Farm bill shortchanges Extension/land grant universities
Delta Farm Press, Nov. 4, 2008

Extension and land grant universities are warning that a recently discovered provision in the new farm bill will seriously damage their ability to provide needed research and emergency efforts. Integrated pest management programs are especially vulnerable. In force for decades, the federal Smith-Lever Act has been instrumental in providing USDA funds to land grant universities and Extension. Through an amendment, the new farm bill does away with the traditional method of annual block grant funding (allocated based on each state’s agricultural production value) in favor of competitive grants.
This article includes an extensive interview with Jack Payne, vice president for extension and outreach at Iowa State University, on the impact of the change on extension programming and background on why the change was included in the new farm bill.

Extension programs merit 'yes' vote
Dubuque Telegraph Herald, Oct. 15, 2008

Excerpted from the Telegraph Herald editorial page: If Dubuque County Extension's question on the Nov. 4 ballot sounds familiar, there's a reason for that. Public Measure D is the same measure the Extension put before voters in 2006. It's still a maximum of 13.5 cents per thousand dollars of assessed property valuation. It still would more than double the Extension's annual operating budget, bringing it to $265,500. In fact, the only thing ISU Extension staff and supporters hope will be different this time is the outcome. In 2006, only 48 percent of voters said 'yes.' Fifty-two percent turned down the chance to continue to fund dozens of important programs in our community. Next month, citizens have another chance to strengthen Extension. Public Measure D deserves a 'yes' vote.

CF Industries aids flood recovery
Business News/Midwest DairyBusiness, Sept. 15, 2008
A gift of $25,000 from CF Industries Inc., wil help Iowa State University Extension provide free financial planning to Iowa farm families dealing with the aftermath of this year’s flooding. ISU Extension will temporarily offer its Farm Financial Planning services at no charge. CF Industries also has committed an additional $25,000 to help ISU’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences restore flood-damaged areas at research farms across Iowa. The support will help ISU replace tile drains, reseed eroded waterways, repeat field experiments that were destroyed and support long-term studies on soil fertility, water quality and crop rotation.

Barn Quilts + 4-H'ers make Iowa tourism grow
Cherokee Chronicle Times, Aug. 20, 2008
AMES - Take Grandpa's barn, an 8' by 8' slab of plywood and mix in the can do spirit of an Iowa 4-H youth and you've got yourself a tourist attraction. Barn quilts are going up all across Iowa, on barns, on community libraries, on garages, on any building big enough to hold the 4' by 4' or 8' by 8' creations. Some are even stand-alone signs welcoming tourists to town. It's all a part of the life skills learning offered through Iowa State University Extension's 4-H Youth Development program. This feature describes several barn quilt projects at the Iowa State Fair.

Plan for 2009 Crop Year by Managing Flooded Soils
Wallaces Farmer, Aug. 20, 2008
Approximately 1.2 million acres of Iowa farmland affected by flooding earlier this year have not been planted to any crop. There are potential economic and soil environmental consequences of leaving these soils unattended. The long-term damage to soil and water quality in areas of significant flooding need to be considered when planning for next season's crop. Several changes that take place when soil is under saturated conditions for an extended period of time can be carried into the next season, according to Mahdi Al-Kaisi and Steve Barnhart, Extension agronomists at Iowa State University. This report describes some of the problems that result.

Corn Estimates in Line with Five-year Averages - USA:
Kansas City InfoZine News, Aug. 17, 2008
Government yield estimates released Aug. 12 had positive news predicting an above trend line yield for corn. Iowa State University Extension agronomists say the estimates are in line with the five-year average."

Extra cost associated with organic foods could be money well spent
Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (Aug. 9, 2008)
A Cedar Falls family puts a lot of effort into preparing meals with organic foods. Iowa State University Extension nutrition specialist Ruth Litchfield comments "There are so many factors that go into how a food is made and its nutritional values. You have to look at the soil it was grown in, the weather conditions, when it was picked relative to when it should be fully ripe. You have organic foods that are still being transported, so to say that when you walk into a grocery store that an organic food is nutritionally superior, we can't say that."

Do you need a financial advisor? Take this quiz and find out:
Shenandoah, Iowa, Valley News Today (Aug. 8, 2008)
If you've been thinking that a financial advisor is only for the very wealthy, then think again. Almost anyone who has experienced life changes should take a good long look at their financial situation.

You say you don't have much to save? According to Patricia Swanson, Iowa State University Extension Families Specialist, even a little adds up! "Suppose you spend $1 a day on pop...If instead you added that amount to a retirement account, earning a 10 percent return: In 20 years, you'd have almost $21,000. In 35 years, you'd have almost $99,000." Swanson offers a 10-question quiz to help you determine whether you could benefit from the help of a financial advisor.

Farm management expert can't recall more volatile time in agriculture
Agri News (Aug. 5, 2008)

Craig Chase, Iowa State University Extension farm management specialist based in Tripoli, can't recall a more volatile time in agriculture.

'I started with Extension in the late 1970s and rode out the 1980s, and it was a whole lot easier to predict what was going to happen then than it is now,' Chase said at a farmland leasing meeting last week in the Hancock County Extension office in Garner.

Emmet County cattlemen receive awards
Estherville Daily News: (Aug. 7, 2008)

Mark and Norma Guge July 17 received the Region III Environmental Stewardship Award from the National Cattlemen's Association which includes beef producers in Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.

In the 1990s, Guge, along with Craig White and Dennis DeWitt, Iowa State University Extension livestock field specialist, organized Iowa Lakes Controlled Grazing, a four-county controlled grazing project. The group received $35,000 from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

Fundraising U set for next month
Sioux City Journal (Aug. 4, 2008)
The Charitable Giving Resource Center, in cooperation with the Siouxland Nonprofit Management Alliance and the Siouxland Community Foundation will offer its Fundraising University to nonprofit professionals in the Siouxland area in September. Iowa State University Extension is one of the co-sponsors.

Early-maturing soybeans may answer late-planting questions
Agriculture Online (June 6, 2008)
"In a mad dash to get some soybeans planted now before time runs out on you? You're not alone." But being so late in the season, one specialist advises to be mindful of both how and what you're planting. See the advice of Iowa State University Extension soybean production specialist and agronomist Palle Pedersen.