Agriculture

Crooked Creek Cattle Co. of Waukon claimed some championship honors in the Gelbvieh Cattle Show at the 2022 Iowa State Fair held in Des Moines August 11-21. Crooked Creek showed the Grand Champion Balancer Bull, the Champion Balancer Senior Bull Calf and Champion Balancer Senior Female, in addition to claiming Reserve Champion honors in the Balancer Cow/Calf class.

Those championship honors for Crooked Creek were further bolstered by first-place finishes in the Balancer Senior Heifer (September 1-December 31, 2020) class, Balancer Early Winter Senior Bull Calf (September 1-October 31, 2021) class and Produce of Dam competition. Crooked Creek also claimed second-place finishes in the Balancer Cow/Calf and Balancer Early Junior Heifer Calf (February 1-28, 2022) classes.

Isabel Lowe of Adrian, MO won Grand Champion Bull honors at the show. Cib’s Gelbvieh of Clutier claimed Reserve Grand Champion Bull and Champion Iowa Bull accolades.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Vehicle Weight Causing Subsoil Compaction
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
“I really think we are wrecking the soil quicker than 30-40 years ago,” Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist, tells Civil Eats in a June 6, 2022 article. He is concerned that the enormity of modern equipment causes tillage-based soil degradation. He said “The total weight of combine harvesters has increased nearly 10-fold, from around 8800 pounds in 1958 to about 80,000 pounds in 2020. At a time when farmers are desperate to hold onto soil moisture, the subsequent compaction caused by all this weight can limit water infiltration, which is particularly troublesome when high intensity rains can’t be captured and stored in the soil.”

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
August 31: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

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 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.).  If you would like to visit with the loan officer, please call or stop in.

The Iowa Nutrient Research Center will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a new seminar series highlighting outcomes and impacts from a decade of research. The series starts this fall and continues through spring 2023.

Two presenters each month will discuss INRC-supported projects. The presentations will take place the second Wednesday of each month, from 3:10-4 p.m. The fall seminars begin Sept. 14. The hybrid seminar series will be presented online and in-person at 1306 Elings Hall, 605 Bissell Road, on the Iowa State University campus.

“The INRC began its work in 2013, and since that time, we’ve supported more than 115 research projects,” said INRC Director Matt Helmers. “This seminar series aims to provide a sense of the breadth and depth of this work. Although the focus is on the past, the value of these efforts is to help Iowa and the water quality research community prepare for the important work ahead.”

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

The Cost of Erosion
by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist
Soil out of place is dirt! If it is so critical to our existence, why do we just accept it when we see wind or water erosion? It is not the wind or rain’s fault when erosion occurs. Soil erosion is a direct result of poor land management choices!

Does erosion have a cost?  All we have to do is measure the value of our topsoil.  According to Anthony Bly, SDSU Extension Soils Field Specialist, the value can be calculated in terms of lost nutrients.  His calculations show the value of 1 inch of topsoil across 1 acre is $2,967.  His results were posted in Soil Health in May of 2022.

When can we expect to see reduced levels of nutrients in our water if we make positive changes on the landscape? New Iowa State University research shows how complicated it is to give a sound answer to that question.

The research is featured in a recent article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Environmental Quality, co-authored by Ph.D. student Gerasimos J. Danalatos, Professor Michael Castellano and Associate Professor Sotirios V. Archontoulis, in Iowa State’s Department of Agronomy, and Calvin Wolter, a Geographic Information Systems analyst with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Using virtual reality technology, the scientists simulated a free-range environment in laying hen housing. They found that showing hens VR scenes of chickens in more “natural” environments reduced indicators of stress in the hens’ blood and gut microbiota. The VR scenes also induced biochemical changes related to increased resistance to E. coli bacteria, which poses health risks to poultry and to humans who eat contaminated eggs.

The annual fall field day at the Iowa State University Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm will run from 1-4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 24.

Lisa Schulte Moore, Iowa State University professor of natural resource ecology and management, will begin the program by providing her insights on carbon markets in a presentation called “Carbon Science for Carbon Markets: Emerging Opportunities in Iowa.”

Erin Hodgson, professor in entomology and extension entomologist at Iowa State, and Ashley Dean, education extension specialist in entomology with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will discuss corn rootworm and resistance management.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
September 1: Dairy Margin Coverage Premiums Due
October 31: Organic Certification Cost-Share and Transition/Education Certification Program

Late Summer Pasture Seeding
by Jacob Hawes, NRCS Area Grazing Specialist
The late summer seeding window begins in August for pasture and hay plantings, and although it is not as popular as the spring seeding option, it can still be a great opportunity to get cool season pastures established this year. There are several advantages to seeding late summer versus the spring, that may ease some apprehensions about seeding during this timeframe.