1 | P a g e   

Polk County Farm Bureau board of directors

(lt. to rt: front row: Todd Volz and Candice Engler; back row: lt. to rt: Ted Bishop, Scott Hillebo, Gary Beattie, Steve Lee, Cris Friedrickson, Mike Ugulini, Roger Bak, Maurice Moeckly, Robert Brown, Carol Miller, Brad Moeckly and Jamie Pollard, ISU Athletic Director) The Polk County Farm Bureau board members took the time to pose for a picture at the 2015 member’s appreciation dinner meeting that was held Thursday, Sept. 10 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny with Jamie Pollard, ISU Athletic Director. The 2015 member’s appreciation dinner meeting was well attended with approximately 400 members and guests in attendance.

Stay informed with IFBF news updates Do you want to stay current about important issues and regulations that are critical to your farming operation but just don’t have the time to read everything? Receiving online news updates from the Iowa Farm Bureau may be for you. Please note that this service is only available electronically, so you must have an active email address in order to receive the information. Topics include animal production/ health and biosecurity, conservation/natural resources, crop production/ biotechnology, education, energy; environmental regulations, livestock marketing, risk management/ farm programs, rural vitality/ rural development, specialty ag, taxation and transportation/rural infrastructure. Signing up is easy. Just check the issues of interest to you on the

  

2 | P a g e   

membership questionnaire that’s included with your membership dues notice or online at www.iowafarmbureau.com under the members tab. For additional information, contact the Polk County Farm Bureau office by calling 515-964-5354 or via email at polk.county@ifbf.org.

Nominate neighbors for the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award Have a great farm neighbor? Nominate them for the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award. The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in doing things right. This includes caring for the environment and their livestock and being good neighbors. It is an opportunity to tell the story of responsible livestock farming in Iowa and highlight the families who make it so successful. The award, presented by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and Iowa Ag Radio Network, is made possible through the financial support of the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. It’s named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who created the award. To nominate a family for the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award, please fill out the nomination form at www.supportfarmers.com. If you have any questions, please contact CSIF at 1-800-932-2436 or info@supportfarmers.com.

IFBF District 6 legislative meeting planned The Iowa Farm Bureau Federation District 5 legislative meeting is planned for Tuesday, Nov. 17, at The Chateau at White Oak Vineyards near Cambridge. The Polk County Farm Bureau is included in District 5 and the leaders will be invited to attend. There will be a tour at the winery starting at 5:30 p.m.; meal will begin at 6:30 p.m. and IFBF staff will be on hand to conduct the meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. Polk County Farm Bureau board president Brad Moeckly is hoping a few of the county leaders will be able to attend this meeting.

Serve on a county committee Polk County Farm Bureau’s board of directors would like to encourage members to serve on one of the local committees for the upcoming year. These include policy development, communications, membership, response team and Young Farmers.

  

3 | P a g e   

Committees are forming now. They meet only three or four times throughout the year. If you are interested in learning more or want to volunteer your time and talents as a committee member, please call the Polk County Farm Bureau office at 515-964-5354 and talk with Jan.

Date set for IFBF annual meeting Polk County Farm Bureau President Brad Moeckly announces that the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting will be held Dec. 1-2 at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. The registration deadline for the 97th Iowa Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting is rapidly approaching. Registrations for the Dec. 1-2 meeting are due by noon on Friday, Nov. 13. “Growing for the Greater Good” will be the theme of the meeting to be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. Brad & Joyce Moeckly, Carol Miller, Steve Lee and Cris Friedrickson will be attending from Polk County Farm Bureau. All PCFB members are invited. The meeting will feature educational seminars, motivational speakers, young farmer discussion meet, awards and networking opportunities, county award presentations and great entertainment! The keynote speaker for the event is Aaron Thomas, son of Aplington-Parkersburg’s former coach Ed Thomas, who was tragically killed in 2009. Aaron Thomas is currently the principal and head basketball coach of Aplington-Parkersburg High School. He will address the general session on the topic of how to deal with adversity and make the most of all opportunities, challenging attendees to look at their lives, families and jobs to see if they are making a difference. Educational seminars include Grassroots Partnerships for the Greater Good, Rural Innovation for the Greater Good, Farm Neighbor Communication for the Greater Good, Busting Myths with Real Science for the Greater Good and Collaborating for the Greater Good. Dueling Pianos featuring Tony Bohnenkamp and Whitney Maxwell will entertain guests Tuesday evening. To see the entire agenda, go to www.iowafarmbureau.com and click Events. Members should reserve these dates on their calendars now so they can plan on attending. Please contact Jan at the Polk County Farm Bureau office with any questions by phone at 515-964-5354 or by email to polk.county@ifbf.org.

