Agriculture

Iowa Learning Farms, a hands-on education and outreach program for Iowa landowners and agricultural producers based at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, and Practical Farmers of Iowa, a statewide organization working to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities, have published the final results of their 10-year, field-scale study of the effects of winter rye cover crops on corn and soybean yields.

With consistent results across the full decade of recording and measurements, the final report notes no significant improvement or decline in cash crop yields attributable to the use of cover crops.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
March 16: 2019 ARCPLC Election
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
September 30: PLC Yield Update

Plants and Their Relationship to the Soil
submitted by LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist, Allamakee County

As we dive deeper into the topic of healthy soil we have to understand the relationship that plants create with the soil.  As a plant grows it excretes “food” called exudate into the area around the root.  Exudates are secretions of sugars along with a little protein and carbohydrates.  A plant can release as much as 50% of the sugars they make from photosynthesis to attract bacteria and grow fungi which eat the exudate.  One very important fungi is called mycorrhizal fungi.  This fungi actually grows with the roots and in return delivers nutrients and trace minerals back to the plant.

Topics will include managing stress, preparing for success and understanding the current grain market

“Setting the Table for Success” is the theme for the fourth annual Women in Agriculture Conference, to be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Washington, Iowa March 28.

The event is being hosted by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Washington County office, along with the Washington County Women in Agriculture Advisory Board.

The goal of this year’s conference is to show women of all ages how they can set their table for success in agriculture by surrounding themselves with the right people and resources to make informed decisions.

The conference will feature four speakers: Scott Siepker, Iowa Nice Guy; Elaine Kub, grain market economist; Delaney Howell, host of Iowa Public Television’s “Market to Market,” and Kay Frances, a humorous and motivational speaker.

by Dr. Bob Hartzler, Professor of Agronomy, Meaghan Anderson, Field Agronomist in Central Iowa, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

A common question when incorporating cover crops into a production system is, will the cover crop interfere with the performance of residual herbicides included with the burndown treatment? This article will discuss the fate of residual herbicides applied to crop residue and living cover crops, and how this may influence herbicide effectiveness.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
February 28: CRP General Signup
March 15: 2019 ARCPLC Election
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
September 30: PLC Yield Update

Stop in Soon to Sign Up for the 2019 and 2020 ARCPLC Program
Producers now can enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2019 and 2020 crop year. ARC provides income support payments on historical base acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guaranteed level. PLC provides income support payments on historical base acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its reference price. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized and updated both programs.

Following the wet and late harvest of 2019, several Midwest states are on the edge of a dangerous cliff when it comes to emptying their grain bins. Conditions are aligning to create the potential for tragic accidents and grain suffocation deaths to occur when grain bins start to be emptied.

It is common knowledge that quality harvested grain placed in storage, coupled with a best management practice of caring for grain, yields quality grain leaving storage for market. Inversely, either poor quality grain being placed in storage or poor management practices for caring for grain can very well lead to spoiled grain leaving storage.

Getting spoiled grain out of storage always poses an increased safety risk for entrapment and suffocation to a farm operator and worker. There are years of documentation that illustrate the direct connection from spoiled grain leaving storage to a tragic grain entrapment and the resulting fatality.

The Agriculture Innovation Agenda is a Solution for Farmers, Consumers, and the Environment

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing production by 40 percent while cutting the environmental footprint of U.S. agriculture in half by 2050.

Upcoming Deadlines/Dates
February 28: CRP General Signup
March 15: 2019 ARCPLC Election
June 30: 2020 ARCPLC Election
September 30: PLC Yield Update

Stop in Soon to Sign Up for the 2019 and 2020 ARCPLC Program
Producers now can enroll in the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs for the 2019 and 2020 crop year. ARC provides income support payments on historical base acres when actual crop revenue declines below a specified guaranteed level. PLC provides income support payments on historical base acres when the effective price for a covered commodity falls below its reference price. The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorized and updated both programs.

What do producers do when livestock are not able to walk, due to illness or injury? This problem has not had an easy solution, though that may change soon, thanks to researchers at Iowa State University.

National standards for humane management of swine require sick or injured non-ambulatory pigs to be moved with a drag mat in most situations. This reduces risk and stress to pigs and is also meant to make moving an animal safer and less stressful for swine producers. 

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is partnering to offer a free webinar called “Dealing with the Changing Climate in Agriculture: Issues in 2020 and Beyond.” The session will air Feb. 20 from noon to 1 p.m.

The webinar will discuss issues leading into the 2020 growing season and put that information into a larger context of what is happening with Midwest weather and climate long-term.

“Those who participate in the webinar will have an understanding of the current climate and weather issues and discover where to find resources to help with decision-making,” said Fred Hall, dairy specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are excited to have Dennis Todey, director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Midwest Climate Hub, leading the discussion.”