Agriculture

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Offseason Management of CRP
by Jacob Hawes, NRCS

As the harvest season is over and we have more time, landowners need to consider fall and winter management of lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program or CRP. The next few months are an ideal time to begin scouting for weeds, trees, and shrubs that are beginning to sneak their way in. Although you may be required to burn or mow as part of your mid-contract management, these onetime practices alone often aren’t sufficient to remedy unwanted vegetation.

Early weaning may be necessary due to drought

As forage resources dwindle in times of drought, producers may need to consider early weaning options for the cow herd. Early weaning is designed to save body condition on the females by ending lactation and decreasing nutritional requirements. Getting each cow to a body condition score of 5.5-6 by calving is a key step in establishing reproductive success for the following year.

Terry Engelken, a professor with Veterinary Diagnostic and Production Animal Medicine at Iowa State University, says early weaned calves may present health challenges as producers are now dealing with a younger and lighter calf than those weaned at the traditional date.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Crop producers and the crop industry can get timely updates on growing-season challenges by subscribing to Integrated Crop Management News, a web service offered by the crops team with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

A team of agronomists, plant pathologists, entomologists, weather experts and others collaborate to write timely articles and blogs that are posted to the ICM News website and emailed directly to subscribers.

The information addresses everything from pre-plant to planting concerns, growing season issues, harvest and reflections on the past growing season. Articles are timely and address real-time concerns growers are experiencing.

Anyone who wants to subscribe to the web service can enter their email, on the right side of the ICM News website: https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews.

Iowa State University researchers are leading a quest to develop a farming system that integrates cash crops with a cover crop that would only need to be planted once every 5 to 15 years. It’s a tall order, but one the research team thinks can soon be realized.

The project goes by the name, RegenPGC, short for Regenerating America’s Working Landscapes to Enhance Natural Resources and Public Goods through Perennial Groundcover. The large team of scientists and engineers all share a vision of seeing year-round cover on cropland in the Midwest become the norm rather than the exception.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Topics will include new tools in fencing, building paddocks, fence laws and more

A Fencing and Grazing Clinic, organized and hosted by the Iowa Beef Center and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is set for September 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the David Burmahl Farm, north of Baldwin and northwest of Maquoketa. The Burmahl Farm’s address is 15276 50th Avenue, Baldwin, IA. The event is being planned by Beth Reynolds, extension program specialist with the Iowa Beef Center, and Denise Schwab, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
November 1: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Annual Forages for Grazing
by Jacob Hawes, Area Grazing Specialist
If producers are looking to improve the soil health on their farm or a way to extend the grazing season and reduce reliance on stored feed, there may be a new cost-share opportunity available with NRCS. A new conservation practice has been created to introduce annual forages into grazing systems and help producers supplement existing forages. For producers interested, NRCS will develop a plan to seed a multispecies mix of annual forages to be grazed by livestock or harvested for later feeding. This practice could be used in conjunction with other conservation practices in a soil health plan or grazing system.

On-farm nitrogen rate trial research and nutrient management will be featured at four field days across Iowa in August and September as part of the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative’s summer 2023 Field Day Series.

The INI, which is a partnership between Iowa State University, agricultural service providers and Iowa farmers, leverages the latest advances in precision agriculture and cropping systems modeling to improve nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Iowa farmers. The project is farmer-focused and provides farmers with information that they can use to improve productivity, profitability and environmental performance on Iowa farms.

The Annual Fall Field Day at the ISU Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm will begin at 12 p.m. with a complimentary meal, sponsored by the Iowa Soybean Association, and run until 4:30 p.m. Thursday, August 31. At 1 p.m., Sotirios Archontoulis, Iowa State University associate professor of agronomy, will provide his insights on what the effects of drought and smoke have on corn and soybean. Lee Burras, Iowa State University Morrill professor of agronomy, will discuss how the soil profile affects rooting depth and yield by the utilization of a soil pit. Company representatives from Bayer® and Pioneer® Hybrids, will provide updates and management considerations on short stature corn. Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University extension entomologist, will give a corn rootworm research and management update.