Agriculture

Wed
22
Nov

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 4: Last Day to Return COC Ballots
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

Tax Resources for USDA Program Participants
Navigating filing taxes can be challenging, especially if you are new to running a farm business, participating in disaster programs for the first time, or trying to forecast the farm’s tax bill. Receiving funds from USDA through activities such as a conservation program payment or a disaster program is considered farm income that includes a tax liability for farm businesses. USDA technical assistance is free and creates no tax implications.

Wed
22
Nov

Workshops on Winter Feeding Basics for Cow Herds scheduled in Iowa

The dry growing conditions of 2022 and 2023 have led to supply and quality issues of hay and other forages in some areas of the state. Cattlemen may be faced with a short supply of hay, corn silage with the potential for nitrates, and poor pastures that resulted in stored hay being fed most of the summer. Unfortunately, tight hay supplies will likely lead to higher prices later in the winter feeding period, according to Iowa State University extension beef specialist Denise Schwab.

“Controlling feed cost while meeting all of the cow’s nutrient requirements requires knowledge of both the feed supply and the animal’s requirements,” Schwab said. “ISU extension beef specialists have developed a series of workshops to help producers plan for their beef cow winter feeding programs.”

Wed
22
Nov

Dairy Goat Management seminars in December

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Goat Management Seminar Friday, December 8 at the Historical Village Visitors Center, 715 D Avenue in Kalona, and Saturday, December 9 at the Dordt College-Agriculture Stewardship Center, 700 7th Street NE in Sioux Center. Both events begin with registration at 9 a.m. and the program runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. This year’s focus is on milk quality and functional type animals.

Tue
07
Nov

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 4: Last Day to Return COC Ballots
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

USDA to Provide More Than $3 Billion to Commodity and Specialty Crop Producers Impacted by 2022 Natural Disasters
The U. S Department of Agriculture (USDA) will provide more than $3 billion to commodity and specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022. Eligible impacted producers can apply for financial assistance through the Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022. The program will help offset the financial impacts of crop yield and value losses from qualifying disasters occurring in 2022.

Tue
07
Nov

Aeration is important for grain quality and safety

Good grain management can benefit bottom line and help prevent entrapment incidents

Keeping grain in good condition is important for a farmers bottom line by allowing them to sell high-grade grain and maintain all their marketing options. Good grain management has another major benefit: It can help prevent grain entrapment and engulfment incidents, since most of the incidents that happen every year involve grain flow issues due to grain spoilage.

Why aerate grain?
Aeration is used to cool grain in the fall and keep temperatures across the grain mass even throughout its storage life. Cool temperatures keep insect and mold activity low and increase the maximum allowable storage life of grain.

Tue
31
Oct

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Ben Cottrell ...
Ben Cottrell ...

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
December 4: Last Day to Return COC Ballots
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

Conservation Update
submitted by Ben Cottrell, District Conservationist, NRCS
It is not too late to think about planting cover crops this fall. We are still within the seeding window and have some limited funding available for cover crop cost share if you are still interested this fall.

Tue
31
Oct

Farmers’ use and opinions of precision agriculture examined in recent farm poll

Farmers surveyed on specific ag technologies

One of the biggest keys to farm profitability is being efficient. Farmers are constantly looking for ways to improve yields while managing their inputs, and one of the ways they’ve done this for the past several years is by using precision agriculture.

Although this term can be defined many ways, the United States Department of Agriculture calls it a suite of technologies that can reduce input costs by providing the farm operator with detailed spatial information, that can be used to optimize field management practices.

In essence, it’s producing more with less. But precision agriculture is a diverse field, and farmers approach it differently.

Wed
25
Oct

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
December 4: Last Day to Return COC Ballots
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

Farmers.gov - Your online hub for conducting business with USDA
Farmers.gov gives you one place to do business with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), including accessing your farm records, maps, and common land units. You can create a farmers.gov account for the farmers.gov authenticated site, where you can access self-service features through a secure login.

Wed
25
Oct

Study examines factors influencing farmers’ use of nutrient management practices

A study of Iowa farmers’ use of 4R Plus nutrient management practices offers insights into social, economic, and ecological influences on adoption that operate at both an individual level and within a larger, county-level context.

The 4R approach to agricultural nutrient management aims to ensure use of the “right source” of nutrients at the “right rate,” the “right time” and in the “right place” for efficient use of fertilizers to avoid nutrient loss and maximize farm income. While 4R refers to in-field nutrient management practices,

“Plus” refers to in-field conservation practices, such as no-till and cover crops, and edge-of-field conservation practices, including bioreactors or saturated buffers.

Wed
18
Oct

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
December 4: Last Day to Return COC Ballots
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains
January 31: Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

Fall 2023 Cover Crops
submitted by Eric Novey, Project Coordinator, NRCS
With harvest underway, many people are thinking about planting fall cover crops. With the summer drought, fewer people may be considering planting cover crops than normal. But with the recent rainfall, cover crops are likely to grow well this fall. One benefit of cover crops after a dry season is that they can scavenge nutrients that were not used during row crop production. There may be concerns about herbicide carryover. Smaller seeded species tend to be most sensitive to herbicides, but cereal rye is considered to be fairly tolerant.  

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