Senator Ted Cruz from Texas is one of the most sought after Republican leaders and speakers in the country.

Would you like to meet him?

Just last week the Republican Party of Iowa was ecstatic to announce we had confirmed Senator Ted Cruz will serve as our keynote speaker at our annual Reagan Day Dinner on Friday, October 25th.

While tickets have just been announced, we're celebrating the Iowa State Fair this week and offering an exclusive deal to our Republican supporters who register early.

Use special promo code "Cruz" when you buy a dinner ticket or table and you'll receive a full 25% discount off the price!

Reserve your ticket today with this substantial discount.

That's right, take a full 1/4 off the price, just by registering today and using the promo code "Cruz"

I look forward to seeing you at our annual Reagan Dinner on October 25th.

Take advantage of the substantial discount we're offering in celebration of the Iowa State Fair and reserve your ticket today!

Andresen FFA Member Wins Iowa State Fair Breeding Sheep Show

Brandon Andresen of Keystone defended his Grand Champion Commercial Ewe title Friday morning in the FFA Breeding Sheep show at the 2013 Iowa State Fair. Andresen's showing topped 273 sheep and 114 other exhibitors.

Additional results below:

Champion Suffolk Ram: Kayte Werner, Grinnell

Champion Suffolk Ewe: Katherine Newhouse, State Center

Reserve Champion Suffolk Ewe: Justin Swanton, Goose Lake

Supreme Champion Suffolk Individual: Katherine Newhouse, State Center

Champion Hampshire Ram: Dakota Hudnut, Deep River

Reserve Champion Hampshire Ram: Logan Wilson, Colfax

Champion Hampshire Ewe: Ryan Skaar, Story City

Reserve Champion Hampshire Ewe: Dakota Hudnut, Deep River

Champion Dorset Ram: Logan Wilson, Colfax

Reserve Champion Dorset Ram: Logan Wilson, Colfax

Champion Dorset Ewe: Tyler Leete, Elk Horn

Reserve Champion Dorset Ewe: Daren Chambers, Indianola

Champion Other Meat Breeds Ram: Rebecca Martin, DeWitt

Champion Other Meat Breeds Ewe: Rebecca Martin, DeWitt

Reserve Champion Other Meat Breeds Ewe: Rebecca Martin, DeWitt

Champion Commercial Ewe Lamb: Brandon Andresen, Keystone

Reserve Champion Commercial Ewe Lamb: Tyler Leete, Elk Horn

Champion Commercial Yearling Ewe: Collin Swanton, Goose Lake

Reserve Champion Commercial Yearling Ewe: Justin Swanton, Goose Lake

Beef Feeder Calf Awards Given at Iowa State Fair

Iowans from across the Midwest were recognized for their top quality cattle in the Beef Feeder Calf show judged Saturday at the 2013 Iowa State Fair.

Mittag Show Cattle of Prescott took top honors, winning Grand Champion Market Animal and Reserve Grand Champion Heifer banners. The Reserve Grand Champion Market Animal was shown by Christo Cattle of Albion, Neb., for the second year in a row.

The Grand Champion Heifer was shown by Bormann Show Cattle of Algona.

Additional results below:

