Agriculture

Wed
31
Mar

Custom Rate Survey shows costs for Iowa farming

New data shows what Iowans charge and pay for custom farming

Many Iowa farmers continue to hire at least some of their fieldwork and livestock work to be done by others, and new data from a popular survey provides ranges and averages of what is being paid.

The “2021 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey,” conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, covers the amounts charged and paid for common crop and livestock services. Tillage, planting, harvesting, manure hauling and livestock transportation are all included, along with dozens of other tasks and data points.

Wed
24
Mar

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
April 9: Quality Loss Adjustment Program
May 15: August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Crop Certification

Small Grains and Planting into Green Covers Can be the Answer
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
I believe that every farmer I work with wants to be profitable, take care of the soil, water and wildlife and make sure their children and grandchildren can keep farming in the future. How do farmers find profitability with the many different kinds of uncertainty right now, none of which we can control?  

Wed
24
Mar

Achieves 300 bushels per acre adding to history of improving yields and family ties ...

George Beardmore of Dorchester was recently honored for his third-place finish in the 2020 National Corn Grower Association Yield Contest for Iowa with a yield of 300.39 bushels per acre using Pioneer 1366AM. The photo above represents a 68-year history of yield improvement from that same field where this year’s yield award was won and an even longer history of family ties to the same farm.

Wed
24
Mar

Aerial drone cover crop planting


Successful aerial drone seeding ... The photo above was taken March 11, 2021 and shows excellent germination as a result of aerial seeding. Submitted photo.

Harpers Ferry farmer Jon Kruse utilized a unique method of planting cover crops this past fall - a drone. September 16, Kruse hired a private contractor, to fly a drone over standing soybeans to seed red clover as a cover crop.

Aerial cover crop application is growing in popularity across Iowa because of the upsides. A big advantage of aerial seeding is that more acres can be seeded in less time than with ground equipment. Aerial application also allows seeding to be done when it is physically impossible to use ground equipment such as when crops are present, or the soil is too wet for regular equipment.

Wed
17
Mar

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
April 9: Quality Loss Adjustment Program
May 15: August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Crop Certification

Wed
17
Mar

Volunteer corn and weed resistance highlight the 2021 Herbicide Guide for Corn and Soybeans

Timely guide helps growers plan weed management strategies

Following a year that included both drought and derecho, Iowa’s crop producers may face some unique challenges in 2021 related to weed management.

The recently updated 2021 Herbicide Guide for Iowa Corn and Soybean Production, published by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, offers some timely information and guidance.

The guide is updated every year, but this year’s version gives special attention to the issue of volunteer corn, which could be more severe in 2021 following the germination of storm-damaged corn from last year’s derecho.

Millions of acres of mature corn across Iowa were flattened or badly damaged, and the potential for volunteer seed germination remains high.

Wed
17
Mar

Fly control strategies the topic of upcoming dairy webinar

Learn about fly control strategies for dairy cattle

The I-29 Moo University 2021 Dairy Webinar Series continues Friday, March 26 from Noon to 1 p.m. This month’s topic is fly control strategies.

Roger Moon, retired veterinary entomology expert from the University of Minnesota, will identify common pest flies and how to manage them on confinement dairies.

“Different kinds of flies can bother your cows, workers and neighbors,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. “Stable flies bite, cause cows to bunch, reduce milk production, breed mainly in soiled cow and calf bedding, and pretty much stay on the premise. House flies breed in wetter manure, annoy people and spread off premise to bother neighbors.”

Wed
10
Mar

What's Up at the USDA Office?

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
March 15: 2021 ARCPLC Signup
May 15 – August 1: Primary Nesting Season
July 15: Crop Certification

Better Soil Health Means Less Fertilizer
by LuAnn Rolling, Allamakee County District Conservationist
One-third of the fertilizer applied to grow corn in the U.S. each year simply compensates for the ongoing loss of soil fertility, leading to more than a half-billion dollars in extra costs to U.S. farmers every year, according to new research from CU Boulder published in Earth’s Future.

Using fertilizer doesn’t just cost farmers money. It also comes at an environmental cost. A large portion of the global greenhouse gas emissions caused by agriculture - 24% of global emissions in 2010 and 10% of U.S. emissions in 2018 - comes from fertilizer production. This means that steps taken to reduce fertilizer use also helps address rising greenhouse gases.

Wed
10
Mar

ISU Extension and Outreach Monthly Dairy Webinar to focus on executive analysis reports; Waukon High School graduate will present free webinar session

Learn how to use dairy reports to the fullest advantage

The Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will continue its monthly webinar series with a look at executive analysis reports Wednesday, March 17 from noon to 1 p.m. Executive analysis reports are made available through the Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA), including the transition cow management reports and the udder health monitor report.

Greg Palas, manager of support services at Dairy Records Management Systems at Iowa State University in Ames, will present the program. Palas, a 1978 graduate of Waukon High School, will provide a hands-on webinar that will review report generation and points on using the reports to tweak herd management.

Wed
10
Mar

Corn Rootworm Management Webinar to be held March 26

Farmers, other agricultural professionals and interested parties who work with corn following a previous corn crop can attend a corn rootworm management webinar on March 26 at 10 a.m., hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the University of Illinois Extension, and the University of Wisconsin Extension.

“The strong winds of last summer’s storms caused damage to many corn fields. Inspections of those fields revealed that many continuous corn fields had roots severely damaged by corn rootworms,” said Virgil Schmitt, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Those damaged roots have caused many growers, input suppliers and independent crop consultants to re-evaluate the corn rootworm management strategies in those fields.”

Webinar topics include a background and a research update on corn rootworms by Erin Hodgson, professor and extension specialist in entomology at Iowa State.

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