5/9/2008 - Quad-Cities Online: Remember the old saying that 'time is money?' It has gained a new meaning in the Internet Age, where just a few hours on your computer could help put you on the path to a more financially comfortable retirement. Research shows that Americans who calculate their retirement needs and income are more likely to be financially prepared for retirement than those who do not.
Of course, the best place to begin any retirement calculation is by knowing what you may expect to receive from Social Security and how much more you will need to enjoy a long and comfortable retirement. Each year, every worker age 25 and older is mailed a Social Security Statement. Read it carefully because it is a roadmap to your personal financial future. It shows how much you and your family can expect to receive from Social Security when you retire, or if you become disabled or die.

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For additional information on planning for retirement, contact your local ISU county Extension office for a listing of the “Retirement: Secure Your Dreams” publication series.

5/9/2008 - Farm News - Iowa: Field conditions vary across the state and farmers have been taking advantage of every warm, dry day they can get. A crop progress report from the National Agricultural Statistics Board released Monday showed that 18 percent of corn was planted in the state, down from 42 percent that was planted as of May 4, 2007.
“Farmers were able to start getting in the field in parts of western Iowa to apply fertilizer and plant corn, however those in central and eastern parts of the state are still facing wet conditions,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey in a statement. “Many farmers are starting to get nervous, so let’s hope everything dries up soon and everyone can get planting underway.”
Mark Licht, ISU Extension field agronomist for Calhoun, Carroll, Crawford, Greene, Ida, Monona and Sac counties, said Tuesday the planters were out in full force and it had been evident that many had stayed out late Monday night in an effort to beat the rain that was forecasted for — and arrived —late Tuesday.

4/28/2008 - The Guardian (United Kingdom): "WASHINGTON, April 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Midwest has enjoyed nearly 20 years without a major drought but forecasters worry the corn belt's luck could dry up this year, further squeezing tight global supplies amid soaring food prices. With its last major drought in 1988, the Midwest has reached its average span of 18.6 years between droughts. Considering that statistic and current weather conditions, Iowa State University extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor said the corn belt has a one in three chance of drought this year. 'We do have to be prepared,' Taylor said. 'A 33 percent chance is high, that's a risk.'

4/28/2008 - Wallaces Farmer: It's getting near the end of April and fieldwork is running behind because of the wet spring. Getting the crop in the ground becomes a priority for many farmers. Some want to skip the preplant burndown herbicide application in no-till, and apply the herbicide later on, after planting. 'This puts the crop at added risk of early season competition and yield loss since the weeds have a head start over the crop and can impact yield potential rather quickly,' says Brian Lang, Iowa State University Extension field agronomist at Decorah in northeast Iowa.

4/25/2008 - The Burlington Hawk Eye: At the age of 30, Sally Jo Koehler-Trickler underwent lumbar spinal fusion surgery as a result of a birth defect. At 45, she was diagnosed with degenerative c-spine disease. Each malady left her with more physical limitations and a diminishing spirit. Though her body was working against her, she kept her fervor for gardening. Now, she's achieved the hobby's highest honor -- becoming a master gardener.
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Then she discovered the master gardener program. Laura Dunlap, a former rehabilitation psychologist at Great River Medical Center, suggested she call the Des Moines County Extension Office and check it out. At first she was apprehensive -- achieving master gardener status is a demanding task. Participants must take 40 hours of classes, volunteer 40 hours of time and travel to Ames to take a day-long course through Iowa State University Extension.

4/25/2008 - Fort Dodge Messenger: Success seems to be the theme for the Community Action Network and its new challenge is making Fort Dodge healthier with a program called Healthy Living. Since 1997, CAN has started more than 75 different programs in areas such as health enhancement, youth development, parenting education, community betterment, citizen support and aesthetic development. This time it will partner with Trinity Regional Medical Center in providing the education necessary for kids to make healthy living choices. “It’s healthy to celebrate accomplishments and achievements of the past,” said Randy Kuhlman, director of CAN, as he welcomed people during the program’s kick-off. Healthy Living is made up of a number of groups with Trinity, CAN and Iowa State University Extension working to bring the program to fruition."

