Agriculture

USDA Launches New Regenerative Pilot Program
December 12, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins, alongside U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced a $700 million Regenerative Pilot Program to help American farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality, and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening America’s food and fiber supply.

Conservation Momentum in Iowa: What Farmers Should Know This Winter
As 2025 closes out, Iowa agriculture sits at an important point of transition. Recent updates to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS), growing conservation incentives, and continued concern over water quality are shaping decisions across the state and opening new opportunities for farmers.

Communication is Key in Lending
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
• Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
• Any significant changes to family income or expenses
• The development of problem situations
• Any losses or proposed significant changes in security

Urban growers interested in indoor farming are invited to attend an upcoming webinar hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Urban Agriculture Program. The webinar will take place on Thursday, December 11, from 1 to 2 p.m. Christopher Currey, associate professor of horticulture at ISU, will present a session titled “Controlled Environments for Urban Ag: A Primer.”

Currey’s research focuses on developing science-based best management practices to help commercial greenhouse and controlled-environment producers improve productivity, profitability and sustainability.

With assistance from NRCS, an eastern Iowa farmer is transforming his family’s farm into a more diverse and sustainable operation focusing on organic grassland restoration
Jackson County farmer Brian Noonan is utilizing assistance from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to transform his family’s 480-acre farm near Bernard in eastern Iowa from an open-grazed pasture that Noonon says, “needed a lot of work” into a more diverse, sustainable operation with a focus on organic grassland restoration.

About 10 years ago Noonan left his job with the City of Dubuque to manage the family farm, which is owned by a family partnership that includes five families and their lineal descendants. Noonan says the farm dates back five generations to the 1830s when his family’s Irish descendants purchased 180 acres there.

“We’ve had the farm in the family for so long,” he said. “I want to retain it and do it in a way to preserve it.”

Four advanced calving clinics will be offered in January

The Iowa Beef Center is offering four Advanced Calving Clinics to help Iowa cattlemen and women prepare for a successful calving season and subsequent breeding period. Clinics will be offered at four locations across Iowa: January 6 in Fayette and Clinton counties and January 7 in Greene and Montgomery counties.

Session topics will cover essentials from conception to calving, including strategies for managing dystocia with practice using a life-size calving model, beef cow nutrition basics, neonatal calf health and care and calving distribution management. Attendees of previous Advanced Calving Clinics have reported substantial satisfaction with the program, estimating an average benefit of $1,480 per operation.

Communication Is Key in Lending
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is committed to providing our farm loan borrowers the tools necessary to be successful. FSA staff will provide guidance and counsel from the loan application process through the borrower’s graduation to commercial credit. While it is FSA’s commitment to advise borrowers as they identify goals and evaluate progress, it is crucial for borrowers to communicate with their farm loan staff when changes occur. It is the borrower’s responsibility to alert FSA to any of the following:
• Any proposed or significant changes in the farming operation
• Any significant changes to family income or expenses
• The development of problem situations
• Any losses or proposed significant changes in security

If a farm loan borrower can’t make payments to suppliers, other creditors, or FSA on time, contact your farm loan staff immediately to discuss loan servicing options. 

Learn about research results from an innovative and climate-smart project working to solve nutrient water quality issues

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host the In-Season Manure Application with Irrigation Field Day December 4 at the Klemme Public Library and Brent Renner’s farm, near Klemme. Commercial and confinement manure applicators, agency staff involved in manure management, manure planners and consultants, watershed coordinators and interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend and learn about innovative strategies designed to address nutrient water quality issues stemming from agriculture.

Prioritize Safety, Mental Health this Harvest Season
With the busy harvest season commencing across the state, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is urging Iowans to keep safety top of mind in the field, around the farm and on the road. Farming can be physically exhausting and mentally demanding, and agriculture remains one of the most dangerous industries in America. In recognition of National Farm Safety and Health Week, Secretary Naig has provided some safety tips for both farmers and drivers as well as resources for Iowans needing mental health support.

Iowa Learning Farms will host a no-till and soil health field day on Tuesday, November 25, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Badger Community Center. The event is open to farmers and landowners at no cost and includes a complimentary meal.

Field day host Mark Thompson’s farm is located in the heart of the Des Moines Lobe, known for its rich, dark soil. Thompson has used no-till on all soybean acres since 2002 and has transitioned to no-till corn in recent years. During the field day, Thompson will share his experiences with adjusting machinery settings to handle the additional residue in a no-till system and the timing of operations that work best for his system.