OCTOBER 2018 STEWARDSHIP ADVOCATE UPDATE

Posted on October 23, 2018 at 9:52 AM by Iowa Corn

MONTHLY UPDATE FROM BEN GLEASON, IOWA CORN SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS MANAGER

Happy Harvest!

Thankfully, the rains have relented, and fields are drying out. I won’t even bother showing any depressing rainfall totals. But I have gotten some questions about planting cover crops and cost share program deadlines. Those who were lucky enough to have already planted their cover crops are seeing good growth due to the wet weather. For those who have not planted cover crops yet this season, here are a couple of considerations:

Sign up is now open for farmers using cover crops to receive a $5 per acre premium reduction on next year’s crop insurance. There is no acreage limit, but those already receiving state or federal cost share are not eligible for acres covered by cost share. Any additional acres would be eligible. Sign up is online at www.cleanwateriowa.org/covercropdemo and the deadline is January 15, 2019.
Due to the wet weather, seeding deadlines for cost share programs have been extended by two weeks. An additional extension may be granted if temperatures are above normal to allow for germination. If you can’t meet the deadline, you can work with your soil and water conservation district office to modify your contract. Click here for more information. The revised cover crop seeding dates for winter hardy cover crops like cereal rye are:

Zone 1 Northern Iowa – November 5
Zone 2 Central Iowa – November 12
Zone 3 Southern Iowa – November 19

Finally, be sure to save the date for the 2019 Soil Health Summit on January 15-16 in St Louis. For the first time the summit will be open to anyone so expect hundreds of farmers and crop advisers to attend. You’ll get the latest soil health strategies, data insights, and business impacts! Click here for more information.

Stay safe during this busy time of year!

P.S. If pheasants are ravaging your crops, call Mickie. She’s a pheasant hunting machine.