Agriculture

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 New Years Day
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program

Introducing Mary Melcher
Hi everyone! My name is Mary Melcher.  I recently started as a new Program Technician here at the Allamakee County FSA office. I grew up on a dairy farm near Harpers Ferry.  Along with the dairy we have a small beef herd. I graduated from Waukon High School in 2015. I then went on to continue my education at NICC in Calmar.  There I completed degrees in Dairy Science Technology, Agriculture Business, and Agriculture Finance.

I have enjoyed growing up in Allamakee County and I am looking forward to working with area farmers!

Tuesday, December 11, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) proposed a clear, understandable, and implementable definition of “waters of the United States” that clarifies federal authority under the Clean Water Act. Unlike the Obama administration’s 2015 definition of “waters of the United States,” today’s proposal contains a straightforward definition that would result in significant cost savings, protect the nation’s navigable waters, help sustain economic growth, and reduce barriers to business development.

Producers learn successful herd management strategies based on current research

Iowa dairy producers have the opportunity to learn about emerging dairy industry issues during 2019 Dairy Days events hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists. The program is scheduled at seven eastern Iowa locations between Jan. 21 and Feb. 7.

“The ISU Extension and Outreach dairy team conducts this workshop to provide the latest research to Iowa’s dairy producers,” said Jennifer Bentley, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “Our goal is to help producers make sound herd management decisions that are backed by current and relevant information.”

Topics covered at 2019 Dairy Days will include:

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 New Years Day
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program

December Farm-Stored Facility Loans
New rates were issued just last week for the month of October and are as follows:
• 2.875% for 3 years
• 3.000% for 5 years
• 3.125% for 7 years
• 3.125% for 10 years
• 3.125% for 12 years
• 3.250% for 15 years

Confinement site manure applicators and anyone interested in learning about manure issues should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach in January or February 2019. These workshops are offered in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. There is no fee to attend the workshops, but applicators will need to pay certification fees to complete certification requirements.

“Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year certification period or take and pass an exam once every three years,” said Dan Andersen, associate professor, ISU Ag and Biosystems Engineering and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program.

Commercial manure applicators can attend annual training to meet commercial manure applicator certification requirements on Thursday, January 3, 2019, from 9 a.m. to noon. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will conduct Commercial Manure Applicator training at that time. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. There is no fee for the workshop, but applicators must register by December 28 by contacting the ISU Extension and Outreach Allamakee County office at 563-568-6345.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program

Changing Bank Accounts
FSA program payments are issued electronically into your bank account. In order to make timely payments, you need to notify your FSA servicing office if you close your account or if your bank information is changed for whatever reason (such as your financial institution merging or being purchased).

Payments can be delayed if FSA is not notified of changes to account and bank routing numbers.

Goal to have plans in place as water quality funding increases significantly over the next few years

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today announced that applications are now being accepted for water quality planning and development projects. Selected projects will help inform, prioritize and coordinate implementation of conservation practices focused on improving water quality.

“This is an opportunity to bring in new partners to work with farmers and landowners to scale up construction of infrastructure based conservation practices. With long-term water quality funding now joining existing conservation programs, we are able to look several years ahead and make sure we are able to use the additional funding in a targeted, cost-efficient manner to improve water quality” Naig said.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today requested an additional $250,000 to support foreign animal disease response preparations as part of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget request. Naig also emphasized the importance of continued funding for the Iowa Water Quality Initiative and Renewable Fuels Infrastructure Program. “Iowa’s $13.45 billion animal industry continues to see significant growth and is a key economic driver for our state. Avian influenza, African swine fever and other foreign animal diseases continue to represent a significant threat to our livestock farms and emphasize the need for us to expand efforts to prevent, prepare and potentially respond to an animal disease emergency,” Naig said. “It is important we continue to invest in priority areas such as animal health, water quality and renewable fuels to support our state’s farmers and help strengthen our rural economy.”

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program

County Committee Election
Producers in Iowa, Lansing, Center, LaFayette, Paint Creek, and Taylor Townships should have received their county committee voting ballots last week.  The final day to return completed ballots to the FSA office is December 3.  Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They work to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers.