Agriculture

Record number of farmers sign-up to try cover crops, no-till/strip till or nitrification inhibitor
 
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced today that a record number of Iowa farmers signed up to install nutrient reduction practices on their farm through the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s statewide water quality cost share program.

More than 2,600 farmers signed up to try cover crops, no-till/strip-till or nitrification inhibitor on more than 270,000 acres in 98 counties. The state will provide nearly $4.8 million in cost share funds to match the $8.7 million investment by Iowa farmers.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• September 1 - December 15: 2018 Margin Protection Program Sign-Up

Elections for the 2017 County Committee
Elections for USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committees are underway in Allamakee County.

It is important that every eligible producer participate in these elections because FSA county committees are a link between the agricultural community and the USDA. The 2017 election in Allamakee County will be conducted for the representative Local Administrative Area (LAA): Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview townships.

County committee election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters Nov. 6, 2017.  The last day to return completed ballots to the Allamakee County USDA service center is Dec. 4, 2017.
Unauthorized Disposition of Grain

Helicopters and planes have become more noticeable over rural Allamakee County with crop dusting in full swing. Pictured above, Will Powell, owner and pilot for Alabama-based Xtreme Aviation, lands a helicopter on top of the truck used for refueling and refilling the water/chemical combination used on fields. Powell is one of several contractors applying fungicide to corn and beans in eastern Iowa. Powell is pictured below applying fungicide at a rural Lansing farm. Standard photos by Joe Moses.
 

The Annual August Field Day at the ISU Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm will run from 1:00 to 4:15 p.m. Friday, August 25. Chad Hart, ISU Economist, will kick-off the program in the Borlaug Learning Center, by providing his insights on the grain markets. Shawn Shouse, ISU Extension Ag Engineer, follows with tips on grain drying and storage for the upcoming harvest. We will then convene outside for the farm wagon tours; Alison Robertson, Extension plant pathologist, will share crop disease research results from the farm and their practical applications, and Bob Hartzler, Extension weed management specialist, will discuss Iowa’s first season with dicamba resistant soybeans and other weed management priorities.

Precision management in calf care is needed as there are many ways to add value to these heifers before they join the milking string. Join these on-farm calf workshops August 31, for a first-hand look at how fellow dairy farmers are housing pre-weaned calves using technology to help manage their calf program. These include automatic calf feeders, pasteurizers, and milk cooling systems. Areas of focus will include basic sanitation for automatic calf feeders, equipment hygiene, and housing and ventilation.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• September 1 - December 15: 2018 Margin Protection Program Sign-Up

USDA Farm Service Agency Offers Text Alerts to Allamakee County Producers
Allamakee County producers 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.

Soil health experts Ray Archuleta and Doug Peterson drew a crowd of 150 to the Steinlage family’s Flolo farms in West Union for a full-day soil health workshop supported by Fayette County Extension, Fayette County NRCS, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Region 4. Those attending included professional farmers, Natural Resource and Conservation Services agents, community members, and visitors from as far away as Saskatchewan and Arkansas.

Ray Archuleta is known around the world for his analysis of soils under different tillage systems and his promotion of healthy soils and conservation tillage systems. He has 25 years of experience with the USDA’s National Resources Conservation Service across the United States, and has lectured internationally, earning the nickname “Ray the Soils Guy.” Doug Peterson is the Regional Soil Health Specialist with the USDA’s Natural Resources and Conservation Service, who also runs a cow-calf operation in northern Missouri.

Submitted by Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD

It can be very difficult for landowners to figure a fair rental rate. They need to be able to pay taxes and likely want to make a profit as well. But, landowners also have to consider how the commodity market prices impact the profitability of farming their land. Often, rental rates lag behind crop prices and tend to reflect past years prices more than expected prices for the upcoming year. Cash rental rates have fallen for the fourth consecutive year in Iowa, but have not fallen as dramatically as the commodity prices. However, the rental rates during the peak prices for corn and soybeans of 2012 were also lagging and had not risen at the same rate as the commodity prices.

Greg Tylka, Iowa State University nematologist, has found that soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistant soybean varieties are becoming less effective.

“This is an alarming trend and sets the stage for even greater yield loss from SCN in the future,” Tylka said.

Resistant varieties have helped farmers manage the nematodes for decades. Almost all SCN-resistant soybean varieties possess the same resistance genes, from a soybean breeding line called PI88788.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• September 1 - December 15: 2018 Margin Protection Program Sign-Up
• May 15 - August 1: Primary Nesting Season
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up
• August 1: Last day to request a farm/tract reconstitution for 2017 crop year
• August 1: Final date to submit a nomination for the FSA Committee Election

County Office Committee Election in LAA-2 – Deadline for Nominations is August 1!
The COC nomination period started June 15, and producers can nominate themselves or others. If you would like to run, or are nominated and agree to run, you will need to complete form FSA-669A, which you can pick up at our office or online at fsa.usda.gov/elections.  All nominations must be postmarked or received in our office by August 1.