High school seniors in Iowa can apply for a scholarship through the Soil and Water Conservation District. Seniors looking at a career in agriculture or natural resources may apply for one of three scholarship awards.
Each senior should apply at their local Soil and Water Conservation District office with this application. Each county will choose a winner for nomination. The CDI Auxiliary President will then choose recipients for the $1,000, $1,200 or $1,800 scholarships.
All interested applicants must complete the designated application. Once completed students must submit by March 11, 2011. Winners will be announced in April or May.
Benton County applicants can also apply for the Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners Scholarship. Applicants are available at the Soil, Water and Conservation District Office in Venton for students entering two- or four-year programs. Applications are due March 1, 2011 to the Benton County office. For more information contact 319.476.2161, extension A.
Contact Farm Plus today for information on agriculture scholarships. Call 866-929-5585.
Written by: Melissa Warner / Farm Plus Staff Writer
The United States Department of Agriculture is awarding $310 million to improve or install broad-band Internet in 14 rural counties.
The high-speed Internet will be put in counties in Alaska, Missouri, Alabama and Iowa. The USDA plans for Internet access to bring jobs to the counties as well as training for employment.
The money will be used on specific proposed projects. Those interested in receiving money should apply by March 15 to their local Farm Service Agency office.
Inflation fears? Refinance with Farm Plus before farm loan rates rise. Farm loan rates starting at 2.99% with 25 year terms. See our rate sheet here or call, toll free, 866-929-5585.
The large wind farm totaled $400 million by completion and produces 200 megawatts of power. That is enough energy to power for 50,000 homes.
Whispering Willow Wind Farm-East is located in Franklin County and has 121 wind turbines over 144 square miles.
Alliant Energy expects over the next 20 years that the farm will save 2 million tons of carbon dioxide, 7,000 tons of sulfur and 2,600 tons of nitrogen oxides. This is like taking 309,000 cars off the road annually.
The construction began in 2008.
Inflation fears? Refinance with Farm Plus before farm loan rates rise. Farm loan rates starting at 2.99% with 25 year terms. See our rate sheet here or call, toll free, 866-929-5585.
According to the latest American Wind Energy Association survey, Iowa is still one of the leading states in electrical power from wind.
Iowa is the second largest wind-power producing state in the United States. The survey shows that Iowa produces 3,053 megawatts, right behind Texas with 8,797 megawatts.California is the third largest producer with 2,787 megawatts.
In 2009 Iowa has added new farms in Adair, Story and Pottawattamie counties. This increased the state’s megawatts by 300.
Dennis Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association, said the interest and growth of wind energy has increased over the past year with a number of government incentives.
“The number of wind power-generating turbines installed in Iowa has increased this past year, which is good for the state,” says Bode. “The U.S. now has a total wind power generating capacity of 31,000 megawatts.”
Top five states for wind power Output in megawatts:
Texas 8,797
Iowa 3,053
California 2,787
Minnesota 1,805
Oregon 1,659
Inflation fears? Refinance with Farm Plus before farm loan rates rise. Farm loan rates starting at 2.99% with 25 year terms. See our rate sheet here or call, toll free, 866-929-5585.
The Iowa Farm Bureau has predicted that Iowans are looking at an increase of $251 million in property taxes due to Governor Chet Culver’s order for an across-the-board cut in spending.
IFB president, Craig Lang, thinks that the cut in aid for schools, mental health programs and property tax credits will cause a huge increase. Culver insists that schools will use money from cash reserves instead of raising property taxes.
“Although the governor said he will not burden Iowans with a tax hike to balance the budget, that is exactly what he is doing,†Lang told the local media. “The state’s budget default process of leaning on property taxpayers has to stop. Homeowners, farmers and Main Street businesses simply can’t afford a tax increase and a property tax increase is a tax increase,†Lang said.
Inflation fears? Refinance with Farm Plus before farm loan rates rise. Farm loan rates starting at 2.99% with 25 year terms. See our rate sheet here or call, toll free, 866-929-5585.
A new opportunity has arose for corn farmers. Cobs, the part left behind after harvest, are always planted back into the ground to add nutrients to the soil and make for a better harvest.
However, companies from South Dakota and California are building two plants in Iowa. One plant will turn the material into ethanol and the other will turn cobs into fertilizer.
The plants are expected to cost over $200 million. Farmers can sell the cobs to these plants to make extra profit off their harvest.
In the current economic system this news is exciting to many farmers.
“We’re excited about it,” corn farmer Jim Boyer told the Associated Press. “there’s an opportunity for another profit to stream off our farm.”
