ISU Extension and Outreach Information and Resources

ISU Extension Bremer County 720 7th Ave SW

Tripoli, IA 50676

Phone: (319) 882-4275

Fax: (319) 882-4292

www.extension.iastate.edu/bremer

Extension Links: (click on) Ag Decision Maker

Beef Center

Corn Production and Nitrogen

Usage

Dairy Team

Iowa Water Quality

ISU Horticulture Extension

ISU Natural Resources

ISU Nutrient Reduction

Strategies

Manure Management

Master Gardener Program-ISU

Newsletters from ISU Extension

Pesticide Management

Plant and Insect Disease Lab

Pork Center

Soil Fertility

Weed Science

Well Water Testing

Regional Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator

By John Sawyer, ISU Extension Agronomist

AMES, Iowa – The regional Corn Nitrogen Rate Calculator website, which has been helping farmers determine profitable nitrogen rates since 2005, now has a new URL (cnrc.agron.iastate.edu) and a revised nitrogen response trial database, and is more user friendly for mobile devices. “The site revisions allow users to have access to the latest nitrogen rate research, and it offers more tailored rate guidelines in Iowa,” said John Sawyer, professor and extension soil fertility and nutrient management specialist at Iowa State University. “The corn nitrogen rate calculator benefits farmers so they can understand needed nitrogen application rates, adjust for different crop rotations, and provide guidance and flexibility in choice of application rate,” said Sawyer. “More importantly, it allows adjustment in rate for changing nitrogen and corn prices.” Using the Maximum Return to Nitrogen concept within the CNRC also helps farmers implement the most economical nitrogen rate inputs, which helps moderate water quality issues.

FARM AND YARD

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, eth-nicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Ross Wilburn, Diversity Officer, 2150 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, 515-294-1482, wilburn@iastate.edu.

FOR RURAL AND URBAN FAMILIES

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Information and Resources

Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey BY Alejandro Plastina, ISU Extension Economist and Ann Johanns, ISU Extension Program Specialist

Performing custom work can be an additional source of income for farm operators around the state. For others, custom work is a full-time career. When labor is availa-ble, and another party has equipment, renting equipment for a short term is also a common practice. While only a small portion of Iowa farmland is 100 percent custom farmed, many farm operations rent equipment or hire out for one or two tasks that need to be completed on their farm each year. The 2017 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey canvassed 441 farmers, custom opera-tors and farm managers from the state, putting together a guide for pricing custom machine work. Of those receiving the survey, 152 usable responses were received from Iowa farmers, custom operators and farm managers. Twenty-one percent of the respondents perform custom work, 13 percent hire work done, 41 percent indicated doing both, 1 percent indicated doing none and 25 percent did not indicate whether they perform or hire custom work.

The publication, which can be found online at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Store as FM 1698 or on the Ag Decision Maker website as Information File A3-10, provides rates for custom work in the following categories: tillage, planting, drilling, seed-ing, fertilizer application, harvesting, drying and hauling grain, harvesting forages, complete custom farming, labor and both bin and machine rental. All rates include fuel, repairs, depreciation, interest, labor and all other machinery costs for the tractor and implement unless otherwise noted. Copies are also available at your local county Extension office.

Proper Techniques to Prune Shrubs

Gabbi Edwards, Urban Forestry Specialist, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Horticulture professionals note that pruning shrubs requires different techniques and timing compared to pruning trees. Keep these differences in mind when pruning shrubs. The timing of shrub pruning is dependent on the type of shrub, bloom time, and overall condition.

Spring-flowering shrubs: prune healthy lilacs and other spring-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering. Pruning after blooming allows for enjoyment of the flowers but also stops seed production, which retains energy for new growth the following season. Unmaintained or unhealthy spring-flowering shrubs require extensive pruning, often foregoing flowering for 2-3 years, in late winter to early spring (Feb-mid April).

Summer-flowering shrubs: Prune in late winter to early spring (Feb-mid April). Since these shrubs bloom from current year growth, they will still bloom that summer.

Deciduous shrubs without desired flowers & evergreen shrubs: Prune late winter to early spring (Feb-mid April).

What is the proper way to prune a shrub? There are two different shrub-pruning techniques depending on the condition of the shrub. Renewal cuts are best for standard trimming and pruning of healthy shrubs to promote vigorous growth and good quality shape and flowers. Utilize rejuvenation pruning on unhealthy, unmaintained or overgrown shrubs.

