Agriculture

Tue
29
Jan

Practical Farmers of Iowa farminar series

Practical Farmers of Iowa will continue its online learning series – called “farminars” – for the 10th winter season in a row. The webinar series features practical knowledge shared by farmers and experts on a wide range of topics for row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable growers.

Held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST, each farminar focuses on a unique production or business management topic. All presentations are led by an experienced farmer or subject-matter expert, and attendees are able to ask questions in real time using a chat box while they listen and watch a slideshow. The presentations are free for anyone with an internet connection.

To participate, visit http://practicalfarmers.org. A schedule for all upcoming farminars – as well as the recordings for 159 past farminars – is also available at this link.

Wed
16
Jan

What's Up at the FSA Office?

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 21: Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

Storage and Handling Trucks Eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loans
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) provide low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Some storage and handling trucks are eligible for the FSFL. These include:

Wed
16
Jan

Iowa State University study shows farmers active in watershed groups more likely to plant cover crops

Research by Iowa State University shows that active farmer involvement in watershed management groups and other conservation networks is key to adopting conservation practices like cover crops.

The study, published recently in the journal Water Resources Research, was based on survey research conducted in three Iowa watersheds - the Iowa, Missouri-Little Sioux, and Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa - and sheds light on factors related to adoption of cover crops and other conservation practices.

Wed
16
Jan

ISU Extension and Outreach releases Confinement Site Manure Applicator Workshops schedule for 2019

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. 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.

Wed
09
Jan

What's Up at the FSA Office?

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
• January 21: Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

USDA Market Facilitation Program
The last day to stop in and sign the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) application is January 15!  You don’t need to certify production at that time, but if you don’t sign the application by January 15 you will not be eligible for MFP payments.  Once you sign the application, you have until May 1 to prove production. 

Storage and Handling Trucks Eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loans
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) provide low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Some storage and handling trucks are eligible for the FSFL. These include:

Wed
09
Jan

Naig provides 2018 “Ag in Review”

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recently highlighted passage of dedicated, long-term water quality funding, a challenging trade environment and ongoing economic uncertainty as some of the top issues facing Iowans involved in agriculture in 2018.

“The year started off with the passage of dedicated, long-term water quality funding to continue to scale up the ongoing conservation work underway across the state,” Naig said. “Uncertainty around trade and the impact that has had on markets has been a key issue throughout the year. While there has been significant movement on trade in recent weeks, the trade disruptions continue to impact our farmers and the state’s economy.”

Naig highlighted the following top issues:

Wed
09
Jan

Practical Farmers of Iowa announces 2019 winter farminar series

Practical Farmers of Iowa will continue its online learning series – called “farminars” – for the 10th winter season in a row beginning Jan. 8 with a presentation on adding prairie strips to farmland. The webinar series features practical knowledge shared by farmers and experts on a wide range of topics for row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable growers.

Held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST, each farminar focuses on a unique production or business management topic. All presentations are led by an experienced farmer or subject-matter expert, and attendees are able to ask questions in real time using a chat box while they listen and watch a slideshow. The presentations are free for anyone with an internet connection.

Wed
02
Jan

What's Up at the FSA Office?

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
• January 21: Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

USDA Market Facilitation Program
Last day to sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) is January 15! This is the last day to sign the application to ensure payment for the program. You have until May 1 to prove production. So, make sure you have a signed application on file in your recording county by January 15!

The MFP program will provide payments to corn (fresh and processed), cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean (fresh and processed), wheat, shelled almond, and fresh sweet cherry producers.

Wed
26
Dec

What's Up at the FSA Office?

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 1: Office closed for New Years Day
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program

USDA Market Facilitation Program
USDA launched the trade mitigation package aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. Producers of certain commodities can now sign up for the Market Facilitation Program (MFP).

USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will administer MFP to provide payments to corn (fresh and processed), cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean (fresh and processed), wheat, shelled almond, and fresh sweet cherry producers. An announcement about further payments will be made in the coming months, if warranted. 

Wed
26
Dec

Interactive website being developed by 4-H animal science program specialist

Amy Powell started working to help 4-H’ers throughout Iowa understand the basics of animal care when she came to Iowa State University in 2014. To find out how those youth acquire information about animal care Powell set up focus groups with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach professionals, volunteers and parents in five Iowa counties. She found that there were no guidelines in place for acquiring and disseminating information about animal care.

Powell, a 4-H animal science program specialist in Iowa State University’s animal science department, coordinates curriculum and activities for more than 16,000 youth enrolled in Iowa’s 4-H animal science projects, FFA and ag-focused classrooms. To make animal care information available Powell decided to create an interactive video series called “Animal University”. To help fund the project the Iowa Pork Producers Association gave $325,000 and the Iowa Beef Industry Council gave $100,000.

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