Entomologists at Iowa State University have confirmed that Scott County has the first breeding
infestations of brown marmorated stink bugs reported in Iowa.

Earlier in October, an alert ISU Master Gardener trained to watch for new invasive species took
a stink bug specimen to the Scott County Extension Office. County extension horticulturist
Duane Gissel made the tentative identification based on training materials provide through ISU
Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Master Gardener program. The specimen was submitted
to the ISU Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic and confirmed as brown marmorated stink bug
(BMSB).

This week additional samples of stink bugs have been reported in the Davenport and Bettendorf
area. The timing of the collections (mid-autumn on warm, sunny days) and the location of
the live specimens indicates there are now established populations of BMSB in Scott County.
Previous detections of BMSB in Iowa were hitchhikers transported in boxes or crates from the
eastern United States.

BMSB was first identified in the U.S. in Pennsylvania in 2001. They spread rapidly
and detections have been reported in 38 states as awareness of this invasive pest increased.
During the summer the stink bugs use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to feed on plant sap
from fruits, vegetables, ornamentals and field crops. On warm fall days the stinkbugs migrate to
overwintering sites. They congregate on houses and buildings and accidentally wander inside in
a manner similar to boxelder bugs and multicolored Asian lady beetles. Stink bugs are named for
the characteristic, disagreeable odor they produce, making the invasion even more distressing.

Specialists from Iowa State University and the state and federal departments of agriculture are
tracking the presence of this and other invasive insects in the state. Please be on the lookout
and report any suspicious stink bugs to your local county extension office or the ISU Plant
& Insect Diagnostic Clinic. Reports can be made by emailing digital images to the clinic at
insects@iastate.edu.

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Washington, D.C.?Yesterday afternoon, President Barack Obama established the César E. Chávez National Monument recognizing the legacy of the workers' rights champion. The dedication of the monument honoring the farmworker advocate and civil rights leader marks the first time in living memory that a Mexican American has been officially honored.

"As a former farmworker, I found it to be an inspirational event honoring a great civil rights leader and his hard work to protect the farmworkers who harvest our nation's food," said Jesús Gamboa, president of the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs (AFOP) and Proteus, Inc. Chief Operations Officer.

The historic occasion took place at La Paz in Keene, California, where the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) is headquartered and Chávez lived. It was attended by President Obama; Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, an ardent defender of farmworkers; Paul Chávez, the son of the César Chávez; and thousands more, including many notable Latino advocates, farmworkers, and school children, who came to pay homage to the man who made so many sacrifices to ensure safer and more humane working conditions for workers.

Some in the advocacy community have questioned the administration's actions yesterday, however, given its withdrawal earlier this year of updates Secretary Solis proposed to the safety rules for children employed in agriculture.

"We commend the Obama Administration for establishing this monument, but are still profoundly disappointed in its action in April to pull the updates to the Hazardous Orders for children employed in agriculture. Without those updates, farmworker children's lives continue to be put in jeopardy harvesting America's food," said Norma Flores López, director of AFOP's Children in the Fields Campaign and chair of the domestic issues committee for the Child Labor Coalition. "It was a missed opportunity to follow in the footsteps of César Chávez who advocated so persuasively for the protection of the nation's farmworkers."

Those rules, which have not been updated in more than 40 years, came after changes were made to the Hazardous Orders for children employed in non-agricultural occupations; those proposed changes were implemented with little fanfare or difficulty.

"While some things have improved for farmworkers over the years, AFOP knows much remains to be done, and I was encouraged to hear the President underscore that point during his speech yesterday," said Gamboa. "This historic step provides us with motivation for the path forward. In the words of César Chávez, '¡Si se puede!'"

or Parks@AFOP.org

On Friday, President Obama sent a letter (attached) to farm groups about the drought and his disappointment that Mitt Romney's running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, is leading the House blockage of a bipartisan farm bill.

The President wrote about the need to strengthen the farm safety net, extend disaster assistance and expand crop insurance.  It was sent to the Wheat Growers, American Soybean Association, National Milk Producers Federation, National Corn Growers, National Farm Bureau and National Farmers Union.

Since June, the Obama campaign has been working with the Rural Iowans for Obama Council to talk about the President's plans for keeping rural America and U.S. agriculture moving forward and the need to hold Mitt Romney accountable in rural communities across the state.  Please see below and learn more at www.barackobama.com/rural-americans

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack Announces the Rural Iowans for Obama Steering Committee

DES MOINES - Today, former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack announced the members of the Rural Iowans for Obama Steering Committee.  Two members of the Rural Steering Committee, Bruce Rohwer, a corn farmer from Northwest Iowa and member of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and Cathy Lafrenz a small business owner, who runs Miss Effie's Country Flowers from rural Scott County joined Mr. Vilsack on the call.

The Rural Iowans for Obama Steering Committee is a groundbreaking organizing operation in rural communities. The campaign will have the largest presence and largest ground game in rural Iowa that any President candidate has ever had in the state of Iowa.

