Agriculture

Deadlines/Dates
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1, SDRP Stage 1 Quality Loss, and SDRP Stage 2

Get Ready For Spring Prescribed Burns In Allamakee County
Excerpts pulled from Bailey Yotter, NRCS State Forester
Winter and early spring provide some of the best opportunities for Allamakee County landowners to prepare their grasslands and timber stands for prescribed burning. With the county’s rugged topography and extensive woodland acres, advance preparation is especially important to ensure burns can be carried out safely and efficiently once favorable weather conditions arrive. Constructing firebreaks well ahead of the spring burn window not only improves safety, but also helps landowners follow their written burn plans with confidence.

Iowa Learning Farms virtual field day is scheduled for March 12 at 1 p.m. CT; Discussion of manure application and cover crop planting time to maximize water quality benefits in corn

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, will host a virtual field day on Thursday, March 12, at 1 p.m. Central time. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live discussion with Dan Andersen, associate professor and extension agriculture engineering specialist at Iowa State University, Raj Raman, Morrill Professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering and Philip Rockson, agricultural and biosystems engineering graduate research assistant at Iowa State.

The virtual field day aims to provide valuable insights into the impacts of different cover crop systems and manure application methods on water quality and corn yield.

Deadlines/Dates
February 26: Deadline to apply for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program
March 2: Deadline to apply for 2025 Livestock Indemnity Program
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1, SDRP Stage 1 Quality Loss, and SDRP Stage 2

County Director Notes and Reminders
The Farmer’s Bridge Assistance (FBA) Program was announced by USDA Undersecretary Richard Fordyce, encouraging producers to contact their local FSA office to file an application. FSA staff have not been trained yet on this program and applications are not expected to be available until the last week in February. Payments could begin as early as February 28th, 2026.

Deadlines/Dates
February 26: Deadline to apply for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program
March 2: Deadline to apply for 2025 Livestock Indemnity Program

NRCS Highlights Innovation in Grazing: Virtual Fencing Offers New Solutions for Local Producers
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is encouraging local agricultural producers to explore the benefits of virtual fencing technology, an innovative approach designed to improve grazing systems and soil health. This cutting-edge technology offers a modern solution for managing livestock, providing flexibility and efficiency for today’s farmers.

Virtual fencing allows producers to create, move, and monitor grazing areas digitally, without the need for physical fences. This can lead to improved pasture management, better soil health, and increased operational efficiency. 

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team has conducted a 2024 financial study examining the profitability of dairy milk production in Iowa. The findings are available in a new publication, “Profitability of Iowa Dairy Goat Production in 2024,” which can be downloaded from the ISU Extension Store.

Dairy goat producers are encouraged to review the findings and consider how they can use the data to strengthen decision-making and financial performance on their operations.

The study surveyed 16 Iowa dairy goat operations to determine the profitability of their farms. Like most industries, both higher-and-lower-profit producers were grouped by profit to benchmark their incomes and costs on a per milking doe basis. Additionally, many financial ratios were noted, along with their labor efficiencies, on a per-full-time-worker basis.

Deadlines/Dates
February 12: County Committee Meeting - Count Election Ballots
February 16: President’s Day - Office Closed
February 26: Deadline to apply for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program
March 2: Deadline to apply for 2025 Livestock Indemnity Program

Retirement
After 26 years of dedication, hard work, and countless contributions, Linda Winkie is hanging up her work hat and stepping into a well-deserved retirement! To celebrate this exciting new chapter, we’re hosting a card shower in her honor. Instead of a big party, we’re inviting friends, family, and colleagues to send cards filled with warm wishes, fond memories, and words of encouragement for her adventures ahead. 

Send cards to:
Linda Winkie
770 11th Ave SW
Waukon, IA 52172

Deadlines/Dates
February 16: Closed in Observance of President’s Day
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1 & 2

‘Dust Bowl’ Agency at USDA Looks to Cut Red Tape and Speed Up Slow Computers That Frustrate Farmers (Source: Ag Web)
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), under Chief Aubrey Bettencourt, is implementing sweeping reforms to modernize operations and reduce inefficiencies that have long frustrated farmers. Following USDA’s 2025 reorganization and workforce downsizing, concerns grew about service delays. Bettencourt argues the real bottleneck isn’t staffing - it’s outdated technology and redundant processes. Her initiatives aim to streamline program delivery, cut paperwork, and improve connectivity in field offices, ensuring NRCS can work at the speed agriculture demands.

Iowa Learning Farms virtual field day is scheduled for February 12 at 1 p.m. CST

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with C-CHANGE: Grass2Gas, will host a virtual field day Thursday, February 12, at 1 p.m. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live discussion with Carl Kurtz, a professional writer, teacher, naturalist and photographer with over 50 years of prairie establishment and management experience.

This field day aims to assist farmers, landowners and conservation professionals with establishing and maintaining prairie perennial vegetation. These areas provide numerous benefits, such as creating pollinator habitats, reducing soil erosion in sensitive locations, improving soil health, enhancing wildlife presence, increasing landscape beauty and serving as biomass feedstock for renewable natural gas production.

Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) is pioneering the use of GPS-enabled electronic collars for cattle to address regional soil health challenges through a multiyear research project in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Community College Alliance for Agricultural Advancement (C2A3). Deployed at Iowa’s Dairy Center, 1 mile south of the Calmar campus, this virtual fencing technology allows producers to control herd movement via smartphone, eliminating the need for physical fences and reducing the labor barriers to sustainable land management.

Deadlines/Dates
February 2: Deadline to submit Wool/Pelt LDP for 2025
February 2: Last day to return or postmark completed ballots to the USDA Service Center
February 16: Closed in Observance of President’s Day
April 30: Deadline to apply for SDRP Stage 1 & 2

USDA Opens Enrollment for Dairy Margin Coverage for 2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the enrollment period for the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program for the 2026 coverage year, an important safety net program that provides producers with price support to help offset milk and feed price differences. Dairy producers can enroll in DMC from January 12, 2026, to February 26, 2026.