In spite of famed groundhog Punxsutawney Phil not seeing his shadow and indicating an early arrival for spring, his day in the limelight, Tuesday, February 2 - Groundhog Day, provided little evidence of that happening as a snowstorm gripped northeast Iowa and dumped anywhere from eight to 10 inches of snow in Allamakee County. Snow falling at the rate of nearly two inches per hour at times during that Tuesday morning (as evident in the above photo) forced cancellation of area schools, closing of area businesses and the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office and Iowa State Patrol to issue warnings of no travel advised as five to six inches fell during the daytime hours. Another three to four inches followed overnight that Tuesday night, again forcing cancellation of schools for Wednesday, February 3.
by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director
Reminders
November 11: Office closed for Veteran’s Day.
November 20, 2015: Deadline to sign up for the 2016 Dairy Program.
December 15: Deadline to certify hay/grass acres.
October 1, 2015 – December 15: Forage (alfalfa), pasture, grass, and fall seed crops certification are required to be certified by December 15, 2015 for spring 2016 crop year. Late file fee will apply and no waivers will be granted. The late file fee will be $46 per farm.
by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director
The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be held Thursday, March 26 in the Allamakee County FSA Office conference room at 9 a.m.
USDA Provides One-Time Extension of Deadline to Update Base Acres or Yield History for ARC/PLC
The final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres has been extended one additional month, from February 27 until March 31. The final day for farm owners and producers to choose ARC or PLC coverage also remains March 31.
If no changes are made to yield history or base acres by March 31, 2015, the farm’s current yield and base will be used. A program choice of ARC or PLC coverage also must be made by March 31 or there will be no 2014 payments for the farm and the farm will default to PLC coverage through the 2018 crop year.
by Joyce Davidshofer, Allamakee County Executive Director
The Allamakee County Committee meeting will be Thursday, February 12 at 9 a.m. at the Allamakee County FSA Office.
Reminders
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for 2012 Livestock Feed Program (LFP) and 2012 Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP).
January 30, 2015 – Deadline for the “Early Out” on CRP (Certain criteria must be met to qualify).
On January 29, 2015 both the ISU extension and our FSA Office will be hosting an ARC/PLC program meeting at the Farmer’s and Merchant’s Savings Bank at 1 p.m. Call the extension office to reserve a spot at 563-568-6345
