Agriculture

Dairy experts from across the Midwest will present at the Iowa-Wisconsin Silage Conference on June 21 in Dubuque. Experts from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, as well as from the University of Wisconsin, University of Nebraska and industry will provide information on a wide range of topics dealing with growing and using silage.

Registration and check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. on June 21. The program starts at 9:30 a.m. and adjourns at 3:30 p.m. It will be held at the Best Western Plus Dubuque Hotel and Conference Center (3100 Dodge Street, Dubuque).

The following topics will be discussed during the conference:

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

Crop Reporting
The Allamakee County FSA office welcomes all county farmers to come in and report their 2018 crops.  Certifying your crops is a requirement for many FSA programs.  This includes all spring planted crops and land uses.  Forages and pastures were to be reported last fall, and if you missed that deadline, we will be asking for that report now and collecting a late fee.  100% of the farm must be reported to be eligible for programs.  Please report what is planted on your farm by the deadline of July 15.

Rain showers stayed at bay to provide a small group of local farmers with a beautiful evening tour of Peake Orchards and Dairy Sunday, May 20. Jeremy and Jodi Peake and their daughters Molly and Leah hosted the farm tour.

Some of the group arrived early to see milking in progress in the tie-stall barn, which was an opportunity for experiential learning. Many of the attendees specialized in other farming systems including vegetable production or small livestock, so there were many in-depth questions about how the dairy production system works from start to finish.

Jeremy shared that he selects his herd (mainly Jerseys and some Ayrshire genetics) to succeed in their grazing system, where the cows are never fed any grain. They milk year-round, utilizing baleage and hayleage over the winter months. The herd of around 40 milking cows are moved to fresh pastures 3-4 times per day, and are milked twice per day.

The Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy is a science and technology-based framework to assess and reduce nutrient loss from both point sources (such as municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants) and nonpoint sources (stormwater runoff from both urban and agricultural landscapes) in Iowa.

The Strategy was finalized May 29, 2013, and in the five years since there has been significant work by farmers, landowners, communities, businesses, stakeholders and partners to help improve water quality in Iowa.

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
• May 31: Marketing Assistance Loans for Prior Year Harvested Corn and Soybeans
• May 31: Final Planting Date for Corn
• June 1: Margin Protection Program (MPP) Signup
• June 15: Final Planting Date for Soybeans
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

County Office Committees
County committees play a vital role in the administration of federal farm programs. They make decisions on commodity price support loans, conservation programs, emergency/disaster programs, employing County Executive Directors and other significant agricultural issues with the USDA.

Assistance available for farmers and landowners trying cover crops, no-till/strip till or nitrification inhibitor
 
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced today the 2018 sign-up period is open for statewide cost share funds to help farmers install nutrient reduction practices. Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.

“This program has been very popular with farmers interested in adding water quality focused practices on their farm. We continue to see farmers and landowners taking on the challenge of improving water quality and this is a great way for them to get started with a new practice,” Naig said.

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
• May 31: Marketing Assistance Loans for Prior Year Harvested Corn and Soybeans
• May 31: Final Planting Date for Corn
• June 1: Margin Protection Program (MPP) Signup
• June 15: Final Planting Date for Soybeans
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

Secretary Perdue Names FSA Administrator
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today the appointment of Richard Fordyce to serve as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA). In his role, Fordyce will provide leadership for FSA and its mission to support agricultural production across America through a network of over 2,100 county and 50 state offices.

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
• May 31: Marketing Assistance Loans for Prior Year Harvested Corn and Soybeans
• June 1: Margin Protection Program (MPP) Signup
• July 15: 2018 Crop Reports
• August 1: ARC/PLC Sign-up

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig encourages eligible farmers and apiarists to register or re-save their data in the Iowa Sensitive Crop Directory for the 2018 growing season. Two new mobile apps have been released to make it easier for members to access and input data.

“Iowa partnered with FieldWatch just last year to update and improve our state’s Sensitive Crop Directory and have been pleased by the positive response from applicators as well as specialty crop farmers and beekeepers. Hopefully these new apps will make the directory even more user friendly for everyone,” Naig said.

The FieldCheck app is designed to give applicators more functionality from their mobile device and while in the field.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today reminded eligible farm owners that the deadline to apply for the 2018 Century and Heritage Farm Program is June 1, 2018. The program recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in the case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.

“I want to encourage families that have a farm that would qualify for a Century or Heritage Farm award to submit their application by June 1,” Naig said. “We are already looking forward to the State Fair in August and the opportunity to celebrate with these families and highlight the deep history and strong heritage of agriculture in our state.”

Farm families with a century or heritage farm must submit an application to the Department no later than June 1, 2018 to qualify for recognition at the Iowa State Fair this year.