DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey announced today (Thusday) that cost share funds are available to help farmers install nutrient reduction practices.  The initial practices that are prioritized for funding this fall are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.

“These funds are available to help farmers take steps this fall to reduce nutrient losses,” Northey said.  “This is the first step of implementing the Iowa Water Quality Initiative and we have a lot more work to do, but we are excited to start working with farmers to get voluntary science-based conservation practices on the ground.”

The cost share rate for farmers planting cover crops is $25 per acre and for farmers trying no-till or strip till is $10 per acre.  Farmers using a nitrapyrin nitrification inhibitor when applying fall fertilizer can receive $3 per acre.

Any farmer not already utilizing these practices can apply for assistance.  Farmers are only eligible for cost share on up to 160 acres. Farmers can contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District office to apply. “By allowing farmers to try new practices on a limited number of acres at a reduced cost we want to showcase the benefits of these practices and encourage farmers to incorporate them into their operation,” Northey said.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship received $3 million in one-time funding to support statewide science-based water quality practices.  The Department has set aside up to $1.8 million that will be available to support these practices this fall.  The funds can be used over the next five years and it is anticipated additional rounds of funding will be available that will include assistance for additional nutrient reduction practices, including buffers, bioreactors, wetlands, and others listed in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

(Press Release)

w/ Kate Olson

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.6MB)

Subscribe: RSS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A U.S. Department of Agriculture weekly survey shows Iowa’s cropland is getting drier as most of the state sees little rainfall. The agency says 41 percent of topsoil had adequate or surplus moisture, down 8 percentage points from the previous week. An estimated 54 percent of subsoil was in the adequate to surplus range.

Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey notes that cooler weather was putting less stress on crops, but the lower temperatures have caused plants to develop more slowly. That comes amid a season in which crops already were far behind five-year averages.

The USDA found that corn conditions worsened slightly, with 5 percent rated very poor, 12 percent poor, 32 percent fair, 41 percent good and 10 percent excellent.

Iowans who love the taste of farm-fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and other just-picked veggies already know where to go — as this is Iowa Farmers Market Week. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says there are more than 220 farmers markets across the state, and you’re never too far away from one. Northey says, “They’re one or two or sometimes three times a week in a location so you kind of have to pay attention to know where it’s at, but boy, once people get going, it becomes something they always want to get to and see what new products are there, meet and see friends and just get caught up on what’s going on.”

Northey says farmers markets sell more than just produce, but that is the number-one lure. “The produce and the changing of the seasons is certainly one of the things that draws folks there,” Northey says. “When strawberries show up or when sweet corn shows up, we see a surge in traffic but there’s also baked goods and crafts and other kinds of things, depending on what each market has.”

About a year ago, the state ag department launched a free downloadable smart phone app which offers a searchable database of Iowa’s farmers markets. Learn more at: www.agriculture.state.ia.us

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State transportation officials are warning motorists that as Iowa’s corn crop grows taller, they need to be extra cautious at intersections and railroad crossings. The Iowa Department of Transportation says the state had 33 crashes in 2012 that were blamed on obstructed views due to trees or crops. Those crashes left one person dead and at least 40 people injured.

Although most people who have lived for any stretch in Iowa are accustomed to crops occasionally hindering views, state safety engineer Jeremey Vortherms says people still underestimate the danger. At uncontrolled intersections, Vortherms says drivers should act as if a stop or yield sign were posted.

Andrea Farrior and Chris Parks discuss the latest news from the Atlantic Animal Shelter.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (4.2MB)

Subscribe: RSS

w/ Dr. Keith Leonard

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.7MB)

Subscribe: RSS

Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors welcome new business Renew Ag Supply to 811 Sunnyside Lane in Atlantic. Owner and manager Peggy Beschorner hosted the group and shared her story of 30 plus years in the ag supply industry serving the Atlantic Area.

Pictured are: Lana Westphalen, Carole Schuler, Jolene Roecker, Nedra Perry, Deb Leistad, Sue Muri, Peggy Beschorner, Arlene Drennan, Bil Saluk, Dolly Bergmann & Tessa, Pat McCurdy, Connie Wailes, Donnie Drennan, Gerald Brink, Russell Joyce, Jim Kickland, Chip Hansen, Kathie Hockenberry, Rich Perry, Karl Aldag, JoAnn Runyan, Tammy Waters, Melanie Petty, Diane Harris, Lucas Mosier, Keith Leonard, Josh Dvorak, and Sara Nelson.

Renew Ag Supply offers products for large animals including antibiotics, vaccinations and many other products necessary for farming operations. Beschorner said they hope to expand and fill their new space as the business grows.

The Iowa Dept. of Natural Resources reports the State’s 15-day annual pheasant population survey began with tempered expectations on Aug. 1, after a record setting wet spring, with cool temperatures that followed a snowy winter. Todd Bogenschutz, upland wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources , coordinates and collects the data from the 208, 30-mile survey routes.

Bogenschutz says “When our pheasants do best, it’s after mild winters with less than 30 inches of snow followed by a warm, dry spring nesting season where we receive less than eight inches of rain. We had that scenario last year and our birds responded. But that is not the case this year.”

The nesting season is April 1 to May 31 and during that period, the average temperature was 51 degrees and Iowa received 15.4 inches of precipitation, including a significant snowfall during the first weekend in May. In years with similar weather, the pheasant survey found declines ranging from 4 percent to 51 percent. “It’s probably assured that the pheasant count will decline, the only question is by how much,” according to Bogenschutz, who says “We will know soon.”

The 30-mile routes are driven at sunrise on gravel roads preferably on mornings with heavy dew and little wind. The surveyors watch for hens moving their broods to the road edges to dry off before starting to look for insects. Surveyors note the number in the brood, any adult pheasants present and the size of the chicks, which tells Bogenschutz if this was an initial nest or if the nest was washed out and this brood was from a second or even third nest attempt. Each attempt after the first has fewer eggs than the previous attempt. They are the same routes each year.

The survey also collects data on cottontail rabbits, jack rabbits, quail and Hungarian partridge. The information will be available online at www.iowadnr.gov/pheasantsurvey by the middle of September.