Renewal pruning: renewal pruning occurs over three years, cutting away one-third of plant material each year. In the first year cut the oldest one-third of stems of back to ground level in March to early April. The following year cut half of the remaining old wood (1/3 of beginning shrub mass) back to ground level. The third and final year, remove all remaining old wood back to ground level. Throughout the three years, thin any new shoots to the preferred size and shape. At the end of three years, the shrub consists of all new or young wood, renewed for future growth.

Rejuvenation pruning: rejuvenation pruning is a severe form of pruning used to revitalize unhealthy shrubs. During March to early April, trim all stems back to approximately four inches above the ground. This will result in vigorous sprouting that growing season. In the following late winter, retain several strong shoots based on preferred size and shape and remove all other shoots to ground level. This is a great method to turn an overgrown shrub into a trainable young shrub and does not require removal and replacement.

Energy Efficiency for the Swine Sow Operation Jay D. Harmon, Ph.D., P.E. Professor & Extension Ag Engineer

Energy is a significant part of expenditures that you CAN do something about • Many energy

savings can be implemented with very little expense and some with NO additional expense.

Why is Energy Important? 2006-2010 average from: www.finbin.umn.edu

• Sow Farm – Fuel & Oil $0.58 per pig produced – Utilities $0.28 per pig produced • Sow

Farm Energy/Utilities $0.86/pig – 2.9% of total expenses – 4.5% of non-feed expenses

Ventilation

FAR and AWAY the biggest potential for wasted energy • 80 to 90% of heating energy lost through ventilation when done

properly • Controller setting and fan selection have a big influence on energy

Dirty Fans and Shutters

• 1/8 inch of dirt/dust can cause up to a 40% reduction in fan and shutter air flow. – Triggers next ventilation stage sooner

costing more energy.

How Does this Impact Performance?

Air is lazy and follows the easiest path… therefore air comes from here instead of the room. Result is poorer air quality and

possibly sicker pigs.

Check Electrical Systems

At the fan and in the electrical panel. • ConnecHons tend to loosen over Hme with heaHng and cooling.

Poorly Maintained Fans:

Reduce air quality in winter • Cause higher stages to run earlier and use more electricity • Cause curtains to drop when it is

colder outside • Reduce the ability to cool animals in summer

In summary

• Begin by tracking your energy usage • Ventilation Management is critical to energy management • Controller Settings are an

important part of efficient operation. – No investment in many cases .. Only management . Lighting – Lighting is an easy

savings – quick payback but questions about bulb life • Use proper heat lamp sizes • Fan maintenance improves air quality

and energy efficiency .

Talking with your Tenant or Landlord Liz Juchems, Iowa Learning Farm, 515-294-5429

Caring for Iowa’s farmland requires many decisions to be made that impact today and future generation’s ability to best utilize the land for agricultural production. Land rental relation-ships can vary, but many face similar challenges of discussing new conservation practices with your tenant or landlord. To help begin the conversation, Iowa Learning Farms created a new publication series with talking points and relevant research findings about a variety of conservation practices.

“A large number of Iowa cropland acres are rented every year; nearly 50% according to recent surveys. These rented acres are greatly influenced by the tenant who farms them,” stated Mark Licht, Iowa State University assistant professor of agronomy and Iowa Learning Farms advisor, who cultivated the idea of the series.

“Landowners are integral in the decision-making process: from leasing structure and understanding farming practices, to being con-siderate of practice costs and profitability. With emphasis being placed on nutrient loss reduction and practices ranging from in-field to land use changes, it’s imperative for landowners and tenants to have conversations about reaching production, profitability, and environmental goals,” said Licht. “These conversations can lead to improvements of soil health and water quality, along with meeting productivity and profitability goals.”

As land is passed from one generation to another, or is sold, it can lead to uncertainty for tenants and landowners alike.

“We developed this series in response to questions we heard from landowners. They wanted to understand how conservation prac-tices such as strip-tillage and cover crops would affect both their land and the tenant’s bottom line before asking them to add these practices to their management plans,” explained Jacqueline Comito, Iowa Learning Farms director. “While the name of the series is ‘Talking to Your Tenant,’ the reverse is also true. We think tenants will find the series also helpful as they educate their landowners on implementing these important practices.”

