Ag News Information & Resources August 2020

Fayette County ISU Extension & Outreach

218 South Main Street

Fayette, IA 52142

Phone: (563-425-3331)

Fax: (563)425-3339

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/fayette/

Extension Links

Ag Decision Maker

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/

Beef Center

http://www.iowabeefcenter.org/

Dairy Team

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/

dairyteam/

ISU Nutrient Reduction Strategies

http://www.nutrientstrategy.iastate.edu/

Iowa State Research Farms

http://farms.ag.iastate.edu/farms

Iowa Water Quality Initiative

http://www.cleanwateriowa.org/

Manure Management

http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/immag/

Pesticide Management

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/psep/

Pork Center http://www.ipic.iastate.edu/

Farmland Leasing and Management Webinars

Contacts: Melissa O’Rourke, Farm Management Specialist, 563-382-2949, morourke@iastate.edu

Iowa farmers entered 2020 with uncertainty regarding trade agreements with China and the uncertainty has escalated with the impacts of COVID-19. Farming continues – including decisions on farmland rental arrangements. With ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will provide free webinars to reach individuals who prefer to avoid in-person gatherings.

The programs are offered to address questions from landowners, tenants or others with interest in leasing and managing farmland. The free 90-minute webinars will be offered on August 10 from 6 to 7:30 pm; and again on Au-gust 14 from 9:30 to 11 am. Pre-registration is required. Topics include:

• Farmland Management issues

• Legal aspects of farmland leases, plus strategies for writing & terminating a farm lease

• Current cash rental rate and farmland value survey results

• Cost of production considerations

• Methods for determining fair 2021 cash & flexible rent

• Tenant - landlord communication

• Submit questions by virtual “chat”! Webinar participants will receive free access to a 100-page comprehensive online resource book packed with information about land values, leasing and different types of farm lease arrangements. There are a limited number of bound books available which can be purchased and mailed for a fee – re-quests and help with registering for the webinar should be directed to the Fayette County ISU Extension office at 563-425-3331. Melissa O’Rourke, ISU Extension Farm & Agribusiness Management Special-ist will present a wide range of topics related to farmland leasing and man-agement. O’Rourke is a licensed attorney with extensive experience in work-ing with farm, ranch and agribusiness interests. Registration Information

Pre-register for either webinar by logging onto ISU Extension web address: https://bit.ly/3eSOFvX A full flyer will open, showing the two dates and times – and the registrant can click on the link for the meeting desired. More information about this and other farmland leasing meetings in Iowa can be found at ISU Extension’s Ag Decision Maker website: www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm

Steps for Beef Producers Dealing With Storm Damaged Crops Contact: Denise Schwab, Extension Beef Specialist, 319-472-4739, dschwab@iastate.edu

The crop damage in parts of Iowa from the mid-July wind and hail storms has been spotty and variable, leaving producers with everything from slight damage to complete defoliation of corn and beans. Much of the corn damage was leaning or lodging caused by high winds, with most plants having up-righted their growth by now moving into pollination.

Denise Schwab, beef specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, said fields that experienced hail damage didn’t fare as well, but may provide an opportunity for cattle pro-

ducers since cattle are the ultimate up-cyclers, provided fencing and water options are available.

"Now that we’ve had a week or two to see how the damaged crops will respond, it is time to determine the next step,” Schwab said. “If you have severely damaged fields that will not respond to make at least a partial crop, here are some recommendations.”

1. Check with crop insurance – If your crop is insured, the first call needs to be to your insurance agent to get the field adjusted and determine insurance payments. The second question for your agent is what restrictions are in place for growing a forage crop. Are there restrictions on grazing or mechanical harvest, and are there any dates after which it can be grazed? Some will allow a cover crop to be seeded but not grazed until after Nov. 1. Also, be sure your agent has released the field before destroying the field for a new crop.

2. Check pesticide labels – If you plan to graze or harvest a forage crop, be sure to check the labels on all pesti-cides, applied to the corn or bean crop in the last couple months. Two key points to check include when a forage crop can be planted (crop rotation restrictions) and when can it be consumed by livestock (grazing or forage restrictions). Some herbicides may restrict germination of the forage crop, especially since we are mostly considering grass species for seeding. A resource to check pesticide labels for any potential restrictions is www.cdms.net/label-database.

