Agriculture

The annual meeting of the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation will be held Friday, March 20 at Iowa’s Dairy Center in Calmar. Registration for the event will begin at 10:30 a.m.
The events for the day start at 11 a.m. and include a cooperative presentation by Dave Lawstuen, Michelle Elliott and Corey Meyer about the conservation efforts of the Dairy Foundation, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) and the Winneshiek County Soil and Water Conservation District through the Turkey River Watershed Project. Chuck Gipp, Iowa DNR Director, will also discuss and answer questions about regulations facing Iowa livestock producers.
There will be a meal at noon, followed by the annual meeting. The meeting includes the election of officers at 1:15 p.m. In addition, there will be displays from leading dairy industry businesses that support the Dairy Foundation.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be held Thursday, March 26 in the Allamakee County FSA Office conference room at 9 a.m.

Reminders
March 31 – Deadline for ARC/PLC program elections – ARC-CO, ARC-IC or PLC. Contact the Allamakee County FSA Office if you have any questions on this deadline.

The Iowa State Fair, Tractor Supply Co. and WHO News Radio 1040 are searching for six farm families to recognize with the Way We Live Award at the 2015 Fair, August 13-23. These families must exemplify farm values derived from hard work and a love for the occupation of farming.
To enter, submit an entry form along with a 500-1,500 word essay describing how living on a farm and choosing the occupation of farming has shaped the family’s life. All entries must include a family picture that illustrates the family’s commitment to their farming operation. Entry forms can be downloaded from the Iowa State Fair website: http://www.iowastatefair.org/competition/the-way-we-live-award/. All entries must be postmarked or e-mailed to ewynn@iowastatefair.org by May 1.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

by Sara Berges,
Allamakee SWCD

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

Reminders
February 27 – Deadline for yield updates and base reallocations for ARC/PLC program.
March 31 – Deadline for ARC/PLC program elections – ARC-CO, ARC-IC or PLC.
Postcards will be sent in the coming days to all eligible producers and landowners in Allamakee County as a reminder of the deadlines for the ARC/PLC program.
The Yield updates and/or Base reallocations have a deadline of February 27. After this date the current base and yield on the farm will kept.
The PLC, ARC-County and the ARC-Individual elections have to be selected by March 31. After this deadline the farm will default to the PLC program for 2015-2018 and the 2014 will not be paid if it triggers a payment.
If the PLC program is selected by the March 31 deadline, and if the 2014 payment triggers, then the farm will be paid for 2014.

Northeast Iowa - Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA) will be hosting the webinar “Best Practices in Telling the Modern Ag Story” Wednesday, February 25 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. CST as part of a series of winter webinars. Lanny Haldy, Amana Heritage Society; Megan Kregel, Iowa’s Dairy Center; and Linda Perrenoud, Jasper County Historical Society Museum will demonstrate how three very different Heritage Area Partner Sites are connecting with current day agricultural practices in their community. What visitors want to know about just might surprise you - wind energy, robotic dairying and methane gas.
The final webinar of the series is “Silos & Smokestacks General Grant Application,” Wednesday, March 4, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m. CST. There is no cost for these webinars, but registration is required. For more information or to register, visit www.silosandsmokestacks.org/partner.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey encourages eligible farm owners to apply for the 2015 Century and Heritage Farm Program. The program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau and recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.