Angus Heifers

1) Brandt Farms, Corning

2) Holmes Cattle Co., Benton

3) Brandt Farms, Corning

4) Vanderholm Cattle Co., Villisca

Angus Heifer

1) DMW Show Cattle, Wiota

2) Emily Hinners, Arcadia

Charolais Heifers

1) KCR Cattle, Charter Oak

2) Zach Welch, Afton

3) Amy Hinners, Arcadic

Charolais Composite Heifers

1) Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

2) Brandt Farms, Corning

3) Reid Nichols, Atlantic

4) K&A Farms & Bremer Show Cattle, Blakesburg

Chianina Heifers

1) Bormann Show Cattle, Algona

2) Jake Weber, Parnell

3) Mitchell Family Show Cattle, Charles City

4) Forbes Cattle, Lone Tree

Chianina Heifers

1) Moores Show Cattle, Earlham

2) Horizon Show Cattle, Indianola

3) Brockelyn Anderson, Lohrville

Foundation Simmental Heifers

1) Reck Show Cattle, Fairfield

2) Townsley Simmentals, Wapello

3) Vanderholm Cattle Co., Villisca

Foundation Simmental Heifers

1) Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

2) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

Hereford Heifers

1) Silver Bullet Herefords, Van Meter

2) DMW Show Cattle, Wiota

Maine- Anjou Heifers

1) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

2) K&A Farms & Bremer Show Cattle, Blakesburg

3) Horizon Show Cattle, Indianola

Maine- Anjou Heifers

1) Tayler Sammons, Eddyville

2) Martsching Show Cattle, Moulton

3) Von Glan Cattle Company, Vail

Maine-Tainer Heifers

1) Gruhn Show Cattle, Denison

2) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

3) Holmes Show Cattle, LuVerne

4) Kennedy Eskildsen, Northwood

5) Debower Show Calves, Charles City

6) McCormick Farms, Indianola

Shorthorn Heifers

1) Vogel Family Shorthorns, Hartley

2) Briar Tenold, Northwood

3) Vetter Show Cattle, Arcadia

Shorthorn Heifers

1) Puckett Shorthorns and Angus, Goose Lake

2) 6B Farms, Parkersburg

3) 6B Farms, Parkersburg

4) Paha Cattle Co., New Virginia

5) Sam Kemper, Carroll

Shorthorn Plus Heifers

1) Hard Luck Cattle Company, Leighton

2) Gruhn Show Cattle, Denison

Simmental Heifers

1) Reck Show Cattle, Fairfield

2) Rieck & Lents Show Cattle, Creston

3) Townsley Simmentals, Wapello

4) Dennis Workman, Delta

Simmental Heifers

1) Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

2) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

3) Thomas, Pella

Commercial Heifers

1) Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

2) Tory Schneider, Lacona

3) Delaney Bulechek, Oxford

4) Mason Edwards, Huxley

5) Von Glan Cattle Company, Vail

6) Jaylee Happe, Cherokee

7) Muir Farms, Rippey

Commercial Heifers

1) Alexis Weber, Parnell

2) Austin Tiefenthaler, Breda

3) Brock Brenneman, Parnell

4) Mitchell Family Show Cattle, Charles City

5) Beeler Cattle Co., Truro

Commercial Heifers

1) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

2) Sievers Show Cattle, Stockton

3) Jayla Huffman, Yale

4) Hard Luck Cattle Company, Leighton

5) Claire Wilkerson, Panora

Market Heifers

1) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

2) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

3) 4MR Showcattle, Charter Oak

4) Tapken Cattle Co., Adel

5) Jaylee Happe, Cherokee

6) T.R. Farms, Winterset

Chianina Steers

1) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

2) 4MR Showcattle, Charter Oak

3) Gruhn Show Cattle, Denison

4) Tapken Cattle Co., Adel

5) Horizon Show Cattle, Indianola

6) Debower Show Calves, Charles City

Maine-Anjou Steers

1) Rieck & Lents Show Cattle, Creston

2) Mccormick Farms, Indianola

3) Mitchell Family Show Cattle, Charles City

Simmental Steers

1) Muir Farms, Rippey

2) Holmes Cattle Co., Benton

Simmental Steers

1) Vetter Show Cattle, Arcadia

2) Dennis Workman, Delta

All Other Breed Steers

1) Reid Nichols, Atlantic

2) Holmes Cattle Co., Benton

3) Tapken Cattle Co., Adel

4) Paha Cattle Co., New Virginia

Crossbred Steers

1) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

2) Mitchell Family Show Cattle, Charles City

3) Puckett Shorthorns and Angus, Goose Lake

4) Muir Farms, Rippey

Crossbred Steers

1) Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

2) Delaney Bulechek, Oxford

3) Jaylee Happe, Cherokee

4) Martsching Show Cattle, Moulton

5) Brock Brenneman, Parnell

Crossbred Steers

1) Schultz Cattle Company, Creston

2) Anthony Burke, Charlotte

3) Kysa Downing, Creston

4) Kade Burzlaff, Delmar

5) Sam Kemper, Carroll

Crossbred Steers

1) Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

2) Lawless Farms, Albia

3) Hard Luck Cattle Company, Leighton

4) Walker Kipp, Yale

Top Five Head Breeding Heifers

1) Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

2) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

3) KCR Cattle, Charter Oak

Top Five Market Animals

1) Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

2) Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

3) Reck Show Cattle, Fairfield

Champion Angus Heifer: Brandt Farms, Corning

Reserve Champion Angus Heifer: DMW Show Cattle, Wiota

Champion Chianina Heifer: Bormann Show Cattle, Algona

Reserve Champion Reserve Chianina Heifer: Moores Show Cattle, Earlham

Champion Foundation Simmental Heifer: Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