3. Determine feed needs and how annuals can help fill them. Annual forages can fill several niches in a cattle grazing operation by stretching the grazing season and reducing the costs and stored feed needs. Summer annuals are the highest yielding and grow well in the heat of summer, provided adequate moisture is available for germination, however by Aug. 1 it may be worth waiting until mid-August and planting cool season annuals. Read more here

Silage Beef Conference Webinar Series Contact: Dan Loy, Iowa Beef Center Director, 515-294-2333, beefcenter@iastate.edu

The first session of this series was held earlier this month - Iowa Beef Center, University of Nebraska--Lincoln and Lallemand Animal Nutrition are partnering to bring these virtual versions of silage-based info to you. All sessions are being recorded and will be available on our You Tube channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/iowabeefcenter) Here's a quick look at the remaining sessions:

• July 28, Tips & tricks for silage pile construction, Becky Arnold, Territory Business Manager, Lallemand Animal Nu-trition

• August 4, Silage feeding and management for beef cattle in the current environment, Galen Erickson, PhD, Profes-sor, University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Swine Building Maintenance Webinar Series Contact: Mark Storlie, Swine Specialist, 563-425-3331, mstorlie@iastate.edu

The overall profitability of a livestock production operation greatly depends on the age and condition of the buildings. Learn techniques for better ventilation, concrete and truss management will be the focus of a five-part webinar series on building maintenance issues. Each session is offered from 1:00 to 2:00 pm by Zoom videoconference.

• Aug. 19 – It Is Your Concrete Pit as Well

• Aug. 21 – Maintenance of Concrete Pits and What to Look For

• Aug. 24 – Gable End Attic Air Intakes for Roof and Moisture Management

• Aug. 26 – General Maintenance Tips for Swine Buildings

• Aug. 28 – Building Truss Management

The series is offered in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and sponsored by Ag Property Solutions, AgVICE, Hills Bank, Hog Slat, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Marcus Lumber and Pinnacle. Registra-tion is $20 and includes all five sessions. Advance registration is required to participate and must be completed by midnight, Aug. 17. Payment is online with credit card only. Online registration and additional information is available at www.aep.iastate.edu/building.

RUSLE2 Soil Loss Workshop Sessions Offered Oline Contact: Iowa Pork Industry Center 515-294-4103, ipic@iastate.edu

This 5-day workshop is designed to train livestock producers and service providers on how to use RUSLE2 and the Iowa Phosphorus Index in nutrient management and manure man-agement plans. Each day will be a Zoom session from 2:30 to 4:00 pm. The class is limited to 15 participants. Pre-register by Aug. 5 for a fee of $150. The class qualifies for 6 SW and 1 NM Crop Advisor Credits. Details about the program and links for registration and Zoom software are available at: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/

news/rusle2-soil-loss-workshop-sessions-will-be-offered-online

Beef Center Feedlot Short Course Offered in Ames

Contacts: Dan Loy, Iowa Beef Center Director, 515-294-1058, dloy@iastate.edu and Erike Lundy, Extension Beef Specialist, 641-745-5902, ellundy@iastate.edu

The course will be held at the Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center in Ames, August 11-13. The short course is designed specifically for feedlot managers, employees and industry. The $350 per person registration fee includes program materials and meals listed on the agen-da. The registration deadline is midnight, Aug. 4 or when the course limit of 30 is reached, whichever occurs first. All registrations must be done online. See the short course website for registration, requirements, and other information at: www.aep.iastate.edu/feedlot

The event will follow ISU guidelines to ensure health and safety of all participants. Nearly half of the program is on-farm with other sessions at the ISU Beef Nutrition Farm and Couser Cattle Company in Nevada, Iowa. The program runs from 12:30 pm on Tuesday, Aug. 11 through noon on Thursday, Aug. 13. Topics include:

• Bunk management and the basics of starting cattle on feed.

• Feed mixing demonstration and evaluation.

• Managing and identifying cattle health issues in the feedlot.

• Facility design and cattle handling.

