Agriculture

As the New Year 2018 gets underway, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has highlighted some of the top ag issues in Iowa in 2017.

“While the challenging economic conditions on the farm continued in 2017, I was extremely encouraged to continue to see farmers experimenting and investing in water quality efforts on their farm. We continue to see Iowans on the farm and in our communities taking on the challenge of improving water quality. It is encouraging to see growth by farmers in both infield practices, such as cover crops and no-till, but also edge of field practices, like wetlands and bioreactors, as we work to address this important issue,” said Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 1: Office closed for News Years Day

Report Livestock Losses
The Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) provides assistance to eligible producers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. LIP compensates livestock owners and contract growers for livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, wildfires, extreme heat or extreme cold.

Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) hosts GrowingOn® meetings each year as part of the Association’s commitment to be a dependable and reliable partner during all ag cycles. Seventeen meetings will be held in Iowa from January 3 through 23, with the two most local meeting locations taking place January at the Waucoma Event Center, located at 308 Riverview Drive in Waukon and at the Delaware County Fairgrounds Pavilion, located on East Acers Street in Manchester. These meetings will take a new look at factors affecting profitability for producers, as well as strategies and tools they can use to improve their operations.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas
• January 1: Office closed for News Years Day

USDA Farm Service Agency Offers Text Alerts to Allamakee County Producers
Producers in Iowa can now receive notifications from their county office through text messages on their cell phone. Whether producers are in the field, on a tractor or even on horseback, this service enables FSA customers and stakeholders to receive notifications while on the go. Producers will receive text messages regarding important program deadlines, reporting requirements, outreach events and updates.

Boots in the Barn to start in January

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will offer a new program for female beef and dairy producers held in northeast Iowa starting in January. Boots in the Barn is a three-part series for women involved in cattle production. Three workshops will be offered January 4, 11, and 18. Dairy topics will be discussed from 1-3 p.m. and beef topics from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“We’ve had great success with programs designed specifically for women,” said Denise Schwab, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Women often prefer to learn in small groups and with hands-on opportunities. They like to ask lots of questions of presenters without feeling intimidated, so programs designed specifically for women are very effective.”

Attention agriculture friends in NE Iowa! Do you respect our farmers? Do you love agriculture? Do you enjoy being with kids? Do you have some free time to work with children in the classroom? Then this event is perfect for you! Join us for an Ag in The Classroom volunteer free workshop January 19 at the NICC Calmar Dairy Center.

Howard County Farm Bureau and Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation have partnered with NICC Calmar Dairy to host an Agriculture in the Classroom County Contacts Workshop Friday, January 19, 2018. There will be a 9 a.m. optional tour of the NICC Robotic Dairy Operation and the new Beef Learning Facilities. The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Center 1527 Iowa 150, Calmar, IA 52132.

By Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD

Many of you have heard that you can receive a $5 per acre discount on your crop insurance premium for cover crops. There is a lot of confusion about how to apply for it and who is in charge of the program. The program is offered by the Iowa Department of Agriculture (IDALS) for acres of cover crops that were planted in 2017 without state or federal program incentives (WQI, state cost share, EQIP, CSP, etc.). The sign-up is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/r/covercropdemo. There is no paper form available at the Allamakee SWCD/NRCS office. The sign-up deadline is January 15, 2018.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas

Fall Forage Certification
Make sure you stop in and certify all forage and fall seeded crops by December 15! This includes all hay and pasture acres you are planning on cropping for the 2018 crop year. Also any cover crops that were seeded this fall will need to be reported. If reported after the December 15 deadline a $46 late-filed fee per farm can be assessed. 

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program
• December 25: Office closed for Christmas

Fall Forage Certification
Make sure you stop in and certify all forage and fall seeded crops by December 15! This includes all hay and pasture acres you are planning on cropping for the 2018 crop year. Also any cover crops that were seeded this fall will need to be reported. If reported after the December 15 deadline a $46 late-filed fee per farm can be assessed. 

The upcoming Driftless Region Beef Conference will showcase utilization of cover crops for feed by Midwest beef producers, according to Denise Schwab, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The conference will be held January 25-26, 2018, at the Grand River Conference Center in Dubuque.

“Cover crops have great potential to reduce erosion, improve soil health and protect water quality,” Schwab said.

“They also have the potential to produce high quality cattle feed if managed correctly. Our conference will feature several speakers presenting information on the value of cover crops in our diverse Midwestern farms.”

Jim Johnson from the Noble Research Institute will discuss how cover crops and cattle can improve soil health, and Morgan Hayes from the University of Kentucky will talk about how cover crops can be a compatible with manure application.