Agriculture

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey encourages eligible farm owners to apply for the 2015 Century and Heritage Farm Program. The program is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau and recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

Reminders
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for 2012 Livestock Feed Program (LFP) and 2012 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for the “Early Out” on CRP (Certain criteria must be met to qualify).
On January 29, 2015 both the ISU extension and our FSA Office will be hosting an ARC/PLC program meeting at the Farmer’s and Merchant’s Savings Bank at 1 p.m. Call the extension office to reserve a spot at 563-568-6345

Practical Farmers of Iowa is now accepting registrations for its 2015 annual conference, “Mapping Our Future,” which will take place January 23-24 at the Iowa State Center Scheman Building, on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. All are welcome to attend. Register online at http://practicalfarmers.org/2015-annual-conference.
This year’s theme spotlights the decisions Iowa farmers face as they wrestle with land management and farm transfer, erosion and soil health, price and weather volatility – including a range of possible solutions to help make farms more resilient and connected in the future. From farmer-led sessions on extended crop rotations, irrigation and land transition to pollinator habitat, profit margins and grazing systems, attendees will come away with ideas for how to chart their own farming futures.

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

Reminders
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for 2012 Livestock Feed Program (LFP) and 2012 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for the “Early Out” on CRP (Certain criteria must be met to qualify).

The Allamakee County FSA office will be holding meetings on the new ARC/PLC farm programs at the Allamakee County FSA office on the following dates:
January 20, 2015 at 1 p.m.
January 22, 2015 at 1 p.m.
January 27, 2014 at 1 p.m.
Limited space is available. Call the office at 563-568-2148 to reserve a spot for the dates above.

Travis Meteer, University of Illinois Beef Specialist, and colleagues at the Orr Research Center near Baylis, Illinois, have looked into the effect of lush, spring pastures on beef cow pregnancy rates. The wet, high protein grass may cause nutritional challenges to high producing beef cows leading to lower conception rates. Their research showed a benefit from supplemental feed on AI conception rates. With the high cost of bred cows and feeder calves, some additional feed to improve conception rates may increase profitability.
As part of the 2015 Driftless Beef Conference in Dubuque, Meteer will present a breakout session on this research that includes the effects of supplementation on spring pastures.

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamake County Executive Director

Reminders
January 19 – Office closed for Martin Luther King Day.
January 22 - Meeting at 7 p.m. at Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank, Waukon - FSA for ARC/PLC program.
January 30 – Deadline for 2012 Livestock Feed Program (LFP) and 2012 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
January 30 – Deadline for the “Early Out” on CRP. Certain criteria must be met to qualify.
February 27 – Deadline for landowners to update yield history and/or reallocate base acres.
March 31 - Producers make a one-time irrevocable election of ARC or PLC for the 2014 through 2018 crop years.
After March 31 – Enrollment into 2014 & 2015 program.
Producers may contact the Allamakee County FSA office at 563-568-2148 for more information or make an appointment.  

by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director

The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be January 8, 2015 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.

This coming January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey more than 40,000 cattle operations nationwide to provide an up-to-date measure of U.S. cattle inventories. As cattle prices have rebounded and feed costs have declined, an updated look at cattle numbers across the nation will determine if producers have begun rebuilding their herds from last year’s level, which was the lowest in 60 years.
“In January 2014, Iowa’s cattle inventory of 3.7 million head ranked seventh in the U.S. Of the total cattle inventory, 1.23 million were cattle and calves on feed which ranked Iowa fourth in the nation,” said Greg Thessen, Director of the NASS Upper Midwest Regional Office. “Obtaining the current count of cattle will serve as a critical decision-making tool for producers and the entire agriculture industry.”