Le Mars FFA Chapter Introducing Agriculture To Fellow Students
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community FFA chapter is introducing agriculture to their fellow students. Inside the FFA shed, located on the northwest area of the high school campus, it may look like Old McDonald’s farm with a bucket calf, three lambs, and two pigs. Christian Koch (Cook) is a senior at the Le Mars Community High School. He serves as the president of the Le Mars FFA chapter and offers an explanation as to what is happening with the local FFA chapter.
Koch says the animals will be at the school until the end of the school year.
If you passed by the high school parking lot today, you perhaps noticed several tractors that were parked. Koch says eight tractors were featured as part of the Le Mars Community FFA’s Awareness on Agriculture.
Koch says initially the plan was to bring the tractors to school during National FFA Week, but weather forced a change of plans. The FFA members then thought about bringing the tractors to school last week in recognition of National Agriculture Week, but again the weather with local flooding, combined with the soft country gravel roads pushed the date back until today.
Another way the FFA chapter is emphasizing agriculture is with a hydroponic garden.
Koch says next week the FFA chapter will hold its “Networking Dinner.”
Gehlen Catholic Mission Honduras Participants To Return On Friday
(Le Mars) — The 40 members of the Gehlen Catholic “Mission Honduras” returns home today after completing ten days in the Latin nation of Honduras. The group built homes, picnic tables, and other necessities. Bruce Kellen of Le Mars has participated on eight different Honduras missions. Kellen says he returns to Honduras year after year because he wants to make a difference.
Kellen says each trip to Honduras has been unique and different.
Kellen says the people of Honduras are deeply grateful for the Gehlen Catholic Mission. He says their faces light up when they see the missionaries from Iowa.
Honduras is obviously a poor nation. Kellen recalls from his second trip when he saw the people eating the meals prepared at Gehlen through the “Then Feed Just One” food packaging program.
Over the years, there have been more than 40 different mission trips to Honduras originating from Gehlen Catholic.
Flooding Damage Estimated At $1.6 Billion
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says recent flooding in the state has caused an estimated $1.6 billion in damage.
Reynolds sent a letter asking President Donald Trump to quickly issue a disaster declaration for 57 counties in Iowa that have been severely impacted by flooding, including along the Missouri River.
Ongoing flooding along the river has damaged thousands of homes and inundated agricultural land in several Midwestern states.
Reynolds says Iowa will need the additional federal recovery
assistance to help with damage and losses related to agriculture, businesses, homes and levees.
The damage estimates indicate flooding that began last week has
caused $417 million in damage to homes with minor damage and $64 million to homes with major damage.
Businesses suffered $300 million in damage, while agriculture damage is estimated at $214 million. Additional damage is to levees.
Flooding in Nebraska has caused an estimated $1.4 billion in damage.
The state received Trump’s federal disaster assistance approval on Thursday.
King Urges President Trump To Declare Emergency For Flooded Regions
Washington, D.C.- Congressman Steve King is releasing a copy of a letter he sent to President Trump this morning in which Congressman King requests that the President “expeditiously approve” Iowa’s request for a major disaster declaration related to recent severe flooding. Iowa’s disaster declaration request comes in response to severe weather beginning on March 12 that produced flooding which caused significant damage throughout the state. Governor Reynolds submitted the state’s formal request for a disaster declaration yesterday evening.
“I have asked President Trump to ‘expeditiously approve’ Governor Reynolds’ request for a major disaster declaration related to severe flooding in our state,” said King. “Iowa’s disaster declaration request covers 57 counties and, after having personally surveyed many flooded locations in the 4th District and after having spoken about the flood’s impact with local officials, I share Governor Reynolds’ assessment that the scope of the flood damage exceeds the resources and capabilities currently available on the state and local level for effective response. The White House is fully aware of my support for this disaster declaration, and I am confident that President Trump will act quickly.”
Grassley Backs Up Reynolds On Disaster Declaration
WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asked President Donald Trump to promptly grant the request made by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds for an expedited review of the major disaster declaration request for 57 Iowa counties in response to severe storms and flooding which began March 12, 2019.
Grassley spoke with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor urging expeditious approval of this much-needed federal disaster declaration. Grassley spoke with Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao on Wednesday regarding Iowa road conditions and damage.
In his request letter, Grassley wrote that Reynolds “determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and supplementary federal assistance is necessary to save lives and to protect property, public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster.”
