Agriculture

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.

The recent spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) in China has elevated the importance of biosecurity to reduce the risk of a domestic or foreign animal disease entering the farm. The no-cost workshop “Biosecurity Best Practices for Pork Producers” is for swine producers, employees, veterinarians and industry partners to learn, develop and prioritize biosecurity practices.

Derald J Holtkamp, ISU Vet Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine associate professor, said “Biosecurity can become complex and overwhelming. In the workshop we focus on carrying agents and risk events to help individual operations evaluate their own situation.  Operations are different; the workshop may help identify the “low hanging fruit” which can reduce the entry or spread of disease.”

Advanced Calving Clinic will provide in-depth information for dairy and beef producers.

Register today for the Midwest Dairy Day: Advanced Calving Clinic for Dairy and Beef to be held Thursday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Iowa’s Dairy Center located at 1527 Highway 150 S, in Calmar, Iowa.

This event is a collaborative effort between Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC). This year’s event will provide an array of sessions on advanced calving, including a unique opportunity for a hands-on experience with a life-sized cow model. Participants choose to attend one of two different blocks of sessions: one block focuses on dairy cows and the other block focuses on beef cows. Dairy and beef producers, students and industry members are encouraged to attend.

Sessions in both the Dairy and Beef block will include:

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 22: Office closed for Thanksgiving

Fall Certification
Unlike previous years, producers are no longer required to report their fall forage acres by December 15 to FSA.  These crops can be reported in the spring, by July 15, along with your spring-planted crops.  If you do insure any fall forage, make sure you still report this to your crop insurance agent. 

A research team led by Iowa State University has solved part of a mystery important to battling the most serious threat to U.S. soybean production, the soybean cyst nematode - a pathogen responsible for more than $1 billion in reduced yields each year in this country alone.

Cyst nematodes are tiny, but powerfully destructive plant pests. The scientists discovered an important mechanism that allows parasitic cyst nematodes to reprogram cells in a host plant to enable their parasitism.

A preview of the team’s findings have been posted online by the prestigious journal, The Plant Cell, at  http://www.plantcell.org/content/early/2018/10/18/tpc.18.00570. The full article, “An Effector from the Cyst Nematode Heterodera schachtii Derepresses Host rRNA Genes by Altering Histone Acetylation,” will appear in an upcoming issue.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 22: Office closed for Thanksgiving

Fall Certification
Unlike previous years, producers are no longer required to report their fall forage acres by December 15 to FSA.  These crops can be reported in the spring, by July 15, along with your spring-planted crops.  If you do insure any fall forage, make sure you still report this to your crop insurance agent. 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
At this time, due to lack of a Farm Bill (previous one expired on 09/30/2018) there is no CRP signup.  We will update the public once we know more.

Iowa Learning Farms, along with the Clayton County Soil and Water Conservation District, will host a cover crop field day Thursday, November 29 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. at the Luana Savings Bank. The event is free, open to the whole family and includes a complimentary meal.

Farmers across Iowa are implementing cover crops to reduce soil erosion, improve soil health, limit nitrogen losses, and to provide a source of forage for grazing. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from local farmers about the benefits of cover crops, choosing seed varieties, innovative application methods, best management practices and opportunities for cost share.

Practical Farmers of Iowa begins its popular farmer-led webinar series – called “farminars.” Just as many farmers wrap up the 2018 growing season, farminar season begins again with practical knowledge led by, and for, row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable farmers.

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 chatbox while they listen and watch a slideshow. The presentations are free for anyone with an internet connection.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 12: Office closed in recognition of Veteran’s Day

Fall Certification
Unlike previous years, producers are no longer required to report their fall forage acres by December 15 to FSA.  These crops can be reported in the spring, by July 15, along with your spring-planted crops.  If you do insure any fall forage, make sure you still report this to your crop insurance agent. 

New resources will help get proven practices on the ground

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today highlighted how the long-term water quality funding passed and signed into law earlier this year is being used to scale up water quality efforts in Iowa.

“Having dedicated, long-term water quality funding in place is critically important as we continue to expand our focus on edge of field conservation practices that have been proven to significantly reduce nitrate levels. We are excited to highlight the first examples of how Iowans will benefit from this legislation that provides more than $280 million for water quality efforts over the next 11 years,” Naig said.