4/25/2008 - Wallaces Farmer: Each Monday during crop season, Iowa State University Extension agronomists at Ames hold a weekly telephone conference with ISU Extension field specialists across the state--to get an update on planting progress, crop conditions, weed and pest concerns and other questions farmers are asking about. Here's a look at some of the hot topics this week. Some farmers are finally able to get started planting corn in Iowa. 'Each field is different and you should plant when the soil conditions are ready. We're already in the last week of April but soil conditions and the weather forecast are also important considerations,' says Roger Elmore, Iowa State University Extension corn agronomist."

4/24/2008 - WorldPoultry.net: A national conference exploring the advantages, limitations and economics of mitigation methods and technologies regarding livestock odour reduction will be held 19-21 May at the Hotel Fort Des Moines in Des Moines. The increased population of people living in traditional farm areas and the resulting environmental concerns have created a more immediate need to reduce odour and air emissions from animal feeding operations. With the aim of providing practical information about prevention, capture and treatment, masking and dispersal of air emissions from animal feeding operations, the conference, titled 'Mitigating Air Emissions from Animal Feeding Operations' will be coordinated and hosted by the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and ISU Extension."

4/24/2008 - Wallaces Farmer: Several farmers have contacted Wallaces Farmer in recent weeks, asking the magazine to help them in an effort to have ISU Extension climatologist Elwynn Taylor’s program returned to the airwaves of Iowa Public Radio. For many years, Taylor, a professor of meteorology and agronomy at ISU, has had a weather segment on the noon program on WOI-AM, the Iowa State University station whose broadcast originates from Ames. At the end of February 2008, his part of the program was removed as Iowa Public Radio management changed the noon broadcast to replace some of its ag coverage with different programming. This came about as a result of restructuring and merging of the broadcasts of Iowa’s three public radio stations—which are based at ISU in Ames, the University of Iowa in Iowa City and the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls."

4/24/2008 - Waukon (Iowa) Standard: Want to garden but don't have space for one? The Waukon community garden has 10' x 10' and 10' x 20' plots available to anyone who would like to try their hand at gardening. Rent for the plots will be $10 for the smaller plots and $20 for the larger plots. Some money will be refunded at the end of the year if the garden plot is cleaned up. Applications are available at the Allamakee County Extension Office and are due May 5. The plans are being finalized to have the garden plots on the Quillin/Ramsay property off Second Street NW in Waukon. Gardeners need to furnish seeds, plants and the desire to start growing those vegetables. Gardening technical help is available from the Allamakee County Extension Office and the Allamakee County Master Gardeners. The project is under the direction of participants in the Waukon Horizons program, Allamakee New Beginnings, Inc. and ISU Extension."

4/24/2008 - Brownfield Network: The Iowa Soybean Association (ISA) is offering a new resource that will help producers sort through the clutter and get the best, most up to date information available today. “ISA is a trusted resource for the latest science-based information on improving soybean yield,” says Delbert Christensen, ISA supply committee chairman and a soybean grower near Audubon, Iowa. “This is a new resource for soybean growers who want to improve their yields. It is packed with information generated from check off funded research. All the information is free and most is available 24/7 at the click of a mouse.” Producers can listen to the latest advice on production issues from soybean researchers by either accessing podcast files on their computer or by downloading them to an mp3 player. Hear Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Agronomist Palle Pedersen offer planting tips and ISU Entomologist Marlin Rice discuss the latest prediction on bean leaf beetles. Timely production information will be posted throughout the growing season.

4/22/2008 - Farm and Ranch Guide: Livestock News: AMES, Iowa - More producers might be taking a look at custom grazing for their cow herd due to rising hay and corn costs. Joe Sellers, Iowa State University Extension beef specialist in Chariton, believes producers looking at this option need to make sure it fits their operation.
“With this, you are basically bringing your cattle to someone and pay them a per head, per day fee to take care of them,” Sellers told producers at the Iowa Cattlemen's Association convention here."

4/22/2008 - Farm News - Iowa: DOT: 196 crashes last year involved farm equipment
AMES -- The calendar says it’s spring and as soon as conditions are fit, farmers will be heading to the fields. It’s also the time of year when motorists need to be aware of slow moving vehicles on the roadways. “There’s two times a year where we see a lot of agricultural traffic — spring and fall — and during these times be respectful and acknowledge farmers will be on the roads. Slow down, take plenty of time and watch for slow moving vehicles,” said Charles Schwab, ISU Extension farm safety specialist. “They have the same right to be out on the roads.” According to data provided by the Iowa Department of Transportation, 196 crashes that occurred on Iowa’s roadways involved farm equipment in 2007. While 110 of those crashes only resulted in property damage, there were five fatalities, 18 major injuries and 47 minor injuries."

