ISU Extension and Outreach information and resources for north central Iowa

Floyd County

ISU Extension and Outreach

112 N Main Street Charles City IA 50616 641-228-1453 beranekiastateedu wwwextensioniastateedufloyd

AG NEWS TODAY

Septic Systems Out of Sight-Out of Mind-and

Out of Pocket

By Tom Glanville Professor

Emeritus ISU Extension Agri-

cultural and Biosystems Engi-

neering 515-290-3741

tglanviliastateedu They are usually out of sight

- so are easily forgotten -

but septic systems do need

maintenance and failing to

do it can lead to costly re-

pairs

Septic systems have two main componentsmdashA tank traps floating solids and

sludge A soil or sand filter (soil absorption trenches leaching field buried

sand filter filter mound or occasionally a mechanical treatment unit) reduces

bacteria and soluble pollutants in septic tank effluent before the liquid is dis-

charged into the soil (preferred) or (when soils are not suitable) into a ditch or

stream

The most important maintenance task on the tank component of the system is

to have it checked and pumped out periodically If the tank is allowed to fill

with solids then these damaging particles will be flushed into the filter

disposal component of the system causing plugging - followed by develop-

ment of wet areas in the disposal area - and ultimately requiring costly excava-

tion and reconstruction

For further information on septic system design installation and maintenance

contact your local county environmental health sanitarian the Iowa Depart-

ment of Natural Resources or check out the excellent publications posted on

the Septic Systems page of the National Environmental Services Center

httpwwwextensioniastateedusmallfarmscontentseptic-systems-out-sight-

out-mind-and-out-pocket

Some Food for Thought About Careers in Ag httpyoutubeeQwjkEUXEN0

Update on Northern Corn Leaf Blight in Iowa

By Alison Robertson ISU Extension Plant Pathology and Microbiology

515-294-6708 alisonriastateedu

On July 7 2015 I spent much of the afternoon in Marion

Country walking cornfields looking for Northern Corn

Leaf Blight (NCLB)

We visited 11 fields planted to various hybrids and

ranging in growth stage from V13 to almost tasseling

(VT) Driving up to the fields the corn looked very

good and it was easy to think there was not much going

on in the field

In all of the fields we did not have to walk far before we

found NCLB Read more of this article online at http

wwwextensioniastateeduCropNews20150709Robertsonhtm

Extension Links

Ag Decision Maker

wwwextensioniastateeduagdm

Beef Center

wwwiowabeefcenterorg

ISU Ag Newsletters

wwwextensioniastateeduagnewsletters

Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy

wwwnutrientstrategyiastateedu

Iowa State Research Farms

wwwagiastateedufarms

Iowa Water Quality Initiative

wwwcleanwateriowaorg

Manure Management

wwwagronextiastateeduimmag

Pesticide Management

wwwextensioniastateedupme

Pork Center

wwwipiciastateedu

July 15 2015

hellip and justice for all Iowa State University Extension programs are available to all without regard to race color age religion national origin sexual orientation gender identity genetic information sex marital status disability or status as a US veteran Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance 3280 Beardshear Hall (515) 294-7612

Cooperative Extension Service Iowa State University of Science and Technology and the United States Department of Agriculture cooperating

WHAT IS A RIPARIAN BUFFER

By Dan Burden Value Added Agriculture ISU Extension and Outreach 515-294-9520 djburdeniastateedu

By definition a riparian buffer is a vegetated buffer-strip near a stream which helps

to shade and partially protect the stream from the impact of adjacent urban industrial or

agricultural land use

In the early days of our agricultural landscape we had small fields surrounded by

fencerows Most of these fields were not tiled The woody vegetation and other plants

and their root systems in the fencerows created above and below-ground buffers around

every field Regular crop rotations worked to provide nutrient that was slowly released

from organic matter With the advent of ldquoclean farmingrdquo came the unexpected conse-

quences of increased soil erosion water-born nutrient and chemical run-off and wildlife

habitat loss

So today we look at ways to recreate the benefits of these earlier times through well-

designed buffers and other strategies One of the most widely recognized models is the

three-zone buffer developed by the USDA Forest Service In most situations design decisions about the width of its three

buffer zones will be a compromise between wildlife corridor bank stabilization water-quality-protection ideals and the

economic reality of your land-use plan

To learn how buffers can be used effectively read the full article at httpwwwextensioniastateedusmallfarmscontent

what-riparian-buffer

Managing Farm Financials Easier with Crop Marketing Videos

Series tackles crop and livestock market strategies for farmers By Chad Hart Agriculture Economics 515-294-9911 chartiastateedu

