2022 February Stewardship Advocate
MONTHLY UPDATE FROM BEN GLEASON, IOWA CORN SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS MANAGER
Spring is right around the corner. Before everyone gets busy in the field, be sure to nominate your friends and neighbors for the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Awards. Nominations will be accepted until May 2 with the awards ceremony in August at the Iowa State Fair. Click here for more information.
Deadlines are quickly approaching for several conservation incentive programs:
- NRCS is accepting applications for Conservation Incentive Contracts until February 25. This is a new program for conservation practices that support soil health and regenerative grazing.
- The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign up is open until March 11. This is a great opportunity to put unprofitable acres into perennial vegetation for wildlife and other environmental benefits in exchange for a rental payment. Click here for more information.
- The Pandemic Cover Crop Program provides a $5/acre crop insurance discount if cover crops are planted during the 2022 crop year. This can be added on top of the Iowa cover crop program. To participate in the program, farmers must report cover crop acres by March 15. Click here for more information.
Finally, don’t forget about the partnership between National Corn Growers Association and Pheasants Forever (PF). The collaboration provides free technical assistance, including a site visit by a PF biologist, to help corn farmers evaluate conservation concerns including pollinator habitat. For more information or to request a site visit, click here, email pollinator@pfqf.org, or call Brent Rudolph at 517-980-4570.
LATEST INFORMATION
EPA Says Updated ESA Pesticide Policy Will Protect Tools
Know Definitions of Common Carbon Terms
Healthier Soils, Resilient Crops, Cleaner Water
How to Unlock the Secrets in Soil Test Data
Soil Health Nurtures Ground and Feeds Long-term Profitability
On-farm Monitoring Informs Management to Keep Phosphorus in Place
Beyond Honeybees: Pollinators in Agriculture
A Love for the Land and Livestock Drives Conservation Decisions
UPCOMING EVENTS
February 24 Soil Fertility Workshop, Ogden
February 24 Soil Fertility Workshop, Tipton
February 25 Soil Fertility Workshop, Waterloo
February 28 Soil Fertility Workshop, Fayette
March 1 Soil Fertility Workshop, Dyersville
March 1 Cover Crop Brunch, Oskaloosa
March 2 Soil Fertility Workshop, Riceville
March 3 Research Farm Annual Meeting, Britt
March 3 Research Farm Annual Meeting, Iowa City
March 3 Soil Fertility Workshop, Mt Pleasant
March 4 Soil Fertility Workshop, Ottumwa
March 8 Perennial Vegetation Workshop, Prairie City
March 10 Flood Mitigation, Virtual
March 15 Perennial Vegetation Workshop, Calmar
March 17 Soil Fertility Workshop, LeMars
March 22 Roadsides for Monarchs, Webinar
March 23 Legalities of Carbon Contracts, Webinar
March 23 Cover Crop Field Day, Grand Mound
March 23 Focus on Phosphorus, Webinar
March 30 Farm to Brew, Dyersville
FARMER TO FARMER VIDEO
Farmer to Farmer: Improving Soil Health on Rented Land
Panelists from Iowa Corn’s soil health seminars at the Iowa Ag Expo share their experiences with having successful conversations about soil health practices with their landlords. Go to https://www.iowacorn.org/corn-production-research/farming-practices/renting-farmland-landowner-tenant-resources/ for additional resources.
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In this month's edition of Stewardship Advocate the Iowa Corn Promotion Board, Iowa Soybean Association, and the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance are leading a statewide push toward a national cover crop goal of 30 million acres.
This month’s Stewardship Advocate is partially adapted from an article from the Illinois Corn Growers Association entitled “A Farmer’s Guide to the GREET model”. Recently, there has been a lot of information and confusion about the GREET model, especially as it relates to tax credits like 45Z and 40B.