4/22/2008 - Wallaces Farmer: "What are the major problems you'll have if you plant corn in soil that is too wet and too cold? 'If you plant corn when soil conditions aren't good, you have to live with those mistakes all year,' notes Roger Elmore, Iowa State University extension corn agronomist. It's hard to get the seed established well, and you create soil compaction. Certainly, sidewall compaction is a big problem. 'The roots don't grow out across the row as well, especially early in the growing season,' he says. 'That limits water and nutrient uptake.' It also inhibits the ability of the plant to stand well over the whole season. Unless we have a growing season with plenty of rainfall, the plant will have problems because those roots don't develop as well and don't go down as deep as they should.'

4/10/2008 - The Tipton Conservative - Tipton, Iowa: As part of a 10 day swing through 35 Iowa counties, Sen. Charles Grassley spent an hour in Tipton last March 27, listening to constituents and explaining his positions on a wide variety of issues during the 2nd session of the 110th Congress. About 40 people crowded into the new meeting room at the Iowa State University Extension office to hear Grassley, who spent last Thursday in Eastern Iowa, visiting with constituents in Jones, Jackson, Scott, Clinton and Cedar counties. The War in Iraq, the price of oil, the current farm bill, how to deal with illegal immigrants, the national debt and the cost of health care were the issues most on the minds of the largely male audience who came to hear the state’s senior senator."

4/10/2008 - Quad City Times.com: "Do you have dinner plans for Tuesday, April 15? The Iowa State University/Scott County Extension Service would like to invite you to its Bettendorf office for pizza and an update on stopping the emerald ash borer, a pest from Asia that has caused the death and removal of more than 25 million ash trees in the United States. The pest as been found as close to the Quad-Cities as LaSalle County, Ill., about 85 miles away. What ISU entomologist Mark Shour would most like to convey is that people should not let down their guard. “Keep it on your radar,” he said of the emerald ash borer. “Don’t forget about it.”

4/4/2008 - Wallaces Farmer: A couple of north-central Iowa men have put their heads together and created an opportunity for farmers interested in trying strip-tillage on their farms. Iowa Learning Farm cooperator Dave Nelson, owner of Brokaw Supply Company, and Doug Seltz, a Webster County Soil and Water District commissioner, conceived a way for area producers to get their toes wet in the strip-tilling world without taking the full plunge. They're calling it 'Operation Strip Till. ... An Operation Strip-Till seminar was held on March 17 at the Webster County Fairgrounds, Fort Dodge, to introduce farmers to this opportunity. More than 75 attended the seminar, hosted by Brokaw Supply and Webster County NRCS, and sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Learning Farm.

4/4/2008 - Times Community Newspapers of Greater Dayton - Dayton,OH,USA: CLARK COUNTY - Would you like to have fun as a family and help your child learn skills to make good decisions? How about enjoying a free meal together that you do not have to prepare? If this sounds good join organizers for the Strengthening Families Program starting in April which is available to families who live in Clark County with children aged 10-14. ...

Strengthening Families is a program of Iowa State University, University Extension and is funded locally by the Mental Health & Recovery Board of Clark, Greene, and Madison Counties and the Clark County Educational Service Center.

4/2/2008 - Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation: The future of the Canadian pork industry will be the focus of a swine industry education event. The two day event starts today and will take place at the London Convention Centre. Guest speakers include Extension Livestock Economist and Economics Professor John Lawrence of Iowa State University and Reproductive Physiologist Billy Flowers of North Carolina State University. This year's theme is 'Facing a New Reality' - acknowledging the challenges facing the Canadian pork sector."

3/25/2008 - The Daily Iowan, Iowa City: This past weekend, millions of adults and children in the United States and world gathered in a tradition older than Christ Himself: the decorating of and hunting for colored, often ornately adorned eggs. And while reasons for the celebration may differ (the Iowa Egg Council notes the edible-embryo enclosure was used to exalt the coming of spring by many early civilizations), many events have something in common: A lot of those eggs came from Iowa.
A recent study, produced by the Iowa State University Extension, found that the Hawkeye State is the nation's largest egg producer, laying more than 13.9 billion omelet makers in 2007 alone - a full 15 percent of that year's yield, U.S. Department of Agriculture data show.But that hasn't always been the case.
Iowa was the dominate "hen fruit" (an 1850s facetious synonym) until the late 1950s, but it didn't crack into the forefront again until 2001, the study finds. Part of the reason, said Daniel Otto an ISU economics professor who conducted research for the study, is because overall egg consumption has risen recently - the U.S. consumes more than 250 eggs per person. Not all of that increase can be attributed to higher consumption of quiches and Benedicts, however.

