Agriculture

After a fantastic fall for cover crop growth, cereal rye is up and growing around the state. Over the next month, it will be time to turn that green carpet brown and plant the cash crops. But when is the optimal termination date? Currently, many farmers play it safe by terminating two to three weeks before planting time, hoping to limit the chance that a cover crop might decrease the yield of their subsequent cash crop.

Some farmers, however, are finding they can let their cereal rye cover crop continue to grow right up to - and even after - soybean planting time. These farmers have been conducting on-farm research with Practical Farmers of Iowa to determine the best time to terminate cover crops ahead of soybeans.

The next Allamakee County Committee meeting will be announced at a later date.

REMINDERS
May 15-August 2, 2016 – Nesting season on CRP ground. Please contact the county office before you do anything in regards to noxious weeds etc.
May 30, 2016 – Closed Memorial Day
May 31, 2016 – Last day to obtain a commodity, nine month loan for 2015 for corn, soybeans etc.

Funds have been depleted from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Buffer Initiative program for this fiscal year.  The program pays $300/acre for the installation of contour buffer strips.
A majority of the funds from this state-wide pot of money have been allocated for use in Allamakee County.  More funds will hopefully be available at the beginning of the State Fiscal Year, July 2016.
Anyone who may be interested in installing buffer strips next year is asked to contact the Allamakee Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) office at 563-568-2246, ext. 3 to sign up.  The funds are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.  Staff members are still available to lay out buffer strips even if the producers are not signed up to receive cost-share.

submitted by Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD

By Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The next Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, April 7 at 9 a.m. in the Allamakee County Conference Room.

Reminders
May 15 - August 2, 2016 – Nesting season on CRP ground. Please contact the county office before you do anything in regards to noxious weeds etc.
May 31, 2016 – Last day to receive a commodity loan for corn, soybeans etc.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey encourages Iowans to nominate deserving farmers for the 2016 Iowa Conservation Farmer of the Year Award. The award is given out each year to one statewide winner who is making outstanding contributions towards soil conservation and water quality. The award is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF).
“The award recognizes a farmer who has gone above and beyond in their conservation efforts. It is important that we recognize the continuous voluntary improvements made by all Iowa farmers and help raise awareness about the efforts by farmers to conserve our valuable soil and protect water quality,” Northey said.

The next Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, April 7 at 9 a.m. in the Allamakee County Conference Room.

Reminders
May 15-August 2, 2016 - Nesting season on CRP ground. Please contact the county office before you do anything in regards to noxious weeds etc.
May 31, 2016 - Last day to receive a commodity loan for corn, soybeans etc.

Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) has announced that eligible customer-owners in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette Howard and Winneshiek will receive checks this month totaling $3,574,000 - their share of the financial cooperative’s $160 million cash-back dividend for 2015.
FCSAmerica has distributed a portion of its net earnings to eligible customer-owners for each of the past 12 years, returning $1.15 billion in cash-back dividends to farmers, ranchers and their rural communities. The share of FCSAmerica’s 2015 dividend returned to Iowa customer-owners amounts to $67.4 million.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey reminds Iowans that the deadline to apply for grant funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program is May 2. The grants are available to support projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Iowa.
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service, which administers the program, has reported that Iowa will receive $244,352.23 in funding this year.
“The Specialty Crop Block Grant funds can support food safety, research and marketing efforts that will encourage Iowans to choose the products that are produced right here in our state,” Northey said. “Specialty crops are a very important part of Iowa agriculture as they allow farmers to diversify and give customers access to locally grown products.”

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The next Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, April 7 at 9 a.m. in the Allamakee County Conference Room.

Reminders
May 15-August 2, 2016 - Nesting season on CRP ground. Please contact the county office before you do anything in regards to noxious weeds etc.
May 31, 2016 - Last day to receive a commodity loan for corn, soybeans etc.