Leah Ten Napel, Field Agronomist
During the winter months, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach works hard to bring local producers important information to help their operations. We put on many annual programs, and this year we are excited to offer a new series focused on trending agricultural topics.
“Extension Ag Coffees” are a new series geared towards agricultural producers and rural community members. This series will be hosted once a month from December to April from 9:30-11:00 a.m. at the Moville City Hall. There is no charge to attend, and coffee and donuts will be provided. If you are unable to attend in-person, a zoom option can be made available.
We will cover an array of trending agricultural topics that affect our community.
The first topic to be covered on December 8th will be carbon credits. Iowa State University Associate Professor Alejandro Plastina will go over the current carbon markets, what they require of producers, and touch on the uncertainties that come along with these programs.
On January 12th, Leah Ten Napel, Extension Field Agronomist, will present a harvest and growing season recap. At this session we will go over growing season issues like herbicide carryover and pest resistance, and a summary of harvest outcomes around the area. This topic will be open to discussion with the group on how they felt their growing season went, and things we can do differently for the upcoming crop.
On February 9th, the climate outlook for the 2024 growing season will be presented by Dennis Todey with the USDA Midwest Climate Hub. Drought in Iowa has been in place since 2020 and continues to impact agriculture, water, and a variety of other issues. A very strong El Niño is in place for the winter of 2023-24. Dennis will tell us what all these things mean for next spring and the growing season, and he will also review soil moisture situations and the possibility of refilling the soil moisture profile.
On March 15th, Beef Specialist Beth Doran will talk about beef trends going forward. With the uncertainty in the marketplace, this is a conversation about the beef industry you do not want to miss!
The final session on April 5th will focus on land conservation. NRCS Soil Health Specialist, Jeffrey Reichter, will talk with us on different soil health practices that producers or landowners can implement, and the impact those changes can make.
Each session will have a presentation with time for discussion from the audience. We look forward to the participation from the community to learn more about what types of issues you are facing right now, and future programming you’d like to see in the area.
For more information or to register, please contact Karrie King at the ISU Extension and Outreach Woodbury County Office at 712-276-2157 or karriek@iastate.edu.