Culver signs manure application bill
DES MOINES -- Gov. Chet Culver last week signed into law a measure limiting the application of liquid manure on frozen ground from Feb. 1 to April 1.
The measure is designed to reduce runoff into the state's waterways.
He also signed the final piece of an $830 million package designed to repair Iowa's flood-damaged and aging infrastructure while also creating jobs.
Culver said the package is the signature accomplishment of this year's Legislature, arguing it would put the state on the road to recovery from last year's record flooding, deal with many long-standing problems and help Iowa emerge from the recession.
Two-Cylinder tractor event in Waterloo June 18-20
WATERLOO, Iowa -- Hundreds of vintage John Deere Two-Cylinder tractors and implements will be on display at the National Cattle Congress Grounds in Waterloo on June 18-20.
Besides the best restored tractors, a swap meet will include thousands of parts, complete tractors for sale, accessories, literature, and memorabilia.
Free seminars and presentations will be held on Thursday and Friday. The seminars will focus on tractor restoration, electrical systems, and trouble shooting. A craft show is planned and the Sunrise Exchange Petting Zoo will be open. Parking is free and food and beverages will be available on-site. Gates open Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
For more information, call (319) 824-6060.
Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open is July 21
AMES, Iowa -- The Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open will be held July 21 at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames.
The annual event benefits the Lauren L. Christian Endowment, which provides financial support for undergraduate and graduate students and continued swine and pork educational opportunities through Iowa State University.
Christian was an expert in swine genetics and was the first director of the Iowa Pork Industry Center. He was an ISU faculty member for 33 years.
The 18-hole best-shot tournament begins with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. and includes lunch at the golf course. The cost is $85 per person and $340 for each four-person team. For more information, call (515) 294-4103.
Goat Conference planned in Decorah on June 20
DECORAH, Iowa -- The "All New Iowa Goat Conference'' will be held June 20 in the Lansing Building on the Winneshiek County fairgrounds in Decorah.
The Extension Serviced and the Goat Farmers of Northeast Iowa are sponsoring the conference, which opens at 8:30 a.m. The conference will feature veterinarian Paul Plummer, Jim Warren and Terry Hopper. They will discuss infectious diseases in goats, culturing milk samples, meters, scales and interpreting production information.
For more information, call Dale Thoreson at (319) 267-2707.
Pheasant hunting drops in Iowa
DES MOINES -- Iowa Hunters killed the smallest number of pheasants on record last year, but state officials expect that to rebound this season.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said last week that hunters killed about 383,000 rooster pheasants last season. It's just the second time since 1958 that hunters killed fewer than 500,000 birds. The number of pheasant hunters was also at a record low last season, at 86,000. It was 200,000 in 1996.
State biologists say the conversion of habitat to cropland, bad nesting weather and severe flooding have hurt pheasant populations.
Spending on upland bird hunting in Iowa fell to $186 million last year from $386 million in 1996.
Iowa forest receives special council designation
DECORAH, Iowa -- A 77-acre forest in northeast Iowa is the first in the state to be certified under International Forest Stewardship Council management standards for its protection of native vegetation and ecologically important wildlife.
The project was highlighted on May 29 during a landowner workshop in Yellow River State Forest.
The critical bird habitat is found on forest land situated within the Driftless Area Landscape Region, which includes northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin.
ISU researchers are heading to Chicago
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University researchers who think that there is a future in making plastics from processing crops or crop byproducts are taking their show on the road.
Members of the Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team will exhibit at an international plastics showcase June 22-26 in Chicago.
The team will exhibit samples of plastics, composites, adhesives and coatings that they have made from vegetable oils and proteins, plus flower pots and golf tees created from some of the materials they have developed.
"Iowa agriculture will benefit if we can expand the market for bio-based products from corn and soybeans and agricultural co-products,'' said team member Richard Larock.
