Students Invited to Submit Artwork for ‘From the Farm to You’ Calendar

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Rick Watts

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig today encouraged students from Iowa to submit artwork to be considered for inclusion in the “From the Farm to You” calendar. The calendars are distributed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at the Iowa State Fair and include artwork that emphasizes the connection between the production of Iowa’s farmers and the products used by people every day.

“These calendars do a great job of showcasing Iowa agriculture to the visitors at our booths during the Iowa State Fair. The creativity and artistic ability of these students help educate fairgoers about where their food comes from,” Naig said.

Students of all ages are invited to submit artwork. Pictures should be drawn using only black lines on plain white paper, 8 ½ by 11 inches. The pictures should not be colored. They can be submitted to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Calendar Kids, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines, IA 50319.

Drawings must be received by May 1, 2018 to be considered.

Students whose artwork is selected to be in the calendar will be recognized during the Iowa State Fair. An electronic version of the current calendar can be seen at http://www.iowaagriculture.gov/press/pdfs/2017/FarmToYouCalendar2017.pdf.

National Agriculture Day Celebrates American Food and Fiber Production

Posted on March 15, 2018 by Rick Watts

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – March 20 is National Agriculture Day – a day designated each year by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA) to celebrate the accomplishments of agriculture.

This year’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) theme, Agriculture: Food for Life, spotlights the hard work of American farmers, ranchers and foresters who diligently work to provide food, fiber and more to the United States and countries around the world. To ensure a prosperous future for American agriculture, FSA provides continuous support to agriculturalists across the country.

FSA is rural America’s engine for economic growth, job creation and development, offering local service to millions of rural producers. In fiscal year 2017, USDA Farm Loan programs provided $6 billion in support to producers across America, the second highest total in FSA history. FSA also distributed $1.6 billion in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to over 375,000 Americans to improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat.

For agricultural producers who suffered market downturns in 2016, USDA is issuing approximately $8 billion in payments under the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs. USDA also continues to provide extensive assistance in response to natural disasters throughout the country, including last year’s hurricanes in Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, drought in the northern high plains, wildfires in the west and central plains, floods, tornados, freezes and other catastrophic weather events.

To support beginning farmers and ranchers, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue signed a Memorandum of Understanding with officials from SCORE, the nation’s largest volunteer network of expert business mentors, to support new and beginning farmers. The agreement provides new help and resources for beginning ranchers, veterans, women, socially disadvantaged Americans and others, providing new tools to help them both grow and thrive in agribusiness.

For more information about FSA programs and services, visit https://www.fsa.usda.gov/.

Farmers Market Nutrition Program Vendor Training

Posted on March 9, 2018March 9, 2018 by Rick Watts

Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach in Iowa and Johnson County along with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) are cooperating to provide training for local food and farmer’s market producers. The training is for producers who would like become certified to participate in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and Senior FMN. This is the first time Extension offices in Iowa have offered the training to farmers so that they are certified to be able to accept FMNP checks.

“I am excited that Extension offices are supporting this program, as it is helpful to local farmers, farmers markets, young families and the seniors who benefit from the program,” said Gene Mohling, Region 15 Director for ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are proud that we can offer the use of county Extension office space to provide easy access to this training.”

For the 2018 season, there will only be webinar training options, replacing all previous video training methods. Individuals are able to attend any of the webinars from their home, library, or family computer. Throughout the state, ISU Extension and Outreach is partnering with IDALS to deliver these webinars through April to those who wish to view the webinars at Extension locations and those with limited access to a computer or internet connection. Webinars through April will be available for viewing at county Extension offices. Individuals must sign in at the office to account for their attendance.

Below is a listing of the dates, times and registration URLs of each webinar available at ISU Extension and Outreach offices. It is recommended that people register at least 24 hours prior to the training session.

Thursday, March 22

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Tuesday, April 10

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Wednesday, April 25

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Iowa and Johnson County Extension are two of the twenty ISU Extension and Outreach locations across the state that is showing the webinars.

In 2017, WIC recipients in the state of Iowa redeemed $383,000 dollars in certificates and seniors redeemed $477,000 in certificates. The funds are spent only at farmers markets and with local farmers for locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Each webinar will last around 45 min. – 1 hour. If you have questions, you can contact Stephanie Groom at 515-725-1179 or [email protected]

Volunteer Precipitation Observers Invited to Join Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network

Posted on March 6, 2018 by Rick Watts

(DES MOINES, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s State Climatology Office and the National Weather Service are recruiting volunteer precipitation observers across Iowa to participate in the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network, known as “CoCoRaHS” (pronounced “KO-ko-rozz”).

All that is needed to participate is an interest in the weather, a four inch diameter rain gauge, a suitable location to set up the gauge and access to the internet. All data collected are immediately available for free online and are routinely used for flood forecasting, drought assessment, news media stories, scientific research and general weather interest.

Much more information about the network is available on the CoCoRaHS web site at www.cocorahs.org. The website includes information on how to join, where to obtain your rain gauge and how to accurately measure and report rain and snow. There is no cost involved in joining or participating in the CoCoRaHS network other than the need for the four inch diameter rain gauge.

The network was established by the Colorado Climate Center in 1998 and has now spread to all fifty states and Canada. Iowa joined this volunteer network in 2007 and now has over 300 registered CoCoRaHS observers across the state. However, more observers are needed to better document the amount and variability of rain and snow across Iowa.

“In 2017 Iowa recorded its driest year since the drought of 2012. Severe drought gripped much of south central and southeast Iowa for the second consecutive year where rainfall has been as much as 25 inches less than normal over the past 24 months. Meanwhile, above normal rain amounts were restricted to relatively small areas of northeast and west central Iowa. The past few weeks have seen frequent precipitation with snowfall exceeding two feet at Fort Dodge during February,” said Harry Hillaker, State Climatologist for Iowa. “Whatever comes our way in 2018, the weather observations obtained by this network can be of great benefit in obtaining a clearer picture of Iowa’s weather.”

Weather observers are needed everywhere but the most critical needs are in Worth, Wright, Allamakee, Bremer, Greene, Shelby, Cedar, Adair, Adams, Decatur, Monroe, Keokuk and Louisa counties.

– This story was published from a news release sent by the Iowa Department of Agriculture

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