan staff at their local FSA county office.

The set-aside payment’s due date is moved to the final maturity date of the loan or extended up to 12 months in the case of an annual operating loan. Any principal set-aside will continue to accrue interest until it is repaid.

FSA will be accepting most forms and applications by facsimile or electronic signature. Some services are also available online to customers with an eAuth account, which provides access to the farmers.gov portal where producers can view USDA farm loan information and certain program applications and payments. Customers who do not already have an eAuth account can enroll at farmers.gov/sign-in.

USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.

Food Bank of Iowa distributes sets record

In April 2020, Food Bank of Iowa distributed more food in one month than ever before in the organization’s history. The Food Bank expects numbers to continue to increase as Iowans battle the economic effects of COVID-19.

Last month, Food Bank of Iowa distributed nearly 1.8 million pounds of food, a 31 percent increase compared to April 2019. The group is continuing to identify ways to meet the changing need across their 55-county service area.

“I am grateful to our supportive donors, volunteers, community partners and our team for their tireless efforts to get food out the door and into the hands of our friends and neighbors in need,” said Michelle Book, president and CEO at Food Bank of Iowa in a news release. “There is absolutely more work to be done as Iowans continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19.”

As the state’s largest hunger relief organization, Food Bank of Iowa has seen the need for food assistance increase considerably. The organization has worked to shift their distribution model to include more mobile pantries and drive-through distributions to reduce person-to-person contact.

Food Bank of Iowa conducts a mobile food pantry at Trinity United Church of Christ in Hartley on the third Wednesday of the month from 4-6 p.m. There are also distribution sites at the Presbyterian Church in Paullina and Upper Des Moines Opportunity in Primghar.

Grand Avenue Community Outreach in Spencer distributes food and clothing on the second and fourth Thursday of each month from 2-5 p.m.

Any organization or individual interested in joining the fight against hunger in Iowa can find opportunities on the Food Bank of Iowa website.

Morningside College announces Dean’s List

Morningside College recently announced the 434 students named to the Dean’s List for the spring semester of the 2019-20 academic year.

The Dean’s List recognizes Morningside College students who achieve a 3.67 grade point average or better and complete at least 12 credits of coursework with no grade below a “C-.” Students that achieved a 4.0 grade point average are denoted with an asterisk (*).

Local students on the list include: Trever J. Dodd, Thomas R. Heetland and Kenna N. Rieck*, all of Hartley.

‘Capture the Heart of America’ photo contest now open

Entries are now being accepted into the 2020 Capture the Heart of America photo contest.

From day-to-day life on the family farm to the ever-changing industry, agriculture has proven to be one of America’s most compelling stories. Through the contest, photographers from across the country can share their own piece of this important story as they see it through their camera lens.

Contest categories include:

• Iowa Farmscapes: From rustic farms to rolling hills of patchwork fields, the rural countryside holds a beauty uniquely Iowan. This category captures this beauty through artistic depictions of farm and field scenes scattered throughout rural Iowa.

• Life on the Iowa Farm: Farm Life is characterized by hard work combined with a connection to the land. This category shares the story of the Iowa farmer who helps feed the world, along with day-to-day life on the farm.

• Silos & Smokestacks Partner Sites: From dairy farms and museums to vineyards and tractor assembly tours, more than 100 Designated Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Partner Sites are sharing their own part of America’s agricultural story in a 37-county region of Northeast Iowa. This category lets visitors share their experience at Heritage Area Partner Sites.

• Celebrations of Iowa Agriculture: Steeped in culture, festivals and fairs have long been held to celebrate Iowan agriculture and the fruits of the harvest. From a state fair to a hometown rhubarb fest, this category commemorates the agricultural experience at countless events throughout the country.

• Modern Agriculture in Iowa: Iowa’s agricultural industry has helped to shape agriculture worldwide and continues to be a leader in new and innovative farming methods. From the engineering and technology used to create more efficient machines to the biology that increases the productivity of plants and research to conserve and protect our natural resources. Show us Iowans being leaders in the industry with pictures of today’s equipment, field monitors, drones and conservation practices in operation.

• Agriculture in America: From sea to shining sea, amber waves of grain to fields of cotton. Agriculture is a major industry in America. Ranging from hobby farms and small-scale producers to large commercial farms covering thousands of acres of cropland or rangeland. This category celebrates the diverse industry of agriculture in our country. We want to see this industry outside of Iowa and how farm life differs from state-to-state.

Photos submitted in the contest must be agriculturally related and help to preserve this important piece of America’s story. The contest is open to amateur and professional photographers from all over the United States. Photos must be submitted by the individual who took the photograph. Contest sponsors, judges and SSNHA staff/members of their immediate family are not eligible to enter. Employees and volunteers of designated SSNHA Partner Sites are eligible to submit entries.

Contest entries are due by Oct. 31, 2020. Visit http://www.silosandsmokestacks.org/photo-contest for online entry form and complete contest rules/guidelines.

Spencer Hospital reintroduces additional services

Spencer Hospital this week reintroduced some health services that were suspended two months ago as a precaution during the initial stages of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Essential services have continued at Spencer Hospital throughout the COVID-19 public health emergency although many elective services were suspended. Service expansion plans entail reintroducing a range of elective services to include outpatient diagnostic, rehabilitative and screening services based on a patient’s needs and risk factors. Surgical services will be further expanded to include inpatient procedures. Limited outpatient elective surgeries were restarted in measured process two weeks ago.

Services that were reopened or expanded effective June 1 include the following:

• Cardiac and pulmonary rehab services will be offered in-person with number of attendees limited and safety restrictions in place.

• Diagnostic imaging and laboratory services will be increased based on patient needs, identified by ordering physicians.

• Physical, occupational and speech therapy, and respiratory services will be expanded, based on patient needs.

• Home health and wound care services will be offered on a limited basis, based on patient risk considerations and priorities.

• Diabetic education will permit individual in-person sessions but will continue to encourage telemedicine appointments. Nutrition counseling will continue to be restricted to phone or online appointments.

Patients and authorized visitors will have their temperature checked and be asked screening questions at the entrance of the hospital. Masks will be required for anyone to enter the hospital. The use of waiting areas will be limited and directed by hospital staff. The cafeteria and coffee shop will be available for take-out food items only.

DNR Derelict Building Grant Program awards funding

Twelve small, rural Iowa communities have received grants from the DNR’s Derelict Building Grant Program to help deconstruct or renovate abandoned structures, remove asbestos and limit construction and demolition materials going to the landfill.

The DNR Derelict Building Grant Program was instituted by statute to help rural communities with populations of 5,000 or smaller remove environmental hazards, improve community appearance and minimize costs by recycling and reusing building materials through deconstruction or renovation of abandoned, derelict buildings.

Grant funding is awarded annually on a competitive basis with cash matches required. Applications for the next funding round will be due on Feb. 19, 2021.

The following projects in northwest Iowa will receive reimbursement grants.

City of Humboldt: $14,300 for asbestos abatement on the former post office. The site will be used for commercial sales expansion.

City of Lake City: $5,000 for asbestos abatement of an old automobile dealership.

City of Mallard: $18,115 for asbestos abatement and deconstruction of a grocery store. New site will be used as an accessible parking lot, improving access to downtown businesses for all residents.

City of Manson: $34,975 for asbestos abatement and renovations of an old retail clothing store. Renovated structure will be used for commercial space.

City of Rockwell City: $25,187 for renovation of a 1920 building. The city will offer the property for retail/commercial use on the main floor and residential rentals on the second floor.