The series addresses in-field practices like cover crops, no-tillage and strip-tillage, and edge-of-field practices such as denitrifying bioreactors and wetlands. Contact Liz juchems at 515-294-5429 for further information on these materials.

Test Your Tile Outlets for Nitrate Levels

Ron Lenth, County Extension Coordinator

A quick, private, and easy to use kit to check the level of nitrates exiting your field tiles is now

available from the Bremer ISU Extension and Outreach office in Tripoli...and it is free while

supplies last.

Fuel Required for Filed Operations

ISU Extension have updated estimates of the average quantity of diesel fuel required for

field operations. The estimates include only the fuel required for actual field work. No al-

lowance is included for machine preparation or travel to and from the field. Because fuel

consumption values for any particular operation vary between tractors and soil type, actual

fuel requirements may be as much as 35 percent higher or lower than the values listed in

the table.

Engine efficiencies increase over time. Older tractors manufactured before 1990 or those in poor repair may use 10 percent or

more additional fuel. Older gasoline powered equipment uses about 50 percent more gasoline than the table values indicate.

Fuel requirements for tillage machines were calculated for a central Iowa loam soil. If your soil is heavier, the values in the

table should be increased slightly. Values were calculated for a 7-inch plowing depth and 3- to 6-inch operating depth for other

tillage machines. Field speeds were assumed to be 4 to 6 mph for all tillage operations, 5 mph for planting and spraying, 4 to

5 mph for forage harvesting machines, and 4 mph for corn and soybean harvesting.

The values for row-crop operations were calculated for 30-inch rows. They should be adjusted for other row widths. All values

were calculated assuming efficient materials handling in the field, proper tractor ballasting to keep wheel slippage below 15

percent, properly tuned and adjusted tractor engines, and part load tractor operation efficiency by shifting up a gear and throt-

tling the engine back.. Copies are available from your local county extension office.

Chronic Wasting Disease in Iowa's White-tailed Deer Dr. Adam Jahnke, Wildlife Extension and Outreach

Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, is a neurological disease infecting wild white-tailed deer in Iowa and other members of the Cervidae family in North America including mule deer, elk, moose, and caribou. This page provides information on the current status of the disease in Iowa, references to learn more about the disease, and some simple recom-mendations everyone can follow to reduce the spread of the disease and ensure safe consumption of venison harvested in Iowa.

You can help by following these recommendations

Don’t feed deer. Concentration of deer around artificial food or mineral sources can increase risk of transmission of the disease.

In harvested deer, minimize contact with portions of the deer with the highest CWD possible concentrations (brain, lymph nodes,

spinal cord, spleen) and safely dispose of carcasses where other deer will not contact them.

Submit heads from deer harvested in or near CWD-positive areas for testing and discard meat from CWD-positive deer.

Follow state laws regarding transportation and importation of deer, elk, moose, and caribou from areas with CWD.

Captive facility operators should ensure wild deer have no interactions with captive herds.

Report any deer that appears to be sick to local conservation officers.

Disease Facts

CWD is in the class of neurological diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE), that infects hoofed mammals in the Cervidae family (cervids), including white-tailed deer, mule deer, elk, moose, and caribou. CWD is similar to other more well-known TSE diseases like bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) of cattle, scrapie of sheep and goats, and Creutz-feldt-Jakob Disease of humans. All these diseases are caused by an abnormally shaped class of proteins called prions, which cause microscopic holes to form in the brain, giving it a spongy appearance, and ultimately degrade neurological functions and cause death. All known TSE diseases are fatal, although some, including CWD, have delays between initial infection and display of symptoms and death.

CWD generally has prolonged incubation period, ranging from 16 months to 3 years, before the infected animal shows any symp-toms. Once symptoms are expressed, they are consistent with those seen in many more common ailments of deer and are thus not individually diagnostic of CWD infection. A symptomatic CWD-positive deer will simply appear sick, with common symptoms including drooling, poor balance, or emaciation. However, healthy-appearing deer could also be infected with the disease and not be sympto-matic. Only laboratory tests conducted by disease specialists can confirm CWD infection. Most laboratory tests are performed with samples of tissue from the brain or lymph nodes of a dead deer.

