Agriculture

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is reminding farmers the 2016 sign-up period is open for cost share funds for nutrient reduction practices.  This program has been popular with farmers interested in adding additional practices to their operation.  Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.

“With planting completed in much of the state, now is a great time for farmers to visit their local Soil and Water Conservation District office to sign-up for cost share and learn about other conservation programs available as well,” Northey said.  “We continue to see cover crop acreage expand, but we still have more work to do.  This program is a great way for farmers to try a practice and see how it fits on their farm.”

Collecting, analyzing and interpreting increasingly complex and large amounts of data has become an everyday occurrence in today’s world. The massive datasets being generated are commonly called Big Data.

To manage big data, build partnerships among private and public institutions and use data to improve the quality of life the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a coordinated initiative last November. The initiative set up four regional hubs throughout the United States. Iowa State University is a co-leader of the Midwest Big Data Hub grant, which includes 11 states and five universities.

Joe Colletti, senior associate dean in the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said the focus of the NSF initiative is to build a community of sharing.

AMES, Iowa — A new initiative at the Iowa State University Research Park will identify and fund innovative agricultural startups.

The accelerator program, called the Ag Startup Engine, is part of a broader Iowa State initiative that is working to foster business startup, innovation and technology transfer.

“Ag Startup Engine will deliver funding, mentorship and support to agricultural entrepreneurs with promising business concepts,” said Kevin Kimle, director of the Agricultural Entrepreneurship Initiative in Iowa State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“Because of our rich network of entrepreneurs and agribusiness leaders, the launch of this business startup program is a very natural and significant progression of our support of agricultural entrepreneurs,” Kimle said.

Hello!  I am currently the Acting County Executive Director (CED) for the Allamakee Co FSA office.  I live in Elkader and am also serving Clayton County farmers as their FSA CED since 2001.  I started working for ASCS back in 1985 in the Delaware County office and have kept moving north ever since.  I firmly believe that “service” is the mission of FSA, in fact it is our middle name.  I plan on being in the Waukon office two days each week, so please stop in and introduce yourself the next time you visit FSA. 

REMINDERS:
July 4 - Office closed for Independence Day Holiday
July 5 - County Committee meeting at 9:00 am at Waukon USDA Service Center
July 15 - Deadline to certify a 2016 crop report (FSA-578)
Aug 1 - Deadline to sign-up for the 2016 ARC-Co Program (sign a CCC-861)

The Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation and Iowa’s Dairy Center will host a new traveling, interactive exhibit from June 1-25 that is free, open to the public and celebrates the contributions of Iowa farmers during National June Dairy Month.

Join the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation for the Seventh Annual Breakfast on the Farm event Saturday, June 18 from 8:30 a.m.-12 Noon at Iowa’s Dairy Center in Calmar. Iowa’s Dairy Center is located just south of Calmar at 1527 Highway 150 South.

The Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation, Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), Iowa State University Extension and area dairy producers will be serving a wholesome breakfast including Dad’s Belgian waffles, Edgewood Locker sausage and dairy products produced and processed in northeast Iowa from Country View Dairy.

Guided tram tours of the nationally-recognized Iowa’s Dairy Center farm will also be provided. Children and families attending will enjoy the chance to meet some calves, visit several educational exhibits, milk a cow and watch robots milk cows.  Takeouts are available along with on-site parking; donations for the breakfast are appreciated.

The growing season is well underway in Iowa, and with it many farmers and certified applicators will be applying pesticides, herbicides and fungicides to crop fields. While on-target application is the goal, drift from these chemicals onto neighboring farm fields, yards and communities is a regular occurrence.

Each drift episode poses financial and health risks to nearby people, livestock, wildlife and the environment. To help reduce the number and severity of these occurrences, Practical Farmers of Iowa encourages chemical applicators and rural residents to be more aware of the prevalence and impact of pesticide drift.

“We are approaching the prime time to spray multiflora rose and Canada thistle here in Allamakee County. The best time to spray multiflora rose is when it is in full bloom,” says Megan Waechter, Soil Conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Waukon.

According to an ISU Extension article by Dr. Bob Hartzler, “Late spring is an excellent time for controlling multiflora rose since herbicide application at this time generally provides more consistent control than applications made later in the growing season after flowering.” A few effective herbicides suggested in the article include Crossbow, Cimmaron Max, and Remedy Ultra. He notes that many of the active ingredients in these herbicides may be sold under different trade names.

Waechter explains that to be successful in controlling rose it is important to make treatment a part of a long-term land management plan and to incorporate both chemical and mechanical methods. 

submitted by Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD

Meeting the test weight requirements of food mills is the biggest hurdle for oat farmers when selling food grade oats. In order to increase the test weights, farmers often see a positive yield response from a fungicide application. However, it’s important to understand when to spray the oats to have the most effect on rust.

According to an article by Bruce Roskens from Grain Millers “…fungicides on oats are most effective and should be applied at the first indication of pustules showing on the middle leaves anytime from 2-leaf to heading…”. It is important to start scouting at the 2-leaf stage and continue weekly. Combination fungicides have been found to be more effective than single ingredient products.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reminds eligible farm owners that the deadline to apply for the 2016 Century and Heritage Farm Program is June 1, 2016.  The program recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.

“The application deadline for families with a Century or Heritage is quickly approaching and I hope those with an eligible farm will take the time to apply,” Northey said.  “This program is a great way to highlight the deep history and strong heritage of agriculture in our state.”

Farm families with a century or heritage farm must submit an application to the Department no later than June 1, 2016 to qualify for recognition at the Iowa State Fair this year.