Receive targeted news updates Do you want to be up-to-date on important issues and regulations that are critical to your farming business and don’t have time to read everything? Then sign up for the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation News Update. Tell us which farm and rural topics interest you and we will email you timely news that matters to you, such as production and market insights and

  

4 | P a g e   

opportunities to weigh in on legislative and regulatory proposals that are likely to impact you. The issues of interest are: animal production/health and biosecurity; conservation/natural resources; crop production/biotechnology; education; energy; environmental regulations; livestock marketing; risk management/farm programs; rural vitality/rural development; specialty ag; taxation; and transportation/rural infrastructure. To sign up for the news update you can check the issues on your membership questionnaire sent out with your membership dues notice, or sign up online at www.iowafarmbureau.com, in the Members tab, under Get Involved then News Updates. You may also call or visit the Polk County Farm Bureau office. You will need to have an active email address on file to get news updates; make sure to fill that in on your membership questionnaire. For more information or to sign up, call Jan at 515-964-5354 or visit the Polk County Farm Bureau office at 300 SE Delaware Ave. in Ankeny, Iowa, on Monday, Tuesday or every other Wednesday.

PCFB board meetings to resume in November Polk County Farm Bureau president, Brad Moeckly would like to announce that the board of directors meeting will resume on Tuesday, Nov. 10. This decision was made to allow the directors more time to harvest their crops and complete fall field work. A complete agenda will be sent to the directors as the date approaches.

Drug plan open enrollment going on now The open enrollment period for the MedicareBlue Rx (Prescription Drug Plan) is going on now through Monday, Dec. 7. Farm Bureau agents take this time to remind their clients that now is the time to set up an appointment with them so they can ensure you are getting the coverage you need at the right price. Please contact your Polk County Farm Bureau agent today to set up an appointment to review your prescriptions and to make sure you are enrolled in the plan that is most beneficial to you.

Looking for holiday recipes It’s that time of year – a bit of chill in the air, and before you know it, the holidays will be upon us. Looking ahead, the Spokesman would like your family favorite wintertime recipes for possible future front page publication.

  

5 | P a g e   

That specialty soup, a hearty casserole perfect for potlucks, the Thanksgiving dish your family insists you make each year, the candy so rich and calorie-laden you only make in December – those are the recipes we’d like you to share. Send them to us at polk.county@ifbf.org, or drop it in the mail to Polk County Farm Bureau, 300 SE Delaware Ave., Ankeny, IA 50021. You can also bring it to our office during regular business hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We’ll forward them to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation office in Des Moines; they ultimately decide which recipes will be published. While we can’t guarantee Spokesman publication, we will collect them all for a future post on our Facebook page at Polk County Farm Bureau.

Polk County Farm Bureau board members attend Ag Tour Day with Rep. David Young

(lt to rt: Grant Kimberley, Carol Miller, Rep. David Young, Brad Moeckly and Steve Lee) Congressman Rep. David Young’s Ag Tour Day stopped by Altoona, HyVee for lunch with representatives from Farmers Cooperative Company, Heartland Co-op, Iowa Farm Bureau and Polk County Farm Bureau, Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa Corn Growers Association. Congressman Young shared with us his concerns of Congress. He believes that and that there is still concern regarding cutting funding for Crop Insurance voting against it and introducing his own Bill HR 3845 “Crop Insurance Restoration Act” which repeals the crop insurance reductions to honor the commitment Congress made to American’s farmers in the 2014 Farm Bill. Cutting crop insurance in the current agriculture

  

