Agriculture

When Waukon farmer Mark Stock forgot to turn half of his cover crop seeding drill back on last fall while starting a new row, he inadvertently began an experiment that he believes will pay dividends into the future.

Stock saw very little cereal rye growth in the fall due to the late harvest and planting, so he didn’t realize his mistake until this spring. “I’ve had neighbors pull in this spring to ask me what I was doing out there,” he said, “and I tell them it’s an experiment.”

What Stock didn’t realize is what his experiment would show him. He chopped some of the rye for ryelage this spring for his beef herd, and he planted corn into live rye at about 12” tall on the rest. He sprayed for termination a week later. The result was nearly perfect weed suppression in his rye strips and a definite weed issue in the strips without rye.

Three ISU Extension and Outreach webinars will be held in July

Farming is one of the most stressful occupations in the United States. This is particularly true for dairy farmers as they are experiencing an extended period of low milk prices.

To help dairy farmers deal with stress, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a series of three webinars that discuss how to recognize the signs of stress, how to deal with dairy farm families experiencing stress, analyzing a dairy for profits, the profitability of various dairy systems and what FINBIN says about production costs.

When Gary and Scott Wedemeier decided to transition their northeast Iowa crop and dairy farm to organic a few years ago, the father-son team were motivated by both the economic potential and by concerns over the health effects of conventional chemical-based farming.

“The move to organic has generated more income, as intended,” Scott says. “We were also concerned about the possible effects of applying chemical products to our crops and land.”

The Wedemeiers operate Grassway Organic Farm near Maynard, where they raise corn, hay and a variety of cover crops, and manage a herd of 172 dairy cows on about 1,100 acres. The family also has a small herd of sheep and pigs, maintains a natural wetland and raises steers for direct markets.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• July 4: Office Closed for Holiday
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports

Transition Incentive Program
The Transition Incentives Program (TIP) offers assistance for land owners and operators, as well as opportunities for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. It provides the land owners or operators with two additional annual rental payments on land enrolled in expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts, on the condition they sell or rent this land to a beginning farmer or rancher or to a socially disadvantaged group. Up to two additional annual CRP payments can be obtained through TIP. New land owners or renters must return the land to production using sustainable grazing or farming methods.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• May 15 - August 2: Primary Nesting Season. No MCM Activities on CRP Acres
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up
• August 17: CRP Signup 51

FSA County Committee Nominations Launch June 15
USDA encourages America’s farmers and ranchers to nominate candidates to lead, serve and represent their community on their local county committee. USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will accept nominations for county committee members beginning Friday, June 15, 2018.

Producers across the country are already serving on committees where they play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of FSA, making important decisions on programs dealing with disaster and conservation, emergencies, commodity price loan support, county office employment and other agricultural issues.

The Annual Spring Field Day at the ISU Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm will run from 1:00 to 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, June 27. Elwynn Taylor, Extension climatologist, will kick-off the program in the Borlaug Learning Center, by providing his insights on crop weather for the 2018 growing season. Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Extension soil/tillage specialist, follows with updates on various strip-till and no-till studies at the research farm. We will then convene outside for the farm wagon tours; John Sawyer, Extension soil fertility specialist, to share his expertise on corn nitrogen fertilizer management (rate, timing, split-apply, N sensors, etc.), and finish with Brian Lang, Extension agronomist, to discuss and demonstrate crop scouting for insect pests.

The results of more than 120 agricultural research trials conducted last year at Iowa State University’s Research and Demonstration Farms are available online and can be downloaded at no charge.

“These research reports are a valuable resource for farmers, agricultural educators and agribusiness people needing the latest information on crops, soils, horticulture and livestock management,” said Mark Honeyman, associate dean for operations for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University.

The college, in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, conducts research on Iowa farmland every year. Staff at the farms also coordinate demonstration trials with producers on their farms in those areas.

By LuAnn Rolling, District Conservationist

Driving around Allamakee County today I am shocked by the lack of grassed waterways and the number of undersized waterways that have gullies running down both sides. We are experiencing more higher volume, higher velocity rainfalls than we have ever had in the past.

This should prompt the installation of more and bigger waterways, not the removal.

When USDA conducts random 5% spot checks of conservation plans, one of the easiest ways to tell if a producer is not following the plan is seeing gullies in the field. This is usually obvious when water runs off a field and leaves a gully where grass should be. To best transport water, the grassed waterway should be “parabolic” or bowl shaped so water stays in the grassed area.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• May 15 - August 2: Primary Nesting Season. No MCM Activities on CRP Acres
• June 15: Final Planting Date for Soybeans
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

CRP Sign-up
USDA announced a CRP signup beginning June 4 and running through August 17.  This sign-up will be for limited practices only to ensure the most sensitive land is protected, while staying under the 24-million-acre cap.

The limited practices include:

• Filter strips
• Riparian buffers
• Grass waterways

All eligible practices are on the USDA website.
Sign-up incentive payments, practice incentive payments, and 10 or 20% per acre rental rate incentives are not authorized for this signup.

by Sara Berges,
Allamakee Soil and Water Conservation District

If you plan to plant cover crops after small grain or silage harvest, you have many options available for what to plant rather than just cereal rye. The longer growing season and warmer temperatures allow for a wide variety of species that provide many different benefits. The first step is to determine what goals you have for your cover crop. Many companies sell mixes that are designed to meet specific goals, but you can also create your own mix. 

For each cover crop goal below, several species options are listed. Species that are likely to winter kill are marked with (WK). If we have a mild winter, there is a chance some non-winter hardy species may survive and need to be chemically or mechanically terminated in the spring.