The approved projects have already completed watershed assessments. The projects will commence after a grant agreement is signed between an applicant and WIRB. Groups eligible for application include soil and water conservation districts, public water supply utilities, counties, county conservation boards, cities, and local watershed improvement committees. Individual projects can request up to $500,000. WIRB is comprised of representatives from agriculture, drinking water and wastewater utilities, environmental organizations, agribusiness, and the conservation community along with two state senators and two state representatives. To receive further information or ask questions, contact Jerry Neppel at 515-281-3599. The approved grants are listed below:

The grant funds are designed to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits and horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture.

To ensure that funds are used in the most efficient manner possible, the Department is encouraging specialty crop stakeholders to submit public comment to identify their priorities for the program. IDALS is also establishing a new Review Committee to help review, evaluate, and make recommendations on grant proposals submitted to the Department.

Iowans interested in submitting comments on the priorities for the program can do so online by emailing HorticultureAndFarmersMarkets@IowaAgriculture.gov or by mail to Horticulture and Farmers Market Bureau, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, 502 East 9th, Des Moines, Iowa, 50319.

Those interested in participating in the Review Committee should have knowledge of specialty crops, and/or grant writing or grant management experience, and the ability to devote the necessary time to complete the review process.

Reviewer applications are due by June 26, 2009 by 4:00 p.m. Additional information about reviewer responsibilities, meeting dates and an application form can be found here.

However, international health officials have repeatedly confirmed that people cannot contract the H1N1 virus from eating pork and other meats. Over the weekend the World Health Organization, World Organization for Animal Health and the World Trade Organization issued a joint statement to that effect. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has also repeatedly emphasized to trading partners and consumers the safety of U.S. pork.

Sec. Northey’s statement follows here:

“Iowa pork, and all pork for that matter, is safe and China and the other countries that are banning pork imports are not acting based on science. It is unfortunate that these unjustified actions are being felt most dramatically by the farmers who raise pork. The industry has already been facing very difficult economics for the last several months, and this just adds to the difficulties experienced by Iowa’s pork producers.”

2009 End of Session Wrap-up

Emerald Ash Borers on Verge of Entering Iowa

On Tuesday, April 7, 2009, and in response to a discovery of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Wisconsin, the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship (IDALS) issued a press release on behalf of the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team to highlighted ongoing steps being taken to prevent an infestation in Iowa and detect the beetle if it is in the state. EAB is an invasive beetle that feeds on ash trees and eventually kills them. The new infestation was found near Victory, Wis. on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Allamakee County in Northeast Iowa. This new infestation is less than 5 miles southeast of the Minnesota-Iowa border. The Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team includes officials from IDALS, Iowa State University Extension and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the USDA Forest Service.

The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is native to the Asia, and was introduced in the United States near Detroit, Mich. in the 1990s. Although not yet found in Iowa, EAB has more potential for future harm to Iowa forests and urban communities than any other insect currently being dealt with in the United States. EAB kills all ash (Fraxinus) species by larval burrowing under the bark and eating the actively growing (cambium) layers of the trees. EAB has been killing trees of various sizes in neighborhoods and woodlands across the Midwest. Ash is one of the most abundant native tree species in North America, and has been heavily planted as a landscape tree in yards and other urban areas. According to recent sources, Iowa has an estimated 58 million rural ash trees and approximately 30 more million urban ash trees.

The movement of out-of-state firewood to and through Iowa poses the greatest threat to spread EAB. Areas currently infested are under federal and state quarantines, but unknowing campers or others who transport firewood can spark an outbreak. Each member of the Iowa Emerald Ash Borer Team is taking steps to monitor Iowa’s ash trees and ensure that the beetle has not spread into Iowa by examining high risk sites. The Iowa EAB team has defined high risk sites as locations where people would bring out-of state wood, such as campgrounds, nurseries and sawmills. DNR estimates there are up to as many as 5 million ash trees in Allamakee County, this represents about 5% of the trees in the forested areas of this county. Allamakee is the most forested county in Iowa with 42% of the land covered by trees (176,000 acres of forest). Iowa agencies in cooperation with USDA-APHIS and Forest Service will be working together to survey for EAB.