AMES Iowa ndash A series of educational videos addressing various components of grain marketing fundamentals was re-

cently created for Iowa farmers Crop Marketing 101 features faculty and staff from Iowa State University Extension and

Outreach and is available to view on the Ag Decision Maker website httpwwwextensioniastateeduagdm and the

ISU Extension and Outreachrsquos Agriculture and Natural Resources YouTube channel

Details for using these risk management strategies when planning a farm financial strategy can be found in a recent arti-

cle in the June 2015 Ag Decision Maker newsletter The instructional videos are from three to eight minutes in length and

include Introduction to Crop Marketing ISU Crop Marketing Information Basis Futures Carry amp the Cost of Storage

Market Fundamentals (SupplyDemand) Technical Chart Signals Seasonal Price Trends Crop Marketing Strategies

Marketing Tools Futures Marketing Tools Options and Developing a Crop Marketing Plan

ISU Extension and Outreachrsquos Ag Decision Maker website has an Iowa Commodity Challenge page with a 60-page Mar-

keting Tools Workbook with weekly tracking tables market planning activities along with recorded webcasts Links for

the videos and other marketing resources can be found on the Markets page of Ag Decision Maker

wwwextensioniastateeduagdm For more information contact an Extension farm management specialist

Farmland Leasing Meeting

Farm tenants amp land owners are encouraged to attend August 17 in Charles City

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Floyd County is hosting a farmland

leasing meeting on August 17 at 900 am at the Floyd County Extension Office 112

N Main St The annual meeting is offered to address questions that land owners ten-

ants or other interested individuals have about leasing farmland

Pre-registration is $20 per individual or $25 for walk-ins and includes materials To

register contact the Floyd County ISU Extension and Outreach office at 641-228-1453

or email beranekiastateedu

The leasing meetings being held across Iowa are facilitated by farm management specialists with ISU Extension and Out-

reach A listing of county extension offices hosting the meetings will be available on the ISU Extension and Outreach

online July and August calendar at httpwwwextensioniastateeducalendarand at Ag Decision Maker online

Improving Your Farm Lease Contract - How to Determine a

Reasonable Rent-YouTube Video Published on Jun 9 2015

In this video Kelvin Leibold Extension Farm Management Specialist in North Central Iowa answers the question on

where to start when looking at farmland cash rental rates including resources for looking at specific tracts of land

Watch the video online at httpswwwyoutubecomwatchv=y8t_mkCajAMampfeature=youtube

ISU Extension Offers Weeds Week Aug 3-7

Weeklong event focuses on herbicide effectiveness Contact Virgil Schmitt Extension Field Agronomist 563-263-5701 vschmittiastateedu

Farmers and agribusiness representatives will benefit from Weeds Week a weeklong series of informational meetings

focusing on herbicides and their effectiveness The half-day sessions will be held Aug 3-7 at five Iowa State University

research farms across the state and hosted by Iowa State University

Extension and Outreach field agronomists

ldquoOur goal is to help farmers develop effective weed management

plansrdquo Schmitt said ldquoWe want to help farmers and ag retailers sup-

port each other in this process By doing so they can increase their

profitability and minimize negative impacts on the environmentrdquo

Schmitt said ldquoThe sessions have been developed to provide tools

that help farmers and agribusinesses work together to develop long-

term weed management plans that identify sites of action promote

timely application of herbicides and avoid the expenses of dealing

with herbicide resistancerdquo he added

Each session will include presentations hands-on weed management planning small group discussion and plot tours pre-

sented by ISU field agronomists In the farmer-oriented session farmers will learn how to select herbicides from the herb-

icide effectiveness table identify which herbicides to apply and develop their own four-year weed management plan Ag-

ribusiness representatives will receive similar information but it will be presented with a focus on how to support farmers

and their operations

The schedule has been developed so that the morning sessions will conclude with lunch and the afternoon sessions will

begin with lunch which is included in the registration

The schedule is as follows

Registration is $25 for each session and includes refreshments lunch and materials To assist with facility and meal plan-

ning there is a registration deadline 4 days prior to each meeting Register online with a credit card at

wwwaepiastateeduweeds For more information call 515-294-6429 or anrisstateedu Related links ANR Program

Services httpwwwaepiastateeduweeds

Biosecurity for Beef Operations

By Beth Doran ISU Extension Beef Program Specialist 712-395-0280 doranbiastateedu

The recent outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the upper Midwest is a reminder of the importance of good

biosecurity For an update on the status of avian influenza in Iowa information may be found at

wwwiowaagriculturegovavianinfluenzaasp

Specifically a biosecurity plan is designed to prevent the spread and movement of infectious diseases onto the operation

