THROWBACK NEWS
PANTHERS CRUISE
Iowa wrestler Mario Galanakis was named Big Ten Wrestler of the Week 10 years ago this week. See what else happened five, 10 and 20 years ago, page 2A. >>
Creston/O-M Panthers stayed undefeated in dual action with wins over Perry and Winterset Thursday night. See the full report in SPORTS, page 1S. >>
creston
News Advertiser WEEKEND EDITION
SHAW MEDIA GROUP SERVING SW IOWA SINCE 1879 BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE AT WWW.CRESTONNEWS.COM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
East Union school threat contained A valid threat made by an adult was received by Union County law enforcement and East Union School administration via phone messages approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. ■
CNA photo by JAKE WADDINGHAM
Iowa State University’s Patrick Gunn said if farmers are looking at buying, they should target heifers that are going to provide a genetic improvement to their operation. He added the high prices make it a good time to try some new management techniques to try to improve their cow’s fertility.
Three-State Beef Conference highlights options for the future of Iowa’s cattle herd By JAKE WADDINGHAM
Learn more online
CNA associate editor jwaddingham@crestonnews.com
The recent resurgence in the cattle market prices have revitalized the beef industry, but left many farmers and experts questioning, is this the right time to rebuild the nation’s herd? More than 70 area farmers and students attended the Three-State Beef Conference at Southwestern Community College Tuesday night for three presentations that covered supplementation strategies, forage systems and financial impacts of fertility and infertility in the current cattle market. “It is really remarkable the prices we are seeing,” said Dan Hanrahan, who farms about 120 head of cattle with his parents in Madison County. “This year has really been a bright spot for us.” The United States Department of Agriculture’s highest estimate of income loss for Iowa corn and soybean farmers is $2.6 billion.
Iowa State University is developing an online tool to help cattle farmers compare the difference of raising or buying replacement heifers for their individual operation. Visit www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/ldfirst.html. Offsetting those losses are profits that grain producers locked in earlier this year and the improved profitability of the livestock industry. Farmers are weighing the option of selling their highpriced heifers or holding them back to build their operation numbers. “If we are going out and buying replacement females, we should be buying females that are elite or at least an Gunn upgrade from what we currently have in our production system,” said Patrick Gunn, animal science assistant professor at
Iowa State University. Tom Frey of Creston Livestock Auction said his numbers have held steady and the market prices remain high, making replacement costs for the herd higher. “It is a direct reflection on the low numbers of cattle because of the recent drought, high corn prices and high grain prices,” Frey said. “This is a heavier swing than normal. It has us down to the lowest number of cows since the 1940s and 1950s.” Frey added that several farmers plowed up pasture to switch it to row crops to take advantage of the high commodity prices. “If the heifer is a dramatic upgrade over what you have in terms of genetic potential, then maybe that is a pretty
easy pill to swallow,” Gunn said. “If you are not making significant upgrades in terms of what they can bring to your herd, maybe that is a little pricey in this day and age.”
