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  • Farmers urged to check for winter injury in hay stands

    DECORAH, Iowa — Brian Lang, Extension field agronomist in Decorah, has fielded several calls about alfalfa winter injury. \"There was some alfalfa winter–kill, with the majority occurring on south–facing slopes of alfalfa fields seeded in the spring of 2012,\" Lang said.

  • Farmers learning cover crop ropes

    WAUKON, Iowa — Given last summer\'s drought and a winter that never seemed to end, Allamakee County farmers are pleased with the result of aerial seeding cover crops into standing corn and soybeans, said Jake Groth, soil conservationist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in Waukon. Up until last year, farmers using cover crops generally seeded cereal rye or winter wheat after corn silage and then chopped or baled it in the spring, Groth said. Farmers with CSP and EQIP contracts weren\'t getting cover crops established in a timely manner to gain all the benefits, and they looked into having cover crop seed flown onto standing corn and soybeans in August.

  • Cover crops provide benefits to farmers

    WAUKON, Iowa — Kerry Troendle of Waukon has been drilling cereal rye, wheat or a wheat–rye mix into 20 acres of soybean ground after harvest for several years for soil conservation and to provide additional forage for his cattle. His cattle graze on the rye through the winter. When the cows come off in the spring, he lets the rye grow, and then mows, bales and wraps it. He waits a week, sprays it and then no–till plants corn a week later. \"I like it,\" Troendle said. \"It helps to make better use of the ground. I get an extra crop to help feed the cows, so I can at least plant a row crop and catch some of the $7 corn.\" Troendle runs 50 head of beef cows.

  • Farmers should contact insurance providers

    DES MOINES — Farmers with cover crops should contact their insurance providers if they are interested in haying or grazing after May 10. The USDA Risk Management Agency provided new guidance that says insurance providers may allow farmers to continue to