Deadline Extended for May 4 PQA Plus® Advisor Training Program

AMES, Iowa -- The application deadline for the May 4 Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) Advisors
certification program being offered by the Iowa Pork Industry Center (IPIC) at Iowa State University (ISU) has
been extended. James McKean, IPIC associate director and ISU Extension swine veterinarian, is coordinating
the training program and said those interested in participating now have through Friday, April 29, to submit
their application to attend.

"A few spaces remain for this session and we want to be sure people have ample opportunity to submit the
application," McKean said. "That's why we're extending the deadline to this coming Friday."

The session will be held in the Ensminger Room in Kildee Hall on the ISU campus and will be taught by ISU
animal science and veterinary medicine faculty members who are certified PQA Plus trainers.

McKean said those who qualify and are interested in the program should download, complete and submit the
two-page application form available online at www.ipic.iastate.edu/PQAPapp050411.docx. The form also is
available by fax by calling Sherry Hoyer at IPIC at 515-294-4496.

"If you're interested in attending, please let us know by submitting an application as soon as possible so we can
contact you after receiving your application," McKean said. "The $75 fee for approved applicants can be paid at
the door on May 4."

The qualifications and other requirements are included in the application form.

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Iowa Beef Producers Invited to Grazing Systems Program

CHARITON, Iowa - Beef producers interested in learning the latest on fescue management and
forage-based diet supplementation will want to attend one of two grazing systems workshops in
southern Iowa next month. The program brochure is available on the Iowa Beef Center (IBC)
website.

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension beef program specialist Joe Sellers said both sessions will
have the same speakers and content, so people can choose the most convenient location and date.
The sessions are scheduled for Tuesday, May 17, at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in Osceola
and Wednesday, May 18, at the Wayne County Courthouse in Corydon. Both begin at 7 p.m.

"Our featured speaker is Craig Roberts from the University of Missouri. He'll review
management practices that reduce health problems and increase cattle production on fescue
pastures," Sellers said. "Fescue toxicosis continues to create problems in Iowa beef herds,
particularly where producers have pastures with longer rest periods than normal, resulting in
mature fescue with higher alkaloid levels."

Roberts also will help producers determine which grazing systems may work for their operations.
Sellers will present information on supplementing forage-based diets and will lead a question-
answer session on local issues.

Cost is $10 per person, payable at the door. For more information, contact Sellers by phone at
641-203-1270 or by email at sellers@iastate.edu.

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Update for Veterinarians Program Planned

CHARITON, Iowa - Veterinarians who work with cattle are invited to sharpen their skills and learn the
latest information on a variety of topics at a May 18 workshop in southern Iowa. The 18th annual Update for
Veterinarians will focus on topics of specific interest to beef practitioners, according to Iowa State University
(ISU) Extension beef program specialist Joe Sellers, who is organizing the event at the ISU McNay Research
Farm.

"Our featured speaker is Craig Roberts from the University of Missouri and he'll review management practices
that reduce health problems and increase cattle production on fescue pastures," Sellers said. "Fescue toxicosis
continues to create problems in Iowa beef herds, particularly where producers have pastures with longer rest
periods than normal, resulting in mature fescue with higher alkaloid levels."

The program also will include results from a cow feeding trial at McNay farm and the Iowa Beef Center's hay
quality survey, as well as sessions on disease, euthanasia, grazing systems and coproduct feeding. In addition to
Roberts and Sellers, ISU presenters are Grant Dewell, Mary Drewnoski and Renee Dewell.

"The Iowa Beef Center at ISU and ISU Extension have put together a great program of current topics and
presenters, and it's been approved for six hours of continuing education credits," Sellers said.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. with the first of four morning sessions starting at 9 a.m. Three more sessions
will follow lunch. Those who preregister by May 12 will pay $50 per person, which includes the noon meal.
Pre-registrations after May 12 and walk-ins will cost $70.

The brochure with registration form is available on the Iowa Beef Center website. For more information,
contact Sellers by phone at 641- 203-1270 or by email at sellers@iastate.edu.

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Iowa Hosts National 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Workshop May 15-20

AMES, Iowa - Volunteer shooting sports instructors from throughout the United States will come to Central Iowa for the
National 4-H Shooting Sports Instructor Workshop May 15-20.

