By DOUG CLOUGH Farm News staff writer IDA GROVE - For 71 years, Knop Angus Farms, a family owned seed-stock operation, has been producing champion Angus cattle. The breeders were presented in January with the Historic Angus Herd Award. The award is presented to Angus breeders who have been in continuous production of registered Angus cattle for 50 years or more. "We've worked to provide cattle that can show well at state and regional levels, which translates into great advertising," said Gene Knop, who owns and operates Knop Angus Farms along with his son, Dan. "Our bulls and heifers perform just as well as they show. It's a rare and successful combination we call 'performance plus'." Knop Angus Farm began in 1941 with a 4-H purebred heifer project. The first heads of cattle, bought in Nebraska and Iowa, began a long line of show ring success for Fred Knop's humble beginnings. Knop was traditionally a hog farmer until his livestock developed atrophic rhinitis - chronic nasal inflammation - when he felt the need to change his business model by purchasing cattle. "For 71 years we have been breeding cattle for the big picture," Knop said. "We have consistently searched for sires that excel with the genetic capability to produce sound, functional, high-maternal cattle that are also superior for carcass traits." Gene and Colleen Knop took ownership of Fred's Angus farm in 1969, the same year that his herd found a permanent 46-acre residence on the north side of Ida Grove. The family exhibited cattle at many shows and earned a lot of purple - the color of grand champions - along the way. Knop Angus Farms showed the junior champion bull and the reserve grand champion heifer at the 1974 Diamond Jubilee International Livestock Show in Chicago, Ill. The Knops' daughter, Sheryl, received the top showmanship title and son Dennis showed the grand champion heifer at the 1981 National Junior Angus Show in Nashville, Tenn. A year later, Knop Angus Farms garnered a grand champion bred and owned heifer at the 1982 National Junior Livestock Show in Milwaukee, Wisc. Gene Knop, 76, a lifelong cattleman, still finds challenges in his work. "The largest effort comes in meeting today's demands," Knop said. "Expectations include calving ease, carcass quality, feedlot performance and consumer acceptability. "You can't do well with just a performance bull, you must have an excellent female base also. You've got to remember that the commercial breeder is our bread-and-butter." Knop acknowledges that his profession has more tools than ever before, including DNA testing and the ability to outfit cattle with tags that tie into an electronic system that meters the exact daily feed that cattle need for optimum growth. "These advances, in themselves, put a bit more pressure on a cowboy," Knop said, whose farm always has breeding stock for sale. These challenges are also the reason Knop stays in the Angus business. "I keep looking for that next grand champion," said Knop. "I've tried to retire a number of times - was even down to three cows in 2006 - but now I'm back up to 40. "My goal is to have enough female stock for a production sale every year." The Knops have their own sale barn and plan the next sale for February 2013. Knop's pride-and-joy is the progeny of Jetliner 707, a bull that lived from 1972 to 1986. Jetliner has a lineage that is still active through semen ampoules frozen in 1976. This bull gave the family Angus farm many honors, and Knop still talks about him with a gleam in his eye. "We still have great memories of him," said Knop. "The Angus seed-stock producers of today have breeding goals very similar to the ones we accomplished in the '70s and '80s from the progeny of the Jetliner lineage." Knop acknowledges that his Angus farm could not have accomplished all it has without it being a family business. He had held a variety of banking positions since 1969 and has relied on wife Colleen's ability at being a "good cattle person," performing artificial insemination, heat detection and getting ready to show the cattle on the road. The Knops' son, Dan, after spending many years in Georgia managing a cow herd, has returned to help manage the family operation. He spends evenings and weekends at his namesake's Angus farm in addition to working for a local manufacturer. Dennis, the couple's youngest son, resides in Blair, Neb., and also maintains a small herd of Angus cows under the name of Circle K Angus. "Dan and Dennis are excellent cowboys," said their father. "Like most of us, they've learned the trade through the school of hard knocks." Along with use of bulls n the past, Knop Angus Farm boasts of the best genetics available today, both through artificial insemination and embryo-transfer. Aside from the Angus Herd Award, Knop's family has also been selected by the Iowa Angus Association as the 2012 seed-stock producer of the year. Contact Doug Clough at douglasclough@gmail.com.