This group will work to promote the President's strong record of supporting rural America and our nation's small businesses, farmers, working families and students by creating rural economies built to last and rewarding small town values like hard work and fairness. This group will also draw a contrast between the President's strong record supporting rural communities and Mitt Romney's out of touch view of the issues that matter most to rural communities.

"Iowa's rural towns represent the value of family and community," Vilsack said.  "Iowa is a place that--with hard work and determination--can provide a bright future for you, and a brighter one for your children."  He continued, "I'm proud to join my fellow Iowans in supporting President Obama and his vision for rural America.  I know he and Vice President Biden will always support the promise and value of rural America."

Obama for America Iowa also announced the Iowa Grown tour highlighting the strength of our rural communities and President Obama's plans to continue to support growing our small town economies.  Rural Steering Committee members will hold roundtables with rural Iowans over the next few months.  The first roundtables will be held next week in Carroll, Fort Dodge, Adel and Indianola.

"I am proud to join the Rural Iowans for Obama Steering Committee because under this President, Iowa farmers are seeing unprecedented prosperity," said Rohwer. "Under President Obama, Iowa farmers are seeing record farm income, record agricultural exports and the growth of renewable energy industries for wind and biofuels that are revitalizing small towns across Iowa."

The Steering Committee is comprised of a diverse group of men and women, both young and old, with experience in a range of fields from farming and business, to education and health care.

"Today, not all Iowans are farmers or live in rural America, but Iowans identify with the values our small towns and rural communities. That's why today we're excited to launch Rural Iowans for Obama," said Lafrenz. "I am a small business owner who chose to start a business in rural Iowa. We have seen tremendous growth and we're celebrating our 10^th anniversary in business. Small businesses are a vital part of revitalizing Iowa's rural communities."

The members of the Rural Steering Committee include :

·         Aaron Lehman, Polk City: Sixth generation farmer with a corn, soybean, and hay operation.

·         Bill Gannon, Mingo: Former Iowa legislator and corn and soybean farmer from Jasper County.

·         Bruce Rohwer, Paullina: Corn farmer from Northwest Iowa and a member of the Iowa Corn Growers Association.

·         Cathy Lafrenz, Donahue: Small business owner in rural Scott County, running Miss Effie's Country Flowers.

·         Chris Petersen, Clear Lake: President of the Iowa Farmers Union and runs a family farm operation near Clear Lake.

·         Dillon Thiner, Graettinger: Student at Simpson College and past member of Future Farmers of America. 

·         Gary Lamb, Chelsea: Long-time diversified farmer in Tama County.

·         Helen Miller, Ft. Dodge: Representative Miller has served in the Iowa House since 2003 and is the Ranking Member on the House Agriculture Committee.

·         Jack Kibbie, Emmetsburg: Retiring President of the Iowa Senate and cattleman from Palo Alto County.

·         Jake Krapfl, New Vienna: Grew up on a farm, Iraq War veteran and writing instructor at Northeast Iowa Community College.

·         Jennifer Herrington, Clarinda: Mental health professional, Page County Democrat Chair and Neighborhood Team Leader for OFA-Iowa.

·         Jennifer Steffen, Birmingham: Corn, cattle, and soybean farmer in Southeastern Iowa and has served on the State Soil Conversation Committee.

·         Kevin Middleswart, Indianola: Former Warren County Supervisor and an Iowa Farm Bureau member who operates a diversified farm producing corn, soybeans, cattle, and timber.

·         Matt Russell, Lacona: State food policy project coordinator at Drake University Law School and raises sustainably-grown foods on the 110-acre Coyote Run Farm in Warren County.

·         Morgan Hoenig, Mt. Pleasant: Young entrepreneur operating MoGo Organic, which produces fresh produce in Henry County.

·         Neil Hamilton, Waukee: Directs the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University Law School.

·         Dr. Neil E. Harl, Ames: Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture and Emeritus Professor of Economics at Iowa State University.

·         Patty Judge, Des Moines: Former Lt. Governor and Iowa's first woman Secretary of Agriculture, ran a cow-calf operation in Albia

·         Rob Hach, Alta: CEO of Anemometry, a wind turbine installation company headquartered in Alta. The company was selected as SBA's Iowa 2010 Small Business Persons of the Year Award winner.

·         Sharon Ambrose, Walnut: Teaches at Atlantic Elementary School and is a rural Neighborhood Team Leader for OFA-Iowa.

·         Warren Woods, Creston: Serving as Mayor of Creston since 2008.

The Scott County Extension Council was presented recently with a certificate celebrating 100 years of service to Scott County citizens. The first county agent in Scott County was hired in 1912. Extension programs offer research based, unbiased education for citizens in the areas of horticulture, youth, parenting, nutrition, money concerns, manufacturing assistance, and community building.

Picture: back, left to right - Bob Owen, Regional Director, Council members Mary Schwarz, Jane Weber, John Maxwell, Jodi Blake, Chuck Buel and Assistant to the ISU Vice-President of Extension and Outreach, Sherry Glenn. Front, left to right, Council members Michael Ryan and Susy VenHorst and Scott County Extension Director, Becky Bray. Not pictured: Council members Roger Fuerstenberg and Bonnie Beechum.