JUNE 2017 STEWARDSHIP ADVOCATE UPDATE

MONTHLY UPDATE FROM BEN GLEASON, IOWA CORN SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS MANAGER

Summer is officially here and the field day calendar is full of events! Be sure to attend one in your area and learn about conservation and soil health. As scouting and spraying ramps up, make sure you’re following the pesticide label and avoiding drift. Farmers in the South are having major issues with dicamba drift, and Arkansas is considering banning the herbicide. Also be on the lookout for Palmer Amaranth in both cropped and non-cropped areas, like CRP.

Stewardship Advocate Program Survey

The Stewardship Advocate program was launched last spring to provide you with valuable stewardship and conservation information that you can apply to your farm. Please consider filling out this survey to help us know how we can best inform you about these important topics. After this summer, we will only be sending the updates to those who have registered for the program, so be sure to sign up if you haven't already done so. 

FARMER TO FARMER:

LET'S TALK cover crops and Cattle

Doug Holliday of Adair County has found success with using cereal rye as a cover crop on his farm. He has found that the rye not only protects his soil, but is also is a great feed source for his cattle operation. Watch the video to learn more about his experience with cover crops.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• June 29: Nitrogen and Water Week, Sutherland

• June 29: Nitrogen and Water Week, Crawfordsville

• July 6: Iowa Corn Policy Roundtables, Algona, Fairfield, Carroll, Osage, Radcliffe

• July 6: Lake Rathbun Improvement Plan, Chariton

• July 10: Pasture Walk and Cover Crops, Cascade

• July 11: Edge of Field Practices, Webinar

• July 11: Palmer Amaranth Workshop, Winterset

• July 11: Cover crop field day, Ainsworth

• July 12: Iowa Corn Policy Roundtables, Storm Lake, Creston, Fayette

• July 12: Soil Health Partnership field day, Donahue

• July 12: North Raccoon Watershed Meeting, Lake City

• July 13: Iowa Corn Policy Roundtables, Sheldon, Iowa City, Avoca, Indianola

• July 14: District 3 50^th Anniversary, Guttenberg

• July 19: Soil Health Partnership field day, Sioux Rapids

• July 19: Clear Creek Watershed Meeting, Coralville

• July 19: Cover Crop Workshop, Grundy Center

• July 20: Economic Summit, Ames

• July 20: Water Quality Initiative, Clearfield

• July 20: Pasture Walk and Cover Crops, Maquoketa

• JULY 25: MIDDLE CEDAR WATERSHED MEETING, VINTON

• July 26: Soil Health Partnership field day, Lake City

• July 26: Manure management field day, Iowa Falls

• July 27: Pasture Walk and Cover Crops, Vinton

LATEST INFORMATION:

• The Importance of Three Modes of Action to Control Weeds

• States Urge EPA to Cut Obama Era WOTUS Rule

• Gulf of Mexico’s 2017 Dead Zone Predicted to be Third Largest in 32 Years

• Meeting Needs, Maximizing Benefits

• Seed Mix for Monarchs and Bees Developed by Iowa State

• Update on Des Moines Water Works vs Iowa Farmers

• Iowa Farmers Plant Record Cover Crop Acres…Again

• Farmers Respond to Common Questions about Conservation

• How Meaghan Anderson Helped Iowa’s Farmers Deal with Palmer Amaranth

• Northey Promotes Cost-Share Program

Be sure to fill out our survey and let us know how we are doing.