Clayton County ISU Extension Information

Clayton County ISU Extension & Outreach Media Packet for 5/1/25

Wednesday, May 14

7:30 PM Extension Council Meeting Elkader, IA

Monday, May 26

8:00 AM Extension Office Closed Elkader, IA

Wednesday, June 11

7:30 PM Extension Council Meeting Elkader, IA

Clayton County 2025 Summer Day Camps and Adventure Days Now Open for Registration

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Clayton County is excited to announce its 2025 Summer Day Camps for youth in kindergarten through third grade, along with Summer Adventures for youth in third through sixth grades.

Kindergarten through Third grade Summer Day Camps will begin June 10 and continue through July 30, concluding with activities at the Clayton County Fair. Camp topics include creative and educational experiences such as All About Pizza, where campers explore the parts of a plant while preparing their own pizza toppings; Quest to Be Best, which helps youth discover what makes them unique through games and self-reflection; Survival, focusing on safety skills both at home and in the woods; and Tinker Time, where participants invent solutions to real-world problems. Additional topics include Cooking with Character, Robo Loco, Mud and Muck, Astro Camp, Artistic Art, and the Clayton County Fair Adventure.

These engaging, hands-on camps will take place in several Clayton County communities, including Elkader, Edgewood, Guttenberg, Garnavillo, Marquette, Monona, Strawberry Point, and Colesburg. We’re also proud to partner with Clayton County Conservation to host camps at Osborne Park & Nature Center and Motor Mill near Elkader, as well as the Driftless Area Wetland Centre in Marquette.

Summer Adventures, designed for youth in third through sixth grades, will take place from July 2 to July 15 and offer four exciting sessions. These include Artistic Art, a creative workshop held at Freedom Bank; Survivor, an outdoor skills and recreation camp at Osborne Pond; Global Gourmet, where campers cook international dishes at Central High School; and Explore Clayton County, a full-day travel adventure beginning at Elkader City Park.

These day camps provide fun, interactive learning experiences that help youth build new skills, explore their interests, and connect with peers in a safe, welcoming environment. Camps are already filling up—early registration is encouraged!

To learn more or register, visit the Clayton County Extension and Outreach website at extension.iastate.edu/clayton/youth-programs or contact the Extension office at 563-245-1451.

Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference Set for May 21

Join farmland and agricultural experts to gain insight into current issues affecting land markets

May 1, 2025

Rabail Chandio, Alaina Friesleben

Farm managers, rural appraisers, real estate brokers and others interested in the Iowa land market can expect timely updates at this year’s Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference on May 21 in Ames.

Experts will examine current issues in rural property management, appraisal, the selling and buying of land and agricultural policy.

The annual conference – now in its 97th year – is the longest running at Iowa State University in research and extension.

This year’s conference will be held at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State campus from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Rabail Chandio, conference chairperson, assistant professor and extension economist at Iowa State, will begin the day reviewing attendees’ land value forecasts, followed by a discussion on global trade and U.S. ag profitability from Nathan Kauffman, senior vice president and Omaha branch executive for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Doug Houser, digital agriculture extension specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will share the impact of technology-driven ag innovations on income and land values. Then, Dennis Todey, director of the Midwest Climate Hub at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will provide a weather outlook for the 2025 growing season. Panel speakers are Jeremy Gustafson, farmer and outreach leader with Practical Farmers of Iowa; Matt Russell, former state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency; and Jerry Hatfield, retired director of the USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment.

After lunch, Kristine Tidgren, director for the Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation at Iowa State, will share legal updates affecting land purchases and sales, followed by a panel discussion on conservation, soil health and farm productivity.

The final two sessions will provide insights on animal health crises related to land use and livestock market profitability, featuring Dr. Jeff Kaisand, the state veterinarian at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. Lastly, Chad Hart, extension economist at Iowa State, will share a crop markets outlook.

Chandio said the conference will continue to educate those in the Iowa land market, enabling them to make more informed decisions.

“We’re diving into a range of issues that matter right now — like how trade policy and tariffs might shake things up, what recent legal changes could mean for land sales, how technological changes can affect agriculture and how funding opportunities are evolving for farmers,” she said.

