Agriculture

 Practical Farmers of Iowa takes their farmer-to-farmer education format online with their farminar series each Tuesday night through the end of the year. The popular webinar series offers practical knowledge for row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable farmers and is free for anyone with an internet connection to participate.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 10: Office closed in recognition of Veteran’s Day
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program

County Committee Election
During the week of November 6 producers in Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview Townships will receive county committee voting ballots.  The last day to return completed ballots to the FSA office is December 4. If you’re an eligible producer in one of these townships, please be on the lookout for your ballot. Committee members are a critical component of FSA operations.

November Farm-Stored Facility Loan (FSFL) Rates
New November loan rates for FSFL’s were issued and are as follows:

Cattle producers and friends of the industry are invited to attend the Iowa Cattle Industry Leadership Summit and Annual Meeting on December 7 and 8. The event will be held at the CPMI Center in Ames. Interested attendees may register online at www.iacattlemen.org or call 515-296-2266.

Iowa Cattle Industry Leadership Summit
The leadership summit will bring together the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Beef Industry Council and Iowa Cattlemen’s Foundation to celebrate the past year’s successes and work towards improving Iowa’s beef industry into the future.The event begins on Thursday morning with registration at 9:00 and the keynote at 10:00.

by Sara Berges, Allamakee SWCD
 
Soil is often thought of as an inert growing medium rather than a living ecosystem. Therefore, we tend to focus on chemical inputs to sustain our crop production. If we shift our focus to improving the health of our soils, it is likely that we can reduce our chemical inputs.  Maximizing soil health is essential for maximizing profitability. Healthy soils are also more resilient, which is especially important in wet or dry years.

Calmar, in northeast Iowa, will be the site of the last listening session to help guide the future of Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

The listening session, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 5:30 p.m. November 15 in the Wilder Rooms 104-105 on the campus of Northeast Iowa Community College at 1625 Hwy 150 South in Calmar.

A visioning task force has hosted five listening sessions to hear from attendees on how the center may move forward. Locations have included Ames, Sioux Center, Lewis and Iowa City. The task force is co-chaired by Mark Rasmussen, the Leopold Center’s director and Doug Gronau, who is the immediate past chair of the center’s advisory board.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• November 10: Office closed in recognition of Veteran’s Day
• December 15: Report acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program

County Committee Election
During the week of November 6 producers in Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview Townships will receive county committee voting ballots. The last day to return completed ballots to the FSA office is December 4. If you’re an eligible producer in one of these townships, be on the lookout for your ballot. Committee members are a critical component of the day-to-day operations of FSA. They work to make FSA agricultural programs serve the needs of local producers.

by Joe Moses

Pork Month has come to a close with the end of October and another year for the pork industry has almost come to a close for 2017. The pork industry has proven to be an integral part of the local agriculture-based economy in northeast Iowa. According to the Iowa Pork Producers Association’s 2017 data, the pork industry in Allamakee County represents 393 jobs with $21.9 million in labor income, producing $1.4 million in state and local taxes and $3.1 million in federal taxes. Countywide, pork accounts for $53.5 million in sales with the involvement of 49 farms hosting an inventory of 107,184 hogs.

For beginning or aspiring farmers, a few thousand dollars in start-up cash, an experienced mentor and support network and a solid business plan can be the keys to a successful farm start-up.

Practical Farmers of Iowa offers all of these to participants in their two-year Savings Incentive Program. Applications for this competitive program only open once a year, and must be submitted by November 11 using the online form found at http://practicalfarmers.org/savings-incentive-program. Those admitted will begin the program in early 2018 and graduate in late 2019. Applications will be evaluated by a committee of Practical Farmers members using a scoring system that rewards a noticeable commitment to developing applicants’ independent farming goals.

The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Women in Ag Leadership Conference will be held November 27-28 at the Iowa State Center - Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa. Online registration is now available.

Monday evening from 5:30-8:30 p.m., conference attendees have the opportunity to participate in one of the three Intensive Leadership Workshops offered. Dinner during the workshops is included in the cost of registration. The three-hour interactive sessions will give women practical leadership advice and tools as well as inspire women to lead successfully at all levels of experience.

Additional networking activities are also available Monday. Conference attendees can sign up to take a free campus tour from 3-5 p.m. and enjoy a hospitality room at the Best Western University Park Inn and Suites from 8:30-10 p.m.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• December 15: Acreages intended to be used for forage and pasture in 2018 need to be reported
• December 15: Sign up for, or opt out of, the 2018 Margin Protection Program

Fall Certification
The deadline to report acres of forage and pasture for 2018 is December 15, 2017. Late-file fees will be assessed for each farm not meeting the December 15 deadline. Make sure to get into the FSA office and certify any hay and pasture ground.