By DARCY DOUGHERTY MAULSBY Farm News staff writer COON RAPIDS - While the Coon Bowl III in Coon Rapids has long been known for serving the best burgers in Carroll County, the accolades have now spread statewide. "One Saturday night after we won the Best Burger in Iowa contest, we had so many customers that you couldn't have stuck a shoe in here," said Cindy Heydon, co-manager of the Coon Bowl III. In fact, the Coon Bowl III's burgers have become so popular that people come all the way from Michigan just to have a taste. "The burgers are big and juicy, and you get them for a fair price," said Dwight Olson, of Reading, Mich., who grew up on a farm southwest of Coon Rapids and was back in the area recently to visit family. "They've always had good food here." Olson, who used to set pins at the Coon Rapids bowling alley for a penny a piece when he was a boy, is glad that Coon Rapids still has a bowling alley and diner. "It's good to see these little towns do well." Increasing restaurant business is one goal of Iowa's Best Burger contest, said Michelle Baumhover, who coordinates the contest through the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Iowa Cattlemen's Association. "The burger is the allAmerican classic served in almost every restaurant, from the local cafe to the finest white tablecloth establishment." Strong local support Coon Bowl III offers a unique setting to serve up not only Iowa's best burger, but a slice of small-town Americana, too. The bowling alley, which has been in Coon Rapids for nearly 70 years, is housed in a former farm implement dealership. For the past 17 years, the diner/bowling alley has been owned by four locals, including three from Coon Rapids - Dave Halbur, Mike Deeth and Aaron Kenyon - and one from Bayard, Darwin Halterman. Local farmers are some of the most loyal customers, said Heydon, who has worked at Coon Bowl III since 2003. "We get a lot of carry-outs, especially at planting and harvest." Ever since Coon Bowl III made the 2011 Top 10 list of the Best Burger in Iowa, people have been coming from across Iowa, as well as more than 30 states and five countries, to get a taste. "The contest has really helped our sales," said Heydon, who noted that diner's meat orders increased 30 percent following the contest announcement. The diner's famous burgers are made with an 80/20 blend of ground chuck supplied by the Arcadia Locker, another Carroll County business. Dan George, who has handled much of the grilling at Coon Bowl III for the past 16 years, doesn't add any seasoning unless the customer requests it. It takes about 15 minutes to grill each half-pound burger, George said, whose mother ran Arlene's, a Coon Rapids' restaurant, for 11 years. Customers are in charge of asking for any extras, whether that's "running the burger through a garden" with lettuce, pickles, onions and tomatoes, or requesting cheese or bacon. "I'm kind of surprised by all the attention our burgers have gotten," George said, adding Coon Bowl III sold more than 200 burgers in one day recently. On the day the eatery was featured on a statewide radio program, two men from Des Moines who heard the program at 12:20 p.m. were enjoying the best burgers in Iowa shortly after 2 p.m., Heydon said. 'Worth the trip' Coon Bowl III was selected as a Top 10 entry this year based on customer support. "Our customers were really involved in submitting nominations," said Heydon. He said road work crews, employees from a nearby ethanol plant and farmers who stopped in for a meal all filled out nomination forms that were sitting on the counter. In addition, Heydon's daughter used social media to promote the contest through her Facebook page. Other Top 10 finishers this year include the Ankeny Diner, in Ankeny; Drake Diner, in Des Moines; Farmer's Kitchen, in Atlantic; Ferg's Lounge & My Tighe's Restaurant, both in Grand Junction; PerXactly's Bar and Grill, in Maquoketa; Rosco's, in Norwalk; Rube's Steakhouse, in Montour; Sac City Bowling Center, in Sac City; and The Ritz, in Arnold's Park. Darlyne Jorgensen, of Guthrie Center, said she and her husband, Al, decided to head over to the Coon Bowl III after they heard about the Best Burger in Iowa. "The burgers here are darn good, and they're worth the trip." You can contact Darcy Dougherty Maulsby by e-mail at yettergirl@yahoo.com.

