The Iowa Department of Transportation will allow the harvesting of hay along state highway right of ways this summer. D-O-T agronomist Joy Williams says a permit is required and there are specific guidelines on where the work is allowed. “Medians, shoulder areas, we don’t allow any haying the interstate,” Williams explains. “The permit is just kind of of a system to both inform the applicants as well as to protect our won right of way. If there is any damage, applicants are responsible for any damage.” The harvesting of hay along the state’s highways for livestock feed has been allowed for several years but has become more popular as hay continues to be in short supply.

Williams says the rules allow farmers to use one state resource while protecting another. “The mowing law was designed primarily to preserve habitat for wildlife during the nesting season. And this was in particular response to the low pheasant population,” Williams explains. “Pheasants nest on the ground and mowing can disturb the nests, or kill the hen and crush the eggs.” Williams says those who do the mowing must wear approved safety apparel furnished by the state. She says work performed between the road and the ditch bottom requires that someone is on hand to direct traffic. There are two harvesting seasons; the first is July 15th through September first.

(Radio Iowa)

Due to recent rain and snow events, the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency has reduced the grassland and field fire danger rating to “Low.” The risk factor had been in the “Moderate” category over the past week. Officials say the latest rating will be in effect until at least Monday, May 6th.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The wet snow that covered parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa likely didn’t hurt many newly planted flowers and vegetables.  The spring storm dumped more than 6 inches of snow over Wednesday night and Thursday morning in Harrison County, Iowa.

Connie Hornbeck at CJ Futures Lawn & Garden Center in Missouri Valley, Iowa, says snow provides a protective cover from low temperatures and wind that pose bigger threats. Hornbeck says “those dry, 20-degree weather things are the things that really hurt” plants.

The moisture-laden snow will benefit most of plants. But she says the weight of it could have broken some stems and doomed the young plants.

Information from the Atlantic Animal Shelter

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A report by Iowa State University economics professor, Bruce Babcock, finds government incentives to help farmers pay for crop insurance push them toward the more expensive insurance and increase the costs to taxpayers. Babcock studied the crop insurance payouts for corn and soybeans related to the 2012 drought. “The premium subsidies incentivize farmers to buy Cadillac coverage,” Babcock says. “The Cadillac coverage increases the indemnities paid out. Taxpayers are paying three-quarters of those indemnities, so the subsidies have a direct impact on taxpayer costs because taxpayers are paying for part of that premium — but they inflate the overall indemnities and taxpayers pay the lion share of those in high-loss years.”

Babcock found the payouts for the top insurance coverage, known as revenue protection, were over 12-BILLION dollars in 2012.  “What I wanted to know was, well what if the subsidies hadn’t created such and incentive to drive farmers to the Cadillac insurance product and instead they got a bare bones..or a regular revenue insurance protection. Or what if they just bought regular yield insurance?,” Babcock asked. He says the answer to the question was the cost of the insurance was much lower. “And it turns out that if farmers had replaced revenue protection with a product called ‘Revenue Protection H-P-E’ –which is pure revenue insurance — the amount of loss would have been decreased from more than 12-BILLION dollars to about six-BILLION dollars. That is, the subsidies had basically increased the indemnities paid to farmers, it more than doubled them,” according the Babcock.

Babcock says he is not being critical of the crop insurance program itself as a security net for farmers. “I’m a critic of the subsidies, and those two are two separate items,” Babcock says. “And I just think that you could cut the subsidies a tremendous amount — or restructure them — save tens of BILLIONs of dollars over 10 years and still provide a high-quality assurance safety net. If that’s what Congress wants, you could do it at a far lower cost.” He says if farmers want the protection of the higher end insurance program, then they should have to pay for it and not have the taxpayers picking up 75-percent of the bill. Babcock talked about his findings with reporters in a conference called set up by the Environmental Working Group.

(Radio Iowa)

Des Moines, Iowa, May 1, 2013 — John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA) stated today that the Iowa FSA will conduct a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending on June 14.

“It continues to be our goal to ensure that we use CRP to address our most critical resource issues” said Whitaker. “Over the last couple of years, our state has experienced both the worst flooding and the worst drought in 60 years. CRP protected environmentally sensitive lands from washing or blowing away. This program, also gave livestock producers extra grazing land when they needed it.”

In addition to erosion control, CRP provides significant water quality benefits including reduced nutrients and sediment loadings and adverse consequences associated with floods as well as expanded and enhanced wildlife habitat.

Currently, about 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide, 1.5 million acres in Iowa. CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. On September 30, 2013, contracts on an estimated 3.3 million acres of CRP nationwide are set to expire; 183,399 acres will expire in Iowa. Producers with expiring contracts or producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP.

Producers whose offers are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance for planting covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract. Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP’s other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, sign-up basis. Continuous sign-ups often provide additional financial incentives. Those sign-up dates will be announced later. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA county office or www.fsa.usda.gov.