The projects could generate over $10 million a year for local farmers. The plants should be completed by 2011 and will process 130,000 tons of cobs per year. Farmers can expect $50 per ton of cobs.
Interested in a low-rate farm loan? Contact Farm Plus today by calling 866-929-5585 or visit online for more information about our low-rate farm loans.
After two years of trials no one has officially decided that growers should use fungicide on corn crops.
Many farmers have tried to see the affects, but half farmers have reported a higher yield and some have reported the same amount.
Iowa State University is running extensive research but find that it is hard to determine if a yield will be higher in industry because the application of fungicide is different.
In 2008 theyield in small trials was 3.5 bushels per acre and at a soybean on-farm network. However other studies done by Purdue University found the average of 7.4 bushels per acre. Hi-bred research found the highest increase with 12-16 bushel acre increases.
Overall the investment may be worth the extra money based on the research done thus far.
If you choose to use fungicides consider the following before applying:
*Cost of fungicide, plus application
*price of corn
*drying costs
*harvestability
Do you need a farm loan? Call Farm Plus today! Low rate loans are available today. Call 866-929-5585 to speak with a representative or visit online for more information about farm loans.
Experts believe Iowa farmland may increase in value over the next few months.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago reported from January to April of this year, values dropped seven percent. In southeast Iowa land value dropped only five percent.
Although land value may be dropping, the Farm National Company in Des Moines said medium quality farm land is steady in certain parts of the state.
Many people are perusing for the perfect piece of land and there is a lot of land to choose from.
Livestock land is not expected to do as well as green farmland.
Bob Wells at the Iowa State University Farm said the market is steady because of low interest rates. Most loans have a 5-6 percent interest rate.
“One of the biggest fears we have is rapidly increasing interest rates, which would be detrimental to farmland values,†Wells said.
70 percent of the purchases made over the year was made by actual farmers and 24 percent were made by investors.
“A lot of our investor purchasers have left the market,†Wells said. “The biggest pool of people we have out there for land are the farmers.â€
At the end of 2008 the Iowa State University Extension reported that farmland was valued at $4,500 an acre. It is expected by the end of the year values will be between $5,000-6000.
Are you looking to purchase farmland? Farm Plus offers low-rate loans for farming or ranching! Call 866-929-5585 or visit online for more information.
After an 11-day Asian trade mission, Iowa Agriculture Secretary Bill Northey has a positive outlook that Iowa soybean exports to China and Taiwan will remain strong despite the current worldwide recession.
Parts of China have been hit hard by manufacturing productions shutdowns that will effect U.S. imports, but the demand for pork and chicken livestock remains constant. This is good news for Iowa.
“They’re not going to be able to produce enough grain, certainly not enough soybeans, to feed their own. They’re going to need imports,†said Northey told the Quad City Times.
“It’s going to continue to grow. It may grow at a little slower pace right now. But I think it’s going to continue to grow and I really think that within the next few years they’ll have a need to import corn as well,†the Iowa agriculture secretary said.
While in China, Northey met with feed manufacturers and soybean crushers that cannot keep up with the demand that increases 10 to 20 percent each year. Because they cannot keep up domestically, they must look to outside sources.
Looking to purchase a farm in Iowa? Contact Farm Plus today for a low rate farm loan. Call 866-929-5585 or visit online for more information.
Organic farming is quickly gaining popularity as people are learning what is happening to the planet and their bodies. Few realize that it dates back decades.
Tom and Irene Frantzen, this year’s winner of the 2009 Farmers of the Year by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services, have been using organic farming methods since 1979.
Tom saw Pope John Paul II speaking in Des Moines, Iowa about preserving the land in 1979 and immediately started using fewer chemical inputs. His efforts were taught to him by the Practical Farmers of Iowa where he served as president in 1991 and 1992.
The Frantzens spent many hours learning innovated techniques from various farmers, classes and even visiting farms in Sweden. The couple used an experience in Sweden to change their entire farming process. The farms used deep straw bedding for hogs. This technique traps heat in the straw so barns do not have to be heated. When fresh straw is put down, the old straw goes on top the fields to add nutrients to the ground.
In 1998 the land owned by the Frantzens was certified organic. In 1999 their hogs were also certified, followed by their beef in 2003.
The Frantzens are very involved in the organic farming community in the Midwest and are an inspiration. They show that hard work and the willingness to learn pay off in the end.
Have you been tossing around the idea of purchasing land for organic farming or conventional farming? Contact Farm Plus today. Low rate agriculture loans are available. Contact a representative about farm loans by phone at 866-929-5585 or online.