Read a brief description of the parts of a biosecurity plan for beef operations online at httpus1campaign-

archive2comu=757e526920d2f01d926ab00b9ampid=7d50ee169d

Southeast Research Farm 3115 Louisa-Washington Road Crawfordsville Iowa

August 3 2015

930 am Farmer Session

1 pm Agribusiness Session

Armstrong Research Farm 53020 Hitchcock Avenue Lewis Iowa

August 4 2015

930 am Agribusiness Session

1 pm Farmer Session

Northeast Research Farm 3321 290th Street Nashua Iowa

August 5 2015

930 am Farmer Session

1 pm Agribusiness Session

Northwest Research Farm 6320 500th Street Sutherland Iowa

August 6 2015

930 am Farmer Session

1 pm Agribusiness Session

Field Extension Education Lab 1928 240th Street Boone Iowa

August 7 2015

930 am Farmer Session

1 pm Agribusiness Session

Weeds invade a corn field in Iowa

Iowa Learning Farms July Webinar on Soil Health

Article | Wed 07082015 - 1539 | By Carol Brown Iowa Learning Farms 515-294-8912 cbrown1iastateedu

AMES Iowa mdash The monthly Iowa Learning Farms webinar for July will be Wednesday July 22 at 1 pm This monthrsquos

presenter is Mahdi Al-Kaisi Iowa State University professor in the agronomy department He will discuss the concept of

soil health its basic principles factors for healthy soil and management choices that affect the soil health

The ILF webinars are usually held on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 pm although this month it is on the

fourth Wednesday They are free and all that is needed to participate is a computer with Internet access To participate

go to httpsconnectextensioniastateeduilf at 1 pm on the day of the webinar and log in through the guest option

Webinar participants will be able to converse with Al-Kaisi by typing their questions through the chat function All past

webinars are archived on the ILF website httpwwwextensioniastateeduilfWebinars

Webinar Series on Ag Drainage Water Management Announced

By Matt Helmers Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering 515-294-6717 mhelmersiastateedu

AMES IowamdashAgricultural drainage water management and drainage water quality are the topics

of a series of webinars recently developed by a team of extension specialists from several Upper

Midwest universities The webinars will be presented monthly from July-December

The six one-hour webinars will be held at 9 am Central Time on the following Wednesdays July

22 Aug 19 Sept 16 Oct 21 Nov 18 and Dec 16 Topics to be presented include landscape-

level nutrient reduction controlled drainage bioreactors saturated buffers wetlands sub-

irrigation and the economics of drainage Those wishing to participate can log in at https

connectextensioniastateedubcch A wired connection will be most reliable Each person log-

ging in to the session will need to click the ldquoEnter as a Guestrdquo button For more information con-

tact Connie Cannon at Iowa State University ccannoniastateedu or 515-294-1230

PHOTO Tim Smith Photo Credit Joseph L MurphyIowa Soybean Association

Tuesday July 21 2015 100 AM - 800 PM 4-H Non-Livestock Exhibit Judging Charles City

Wednesday July 22 2015 ndash Sunday July 26 2015 700 AM - 700 PM Floyd County Fair Charles City

Monday August 3 2015 ndash Thursday August 6 2015 900 AM - 300 PM Explore Science with Robots Charles City

Monday August 10 2015 530 PM - 730 PM Growing Season Webinar - Pollinators amp Growing Herbs Charles City

Monday August 17 2015 900 AM - 1130 AM Farmland Leasing amp Land Value Meeting Charles City

530 PM - 700 PM Food Preservation 101 Charles City

To view this newsletter online or find more information about these events go to wwwextensioniastateedufloyd or call 641-228-1453

Floyd County Extension and Outreach

Calendar of Events

Floyd Co Extension Staff Interim Regional Ext Director Bill Arndorfer 319-231-7397 barndorfiastateedu County Executive Director Lesley Mehmen Milius 641-228-1453 lmehmeniastateedu 4-H Program Assistant Allison Hocking 641-228-1453 ahockingiastateedu Food Nutrition Program Assistant Julie Mayhew 641-228-1453 jmayhewiastateedu 4-H Office Assistant Kim Vance 641-228-1453 kvanceiastateedu Office AssistantBookkeeper Jane Beranek 641-228-1453 beranekiastateedu

Agriculture Specialists Livestock Russ Euken 641-923-2856 reukeniastateedu Agronomy Terry Basol 641-435-4864 tlbasoliastateedu Farm Management Melissa OrsquoRourke 712-737-4230 morourkeiastateedu