Reserve Champion Foundation Simmental Heifer: Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

Champion Maine-Anjou Heifer: Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

Reserve Champion Maine-Anjou Heifer: Tayler Sammons, Eddyville

Champion Shorthorn Heifer: Vogel Family Shorthorns, Hartley

Reserve Champion Shorthorn Heifer: Puckett Shorthorns and Angus, Goose Lake

Champion Simmental Heifer: Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

Reserve Champion Simmental Heifer: Reck Show Cattle, Fairfield

Champion Commercial Heifer: Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

Reserve Champion Commercial Heifer: Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

Champion Simmental Steer: Vetter Show Cattle, Arcadia

Reserve Champion Simmental Steer: Muir Farms, Rippey

Champion Crossbred Steer: Mittag Show Cattle, Prescott

Reserve Champion Crossbred Steer: Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

Champion Charolais Heifer: KCR Cattle, Charter Oak

Reserve Champion Charolais Heifer: Zach Welch, Afton

Champion Charolais Compositive Heifer: Stevenson Farms, Knoxville

Reserve Champion Charolais Compositive Heifer: Brandt Farms, Corning

Champion Hereford Heifers: Silver Bullet Herefords, Van Meter

Reserve Champion Hereford Heifers: DMW Show Cattle, Wiota

Champion Maine-Tainer Heifers: Gruhn Show Cattle, Denison

Reserve Champion Maine-Tainer Heifers: Maine Aim Ranch, Allerton

Champion Market Heifers: Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

Reserve Champion Market Heifers: Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

Champion Chianina Steers: Chisto Cattle, Albion, Neb.

Reserve Champion Chianina Steers: 4MR Showcattle, Charter Oak

Champion Maine-Anjou Steers: Rieck & Lents Show Cattle, Creston

Reserve Champion Maine-Anjou Steers: Mccormick Farms, Indianola

Champion All Other Breed Steers: Reid Nichols, Atlantic

Reserve Champion All Other Breed Steers: Holmes Cattle Co., Benton

"Nothing Compares" to the 2013 Iowa State Fair, August 8-18. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines, and are open 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. each day of the Fair. Exhibit hours may vary. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit iowastatefair.org.

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Now, you really can live forever, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

Many of your online accounts - from automatic bill payments to eBay - may remain active after you pass away, unless you take steps to ensure they don't, says attorney Hillel Presser, author of "Financial Self-Defense (Revised Edition), "www.assetprotectionattorneys.com.

Automatic bill pay, for example, can theoretically keep tapping your bank account long after you're gone or, at least, until your money is.

"It's important to make sure your online bank and shopping accounts, even your social media, can be closed out, or that your loved ones are authorized to access them," Presser says. "You may ask, 'Why would I care if I'm gone?' I can tell you from experience: because it can create real headaches, and more heartache, for your family."

Bank and shopping accounts will be vulnerable to identity theft, which would affect your estate if someone opens credit cards in your name. You might have valuable intellectual property, like domain names. They may need access to your health records, particularly if you died under questionable circumstances, he says.

There's the sentimental stuff - photos and emails -- that your family may want as a remembrance of you, and the libraries of music and ebooks, which may represent a considerable investment on your part.

"The problem is, even if you provide a family member with all of your accounts, log-ins and passwords, they may not be legally allowed to access them," Presser says. "In many cases, they may be violating the accounts' terms of service or violatingfederal privacy and computer fraud laws. Some states have laws governing online materials, but they're different and which of your accounts are covered depends on where the provider is located."

What can you do to ensure your family isn't left with a virtual nightmare after your passing? Presser offers these tips:

• Create a list of all of your accounts, including log-innames, passwords, and answers to any security questions. Obviously, your list will need to be securely stored. Since you'll need to update it regularly as you add accounts or change passwords,  it will be easiest if you keep the list on your computer in a password-protected folder. Some versions of Windows allow you to create protected folders, but you may need to get third-party software to do this, such as freeAxCrypt. Remember to create a backup of your list, whether it's on a jump drive or printed out on paper. Store the backup in a secure place such as a safe deposit box. Do not put password information in your will, which is a public document.