“Whether you’re managing land, buying and selling it or evaluating its value, there’s a lot to gain from hearing directly from experts who are tracking these issues every day.”

The cost to register for the Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference is $150; registration is required to attend.

Participants are also eligible to receive seven hours of continuing education credit for real estate and appraisal licenses upon conclusion of the program.

For more information and an agenda, visit Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference, contact Rabail Chandio at rchandio@iastate.edu or Nathan Cook at nmcook@iastate.edu or 515-294-3809. 

Additional Stories Published Online

The following news releases have been published on the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach website.

5/1/2025 Saddle Up for Success: Youth Invited to Iowa State University for 2025 4-H Youth Conference

This summer, 350 teens are expected to convene on the Iowa State University campus to experience three consecutive days full of speakers, educational workshops, team building and service learning. The 2025 Iowa 4-H Youth Conference, themed “Lasso Your Legacy,” will occur June 24-26. Registration is now open and closes on June 1.

5/1/2025 Tackle Thistles before They Bolt

Time’s running out to treat biennial thistles with herbicide this spring. Meaghan Anderson, extension field agronomist with Iowa State University, said if you want to effectively use herbicide, you need to do so before the plants bolt.

5/1/2025 Walk with Ease Program Can Help People Manage Arthritis

During Arthritis Awareness Month every May, the Arthritis Foundation calls extra attention to this painful and debilitating condition. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers Walk with Ease to help people manage arthritis and increase strength, flexibility, endurance and balance.

5/1/2025 I-29 Moo University Presents a New Webinar Series Focusing on the Beef-on-Dairy Industry

The I-29 Moo University is extending its service to the beef-on-dairy industry by moving beyond a single annual Dairy Beef Short Course to now offering the Beef-on-Dairy Dialogue webinar series.

5/1/2025 Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference Set for May 21

Farm managers, rural appraisers, real estate brokers and others interested in the Iowa land market can expect timely updates at this year’s Soil Management and Land Valuation Conference on May 21 in Ames.

4/30/2025 Iowa 4-H Launches Youth AI Challenge

Iowa 4-H Youth Development is educating youth about artificial intelligence, often referred to as AI, through hands-on school enrichment programming and a new statewide competition. The 4-H AI Challenge invites youth in grades 4–12 across the state to submit creative, conceptual ideas in response to the prompt, “How can AI help your community?”

4/29/2025 Sorghum Forage: A Resilient Option with Smart Management

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has published a new resource for livestock producers, “Management Strategies of Prussic Acid Toxicity in Sorghum.”

4/28/2025 Iowa 4-H Youth Teams Shine in State Wildlife Habitat Education Program Competition

The State Wildlife Habitat Education Program Competition was held April 12 in Ames. The Iowa 4-H WHEP competition provides youth teams with the opportunity to test their wildlife knowledge in a friendly competition. This year’s competition focused on tallgrass prairie and urban and wetland ecoregions.

4/28/2025 State Recognition Day Highlights 4-H Youth Ready to Lead and Succeed

Iowa 4-H youth showcased their leadership, communications and college and career readiness skills in the annual State 4-H Recognition Day interviews. This statewide event, held each spring, culminates the year’s recognition process.

4/28/2025 Stateline Dairy and Ag Outlook Seminar Set for June 17: Understanding a Changing Industry

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s annual Stateline Dairy and Ag Outlook Seminar will be held June 17 in Waukon. The seminar aims to assist ag lenders and farm financial advisers in helping farmers manage risk and understand market outlooks.

4/24/2025 Time to Check and Treat Your Herd for Ticks

Temperatures are warmer, grass is greening up nicely, and yes, it's time for ticks. But are ticks on cattle a concern? Absolutely, said Iowa Beef Center program specialist Beth Reynolds, because of disease transmission opportunities.

4/24/2025 Van Alstyne Brings a Wealth of Experience to Food Systems Team

Alex Van Alstyne and his team provide training, online and in person, on many challenges that producers face, with plans to soon offer education and resources. Van Alstyne is the new food business extension specialist with Farm, Food and Enterprise Development at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.