Iowa State University Extension and University of Minnesota Extension are co-hosting the workshop at the Iowa 4-H
Center near Madrid. Registration is open to current adult volunteers in state 4-H shooting sports programs. Participants
at national workshops must have the approval of their state's 4-H shooting sports coordinator, said Bryan Whaley, who
coordinates the program in Iowa.

The registration form, schedule and more information are available online at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/4h/projects/
ShootingSports/sessevents.htm.
The registration fee is $325 through April 30; after that date the fee increases to $375 per person. No registrations will be
accepted after May 4, Whaley said.

"We are training volunteer instructors to work with kids to develop skills for their future ? because shooting sports are
lifelong activities," Whaley said. "4-H shooting sports bring together youth and trained adults and emphasize positive
youth development through building shooting, wildlife, conservation and outdoor skills."

During the weeklong workshop, volunteers will receive training to become nationally certified instructors in one
discipline of their choosing: archery, rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol, coordinator, or hunting skills. The certification
will enable them to teach other volunteer instructors in their own states, Whaley said.

Participants also will have many opportunities to exchange ideas, both formally and informally, Whaley said. "You can
share approaches and tactics that have worked for you and ways you handle situations in your own club, county or state,
as well as learn what is going on in other states. We already have people registered from as far away as Alaska, Oregon
and Mississippi."

In 4-H Safety and Education in Shooting Sports (SESS) youth work with trained adult volunteers to learn safe and
responsible use of firearms and archery equipment, including sound decision-making, self-discipline and concentration.
The shooting sports program promotes the highest standards of safety, sportsmanship and ethical behavior, Whaley said.
The program also encourages youth to develop an understanding of natural resources as well as a personal environmental
stewardship ethic through participation in shooting, hunting and related activities.

Shooting sports is one of the fastest growing 4-H programs in many states, with an estimated 300,000 youth participating

nationally. These programs across the nation have proven effective in engaging both boys and girls and retaining older
youth in 4-H. In Iowa 570 volunteer instructors work with 1,660 youth in 4-H shooting sports activities.

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Visits State Emergency Operations Center

SPRINGFIELD - April 26, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today activated the Illinois National Guard to support flood-fighting and life safety missions in southern Illinois.  The initial activation includes up to 125 Guardsmen who are deploying to Marion to assist the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) with emergency response planning.  Additional troops may be activated if needed.

"The Illinois National Guard is a valuable asset to the state during disasters," said Governor Quinn.  "During the February snow storm, the men and women of the Guard helped save many lives and I am very grateful for their assistance during the flooding."

"The Illinois National Guard fully supports Governor Quinn's activation of our Guardsmen for flood relief," said Maj. Gen. William Enyart, Illinois National Guard Adjutant General. "These Guardsmen are fully trained and motivated to assist in this mission to ensure Illinois citizens are safe from harm's way. As always, we stand ready to answer the call for additional support if needed."

Governor Quinn has received frequent updates on the situation from IEMA Director Jonathon Monken and today visited the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Springfield where he was briefed on the current flood outlook and the state's assistance efforts.  Representatives from more than a dozen agencies and organizations are working in the SEOC to assure a coordinated response of state assets and personnel to communities affected by flooding.

Also attending the SEOC briefing today were state Reps. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg), Dan Reitz (D-Steeleville) and Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro).

Governor Quinn on Monday issued a disaster proclamation to ensure state resources are readily available to support local governments affected by a series of severe storms that have affected southern Illinois during the past two weeks.

State assistance provided to southern Illinois communities includes more than 210,000 sandbags, 89 rolls of plastic, two inmate crews from the Illinois Department of Corrections, several barricades and generators.  In addition, inmates at four Illinois Department of Corrections facilities filled more than 6,000 sandbags that were transported to communities by trucks from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Department of Transportation.

On Tuesday, IEMA deployed the agency's Unified Area Command vehicle to Marion, which will enable representatives from several state and local agencies to work together on a coordinated response.

Earlier this spring, IEMA pre-positioned 325,000 sandbags and 200 rolls of plastic at an IDOT facility in Carbondale to facilitate quick deployment if floods threatened.

