Join Clinton County Extension and Outreach as they celebrate their 100th anniversary during the county fair, July 19 to 22 in DeWitt.

During the Clinton County Fair, on Wednesday, July 18th at 9:30 there will be a ceremony at the Outdoor Living Classroom, dedicating the "100 Year Tree".  There is also a "100" flower bed created and maintained by the Master Gardeners at the OLC.

On Thursday, July 19th, Cathann Kress, ISU Vice President of Extension and Outreach, will speak at 5:00 in the Beef Arena, prior to the Fair Queen contest.  At this time past Extension Council members, 4-H leaders and alumni, Master Gardeners and other Extension supporters will be recognized.

The Extension Council will have an informational booth in the Commercial Exhibit Building during the fair. Extension Specialists will be on hand to visit and answer questions at various times during the Fair.   For more information, please visit the Clinton County web site at:  www.extension.iastate.edu/clinton

Clinton County was the first county in Iowa to formally hire an Extension Agent.  On July 6, 1912, a contract was signed by M. L. Mosher of Ames.  He started work on September 1, 1912.

In the early years Extension has been affiliated with the Clinton Commercial Club and the Clinton County Farm Improvement Association, later known as Farm Bureau.  This changed in 1955, when the newly established Agricultural Extension Law transferred the responsibility of conducting the Extension Program from the County Farm Bureau to the County Extension Council.

Today, Extension works in cooperation with local County Extension Councils, Iowa State University and USDA.   Extension provides research-based information and education to help people make better decisions in their personal, community and professional lives.  ISU Extension and Outreach is committed to healthy people, healthy environments and health economics.   More information can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu/clinton.

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Drought-like conditions taking toll on Iowa crops

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 6, 2012 - While Midwest corn and soybean crops are wilting from several days of triple-digit temperatures, shoppers wonder if they'll feel the heat of rising food prices later this year.

Economists say even with corn prices climbing to $7 per bushel on the Chicago Board of Trade yesterday, farmers are facing challenging times because the prolonged heat stress has diminished anticipated yields.  Those higher corn prices will also put a pinch on livestock farmers who purchase grains for animal feed. That, in turn, could transpire to higher prices for items such as meat, dairy and eggs at the grocery store.

"Food prices won't jump immediately because of these daily swings in the market caused by reactions to the weather, but there are those trickle-down consequences," said Dave Miller, director of research and commodity services at the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation. "That trickle-down is felt when supplies are tight and prices rise for several sectors of the farm economy, from processors to grain elevators to feed and ethanol plants. Those higher costs are shared down the chain."

Iowa farmers have been discussing the situation in a number of media outlets. Go to www.iowafarmbureau.com to see their interviews and perspectives.

Markets will be eyeing the next U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop production report released next Wednesday. But, even though the USDA confirmed that more acres are planted to corn and soybeans, prices for these crops are skyrocketing as hot, dry weather persists across much of the corn and soybean growing areas.  In the past two weeks, conditions have deteriorated remarkably:

• Corn classified as "good to excellent" condition dropped from 67 percent to 62 percent in Iowa. Nationally, "good to excellent"-rated corn has fallen from 63 percent to 48 percent.
• "Good to excellent" soybeans in Iowa dropped from 63 percent to 59 percent. Nationally, soybeans in this category dipped from 56 percent to 45 percent.
• The amount of crop classified as "very poor to poor" for both corn and soybeans now stands at 22 percent.

Prices for crops have been on the climb and markets may swing next week. This sharp rally in corn and soybean prices is having some negative impacts on users of grains and oilseeds.  Several ethanol plants have closed as processing margins have turned negative and some livestock feeders are beginning to liquidate breeding stock in response to sharply higher feed prices and mounting losses on feeding livestock.

These price swings and other ag-related risk management topics will be discussed at the Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit, to be held July 23-24 in Ames.  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will provide the summit's keynote address on July 24.  For more information and to register, visit www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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IFBF Economist Says Farmers Need to Identify Signals & Opportunity

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 5, 2012 - Fluctuating commodity prices, drought-stressed crops and global concern over lingering European debt, all play a role in the economic future of the Iowa farmer.  Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), Iowa's largest grassroots farm organization, is bringing national experts to the Iowa State Center Scheman Building in Ames July 23-24 to help farmers manage the incredible economic risks involved in farming today and identify new opportunities.

"Last week's sharp moves in corn and soybean markets are a clear indication the volatility is likely to stick around until harvest or beyond, Dave Miller, IFBF research & commodity services director, said. "The market was expecting a big crop, maybe the largest corn crop ever, but with the hot, dry weather hanging on, that is now in doubt," he said.

Other influences, such as the falling price of crude oil, the EU debt crisis and very low interest rates, are also having an impact on farm commodity markets and farmers' risk profiles, Miller said. "There are just dozens of ways now that we see risks being accentuated and we want farmers to be aware of those."

One example he noted is the recent jump in corn prices along with a slump in oil prices that has put a financial squeeze on ethanol makers and caused some plants to temporarily shut down. "In the long run, that could hurt corn demand," he said.

The continued viability of the ethanol industry will be just one topic discussed at the IFBF Economic Summit July 23-24.  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will provide the summit's keynote address on July 24.  Many other key players in the nation's economic future are also on the Summit agenda: Economist Danny Klinefelter of Texas A&M University and Jeff Plagge, president-elect of the American Bankers Association, to Iowa State University weather expert Elwynn Taylor, a panel of D.C. experts from the Senate and House Ag Committees and Daniel Mitchell of the D.C. 'think tank,' the CATO Institute.  For a complete listing of the panelists and schedule, click here.

While the summit will concentrate on managing risk, it will also explore future economic opportunities for farmers. "Just because there is a lot of risk, it doesn't mean there isn't a lot of opportunity out there now," Miller said. "It's important for a farmer to know the signals of change, to have a plan to cope with change and to have the proper capital structure in place to be able to thrive in this volatile climate."

The price of the two-day summit is $50 for Iowa Farm Bureau members and $150 for non-members.  Information about the summit, lodging and online registration forms can be found at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

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About Iowa Farm Bureau

The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation is a grassroots, statewide organization dedicated to enhancing the People, Progress and Pride of Iowa.  More than 153,000 families in Iowa are Farm Bureau members, working together to achieve farm and rural prosperity.  For more information about Farm Bureau and agriculture, visit the online Newsroom page at www.iowafarmbureau.com.

Award honors achievement, leadership, commitment to ag, community

WEST DES MOINES, IOWA - July 3, 2012 - It's one thing to succeed in agriculture and another to be honored for excellence. Each year, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) recognizes one young farmer with the Excellence in Ag Award at the IFBF annual meeting in December.

Counties can nominate young Farm Bureau members online at www.iowafarmbureau.com and click on the Bob Joslin Award link. Nominations are due Aug. 31.

The award celebrates a young farmer who demonstrates outstanding leadership qualities in Farm Bureau, agriculture and his/her community. Jay Lynch, a grain farmer from Humboldt, was last year's winner.

"It's quite an honor, especially because I give Farm Bureau a lot of credit for getting me actively involved," Lynch said. "Hopefully, I'll have done enough good to offset some of what they've given to me."

The Joslin Award winner receives a plaque, a $750 gift card from GROWMARK and expense-paid trips to the American Farm Bureau annual meeting in Nashville, the GROWMARK annual meeting in Chicago and the IFBF Young Farmer conference in West Des Moines.

The Excellence in Ag Award is given in memory of Bob Joslin, who served as IFBF president from January 1986 to December 1987 and was known for his support and encouragement of young farmers.

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