By LARRY KERSHNER Farm News news editor PRIMORSKY KRAI, RUSSIA - In what started as a mission to repair ag machinery in Russia, Shane and Heath Peed, both of Fort Dodge, have started creating agricultural opportunities in this farthest eastern Russian region. Shane Peed has recently moved to this region of the country that is bordered by China on the west, North Korea on the south and Japan on the east across the Sea of Japan. The krai's shape is similar to an appendix wrapping itself around the east border of China. Although the dominant ag sector in the krai is fishing, Peed said he and his brother have discovered farming and agribusiness opportunities for developing row crop agriculture in the fertile plains of the Sikhote-Alin mountain range. Forming the Agricultural Holdings International LLC, the brothers are in the process of constructing a grain elevator, establishing a tiling business and a seed dealership. In addition, Shane Peed said, contacts have been made to work toward trade agreements with China and South Korea to ship grain to both countries during the 2013-2014 marketing year. Their farm manager, Andrew Burton, also lives in Russia. The Peeds are planning on growing non-genetically modified organism crops. "I don't mind walking beans once a year," he said. "I can handle it." The krai has a thousand miles of rail service. It's primary city, Vladivostok, was the eastern terminus of the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Of the rail mileage, 345 miles are electrified. Peed said Ag Holdings is working on railroad agreements for moving ag products to markets. The krai, with a population of almost 2 million, has 7,850 miles of roads. It's also the financial center of Far East Russia. Peed said most Russians have collective farm experience, which may be an adjustment for experienced Russian producers to farm in a more conventional manner. "We're going to experiment with test plots," Peed said, "and work on improving the soil." He said the Primorsky region is vast and will work well for row-cropping. "Our farmers in Iowa would go nuts to get land like this," Peed said. Most Primorsky Krai farms are managed by foreigners, he said, "and the Russians know they need the technology and expertise of U.S. farmers." An immediate market open for investors is upgrading and repairing older farm implements and shipping them to the region. He said it's a win-win situation, bringing more affordable ag equipment to Russia, while creating a market for moving used machines out of the U.S. "There's a big need for equipment over here," Peed said. Although many ag producers have a collective farm mentality, Peed said, "the Russians are very good to work with and they are very supportive of us over here." He said the rail services have the available cars to move grain. "It won't be hard to get rid of the crops," he said. Noting that he doesn't get back to Iowa often, Peed said the opportunities are vast for new investment in Primorsky Krai. Land is inexpensive, he said, roughly $600 to $1,000 per hectare. A hectare is equivalent to 2.47 acres. "We're in a global market," Peed said. "There's always risk, but we're not throwing all of our eggs into one basket." Agriculture Holdings International LLC has scheduled a shareholders meeting in August at the Best Western Starlight Village in Fort Dodge. Contact Larry Kershner at (515) 573-2141, ext. 453 or kersh@farm-news.com.

By LARRY KERSHNER Farm News news editor CLARION - Contrary to the negative mindset Iowans have been accustomed to when hearing about their waterways, the May 2 designation of the Boone River as a 2012 Water to Watch was something positive. The National Fish Habitat Partnership included the Boone River in its list water bodies across the U.S. most likely to benefit from locally driven, strategic conservation efforts. These waters are priorities of the regional Fish Habitat Partnerships formed throughout the country to implement the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The objective is to conserve important habitats for fish and wildlife. Working hard to make all this happen are a number of workers from various organizations, including Bruce Voights, coordinator for the Boone River Watershed, a part of the wider Mississippi River Watershed Initiative. The Mississippi River Basin watershed is the second biggest in the world. Voights, who is housed in the Clarion County Soil and Water Conservation office in Clarion, outlined conservation practices that are designed to keep water entering the watershed as high quality as possible. These practices include cover crops, bioreactors, strip-tillage, hoop livestock buildings, refurbishing oxbow lakes along creeks and streams and nutrient management. Through federal and state sources, a number of cost-sharing programs assist producers in implementing these practices, Voights said. To date, in Wright and Hamilton counties, there are 3,800 acres protected by cover crops, 2,500 under strip-till management and more than 2,000 acres under additional nutrient management practices. Nutrient management is a program where producers document how much nitrogen fertilizer they apply to the land including the type - manure or dry from a co-op - dates applied and how much is being spread. The payments and incentives are enough to cover their costs and extra labor, Voights said. "But the producers we have, they seem dedicated to doing things right. They want to learn about the process, where the nitrogen is going, what can they do to keep it on the land, and make more money by keeping it on the land rather than losing it, and protecting the waters, too. "It's an economic benefit if they can keep it on the land. Cover crops should hold it there. Research shows that at least 30 percent reduction of nitrogen leaches away with cover crops. This is the third year for the MRBI project. In the Boone River portion, Voights said a total of $406,978 was spent among four participating producers to implement the various conservation practices. In 2011, that amount grew to $1.258 million among 25 producers. He said 2012 is expected to spend far less than 2011, since cost-sharing in the programs has been trimmed. For