Agriculture

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office

Annual Review of Payment Eligibility for New Crop Year 
FSA and NRCS program applicants for benefits are required to submit a completed CCC-902 Farming Operation Plan and CCC-941 Average Gross Income (AGI) Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information for FSA to determine the applicant’s payment eligibility and establish the maximum payment limitation applicable to the program applicant.

Project focuses on interseeding Sudangrass into perennial pasture

An ongoing research project with the Iowa Beef Center focuses on interseeding Sudangrass into poor stands of perennial pastures as an effort to boost forage productivity. IBC will host a field day to present current findings on Sept. 12 at the Kirkwood Community College’s Tippie Beef Center in Cedar Rapids.

“This field day will feature research plots where Sudangrass was interseeded into calving paddocks this spring,” said Iowa Beef Center program specialist Beth Reynolds. “This is the second year of a three-year project, and the results will be shared with attendees.”

In addition to growing additional forage, the Sudangrass can capture valuable nutrients that are more prone to runoff in areas with a greater proportion of bare ground.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office

Cost Sharing Available
Cost sharing on conservation practices is still available. Through the State of Iowa Division of Soil Conservation, IDALS, applications are taken continuously for terraces, grade stabilization structures (ponds), sediment basins (dry ponds) and waterways.  The cost sharing is 50 percent up to the estimated cost.

Learn more about the BQA program and become certified this fall

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, in cooperation with the Iowa Beef Industry Council, will host Beef Quality Assurance training programs on three consecutive Wednesdays this fall in central and south-central Iowa.

“BQA certification is perhaps more important than ever as major packers now require a current certificate from feedlot producers selling market-ready cattle,” said Chris Clark, ISU Extension and Outreach beef specialist.

“It is basically a matter of market access for people marketing fed cattle because all the major packers now require that suppliers are BQA certified,” Clark said. “Beyond just fulfilling that requirement though, the BQA program includes a great deal of useful information that producers can take home and immediately utilize in their beef cattle operations.”

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2-  31: Non-Emergency Haying of CRP
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office

Meet Local Administrative Area (LAA) 3’s County Committee Nominees!
LAA 3 covers the townships of Iowa, Lansing, Center, Lafayette, Paint Creek, and Taylor. This year the nomination period ended as of August 1, 2024, and we are fortunate to have four great nominees running to serve on our Allamakee County FSA Committee board (COC). The following is a short synopsis of each nominee and their background in Allamakee County.

Meat goat producers in Iowa and Wisconsin can improve their knowledge of the industry by attending Meat Goat Cohort 25, which will launch in October.

This multi-session program is intended to increase producer knowledge of how to analyze production systems and implement strategies that improve efficiency and productivity, while providing a supportive environment for networking and collaboration.

Topics will include biosecurity protocols, diseases and vaccinations, kidding preparation, nutrition requirements and testing, marketing, parasite management and on-farm field trips.

The program is being organized by Carolyn Ihde, small ruminant field specialist for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2-  31: Non-Emergency Haying of CRP
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office

Cost Sharing Available
Cost sharing on conservation practices is still available. Through the State of Iowa Division of Soil Conservation, IDALS, applications are taken continuously for terraces, grade stabilization structures (ponds), sediment basins (dry ponds) and waterways.  The cost sharing is 50 percent up to the estimated cost.

Study the factors that make up your score now, before new policy becomes effective
 
Farmers who want to gain a better understanding of their Carbon Intensity Score can take advantage of a simple calculator developed by an economist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

The calculator relies on just five input numbers, according to Alejandro Plastina - corn acres, nitrogen use and corn yield with current farming practices, change in nitrogen use and change in yields under new farming practices.

The score is a calculation of how much carbon is used per bushel of crop production and is an important measurement used for selling grain to certain ethanol plants that plan to participate in the federally incentivized Carbon Intensity Score program.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 2-  31: Non-Emergency Haying of CRP
August 2 - September 30: Non-Emergency Grazing of CRP
Current – October 31: Organic Certified Cost Share Program (OCCSP)
December 2: Deadline to return COC ballots to FSA Office

Conduct Business Online Through the Farmers.gov Portal
Looking for ways to do business with USDA that saves you time? Look no further than farmers.gov.
When you create an account for the farmers.gov authenticated customer portal, you have access to self-service features through a secure login. Managing your business with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is faster than ever. From e-signing documents, viewing, printing, and exporting maps and receiving notifications of payment disbursements, a farmers.gov authenticated account makes doing business with USDA easy and secure.  

Learn updates in drone technology, trends for the upcoming harvest

Iowans can gain valuable knowledge in various agricultural topics at Iowa State University’s Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm annual fall field day August 23, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Doug Houser, digital agriculture extension specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will begin the program by providing the most current and up-to-date information regarding drone/UAV technology, and its use in the agricultural sector. Alison Robertson, professor and extension plant pathologist, will give an update on crop diseases of the growing season and expectations going into this year’s harvest. Kapil Arora, extension agricultural and biosystems engineering specialist, will share his insights on tile drainage and water management.