More information about the state's flood response and flood safety is available on the Ready Illinois website at www.Ready.Illinois.gov.

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Amana - To accommodate its growing fan base, The Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences will add a performance of Charlotte's Web on Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m. The show was originally scheduled to end May 7.

A true favorite for so many, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White was dramatized for the stage by Joseph Robinette and is directed by Sean McCall of Marengo. The cast consists of Laura Ambrose of Coon Rapids, Minn.; T.J. Besler of Manchester; Nicholas Hodge of South Amana; Jackie McCall of Marengo; Amber Snyder of Memphis, Tenn.; Ian Zahren of South Amana; and Kamille Zbanek of Ely, IA.

McCall said he doesn't want to turn anyone away who would like to see the show. "There are many things to consider when we think about adding a performance," he said. "But, our audience has spoken loudly with two sold out show, one on opening day. They want to see this show and that is why we are providing them with another opportunity to do that."

Seats are still available for May 7 and May 14 but going fast. Tickets are $8 per person and all seating is reserved.

Call the box office at 800-35-AMANA or visit the website at www.oldcreamery.com for information or to purchase your tickets.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit professional theatre founded in 1971 in Garrison, Iowa. The company is celebrating 40 years of bringing live, professional theatre to the people of Iowa and the Midwest. We thank KGAN and Fox 28, our 2011 season media sponsor.

Tom Weigand and Annette Zapolis Introduce True Coffee at Cool Beanz 

Rock Island, Ill. (April, 27 2011) - Rock Island native, Augustana College graduate (1985) and Trustee Tom Weigand has again brought one of his entrepreneurial ventures to the Quad Cities.  Three years ago the Noodles & Company co-founder opened a restaurant in Davenport, Iowa and this time Weigand is working with fellow Augustana graduate Annette Zapolis (2009), owner and manager of Rock Island's Cool Beanz, to sell True Coffee, from his premium artisan coffee company launched in Madison, Wis. in 2010.  Weigand and four partners founded True Coffee Roasters with a commitment to roasting coffees from the great coffee-producing regions of the world using a small-batch roasting process that ensures premium flavor.  According to Weigand "Once we got up and running, I wanted to make our coffees available in the Quad Cities and preferably near Augustana because of all the requests from family and friends!"  He continued, "I learned about Annette's wonderful coffeehouse near Augustana and it was the perfect fit."

As a student at Augustana, Zapolis also began to study coffee, espresso, restaurant management and the needs of the community.   After finding the right location, applying a year of research and fixing up a 100-year-old building, Zapolis opened Cool Beanz in August 2009.  The goal of Cool Beanz coffeehouse is to provide a comfortable environment for the Quad Cities community, as well as a place for Augustana and Blackhawk College students to study, relax, interact and enjoy high quality products in a warm atmosphere.  On any day, guests include families spending time together by the three sided fireplace, students diligently working in books and laptops and couples and friends enjoying gourmet sandwiches, salads and beverages. On weekends, local talent graces the Cool Beanz stage for toe-tapping entertainment. Entertainment schedule, events and more can be found at www.coolbeanzcoffeehouse.com.

In addition to small batch roasting, True Coffee practices many sustainable initiatives such as purchasing predominantly Fair Trade and Organic coffees.  According to Weigand, "These coffees come at a higher cost, but we know we are making a difference in coffee-producing communities throughout the world and in return our customers get a really well-grown coffee."  To take sustainability one step further, True Coffee has launched a unique Can Refill program for customers who purchase coffee beans to use at home or office.  Rather than selling the coffees solely using the industry-standard disposable bag, which is likely to end up in a landfill, True Coffee offers a 12-ounce, refillable can made from tin, which is the most recycled material in U.S.  When guests return to refill their can, they receive 20% discount on their coffee purchase, each and every refill.  "We wanted a program that allowed customers the ability to purchase the freshest coffee, promote sustainability by using a refillable can and reward them with a 20% discount for doing so," said Weigand.  The program is rapidly expanding in coffee shops where True Coffee is sold throughout the Midwest, and the same program is now available at Cool Beanz.  Find out more about True Coffee Roasters at www.truecoffeeroasters.com or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

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