instance, in 2010, the cost share of applying cover crops was $108 per acre. In 2011 that was trimmed back to $80 per acre and in 2012 it will pay $40 per acre. But even at $40, Voights said, "it's still a break even price." Bioreactors A small bioreactor on a farm field that drains into Lake Cornelia in Grant Township in Wright County was installed last fall. The bioreactor is attached to a tile line that drains a 45-acre field. These structures are an underwater filtering system, attached to the existing tile line, usually employing wood chips to filter nitrogen from runoff water. The bacteria in the wood chips transforms the nitrogen into nitrates, which escapes the soil as a gas. The land is owned by Gifford Holm, and the land operator is Steve Janssen, a board member of the Wright County S&WCD. He also uses cover crops, no-tills his soybeans and strip-tills corn. He's trying strip-tilling soybeans this growing season. Keegan Kult, a watershed management specialist with the Iowa Soybean Association, was on site taking a series of water readings. Due to the winter drought, water started flowing through the system earlier this month. Kult said that during the initial few days the water was cloudy, likely due to fine dirt and wood dust from the construction work. "Finally the outflow is showing clear," he said. Several monitors track the groundwater flow level from the field. The field still had stalks from last year's corn with the dead remnants of the rye grass cover crop Janssen sowed last fall. Across the road, adjacent to the field are homes dotted along the east shore of the lake. Janssen said his neighbors saw the rye grass growing and said, "'You sure have a weedy mess out there.'" He said once he explained that it was a cover crop and not weeds, he said folks seemed to be impressed that anyone would be doing this, but suspects they had no concept on if, or why, it's important. "I've always been interested in water quality," Janssen said. "I have a lot of people watching what I'm doing here - with the lake on one side and Clarmont Golf Course on the other. "But I want to see if you make a living by (farming) conservation-wise; and I want to leave something for the next generation that's not depleted." Data reveal that a bioreactor installed on the Arlo Van Diest farm in Hamilton County reduced nitrates flowing into the bioreactor by 75 percent on May 6, 2010; 54 percent in June 16, 2010; 82 percent on July 7, 2010 and 77 percent on July 21, 2010. Voight said plans call for 12 bioreactors within Wright and Hamilton counties before the project is closed. Hoop building A new practice is hoop buildings for livestock to serve as manure storage and management structures. One of the newest hoops in the BRW was a former open feedlot on a slope that runs north into nearby Eagle Creek. The building is owned and operated by Kelly Hammen, in Norway Township along Keokuk Avenue, between 150th and 160th Street in Wright County. The structure is built for 240-head of feeder calves. There were 230 in there on May 10. The hoop building was finished in October 2011. A hoop building was erected on the farm in 2009 for cattle, Hammen said. "They really like being under a roof," she said. "The cattle perform better. They're comfortable. "In the other building they averaged 3 pounds per day in gain. It worked good." She compared that to the cattle that would otherwise be standing outside in deep manure and mud after the recent rains. Voights said the primary reason for MRBI assistance in erecting the hoop structure is manure containment. The floor is scraped weekly, Hammen said. "During this time of year we take it right out to the fields," she said. A separate storage facility will be created for holding manure during the winter. Hammen, a 2009 graduate of South Dakota State University in animal science, bought her first load of cattle during her final year of college. This will be her fourth year in the cattle business. A third hoop structure, not part of the MRBI project, houses her father's sheep and goats. Aside from the environment benefits, the hoop buildings, Hammen said, "allowed me to grow." It also makes for easier loading of livestock, especially the sheep and goats. White Fox oxbow An oxbow refurbishing project was completed in December 201, just north of the Hamilton and Wright county line, three miles east of Woolstock. The oxbow was originally created by White Fox Creek. Aerial photos in the 1930 shows the spot as part of the main waterway, but at some point, the creek had changed its course, leaving the former creek bend as a standing body of water with occasional replenishing during high water times and ground water infiltration. Many river species use them for spawning and refuge, and oxbows provide nesting habitat for waterfowl However, over the year since, said Eileen Bader, a fresh water specialist with The Nature Conservancy, post-alluvial silt filled the oxbow. That segment was dredged in late 2011. As workers dug down to the creek bed's original gravel bed, Bader said, it was again level with the existing creek bed less than 100 yards to the west and immediately started filling. This is the first of five planned oxbow restorations along White Fox Creek. The primary reasons for reestablishing these water bodies is for fish breeding, especially the endangered minnow, Toledo shiner; plus nutrient reduction as flood waters are captured by the oxbow. Eventually, Bader said, researchers hope algae blooms will grow and do the water purifying work as a wetland or as a bioreactor. "We want to quantify what are all those benefits together (with the five oxbows)," Bader said. "There are multiple things going on. Right now it (oxbow) is slightly connected (with the creek). "When the water gets higher, that's when we'll see fish coming into it. It's deep enough that they can overwinter here. " There are three groundwater monitoring wells placed around the oxbow Two on the east bank and one on the west "island" portion surrounded by the oxbow and the main creek. These show how the ground water is filtering into the oxbow - how fast the water level comes up, and what the water quality is before it gets into it. Some