Agriculture

Wed
10
Oct

Stockmanship, Handling and Beef Quality Assurance Training

The Stockmanship, Handling and Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) Training program will be held Saturday, November 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Northeast Iowa Equity Sales 1645 Hwy. 76 North, Waukon.

This training session features the basics of animal behavior and a cattle handling demonstration by Curt Pate, Ryegate, MT.

Pre-register by November 12 by calling the Allamakee County Extension office at (563) 568-6345.

For more information contact: Denise Schwab, ISU Beef Program Specialist, (319) 721-9624 or Rusty Gibbs, IBIC Director of Industry Relations, (515) 296-2305.

The Iowa BQA Program is funded by the Iowa Beef Industry Council and the Beef Checkoff, and the education is delivered as a joint effort in conjunction with the Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Wed
10
Oct

Iowa State University economist advises cost containment, and patience, for farmers marketing corn and soybeans


Chad Hart ...

At harvest time, Chad Hart, associate professor of economics at Iowa State University in Ames, is urging Iowa farmers to watch their costs and be patient as they face what is playing out to be a difficult market for corn and soybeans.

“This marketing year, like many of the previous years, will challenge producers’ patience and financial standing,” Hart said of the fall harvest season and the outlook on the marketing of those harvest yields. “It will take some time for prices to recover and we may not yet have seen the low. But time is still on our side if we can position ourselves to ride out the next few months. Seasonal patterns and the current futures prices both suggest better prices will be available in the spring.”

Wed
03
Oct

What's Up at the FSA Office?

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568- 2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• October 8: Office closed in observance of Columbus Day

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Payments
We will soon be issuing payments for the Conservation Reserve Program. CRP payments begin with those contracted prior to 2008. Barring no computer delays, those payments will begin being issued October 2. For CRP contracts that began after the 2008 Farm Bill, payments will be issued starting October 11.

Remember that these take a few days to be deposited into your account.

Wed
03
Oct

Anderson family farm recognized as Heritage Farm ...

The Anderson family farm in rural Waterville was recognized as a Heritage Farm at the annual ceremony held at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in August of this year. The farm has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1868. Pictured above with the Heritage Farm sign designating the award are, left to right, Gladwin and Darlene Anderson, who sold the farm in 2011 to their grandson and his family, Adam and Kristy Anderson, pictured with their children Tucker and Madison Anderson. Submitted photo.
 

Wed
03
Oct

Consider adding a small grain to rotation: Local wheat production

By Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD

Adam Kramer, owner and operator of Black Sand Granary out of Prairie du Chien, farms ground just west of Waukon. He has been working for the past few years to improve the fertility and build up the soil health on the farm. As part of that effort, he decided to plant winter wheat at the beginning of October 2017 following soybean harvest. Adding a small grain to a rotation can help to break up pest cycles, improve soil health, spread out work load, and reduce input costs when compared to corn or soybeans. Another reason that Kramer wanted to plant winter wheat was so that he could follow it with a very diverse cover crop mix. His cover crop included turnips, radishes, Austrian winter peas, sunflower, red clover, soybeans, oats, and spring barley. 

Wed
03
Oct

Automatic milking systems tours feature precision management

The number of automatic milking systems used in dairy operations continues to increase with over five percent of farms now milking with robots.

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team will present a first-hand look at how fellow dairy farmers are managing automatic milking systems in new or retrofit facilities. Areas of focus will be facilities, economics and overall management of automatic milking systems.

Nine dairy facilities in northeast and eastern Iowa will be visited as a part of the tour. Two sites will be visited each day October 23, November 5, November 13, and three sites November 14.

Tuesday, October 23
10-11:30 a.m. - JoLane Dairy, 13254 Hickory Ave., Monona; two Lely robots installed in 2013
12:30-2 p.m. - Frieden Dairy, 19731/19733 Abbey Road, Elgin; three Lely robots installed in 2017

Wed
26
Sep

What's Up at the FSA Office?

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director 563-568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• September 28: ARCPLC signup deadline; MPP-Dairy premiums due
• September 30: Last day to remove bales for those who requested managed haying on CRP grounds; End of fiscal year for FSA

Market Facilitation Program
USDA announced the trade mitigation program (Market Facilitation Program, MFP) earlier this month. This program will aid farmers who were impacted from trade retaliation. The Farm Service Agency will administer this program and provide payments to corn, dairy, hog, soybean, wheat, cotton, and sorghum producers.

Wed
26
Sep

Allamakee County Heritage Farm owners win Gator at State Fair..

Allamakee County Farm Bureau (ACFB) members Don and MaryLou Billhorn were winners of the Iowa Farm Bureau drawing at the Iowa State Fair for a John Deere Gator valued at $23,000. The Gator give-away was a special State Fair contest for Farm Bureau members. Having been Farm Bureau members since 1979, the Billhorns live in Readlyn and own a Heritage Farm (owned by the family for 150-plus years) in northern Allamakee County. Submitted photo.
 

Wed
26
Sep
Wed
19
Sep

What's Up at the FSA Office?

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• September 28: ARCPLC Signup Deadline; MPP-Dairy Premiums Due

Market Facilitation Program
USDA announced the trade mitigation program (Market Facilitation Program, MFP) the other week.  This program will aid farmers who were impacted from trade retaliation.  The Farm Service Agency will administer this program and provide payments to corn, dairy, hog, soybean, wheat, cotton, and sorghum producers.

The signup period will run through January 15, 2019, and you are encouraged to apply after harvest is 100% complete.  We recommend you bring production evidence with you when you apply.  Payments will be issued on 50% of the production multiplied by the MFP rate for the specific commodity.  A second payment period, if warranted, will be determined by the USDA.

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