Agriculture

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host Boots in the Barn, a program for women dairy producers, in March in the New Vienna area. Boots in the Barn is a three-part series for women involved in the dairy industry.

The course will be held March 3, 10 and 17. The March 3 session will feature Gail Carpenter, Iowa State University assistant dairy teaching/research professor, who will provide information on transition cow care, maternity management and research around transition cows. Carpenter will demonstrate on-farm tools that can be used to monitor transition cow health. The session will be held at the McAllister Dairy Farm at 27334 North Bankston Road, New Vienna, 1-3 p.m.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
Feb. 25: Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program
Mar. 11: General CRP Signup
Mar. 15: ARCPLC Program Deadline
Mar. 25: Dairy Margin Coverage Program

Higher Soybean Quality from Conservation Practices

by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist

This information was presented at the January 2022, Southwest Iowa Soil Health Meeting. The topic was soybean quality from a public and private perspective and how soil health can influence that work. The presenters were Drew Clemmensen with the Iowa Soybean Association and Dustin Brucker with Benson Hill.

Webinars on dairy goat management and care planned throughout the year

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dairy team will continue its quarterly dairy goat webinar in 2022 with all webinar dates and topics identified. All webinars will be from noon to 1:15 p.m.

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) offers several programs for landowners to enroll environmentally sensitive farmland into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

The continuous and general CRP signups provide annual rental payments to producers and landowners for establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species on cropland, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat.

Continuous CRP allows landowners to enroll new land at any time during the year, and includes the State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practice. Under SAFE, landowners can design special habitat for pheasant, bobwhite, grassland songbirds, and other species. SAFE is only available in targeted geographies, producers not eligible for SAFE can offer land into other continuous practices or thru the general signup.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
Feb. 25: Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program
Mar. 11: General CRP Signup
Mar. 15: ARCPLC Program Deadline
Mar. 25: Dairy Margin Coverage Program

Applications will be accepted until June 1, 2022

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible farm owners to apply for the 2022 Century and Heritage Farm Program now. The program was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to recognize families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively.

“The Century and Heritage Farm Program recognizes the strength and resiliency of Iowa’s multi-generation farm families,” said Secretary Naig. “I always look forward to celebrating with the families and hearing stories about their incredible farming legacies. I am grateful for the investments they make to protect our rich farmland and their continued commitment to our state’s agriculture community.”

To apply, download the application on the Department’s website at iowaagriculture.gov/century-and-heritage-farm-program.

Most of Iowa’s 99 counties notified DNR in January that they plan to evaluate construction permit applications and proposed animal confinement locations by using the master matrix.

With few exceptions, most counties will use the matrix during the next 12 months. The following counties will not use the matrix in 2021: Benton, Davis, Des Moines, Guthrie, Grundy, Keokuk, Lee, Mahaska, Osceola, Plymouth, Wapello, Warren and Washington.

Additional requirements are required for animal confinement producers who need a construction permit before they can build in counties using the matrix. Producers qualify by choosing a site and using practices that reduce impacts on air, water and the community.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
Feb. 18: Dairy Margin Coverage Program
Feb. 25: Spot Market Hog Pandemic Program
Mar. 15: ARCPLC Program Deadline

Annual Forages for Grazing
by Jacob Hawes, Soil Conservationist

Maximize your fertilizer dollars

Farmers wishing to maximize the profits from their fertilizer dollars will want to attend one of 15 in-person workshops or a virtual workshop hosted by Iowa State University. The workshop series, called Soil Testing Interpretations and Recommendations: Maximizing Return on Investment, will be held in February and March. This series will address the profitable management of soil fertility in Iowa, as conditions continue to change with increased fertilizer input costs and a rising demand for nutrients from higher-yielding crops.

“These workshops will lead farmers through the basics of soil testing, analytical tests, calculating crop nutrient removal, understanding return on investment from fertilizer applications, how crop response correlates to soil test levels and what is known about crop response to micronutrients,” says Josh Michel, field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Associates are available to help farmers study their numbers and plan ahead

As farmers begin to make financial projections for the new year, there are resources available from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach that can help. A popular choice is the Farm Financial Planning Program, which includes access to seven different farm financial associates, in addition to software and helpful publications and guides.

Nancy Brannaman, a financial associate from east central Iowa, said the program allows producers and the associate to take a broad look at what’s going on within an operation, where the operator would like to be in the future and what must be done for success.