Monitoring efforts include visual surveys at high risk sites by Iowa State University, DNR’s placement of sentinel ash trees that are intentionally stressed so that they are more attractive to EAB, and the placement of purple sticky traps around the state that attracts and traps the insect by a collaborative effort among APHIS and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Team members will be working with Wisconsin and Minnesota officials in response to this new discovery and will be conducting additional visual surveys in the area in the coming weeks.

To learn more about EAB and other pests that are threatening Iowa’s tree population please visit www.IowaTreePests.com. For more information contact:

• Robin Pruisner, is the State Entomologist and can be reached at (515) 725-1465 or by e-mail at Robin.Pruisner@IowaAgriculture.gov.
• Tivon Feeley, with DNR Forest Health, can be reached at (515) 281-4915 or by e-mail at Tivon.feeley@dnr.iowa.gov.
• Jesse Randall, ISU Extension Forester, can be reached at (515) 294-1168 or by email at Randallj@iastate.edu.
• Mark Shour, ISU Extension Entomologist, can be reached at (515) 294-5963 or by email at mshour@iastate.edu.
• Laura Jesse, ISU Entomologist at the ISU Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic, at (515) 294-0581 or by email at ljesse@iastate.edu.
• Donald Lewis, ISU Entomologist, can be reached at (515) 294-1101 or by email at drlewis@iastate.edu.

Senate Panel Passes Biodiesel Fuel Mandate & Repeal of Biodiesel Retail Tax Credits Measure

On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, the Senate Transportation Committee passed Senate File 294, which became Senate File 408 by a 9-aye to 4-nay vote. SF 408 requires that any diesel fuel sold or advertized in this state after July 1, 2009, must be a biodiesel blend of at least 5%. On July 1, 2012, the threshold increases to at least 10% until July 1, 2015 when it must be at least 20% thereafter.

The bill temporarily excludes certain nonmotor-vehicle diesel engines (motors at electrical generating plants that utilize nuclear power unless biodiesel is approved by the nuclear regulatory agency, railroad locomotives, off-road logging equipment and machinery, and vehicles and equipment used at aircraft landing fields) from this requirement until July 1, 2012.

SF 408 includes exceptions to the mandated minimum biodiesel level under which IDALS may issue a threshold suspension order. The first circumstance is when less than 5% of the biodiesel sold in this state under the applicable threshold is produced from nontraditional feedstocks (such as algae cultivated for biofuels production, waste vegetable oil or tallow/animal fat). The second situation is when no specification by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or A.S.T.M. international applies to the designated minimum biodiesel blend threshold fuel. In any circumstance, the minimum level of biodiesel can not be less than 5%. However, IDALS may issue a suspension order applicable to motors in a facility under the control of the federal nuclear regulatory agency if this agency has not approved the designated biodiesel fuel.

In addition to IDALS suspension order authority, SF 408 grants the Governor power by executive order to adjust the biodiesel fuel designation if the Governor determines any of the following:

1. a major price disparity between biodiesel and petroleum diesel, or
2. either there is a significant shortage of biodiesel fuel supplies or a systemic market circumstance that will cause material economic harm to retail motor fuel vendors who advertize or sell such fuel in this state.

In any circumstance, the Governor’s executive order cannot adjust the biodiesel fuel designation below 5% or above the applicable threshold level. SF 408 provides IDALS with explicit authority to craft emergency rules to implement a 5% biodiesel fuel requirement by July 1, 2009. SF 408 also repeals the existing biodiesel fuel retail tax credit upon enactment of the bill applicable to biodiesel sold or dispensed after the bill is signed by the Governor. The current biodiesel retail tax credit is 3 cents per gallon of biodiesel fuel that is at least 2% fuel-grade vegetable or animal oil. A retail motor fuel vendor gets the tax credit provided that at least 50% of the retailer’s diesel sale each year is at least 2% biodiesel fuel. This tax credit is authorized through calendar year 2011 which ends December 31, 2011. Senate File 408 was referred to the Senate Ways & Means Committee for its consideration.