Pesticide Container Recycling

Contact: Kristine Schaefer, PSEP Program Manager, 515-294-4286, schaefer@iastate.edu

The Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) (https://www.acrecycle.org/Where_and_How_to_Recycle/Where) sponsors a free program to recycle clean triple-rinsed or pressure-rinsed pesticide containers up to 55 gallons in size. Refer to the ACRC Container Preparation Checklist for more information on preparing containers. Under the ACRC program, G. Phillips and Sons, LLC, located in Stanwood, IA collects and recycles containers in Iowa. For more information, visit G. Phillips and Sons, LLC. To set up a pickup, call G. Phillips & Sons at 563-942-0391 or email them at pickup@gpsagrecycle.com.

Several companies will recycle larger containers, such as mini-bulk and intermediate bulk containers (IBCs). They may have different requirements for collection and costs. Some of the companies serving Iowa include:

G. Phillips and Sons, LLC https://www.gpsagrecycle.com/

Mauser Packaging Solutions https://mauserpackaging.com/

Schuetz Container Systems, Inc. Ticket Service – Collection and Reconditioning of IBCs

Tri-Rinse, Inc. https://www.tri-rinse.com/

For information on cleaning larger containers, refer to the following document (https://tpsalliance.org/pdf/mini-bulk/TPSA_Safety_Cleaning_Cont_FINAL.pdf).

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)

Contact: Randall Cass, ISU Extension Entomologist, 515-294-5967, randall@iastate.edu

Iowans who want to do more to help protect bees and provide additional habitat should consider the Conservation Reserve Program. The federal program, commonly referred to as CRP, has been protecting land and wildlife habitat for 30 years, but more recently, landowners who enroll in the program also have begun taking advantage of protecting pollinators, including honey bees. Entomologist Randall Cass with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, wrote an article for the May-June edition of "Acreage Living Newsletter" that helps explain how CRP ground can benefit bees. He said the state is losing its bees at a staggering rate, of about 40-60% per year. With nearly 5,000 beekeepers in Iowa, that amounts to a big loss.

CRP land is desirable for pollinators because it is left unfarmed, and in the case of pollinator habitat, it contains a mix of foraging species like wildlflowers and flowering legumes. Research conducted by Iowa State University has shown that honey bees on these sites perform better than when placed near agricultural sites, according to the article. According to Cass, it’s important that beekeepers and Iowa landowners understand the opportunity that exists. He said that NRCS offices are willing to connect beekeepers with CRP landowners, and landowners can connect with beekeepers by visiting the Iowa Honey Producers Association website to find contact information for a beekeeping club in their area. For more information visit: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/conservation-reserve-land-can-make-attractive-bee-habitat

Conservation Reserve Land Can Make Attractive Bee Habitat

What to Do If You Receive Mystery Seeds in the Mail?

Contact: Donald Lewis, Dept. of Entomology, Horticulture & Home Pest News

Why we are concerned?

1. The seed is unlabeled, and could be an invasive plant that does not currently exist in the US.

2. The seed may contain seed-borne diseases that we don’t have in the USA.

3. Some packets appear to have an unknown seed treatment applied (seed treatments are usually an insecticide and/or fungicide). Because the packets are unlabeled we don’t know what the compounds are, nor how dangerous they could be to human health.

4. Seed is an agricultural commodity that is regulated for quality and content by the USDA as well as State Depart-ments of Agriculture. Advise from USDA 1. Do not plant the seed. 2. Do not open the packets. 3. Do not eat the seed. 4. Please retain the packaging and seed, once we have directives from USDA will likely be making arrangements to collect the seed for appropriate disposal. What to do if you receive unsolicited seed Contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture or USDA and report your contact information. Once we have a directive from USDA we will make contact with everyone and make appropriate arrangements. IDALS – 515-281-5321 Or, USDA – 515-251-4083

Upcoming Events

Aug 6 — Private Pesticide Appli-cator Training, 8:30 am & 1 pm, Extension Office, Pre-register by calling 563-425-3331

Aug 18 — Extension Council meeting, 7:30 pm, Extension Of-fice

Aug 27 — Private Pesticide Appli-cator Training, 8:30 am & 1 pm, Extension Office, Pre-register by calling 563-425-3331