reseeding is still needed along the east bank. Since its in the federal conservation reserve program, the reseeding will match the existing CRP seed mix. The work was funded through the National Fish Habitat Partnership and DNR and part of the Fishers & Farmers Partnership. This and the other planned oxbows refurbishing projects are being funded through the Sand County Foundation, based in Wisconsin. Bader plans the other projects are planned along White Fox Creek and Eagle Creek. Eagle Creek, she said, is classified as an endangered species habitat. "The Sand County Foundation is really interested in nutrient processing aspect," Bader said. "So those will have to paired with tile lines. Working on contacting landowners at possible sites and seeing which would be interested. "Most people are fairly open to this practice, because these are areas not being farmed." She said a water sample earlier that day showed the groundwater was clear coming into the oxbow. A pre-construction survey found "a lot of fish in here before it dried up," Bader said, "so as we get more water, we come back and see if any fish have gotten into here." There will be no stocking the oxbow, she said, but let fish populations develop naturally. "Topeka shiners have not been documented in White Fox Creek for 20 years," Bader said, "but that doesn't mean they're not in there. The numbers may just be low." The groundwater monitoring wells are similar to the sensors in bioreactors. The data is recorded hourly and she collects it periodically. The oxbow, from one end to the next, covers 3.5 acres, and is roughly 300 feet long. Not many oxbow renovations have been performed, except for a few on the Raccoon River. "It seems like an opportunity to do a small amount of restoration at least in an area where it's not being farmed," Bader said. "Obviously the processes are not as (effective) as a wetland, but it's harder to get people on board by taking land out of production." Contact Larry Kershner at (515) 573-2141, ext. 453 or kersh@farm-news.com.

AMES Iowa farmers thinking of adding another income stream in high-value organic production, or expanding certified organic acres, have until June 1 to apply for the Organic Initiative through USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The Organic Initiative, a sub-program of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), supports farmers during the transition with up to $20,000 per year, or $80,000 over six years, for practices like cover crops, crop rotation, boundaries and buffer zones, grazing systems, integrated pest and weed management, and seasonal high tunnels. The program also offers technical help developing transition, grazing and conservation plans. Beginning and limited resource farmers receive additional assistance. EQIP is a voluntary program that offers financial and technical assistance to farmers who implement conservation practices on agricultural land through contracts up to 10 years in length. Of Iowa's Organic Initiative program fund allocation, $900,000 is still available to eligible farmers. To be eligible, farmers do not need to be certified organic, but must be seeking to transition some portion of their farm to organic production. Certified organic farmers are also eligible, as well as those who meet organic standards but are exempt from certification because their gross annual organic sales are less than $5,000. Farmers interested in applying for EQIP Organic Initiative funds must do so through their local NRCS County office. NRCS offices are housed in the USDA Service Centers in every county in Iowa. Jim Petersen, a Practical Farmers of Iowa member who farms 2,400 acres near Knoxville, has a mixture of incomes from conventional row crop, livestock and organic production. He has received both Organic Initiative and EQIP funds, and says he thinks there's more profit potential with organics. "It's good to have different markets to sell to," Petersen says. "We've had opportunities to rent different farms where landowners wanted their farms farmed organically." Petersen first got involved in organic production in 2004, when three sisters (also PFI members) who own a nearby farm Shivvers Fair Acres approached him about renting 160 acres if he would farm it organically. "We did some investigating into the rules and regulations and decided to try," Petersen says. "I think there is a great enough demand for organics that more farmers could switch which would probably help organics in the long run because there would be a better supply." According to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, organic agriculture is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture, and has maintained that status for more than a decade. Between 2002 and 2011, the number of certified organic operations in the U.S. jumped by 240 percent. Many Iowa farmers have started seizing on this strong market demand by transitioning a small portion of their land to organic production while keeping the majority of their acres dedicated to established income streams. This opens the door to receiving premium prices for organic crops while preserving the stability of familiar production systems. In addition, adding an organic enterprise such as hay, livestock, row crops or produce can be a viable way to involve the next generation in the family farm business. This scenario is exactly what played out for Petersen, who has been able to involve all four of his children in the family farm. The extra income from his organic enterprises has also allowed him to give up his day job to farm full-time. "Having the better market and different opportunities that came from organics has allowed our children to be more involved with the farm," Petersen says, "and I myself have been able to quit my off-farm job." For farmers already certified organic, the Organic Initiative can provide support in developing expansion plans, and ensuring environmental sustainability targets are being reached. More information about the Organic Initiative, including background information and Iowa success stories, is available online at www.ia.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/OrganicInitiative.html.