CROP REPORT
Several days of rain in the past week are a help for some area corn and soybean fields.
Area Agronomist Joel De Jong says the moisture and lower temperatures were a positive factor for parched corn fields.
Soybeans also benefited, but they have a larger window for additional growth right now.
There’s still some time for corn ears to fill out.
And a bit more time for soybeans.
At the same time, the concern in this dry weather is soil recharge for next year.
Dry weather is also bringing out pests such as soybean aphids and grasshoppers. Most of them thrive in dry weather.
NEW IRS AGENTS
Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne, who’s running for re-election, says the package of energy, tax and health care proposals President Biden signed into law this week shows what she and other Democrats could accomplish if they keep control of Congress. Republicans have blasted the bill for adding 87-thousand employees to the I-R-S over the next decade. Axne says, though, it will increase oversight of tax returns from big corporations and Americans who report an annual income above 400-thousand dollars. She says tax avoidance among corporations and high-income Americans is a big issue, and collecting those taxes would help pay for schools, roads, and health care. Axne made her comments on the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
SALSA DISASTER
As tomatoes start to ripen in gardens, salsa is one of the favorite things Iowans like to make with them. I-S-U Extension food specialist Renee Sweers says there are a lot of variables that include the variety of tomato, the weather, the soil, and whether that tomato actually has a high enough acid content. She says if you’re wanting to can salsa — use a recipe you trust, along with lemon juice or powdered citric acid. For that those who don’t want to go through the hassle of canning, keep your homemade salsa in the refrigerator and use it up before it goes bad.
POLL WORKERS NEEDED
Secretary of State Paul Pate is urging Iowans to apply to be poll workers in the November election. Poll workers check in voters on Election Day and hand out ballots. Pate says while a good number of poll workers have signed up, county auditors tell him they still need more people. He says some counties are looking for more Republicans and others are looking for Democrats because the state requires it to be balanced. More information is available online.
[www.pollworker.iowa.gov]
IRETON ACCIDENT
An Ireton woman was injured Tuesday in a single vehicle accident west of the town. The Sioux County Sheriffs office says 27 year old Jade Vlotho was driving an SUV south on Dipper Ave. when she lost control of her vehicle, entered a ditch, and rolled. Vlotho suffered non-life threatening injuries. She was transported by Ireton Ambulance to Hawarden Regional Health Care. Ireton Fire, Rescue, and Ambulance, and Hawarden Police assisted at the accident scene.
FATAL DOG ATTACK
The Clay County Sheriff says a woman died earlier this week near the driveway to her home after being attacked by her dogs. The Clay County Communications Center originally received a 9-1-1 call Monday afternoon from a person believing he had come across a motorcycle crash on a county road near Rossie (Ross-ee) , about 12 miles south of Spencer. The caller told dispatchers he could see a person in a nearby ditch but was unable to get close because of a group of large dogs near the person. Deputies with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office determined it was not a crash and the person in the ditch — identified as 43-year-old Mindy Kiepe (Keyep) — had died from injuries caused by the five dogs that were all determined to be hers. All five of the animals were euthanized following the investigation.
NEW FEED MILL
Tyson Foods is operating a new feed mill in northwest Iowa. It’s a replacement feed mill and adds 69 acres to Tyson’s turkey complex in Storm Lake. Nearly six dozen farmers within a 60 mile radius of the community supply the majority of turkeys processed at the company’s Storm Lake plant. Joe Hedden, Tyson’s Associate Director of Live Operations in Storm Lake, says the mill is providing high-quality feed for the turkeys.
Hedden says the turkey plant is operating at full capacity.
Tyson also operates a pork processing facility in Storm Lake and about three thousand people are employed at the company’s pork AND turkey plants in Storm Lake. Tyson held an official opening for the towering feed mill Wednesday, but it’s been operating for several months. The most recent data available indicates Iowa has more than 400 mills that grind grain and soybeans into specialized feed for livestock and poultry.
BEATLES MEMORABILIA
Beatles fans might want to consider a trip to Sioux City after a local fan donated her extensive collection of vintage items to the museum. Sioux City Public Museum curator, Matt Anderson, says the collection donated by Cathy Wilen-Podwysocki includes things she started collecting when she was 12.
Anderson says the records provides an overview of how the Beatles evolved through the years from their beginnings in England.
Anderson says the items in the collection are something any Beatles fan would want to have.
The exhibit of the items called “Meet the Beatles! A Fab Four Memorabilia Collection,” will be on display at the Sioux City Public Museum through November 27th.
OPIOID SETTLEMENT
Opioid maker Endo International has reached a 450-million dollar settlement with 36 states, including Iowa. Endo is based in Ireland but has U-S headquarters in Pennsylvania. It makes several generic and branded opioids, including Percocet and Endocet. How much of that settlement is coming to Iowa hasn’t been announced. The deal still has to be approved by the U-S Bankruptcy Court. Endo is the latest of several opioid makers who have agreed to payouts over deceptive marketing practices that downplayed the risk of addiction posed by their products.