Return investment Calving season is quickly approaching for a majority of area farmers. Then farmers will have to decide how many cows they will need to replace for the next year. Iowa State University is developing a tool online to help farmers compare raising or buying replacement heifers for their operation. Users can plug in fields like weight and current market prices so the computer can calculate the animal’s value. The biggest factor is how long the new heifer is going to stay in the herd and actively reproduce to turn a profit. “It is not the end of the world if we have open females as yearlings,” Gunn said. “Once we get a calf out of them and they come up Please see CATTLE, Page 2
UI president to retire after 8-year tenure IOWA CITY (AP) — University of Iowa President Sally Mason announced Thursday that she will retire Aug. 1, following an eight-year tenure in which she managed a devastating flood, severe budget challenges and several controversies. Mason has had a difficult relationship with Gov. Terry Branstad’s appointees on the Iowa Board of Regents in recent years. In a statement, she noted that she turns 65 in May and decided now was the right time to depart personally and professionally after speaking with her husband during the holiday break. Mason said she was proud of achievements under her watch in improving student retention and four-year graduation rates and constructing state-of-the-art buildings. The school has raised $1.4 billion in private funds since 2008. “It has been an honor and privi-
Historic flood in June 2008 A historic June 2008 flood came to symbolize her tenure, when heavy rains caused the Iowa River to overflow its banks and damage or destroy numerous buildings. Mason worked to keep the university open and spent the following years overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars of projects, including many in art, theatre and music programs. lege to serve as the president of this great institution,” she said. Mason became the school’s 20th president when she arrived in 2007 from Purdue University, where she was provost. Almost immediately, the former biology professor was thrown into managing one problem after another, many caused by events outside her control. A historic June 2008 flood came to symbolize her tenure, when heavy rains caused the Iowa River to overflow its banks and damage or
WEEKEND WEATHER
CONNECT WITH US
COMPLETE WEATHER 3A
crestonnews.com | online 641-782-2141 | phone 641-782-6628 | fax Follow us on Facebook
47 28 PRICE 75¢
Creston News Advertiser 503 W. Adams Street | Box 126 Creston, IA 50801-0126
Copyright 2015
Volume 131 No. 163
2014
destroy numerous buildings. Mason worked to keep the university open and spent the following years overseeing hundreds of millions of dollars of rebuilding projects, including many in art, theatre and music programs. Those projects are part of a construction boom that remains ongoing and will reshape the campus. Others include a new children’s hospital, a biomedical research center and the school’s first new residence hall since 1968.
If you do not receive your CNA by 5 p.m. call 641-782-2141, ext. 6450. Papers will be redelivered in Creston until 6:30 p.m. Phones will be answered until 7 p.m.
By BAILEY POOLMAN CNA staff reporter bpoolman@crestonnews. com
AFTON — A threat against East Union Schools in Afton has been contained, according to Afton Police Chief John Coulter. Coulter said a valid threat made by an adult was received by Union County law enforcement and East Union School administration via phone messages approximately 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. Law enforcement have been investigating since then. The school was never under lockdown Thursday. “The person does not live in Afton or Union County,” Coulter said Thursday. “There is an arrest warrant issued, and I can tell you the person is being evaluated by a medical facility outside of our area.” An email to East Union parents from the school administrators Thursday morning said “there was
a threatening statement made against the school” Wednesday night, law enforcement was immediately contacted and a plan of action was put in place. According to Coulter, information was not released to parents until Thursday morning because law enforcement was waiting to Coulter see if the subject would be charged at the subject’s location. Coulter was accompanied by two officers from Ringgold County and Union County Sheriff Rick Piel and Chief Deputy Steve Maitlen at the school Thursday morning. Law enforcement presence was reduced when it was discovered the subject was being evaluated and the threat wasn’t immediate. According to an East Union email, “the school will continue to keep parents, staff and community members informed of any new information we learn. The most important issue is that parents are aware that we have law enforcement present to assist us in taking the correct steps and the situation is contained and is not at the school itself.” More information will be released as available.
Ernst to deliver GOP response to Obama address Ernst is the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress ■
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Republican officials tapped newly elected Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst on Thursday to deliver the party’s formal response to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, selecting a fresh face to represent the party at the start of a new Congress and the next campaign for president. Ernst, 44, was elected to her seat in November, capturing it after years of Democratic control. She is the first woman to represent her state in Congress. “She is a perfect choice. Americans voted for change,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said as he and
House Speaker John Boehner announced Ernst’s selection at a joint retreat of House and Senate Republicans in Hershey, Pa. Ernst, an Iraq War veteran and lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard, said that when she was grow- Ernst ing up on a farm in Southwest Iowa, she never would have imagined having such an opportunity. “Our folks back home sent us to Washington, D.C., with a clear mission and that mission is to get to work,” she said. Obama delivers the State Please see ERNST, Page 2
OPEN HOUSE Diane Poore • 641.202.0072
diane@ellispoorerealty.com
501 McKinley • Creston Sunday, January 18 • 4:00-5:30pm
Julia Ellis • 515.494.9264
julia@ellispoorerealty.com
106 S. Sumner Ave • Creston