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APRIL 2019 STEWARDSHIP ADVOCATE UPDATE

Posted on April 23, 2019 at 7:58 AM by Iowa Corn

MONTHLY UPDATE FROM BEN GLEASON, IOWA CORN SUSTAINABLE PROGRAMS MANAGER

 

Luckily, April showers were fewer than usual, and hopefully that has allowed most everyone to catch up on field work. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has lots of news to share recently.  The annual conservation compliance reviews are coming. If you farm highly erodible land (HEL), you are required to follow a conservation plan in order to maintain eligibility for USDA programs. The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) staff will be conducting compliance reviews soon, usually after planting and before crop canopy. They will check to make sure residue levels are adequate, grass waterways are in place, and no gullies are forming. NRCS has changed its stance and no longer allows tillage to be used to smooth gullies.

 

However, due to the unprecedented flooding, the Iowa NRCS state conservationist, Kurt Simon, requested and received a waiver for conservation compliance in 56 Presidential Declared counties.  The waiver allows farmers time to recover from the weather events.  However, they are expected to follow their conservation plans as closely as possible. This is great news for farmers who have more important things to worry about, and we thank Iowa NRCS for this much needed flexibility.

                                                                                                                      

 

Here are additional program updates from USDA:

  • The next deadline for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is May 10. CSP provides financial assistance for a variety of conservation practices, and a few changes have been made following the 2018 Farm Bill.  Click here for more information.
  • Due to recent extreme weather, emergency grazing will be allowed on CRP acres. Click here for more information.

 


FARMER TO FARMER: The importance of soil health and water quality to iowa

                                                                                                  

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig discusses the importance of soil health and water quality and the impact Iowa serves as a leader in both.

 


UPCOMING EVENTS:

April 30: Soil Sessions, Webinar

May 14: Southfork Watershed Meeting, Iowa Falls

May 16: Hypoxia Task Force, Webcast

May 16 English River Watershed Meeting, North English

May 28: Monarch Conservation, Webinar

June 4: Cover Crop Field Day, LaPorte City

June 11: Upper Iowa Watershed Meeting, Decorah

June 13: Iowa Flood Center Anniversary, Iowa City

June 19: Nishnabotna Watershed Meeting, Oakland

June 20: Research Farm Field Day, Kanawha

June 20: Research Farm Field Day, Crawfordsville


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