Agriculture

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) is pioneering the use of GPS-enabled electronic collars for cattle to address regional soil health challenges through a multiyear research project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Community College Alliance for Agricultural Advancement (C2A3). Deployed at Iowa’s Dairy Center, 1 mile south of the Calmar campus, this virtual fencing technology allows producers to control herd movement via smartphone, eliminating the need for physical fences and reducing the labor barriers to sustainable land management.

Deadlines/Dates
January 19: Closed in Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February 2: Deadline to submit Wool/Pelt LDP for 2025
February 2: Last day to return or postmark completed ballots to the USDA Service Center
February 16: Closed in Observance of President’s Day
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1 & 2

USDA Encourages Farmers and Ranchers to Vote in Allamakee’s County Committee Election
February 2 is the Last Day to Return Ballots
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has mailed ballots for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) county committee elections to eligible farmers and ranchers across the country. To be counted, ballots must be returned to the Allamakee County FSA office or postmarked by February 2, 2026.

Iowa Farmers Partner with NRCS to Invest Millions in Conservation Funding
Iowa farmers and other private landowners invested millions in conservation practices to help treat natural resource issues on their lands last year, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

Through four major Farm Bill conservation programs offered in Iowa, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Iowa farmers contracted with NRCS to address natural resource concerns such as soil erosion and water quality on about 258,000 private land acres in Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).

Workshops to be held in five locations across Iowa

Specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are once again teaming up with ISU Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering specialists to bring planter equipment expertise to farms across the state February 2-6 with Planter University.

The workshops are an opportunity for farmers, agricultural service providers, equipment and precision ag dealers and others to gain insight into how planters function; optimizing settings for individual seed, field, and equipment needs; and improving understanding of planter wear and calibration. Prior attendees have noted the value this workshop provides, with 80% of 2025 survey respondents stating it was worth more than $10 per acre to their farming operation.

USDA Launches New Regenerative Pilot Program
December 12, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, alongside U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to help American farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening America’s food and fiber supply.

Conservation Momentum in Iowa: What Farmers Should Know This Winter
As 2025 closes out, Iowa agriculture sits at an important point of transition. Recent updates to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS), growing conservation incentives, and continued concern over water quality are shaping decisions across the state and opening new opportunities for farmers.

Communication is Key in Lending
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
• Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
• Any significant changes to family income or expenses
• The development of problem situations
• Any losses or proposed significant changes in security

Urban growers interested in indoor farming are invited to attend an upcoming webinar hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Urban Agriculture Program. The webinar will take place on Thursday, December 11, from 1 to 2 p.m. Christopher Currey, associate professor of horticulture at ISU, will present a session titled “Controlled Environments for Urban Ag: A Primer.”

Currey’s research focuses on developing science-based best management practices to help commercial greenhouse and controlled-environment producers improve productivity, profitability and sustainability.

With assistance from NRCS, an eastern Iowa farmer is transforming his family’s farm into a more diverse and sustainable operation focusing on organic grassland restoration
Jackson County farmer Brian Noonan is utilizing assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to transform his family’s 480-acre farm near Bernard in eastern Iowa from an open-grazed pasture that Noonon says, “needed a lot of work” into a more diverse, sustainable operation with a focus on organic grassland restoration.

About 10 years ago Noonan left his job with the City of Dubuque to manage the family farm, which is owned by a family partnership that includes five families and their lineal descendants. Noonan says the farm dates back five generations to the 1830s when his family’s Irish descendants purchased 180 acres there.

“We’ve had the farm in the family for so long,” he said. “I want to retain it and do it in a way to preserve it.”

Four advanced calving clinics will be offered in January

The Iowa Beef Center is offering four Advanced Calving Clinics to help Iowa cattlemen and women prepare for a successful calving season and subsequent breeding period. Clinics will be offered at four locations across Iowa: January 6 in Fayette and Clinton counties and January 7 in Greene and Montgomery counties.

Session topics will cover essentials from conception to calving, including strategies for managing dystocia with practice using a life-size calving model, beef cow nutrition basics, neonatal calf health and care and calving distribution management. Attendees of previous Advanced Calving Clinics have reported substantial satisfaction with the program, estimating an average benefit of $1,480 per operation.