6 | P a g e   

economy is simply not smart, and potentially re-opens discussion on the Farm Bill The majority of the farmers he has spoken with feel they are under attack by their own government. He will “champion our priorities in Congress, and work tirelessly to fight back against regulations from Waters of the US rule to proposed cuts in the RFS. Uncertainty is hurting our farmers and agricultural industry.” Congressman Young’s position on following issues: 1. WOTUS, he voted for HR 1732 which repeals the WOTUS rule. 2. COOL Repeal, he voted in favor of HR 2393, to repeal COOL for beef, pork, and chicken. 3. Tax provisions for Agriculture need to be a permanent and included in the Comprehensive Tax Reform. He voted for HR 636 making 179 expensing of $500,000 permanent. 4. “TPA” Trade Promotion Authority, he voted in favor of this form of fast tracking trade negotiations. However, he cautioned that we are not the only Country involved and other Countries also have to give their approval. 5. Biotech Labeling received his favorable vote on HR 1509, the safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act of 2015. 6. Positive Train Control [PTC] has received an extended deadline for Implementation of this technology for three years. During the Q&A, I had the opportunity to discuss two separate bills sponsored by Wisconsin Republican Representative Reid Ribble: 1. Safe, Flexible and Efficient [SAFE] Trucking Act States are allowed to set truck weight limits on their Interstate Highways at 91,000 pounds for trucks equipped with an additional [sixth] axle. American Farm Bureau believes this will increase transportation efficiency without compromising safety, reducing the amount of trips and provide more braking to stop in safe distance. Originally this bill started out with six axles and 97,000 pounds however, push back by concerned Congressmen regarding weight on the Interstate Bridges caused the weight to be reduced to 91,000 pounds which is compliant with six axles. 2. Congressman Ribble also sponsored a bill that passed Congress and came into effect this year providing a ‘Grandfather provision for pass use’ on Highway 41, a four lane divided highway which was ‘converted’ to Interstate 41. Trucks using Highway 41 are either hauling over weight or oversized loads by permit or state statute. The road system was built to handle these loads and it was agreed to continue using the corridor and not diverting these trucks off the Interstate onto state or county highways. Similar provisions have been enacted for Interstate highway designations on I-39 in Wisconsin and I-99 in Pennsylvania.

  

7 | P a g e   

I brought up our concerns with Hwy 65/5 By-Pass and MPO wanting to convert to an Interstate. Iowa passed Legislation that allowed semi tractor trailers with seven axles and 96,000 GVW pounds since 2010 on Iowa roads and Highways, which is compliant with the Federal Bridge Formula from Federal Highway Administration. The wide radius of farmers and Elevators/Co-ops using this By-Pass depends on access to three rail terminals at Heartland, Pleasant Hill and ADM. I asked if he could research and see if similar Legislation could be passed to protect our four lane Highways: 20, 30, 34 and Avenue of the Saints if a conversion was pursued. Congressman Young is going to be in further discussion with Representative Ribble about a possible endorsement given the information we provided. Written by Carol Miller, Polk County Farm Bureau board member.

Aspects of Farmland Drainage to be Covered at Dec. 10 Workshop Various aspects of farmland drainage will be the focus of a day-long workshop Dec. 10 at the Polk County Extension office in Altoona. The program begins at 8:15 a.m. and will adjourn at 4:15 p.m. “This workshop is being offered due to increased interest in this topic the past year,” said Kapil Arora, field agricultural engineer with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The morning session will focus on sub-surface drainage design concepts, wetland determinations, Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and long-term benefits of tiling. The afternoon session will include discussions on economics, nutrient cycling in soils, controlled drainage, bioreactors, saturated buffers and managing drainage water quality with wetlands. Legal issues related to tiling and Iowa drainage laws also will be covered. Attendees will learn information essential to designing and planning a new drainage system or retrofitting an existing system while learning about environmental impacts and new technologies that may be useful in minimizing negative environmental impacts. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach speakers include Kapil Arora, field ag engineer; Kelvin Leibold, farm management specialist; Matt Helmers, professor and extension engineer; Mike Castellano, associate professor in agronomy, Jamie Benning, water quality program manager, and John Baker, Iowa Concern attorney. USDA-NRCS drainage specialist Jim Gertsma is also scheduled to speak. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Polk County Farm Bureau, various industry partners, and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service are sponsoring the program. Industry representatives from Prinsco, ADS, Midwest Plastic

  

8 | P a g e   

Products, and Agri Drain will be available during the workshop to answer any questions. The workshop qualifies for Certified Crop Advisor credits, which have been applied for. Registration fee for the workshop is $40 before Dec. 7; after that date the fee is $60. Workshop materials, morning refreshments and lunch are included in the fee. Registration can be made by completing the form located at www.extension.iastate.edu/polk and making payment to Polk County Extension. For more information, download the workshop brochure or call ISU Extension and Outreach in Polk County at 515-957-5760.

View Polk County Farm Bureau exchange ads online Farm Bureau members are always able to view exchange ads online, and not just our region, but all of Iowa’s 100 Farm Bureau counties. By logging onto www.iowafarmbureau.com and scrolling down to the bottom of the home page you can view the most recent ads for your county or click on view more exchange ads to view all of the ads.

Update questionnaires When Polk County Farm Bureau members receive their dues notices and new membership cards, they also receive a questionnaire to update their email addresses or any changes that have happened in the last year. If there is no change, feel free to destroy the questionnaire and save your membership cards in your wallet or purse. Thank you to all members who have submitted your dues in a timely manner; it is greatly appreciated.