• If you have a Google account, set up the new inactive account manager. In May 2013, Google became the first site to give users an option for choosing what becomes of their content if they should become debilitated or die. Under the profile button, click "Account," scroll down to "Account Management," and you'll find instructions for "Control what happens to your account when you stop using Google." You can select how long the account should be inactive before your plans are set into motion; choose to whom you want to offer content, such as YouTube videos, Gmail, Google+ posts, Blogger and Picasa web albums, or whether it should simply be deleted.

• Appoint a digital executor. Perhaps the simplest way to ensure your online life is taken care of is to appoint a digital executor - a tech-savvy person who will be willing and able to carry out your wishes. Authorize the person to access your inventory of log-in information and spell out what you want done with each account, whether it's providing access to loved ones or business partners, or deleting it.

The digital world has grown and transformed so rapidly, the law hasn't kept up, which makes managing your digital afterlife challenging, Presser says.

"Until there are more consistent laws and procedures governing this area, it's best to plan ahead, leave clear instructions and be sure you have a list of accounts where your estate lawyer or a loved one can find it and access it," he says. "It will make a world of difference to your survivors."

About Hillel L. Presser, Esq., MBA

Hillel L. Presser's firm, The Presser Law Firm, P.A., represents individuals and businesses in establishing comprehensive asset protection plans. He is a graduate of Syracuse University's School of Management and Nova Southeastern University's law school, and serves on Nova's President's Advisory Council. He is a former adjunct faculty member for law at Lynn University. Complimentary copies of "Financial Self-Defense" are available through www.assetprotectionattorneys.com.

Raccoon River nitrate levels show significant, steady decline

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - August 12, 2013 - An analysis of recent water data show long-term declining levels of nitrates in the Raccoon River, despite the weather-induced spike seen this spring.

"While values did spike this spring, overall, the long-term daily nitrate levels have been declining, even when including this spring's weather-induced spike," says Iowa Farm Bureau Environmental Policy Advisor Rick Robinson.   "According to all available daily nitrate values reported by the Des Moines Water Works on their website for the Raccoon River, the data yield a statistically significant negative linear downward trend line in nitrates for 2006-2013.  There were record high levels of nitrate levels out of the Raccoon for a short duration this spring and we can clearly see why that happened; it was a 'perfect storm' which started with last year's drought, followed by a spring of cooler temperatures and record rainfall.  In fact, rainfall this past April and May broke records that stood for 141 years," says Robinson. Rainfall statistically correlates the most with the higher nitrates, he says.

Additionally, according to Des Moines Water Works website posted measurements, 80 percent of the daily nitrate values since 2006 are less than the drinking water standard of 10 parts per million (ppm).   "The fact that there's been a steady decline in nitrates in the Raccoon River should not be interpreted that farmers are somehow shirking their responsibility for their share of the nitrate load. In fact, ag groups are stepping up to the plate, embracing the new Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and encouraging all farmers to do the same. Farmers are considering additional steps they can take to help make further reductions," says IFBF president Craig Hill.

This trend analysis follows a recent study, featured in the Journal of Environmental Quality, 2012, which confirmed that for 1992-2008, rainfall and temperature contribute more to nitrate variations in the Raccoon River, than modern farming practices. "While conservation work is never finished, it is worth noting that farmers have embraced conservation on 23 million acres of crop land, land which is constantly affected by our increasingly volatile weather.  The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is all about sharing information with farmers, to help them find the practices that best fit their farm and landscape," says Robinson.

The Nutrient Reduction Strategy is one of the nation's first 'in the field,' science-based assessments, which analyzes a varied menu of conservation practice scenarios.  The goal is to get the most nutrient reduction, while allowing the nation's farmers to keep pace with growing population and energy needs.  "Voluntary approaches aren't about doing what we've always been doing; it's about doing more, embracing new methods. When it comes to conservation, everyone needs to do their part," says Hill, a crop and livestock family farmer from Milo.

In the last 30 years, voluntary conservation measures have reduced soil erosion in the U.S. by 43 percent, according to the USDA's National Resources Inventory report.  Iowa's erosion rate was down 33 percent, due in part to a combination of practices being put in place, such as buffer strips, terraces, no-till, cover crops, restoring wetlands, installing bio-filters and grassy waterways in fields.

IFBF invites all Iowans to learn more about the latest conservation measures, by checking out 'Conservation Counts' at http://programs.iowafarmbureau.com/conservationcounts/

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to helping farm families prosper and improve their quality of life.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve economic growth, educational improvement, and environmental quality in their communities.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online media center at www.iowafarmbureau.com.