Agriculture

Bootcamp provides training, one-on-one consulting and networking opportunities to build resilient businesses

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Farm, Food and Enterprise Development program will host a farm financial management bootcamp for specialty crop producers in December. The short, intensive program is designed to provide producers with the opportunity to optimize their business model, examine their financial infrastructure, develop a financial plan and prepare to raise money for further business development.

The first two sessions will be held virtually on Dec. 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. to noon, with two virtual coaching sessions to follow. The second two sessions will be held on Dec. 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is free and registration will be limited to 10 businesses, each of which may invite two attendees. To register, visit https://go.iastate.edu/TDIQUE.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 5: Last day to return COC ballots
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

Seminar will focus on managing cybersecurity threats

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Discussions Seminar on Thursday, Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Sioux County Office in Orange City. This year’s focus is on cybersecurity issues for food producers including farmers, manufacturers and processors. “Cybersecurity is a bigger problem than many realize, unless they have been directly affected,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “There will be four presentations all relating back to the issue of cybersecurity and our food supply providers.”

December 10 event will inform dairy goat industry about current issues

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Dairy Team will host its annual Dairy Goat Management Seminar Saturday, December 10 in Sioux County and also in Clayton County. Both events are from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Sioux County seminar is at the ISU Extension and Outreach Sioux County office and the Clayton County seminar is at Woods Edge Golf Course, located at 504 West Union Street, Edgewood.

This year’s focus is on goat health, feeding and milk marketing.

“Iowa ranks third in the nation for dairy goat production, and we are one of the top states for dairy goat educational programming,” said Fred Hall, a dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “This program should reinforce that ranking and be extremely worthwhile for dairy goat producers to attend.”

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 5: Last day to return COC ballots
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

Farm Loan Presence in Allamakee County
The USDA/FSA Farm Loan team will have a Loan Officer in our office every Tuesday during normal business hours (8-4:30).  If you would like to visit with the loan officer, please call or stop in.

November 2022 Farm-Stored Facility Loan Rates
• 3-year: 4.250
• 5-year: 4.125
• 7-year: 4.000
• 10-year: 3.875
• 12-year: 3.875

Applying for Farm Storage Facility Loans
The Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) program provides low-interest financing to help you build or upgrade storage facilities and to purchase portable (new or used) structures, equipment and storage and handling trucks.

As Iowa’s annual harvest wraps up across the state, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages farmers to get reacquainted with fire prevention practices to keep the farm ‘firewise.’

This has been an extended drought year, particularly in the western part of the state. The following simple steps for a safer harvest can save time and money.

Properly prepare machinery to reduce the chance of a field fire from an overheated bearing (check the manufacturer’s recommendations). A spark from an improperly lubricated combine can instantaneously ignite dry plants and field debris.

Check that all fire extinguishers carried on the machinery are fully charged with loose powder inside. If the powder is not loose, remove the extinguisher from its bracket then thump the canister with a rubber hammer until the powder moves when shaken.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
December 5: Last day to return COC ballots
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

Next Season starts this Fall
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
Fall is the time to start implementing practices for next year’s crop.  Just because temperatures are cooler and grain is harvested it is not time to just “let things sit”.  In order to best prepare for the 2023 crop producers should be concerned with keeping the water, nutrient and carbon cycles functioning as long as possible.

Dairy producers can now enroll for 2023 coverage through the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) Program, an important safety net program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that helps producers manage changes in milk and feed prices. Last year, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) took steps to improve coverage, especially for small- and mid-sized dairies, including offering a new Supplemental DMC program and updating its feed cost formula to better address retroactive, current and future feed costs. These changes continue to support producers through this year’s signup, which ends Dec. 9, 2022.

With farmland that adjoins one of Iowa’s largest and most popular recreational lakes, Eric Hoien wanted to make sure he was doing his part to keep farm nutrients in his field, while maintaining a pleasant landscape for the public.

The solution that he found, after reading an article in the Des Moines Register, was to plant “Prairie Strips” along the edge of his field and the roadway adjoining Spirit Lake.

Formally known as Prairie STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Inegrated with Prarie Strips,” these narrow bands of 30-120 foot wide prairie are a federally recognized conservation practice that has shown significant benefits for water quality improvement, wildlife conservation, pollinator habitat and aesthetic beauty.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program
December 5: Last day to return COC ballots
December 9: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
December 15: Crop Reporting for Fall-Seeded Small Grains

Farm Loan Presence in Allamakee County
The USDA/FSA Farm Loan team will have a Loan Officer in our office every Tuesday during normal business hours (8-4:30).  If you would like to visit with the loan officer, please call or stop in.