Agriculture

Practical Farmers of Iowa is organizing its 10th annual overnight retreat for beginning farmers, taking place this year December 1-2 at the Wesley Woods Retreat Center in Indianola (10896 Nixon St., about 8.5 miles south of town). The event starts at 1 p.m. Friday, December 1 and runs through 2 p.m. Saturday, December 2. The annual event welcomes individuals who aspire to farm as well as beginning farmers from all farm enterprises.

Registration fees include all materials and workshop costs, breakfast and lunch Saturday, snacks throughout and bunk-style lodging on-site. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish to share for the Friday night potluck; Practical Farmers will provide the main dish.

Registration is required by Monday, November 27. Register at practicalfarmers.org or by calling Practical Farmers of Iowa at (515) 232-5661. Attendance is limited, so sign-up soon.

New IDALS-Funded Program Aims to Incentivize Expanded Use of Cover Crops to Improve Water Quality
 
Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has announced a new program aimed at increasing acres of cover crops in the state. Iowa farmers who plant cover crops this fall (2017) may be eligible for a $5 per acre premium reduction on their crop insurance in 2018. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) worked with the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA), who oversees the federal crop insurance program, to establish a 3 year demonstration project aimed at expanding the usage of cover crops in Iowa.

Beginning today, IDALS will open the online sign-up and application process for farmers and landowners to certify eligible land for the program at the following link: www.cleanwateriowa.org/covercropdemo.

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

Upcoming Deadlines and Important Dates
• 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
Producers in Ludlow, Jefferson, Post, Franklin, Linton, and Fairview Townships should have received their county committee voting ballots last week. 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.

Allamakee County 4-H’ers traveled to Iowa State University in Ames November 6 for the Grow by FarmHer conference. Grow is a series of events that inspire and empower young women in agriculture to take an active role in the agriculture industry. A total of 370 young women ages 16-22 with an interest in agriculture had the opportunity to participate in inspirational and informational experiences as a group as well as meaningful one-on-one connections with women ag leaders. At Grow by FarmHer, young women were offered a real-life look at what they need to do to be successful ag leaders, while gaining the encouragement and making the connections that are pivotal to helping them GROW in agriculture. Pictured above at the Grow by FarmHer event are, left to right, Allamakee County 4-H alumna Erika Johnson, who is currently a student at Iowa State University; and Allamakee County 4-H'ers Diana Davison, Madelyn Moser, Soraya Reyes, Shara Cota and Faith Palmer.

by Sara Berges,
Allamakee SWCD
 
We have heard producers say that you’ll have a huge yield drag if you plant corn following a rye cover crop.  Five years ago, this was commonly presented as a potential issue with cereal rye.  However, years of research has shown how to minimize this risk. Most producers (and researchers) have found in recent years that there is little to no yield drag with proper management.

 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.