Agriculture

Allamakee County will host a Seed Treatment Continuing Instruction Course (CIC) for commercial pesticide applicators, Wednesday, February 22. The program will be shown at locations across Iowa through the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP).

The local attendance site is Allamakee County Extension, 218 7th Ave SE, Suite #102. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and the course runs from 9 to 11 a.m. To register or to obtain additional information about the CIC, contact the ISU Extension and Outreach office in Allamakee County by phoning 563-568-6345.

The course will provide continuing instruction credit for commercial pesticide applicators certified in categories 4 and 10. Topics to be covered include safe handling and storage of seed treatment products and treated seed; laws and regulations; personal protective equipment; and pests, pest management, and pesticides.

The Iowa Agricultural Development Division will be hosting a free Beginning Farmer Workshop Tuesday, February 14 at Northeast Iowa Community College in Calmar. The workshop is open to anyone interested in learning about beginning farmer programs in Iowa.

The agenda includes an overview of USDA-Farm Service Agency and Iowa Finance Authority Beginning Farmer Programs as well as an Ag lender panel discussion which will cover how to enhance relationships with Ag lenders, tips for preparing financial statements, cash flows and loan applications as well as how to improve a credit score.

The Beginning Farmer Workshop will be held Tuesday, February 14 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Northeast Iowa Community College Dairy Center, Room 115. The event is free, but registration is required at IowaFinanceAuthority.gov/IADD.
 

The Iowa Pork Industry Center and Iowa State University (ISUEO) Extension and Outreach are teaming up to provide training for pork producers and others who need certification in Pork Quality Assurance Plus® (PQA Plus®) and Transporter Quality Insurance® (TQA®). Programs have been scheduled for Wednesday, February 15 in Elkader, according to ISUEO swine specialist Mark Storlie.

“The programs will be held at the Freedom Bank’s Community Room, 210 South Main Street, in Elkader.  TQA® session will begin at 12:30 pm and the PQA Plus® session will start at 3 pm” Storlie said “Attend one program or both, but pre-registration is required.”

To preregister, contact the Clayton County Extension office at 563-245-1451.  Questions may be directed to Mark Storlie by phone at 563-425-3331 or mstorlie@iastate.edu.

by Cindy Mensen, Acting Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

ATTENTION FARMERS - REMINDER:
February 20: Office Closed for President’s Day.

Reconstitutions
A friendly reminder to all producers who experience ownership or operating changes, purchasing or acquiring new land,  or establishing a trust or legal entity are asked to notify the FSA office as soon as possible after the change has occurred. The sooner this information is shared with the FSA office, the sooner the office can process and update the changes and prevent issues that may arise later in the year.

Groups promoting fruits and vegetables, nuts and flowers encouraged to comment on program priorities, consider applying for funds

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey recently announced that the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is accepting applications for grant funding through the Specialty Crop Block Grant program.  The grants are available to support projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in Iowa.

The final funding level for the 2017 Iowa Specialty Crop Block Grant Program is yet to be announced by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service that administer the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, but is expected to be similar to last years $244,352.23 funding.

With nearly 2.5 million cattle in four Midwest states, university extension services in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are teaming together to offer the Driftless Region Beef Conference. The fifth annual event will be held Jan. 26-27, 2017, at the Grand River Convention Center in Dubuque, Iowa.

The driftless region in these states contains rolling hills, streams and karst soil topography. Since soil and water conservation is best accomplished when much of this land is seeded for forage and livestock consumes those forages, the conference will focus on efficient and economic forage and beef production.

by Cindy Mensen, Acting Allamakee County Executive Director (563) 568-2148

ATTENTION FARMERS - REMINDER:
January 16: Office Closed
February 20: Office Closed

Reconstitutions
A friendly reminder to all producers who experience ownership or operating changes, purchasing or acquiring new land,  or establishing a trust or legal entity are asked to notify the FSA office as soon as possible after the change has occurred. The sooner this information is shared with the FSA office, the sooner the office can process and update the changes and prevent issues that may arise later in the year.

Iowa dairy producers have the opportunity to learn about emerging dairy industry issues at the 2017 Dairy Days hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists. The program is scheduled at seven eastern Iowa locations between Jan. 16 and Feb. 2.

“The ISU Extension and Outreach Dairy Team conducts this workshop to provide the latest research to Iowa’s dairy producers,” said Jennifer Bentley, ISU Extension and Outreach dairy specialist. “Our goal is to help producers make sound herd management decisions that are backed by current and relevant information.”

“This day-long program offers producers an opportunity to hear up-to-date information. They can also talk with our speakers for answers to their specific situations,” said Bentley.

Iowa’s Dairy Center and Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) are offering a free Veterinary Feed Directive lecture Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 1 p.m.

Iowa’s Dairy Center is located immediately south of the NICC Calmar campus at 1527 Hwy. 150 S., and the lecture will be held in Room 115.

Gerry VandeVorde, a livestock compliance investigator for the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, will present information about the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) final rule, which went into effect Jan. 1, and is an important part of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) overall strategy to ensure the judicious use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals.

Continual improvement is an important part of farm management, especially when profitability challenges arise.

That is why the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association (ICA) is holding two free educational events for cow/calf producers in northeast Iowa in January. The speakers at this year’s Cow/Calf Forums will focus on herd health including strategic deworming and vaccinations. The events will also include a question and answer session with area veterinarians.

“Anytime you can improve the health of your cattle, you’re also going to improve your profits,” says Eric Smith, who serves on the ICA board of directors, representing Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette and Clayton counties. “We’re excited to host this event for the second year in a row, and hope that it brings a lot of value to our area cattle producers.”