3/24/2008 - ThePigSite.com: US - The Pork Checkoff has honored Dr. James McKean of Ames, Iowa as winner of its Distinguished Service Award. The prestigiuos award was made during the National Pork Industry Forum in St. Louis, last week. McKean is a University Professor at Iowa State University, an Extension veterinarian focusing on swine and the associate director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. Lynn Harrison, National Pork Board president, called him an exceptional player in the pork industry, and a person that is dedicated to the industry as a whole and at local levels. 'He has participated in several of the National Pork Board programs that have been developed and he really has helped advance the industry,' he added."

3/24/2008 - Yankton Press & Dakotan: As farmers get ready for spring planting, they're stepping into what may be the best year in crop production ever. But they're not quite counting their blessings. '2008 is shaping up to be a very good year. The highest prices in history are available to you,' said Steve Johnson, a farm and agribusiness management specialist for the Iowa State University Extension service who has spent the last six weeks away from his Des Moines office talking to Midwestern farmers about the upcoming year in grain marketing.
'My concern is that you've spent all winter worrying about all the corn you sold the past 35 years, wished you had stored more and so forth,' Johnson said. His advice: Let it go, and look ahead. Last year's $4 corn and $6 soybeans were euphoric then -- compared to $2 corn a year before -- but these high-at-the-time prices were nothing compared to what the markets have done since, Johnson said. Now, corn is around $5.50 to almost $6 a bushel, and soybeans are right around $13 per bushel. Johnson believes the year's high price for corn and soybeans have already been posted, just in the past week. According to economists at the University of Minnesota, there's a 75-percent chance that the price of corn has already reached its 2008 high, and a 65-percent chance for soybeans.

3/24/2008 - GazetteOnline.com - Cedar Rapids, Iowa City: SOLON - The egg industry in Iowa is so big, even kids are getting in on the action. Brothers Noah and Sam Bishop, ages 7 and 9, respectively, have turned their 25 pet hens into a business, selling the hens' eggs at around $1 a dozen to customers — mainly their teachers.
'There's a poster on the refrigerator in the teacher's lounge, so they'll think about our eggs when they get hungry,' Sam said, adding that the two got the idea after their pets started producing a 'ton of eggs.' As it turns out, the Bishop brothers, who live on 3 acres south of Solon, aren't the only ones with a ton of eggs. Iowa has approximately 53,459,000 hens laying eggs for sale, according to January estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That staggering production makes Iowa the nation's No. 1 producer of eggs — a commodity in high demand this time of year. In fact, Iowa's egg production eclipses the combined numbers of Ohio and Indiana, the second and third-highest egg-producing states, according to a study released by Iowa State University Extension this month. The reason for this, according to the report, is Iowa's ready abundance of grain for chicken feed.

3/24/2008 - KMEG 14, Sioux City: Leaders from across the Tri-state are learning new ideas to take back to their hometowns. From housing issues to community growth, mayors, leadership groups and volunteers exchanged ideas with each other Wednesday morning at the 2008 Midstates Conference at the South Sioux City Marina Inn. A spokesperson for the Iowa State University Extension shared ways to promote economic growth. He says this conference is a way for leaders to learn from each other. 'We don't have to reinvent the wheel. Maybe we just take an idea that has worked successfully somewhere else and implement it in our own community,' says Al Grigg of the Iowa State University Extension. The conference brings in about 200 people from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota each year.

3/24/2008 - Oshkosh Northwestern: The 13th annual Graziers Gathering will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 27, in Room 114 at UW-Fond du Lac. Larry Tranel, Iowa State University regional dairy specialist, will share his grazing systems economic performance data. Following lunch, Michael Casler, USDA Dairy Forage Research Center agronomist, will present information on new grasses for pastures. The meeting will conclude with Jeff Lehmkuhler, UW-Extension beef specialist, talking about grazing systems for growing and finishing beef cattle."