Agriculture

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates

• Updated - February 14: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program
• February 18: Office closed in observance of Washington’s Birthday

USDA Market Facilitation Program
The last day to stop in and sign the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) application has been changed to February 14, due to FSA being furloughed.  You don’t need to certify production at that time, but if you don’t sign the application by February 14 you will not be eligible for MFP payments. Once you sign the application, you have until May 1 to prove production. 

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host Boots in the Barn, a program for women beef and dairy producers, in March in the Waukon area. Boots in the Barn is a three-part series for women involved in their dairy or beef cattle operation.

The course will be held March 7, 14 and 21. The March 7 session will feature Denise Schwab, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, who will provide information on understanding expected progeny differences (EPD), sire catalogs and how that relates to sire selection for dairy and beef producers. A panel of experts will provide information on how to apply this information to an operation, specifically addressing dairy and beef crossbreeding programs. The session will be held at Farmers and Merchants Bank Community Room in Waukon from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

A new decision-making tool that can help crop and livestock farmers assess the economics of cover crops in their operations is now available for free on Iowa State University’s Ag Decision Maker website.

The tool, “Economics of Cover Crops,” consists of three in-depth budgeting worksheets designed to help farmers analyze the costs and benefits of cover crops – and paths to profitability – in their row crop operations with or without the integration of livestock:

• Cover Crops Budget looks at the economics of cover crops in systems without grazing or harvesting.
• Grazing Cover Crops Budget estimates the costs and benefits with grazing or harvesting for feed.
• Grazing Cover Crops Results uses farmers’ farm data to calculate the actual economic value of grazing or harvesting cover crops from the prior year.

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates

• Updated - February 14: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program.
• May 1: Last day to provide production evidence for Market Facilitation Program.

FSA Office Now Open
Congress passed a three-week continuing resolution through February 15. Our office will be open these next three weeks for regular business. Hours are Monday -Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. We don’t know what will happen after February 15.

The 123rd annual meeting of Calhoun Coop Creamery, Lansing was held at the Farmers & Merchants Savings Bank Community Room in Waukon Tuesday, January 22. A noon meal was served to all by BE Catered of Waukon.

President Dave Bahr called the meeting to order. At the conclusion of the business meeting quality awards were handed out to the following producers (some of which are pictured in the surrounding submitted photos):

First-place low bacteria award went to Dave and Rhonda Bahr of Waukon. There was a tie for second place between Greg and Jenny Conway of Lansing and Tom and Janet Walleser of Lansing. There were 38 other producers receiving outstanding quality awards.

First-place low somatic cell award also went to Dave and Rhonda Bahr of Waukon. There were 20 other producers receiving outstanding somatic cell awards with averages under 175,000 for the year.

Practical Farmers of Iowa will continue its online learning series – called “farminars” – for the 10th winter season in a row. The webinar series features practical knowledge shared by farmers and experts on a wide range of topics for row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable growers.

Held every Tuesday at 7 p.m. CST, each farminar focuses on a unique production or business management topic. All presentations are led by an experienced farmer or subject-matter expert, and attendees are able to ask questions in real time using a chat box while they listen and watch a slideshow. The presentations are free for anyone with an internet connection.

To participate, visit http://practicalfarmers.org. A schedule for all upcoming farminars – as well as the recordings for 159 past farminars – is also available at this link.

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 21: Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

Storage and Handling Trucks Eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loans
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) provide low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Some storage and handling trucks are eligible for the FSFL. These include:

Research by Iowa State University shows that active farmer involvement in watershed management groups and other conservation networks is key to adopting conservation practices like cover crops.

The study, published recently in the journal Water Resources Research, was based on survey research conducted in three Iowa watersheds - the Iowa, Missouri-Little Sioux, and Upper Mississippi-Maquoketa - and sheds light on factors related to adoption of cover crops and other conservation practices.

Confinement site manure applicators and anyone interested in learning about manure issues should plan to attend a two-hour workshop offered by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach in January or February. These workshops are offered in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. There is no fee to attend the workshops, but applicators will need to pay certification fees to complete certification requirements.

“Iowa law requires confinement site manure applicators to attend two hours of continuing education each year of their three-year certification period or take and pass an exam once every three years,” said Dan Andersen, associate professor, ISU Ag and Biosystems Engineering and coordinator of the manure applicator certification program.

by Jeremy Leitz, Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• January 15: Last day to apply for the Market Facilitation Program
• January 21: Office closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day

USDA Market Facilitation Program
The last day to stop in and sign the Market Facilitation Program (MFP) application is January 15!  You don’t need to certify production at that time, but if you don’t sign the application by January 15 you will not be eligible for MFP payments.  Once you sign the application, you have until May 1 to prove production. 

Storage and Handling Trucks Eligible for Farm Storage Facility Loans
Farm Storage Facility Loans (FSFL) provide low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Some storage and handling trucks are eligible for the FSFL. These include: