Agriculture

By relaxing the prevent plant restricted harvest date, farmers have two more months to harvest forages from cover crops

Grain and livestock farmers can both benefit from the recent rule change by the United States Department of Agriculture, which allows farmers who planted cover crops on prevented plant acres to harvest those fields beginning September 1.

With the change, farmers can hay, graze or chop those fields, and USDA also has determined that silage, haylage and baleage should be treated the same as haying and grazing for this year.

The adjustment allows farmers to harvest cover crops on prevented plant acres two months earlier than most years, which will be beneficial in a year when both grain and forage crops are limited.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig reminds farmers and landowners that they can still sign-up for 2019 cost share funds to help install nutrient reduction practices around the state. The funds can be used to off-set the cost of cover crops, no-till/strip till or a nitrification inhibitor, which help improve soil health, reduce erosion and improve water quality.

Farmers who are planting cover crops for the first time are eligible for $25 per acre through the cost share fund. Farmers who have already experienced the benefits of using cover crops and are continuing the practice again this season can receive $15 per acre. Growers using no-till or strip till for the first time to reduce soil erosion and input costs are eligible for $10 per acre. Using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor to apply fall fertilizer makes farmers eligible for $3 per acre through the cost share fund.

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

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season.  No MCM activities on CRP acres.
June 3 - August 23: CRP Continuous Signup 52 
June 17 - September 20: Dairy Margin Coverage Program Sign-Up
July 15: Last Day to Certify Crop Acres

Crop Reporting
Allamakee county farmers are reminded to report all spring planted crops to the FSA office by July 15 to remain eligible for FSA and other USDA programs.   Please remember to bring planting dates with you.  It is the producer’s responsibility to accurately report acres and producer’s shares in individual crops.  Discrepancies found later may affect eligibility for all FSA-administered programs.  Late-filed crop reports are assessed a $46 (per) farm visit fee.

More than half of Iowa farmland is rented.  In some Iowa locations, as much as 70 percent of the land is farmed by farmers who don’t own the land.

In Northeast Iowa, the result is many conversations and negotiations between farmland owners and producer-tenants to determine what makes sense for farmland leases and cash rental rates – both fixed rent and flexible arrangements. Strong landlord/tenant relationships are important for the long-term viability of Iowa’s farming communities.

These are just a few reasons why Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offers workshops designed to answer questions that land owners and tenants have about farmland leasing and land values.

These workshops will be held across northeast Iowa counties starting July 30 through August 14.

Melissa O’Rourke, ISU Extension Farm & Agribusiness Management Specialist will present a wide range of topics related to farmland values and leasing.

One-day program will focus on planning ahead while facing shrinking margins in production agriculture

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach invites local farmers and agribusiness professionals to attend a free one-day Planning for Profitability workshop in either Rock Rapids or Decorah.

Planning for Profitability in a Changing Dairy Industry will focus on options to increase profitability when facing shrinking margins; risk management strategies and how they can benefit dairy operations; changes and requirements that ag lenders may be asking for when reviewing loan requests; and a review of the milk market.

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

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season. No MCM activities on CRP acres.
June 3 - August 23: CRP Continuous Signup 52 
June 14: COC Nominations Begin
June 17 - Sept. 20: Dairy Margin Coverage Program Sign-Up
July 15: Last Day to Certify Crop Acres

Crop Reporting
Allamakee county farmers are reminded to report all spring planted crops to the FSA office by July 15 to remain eligible for FSA and other USDA programs. Please remember to bring planting dates with you. It is the producer’s responsibility to accurately report acres and producer’s shares in individual crops. Discrepancies found later may affect eligibility for all FSA-administered programs. Late-filed crop reports are assessed a $46 (per) farm visit fee.

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

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season.  No MCM activities allowed on CRP acres.
June 3 - August 23: CRP Continuous Signup 52 
June 14: COC Nominations Begin
June 17 - Sept. 20: Dairy Margin Coverage Program Sign-Up

Crop Reporting
Allamakee county farmers are reminded to report all spring planted crops to the FSA office by July 15 to remain eligible for FSA and other USDA programs.   Please remember to bring planting dates with you. It is the producer’s responsibility to accurately report acres and producer’s shares in individual crops. Discrepancies found later may affect eligibility for all FSA-administered programs. Late-filed crop reports are assessed a $46 (per) farm visit fee.

Editor’s Note: The following article features rural Dorchester farmer George Beardmore. It originally appeared in the May 2019 issue of Iowa Pork Producer magazine and is being reprinted with permission from the Iowa Pork Producers Association.

George Beardmore is keenly aware of the soil structures of the land he farms in Allamakee County.

“We’re in the Driftless area with highly erodible ground,” he said on the day he talked about efforts he has made to protect that soil and the water quality in the area. “This has just made us more aware of the things we need to change.”

The Driftless area of northeast Iowa (along with the area in Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin) is more susceptible to erosion because no glaciers covered the area 12,000 years ago, and so there was no sediment deposited there to help protect the soil.

Participants will get an up-close look at pasture renovation, brush control and the overall economics of dairy grazing

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship program will co-host a pasture walk August 21 near Garnavillo, from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Andy Schaefer dairy farm.
Schaefer has been grazing and dairying for 31 years, and today has 118 cross-bred cows on 160 acres.

Larry Tranel and Jenn Bentley, dairy specialists with ISU Extension and Outreach, will provide information on the economics of grazing and calf management in a pasture-based system.

Following lunch, Schaefer will lead attendees on a walking tour with a focus on pasture renovation, brush control and sidewalk-style cattle lanes, along with Brian Lang, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach, who will provide information on soil fertility.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season.  No MCM activities on CRP acres.
June 3 - August 23: CRP Continuous Signup 52 
June 14: COC Nominations Begin
June 17 - Sept. 20: Dairy Margin Coverage Program Sign-Up
July 15: Last Day to Certify Crop Acres

Crop Reporting
Allamakee county farmers are reminded to report all spring planted crops to the FSA office by July 15 to remain eligible for FSA and other USDA programs. Please remember to bring planting dates with you. It is the producer’s responsibility to accurately report acres and producer’s shares in individual crops. Discrepancies found later may affect eligibility for all FSA-administered programs. Late-filed crop reports are assessed a $46 (per) farm visit fee.