All known cases of CWD in wild deer have resulted in death of the afflicted animal shortly after symptoms become apparent. There is mixed evidence among white-tailed deer and other species (mule deer and elk) affected by CWD that infection can increased vulner-ability to harvest or predation before succumbing to death by the disease. There is also some evidence to suggest that successful reproduction is reduced in infected deer. Research on genetic aspects of the disease has revealed that although there is genetic vari-ation in susceptibility of some animals, there are no known genes that completely prevent infection, suggesting all animals are poten-tially vulnerable to contracting the disease.

Research has shown no strong evidence that CWD is transmissible to humans or cattle. However, due to the long incubation period of prion diseases, human populations at increased risk of exposure to potentially CWD-infected cervids are undergoing long-term monitoring to help understand what risk, if any, CWD poses. The Centers for Disease Control recommends avoiding eating meat from CWD-positive animals and using caution when handling CWD-positive carcasses.

Routes of transmission of CWD among deer

Direct-transmission through bodily fluid exchange CWD can be transmitted from an infected deer to a healthy one through incidental exchange of bodily fluids, such as nasal discharge, saliva, urine, feces, or birthing matter. Likely routes of transmission include behaviors that bring deer into direct contact such as artificial feeding, interactions between bucks, or social interactions among family groups.

Indirect transmission through contaminated soil Because CWD prions, the disease-causing agent, can persist in the soil, areas where bodily fluids of deer, such as saliva, urine, feces, or birthing matter, accumulate could serve as sources of infection. Such locations include concentrated feeding areas, scrapes, or other areas where deer gather.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling Works in Harmony with the Earth Article reprinted with permission from The Geothermal Exchange Organization (GEO), a non-profit trade association, Geothermal Heating and Cooling Works in Harmony with the Earth

Geothermal Heat Pumps are self-contained units that efficiently heat and cool homes and commercial buildings while providing hot water. They use standard electronic thermostats and duct systems, making them appropriate for retrofits of standard heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Geothermal Heat Pumps can be sized to heat and cool any building in any climate.

Geothermal Heat Pumps quietly and reliably harness the renewable energy generated by the sun that is stored in the ground near the Earth’s surface. They make significant contributions to a cleaner environment by saving energy, cutting fossil fuel use, and reducing carbon emissions.

The Earth is a source of heat during the winter months and an efficient place to reject heat during the summer months.

Ground Loops Connect Buildings to the Earth’s Heat

Unlike conventional heating and air conditions systems that use the outside air to absorb and release heat, Geothermal Heat Pumps transfer heat from and to the ground. They do that through closed loops of plastic pipes buried either horizontally or vertically in the ground below the frost line where the temperature is consistently between 40° to 80° F depending on where you live. Called ground loops, the pipes are sealed tight, and connected to the geothermal heating and cooling system inside the building. Water circulates through the underground pipes of the ground loop.

During the summer months in cooling mode, unwanted heat indoors is transferred outside through the water in the pipes for cooling by the earth. The cool water is then circulated to the geothermal system indoors to provide efficient air conditioning. During the winter months, the process is reversed in heating mode. The earth heats the water circulating through the pipes, which is transferred to the geothermal system to provide indoor space heating. Hot water can also be provided for little or no additional monthly energy cost.

Geothermal Heat Pumps Can Slash Energy Use in Buildings

Geothermal heat pumps effectively address one of the biggest consumers of U.S. energy — buildings. Indeed, buildings dominate our nation’s energy use, devouring over half of our electricity and natural gas. More than 70 percent of average energy demand for a typical single family home is to meet heating and cooling (thermal) needs. With a geothermal heat pump, that energy use can be cut

Iowa Sensitive Crop Registry: Specialty Crop and Apiary Registries through FieldWatch™, Inc. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has partnered with the non-profit company FieldWatch™, Inc., to pro-vide online registry tools to promote communication between producers of pesticide-sensitive (i.e. specialty) crops, beekeep-ers and pesticide applicators. An agreement with IDALS and FieldWatch™, Inc. was arrived at in 2016 with rollout of a new Iowa Sensitive Crops Registry using the FieldWatch™, Inc. platforms as of January of 2017.

These online FieldWatch™ registries support ongoing stewardship activities to reduce incidences of off-target pesticide exposure. The registries provide state of the art mapping features that provide applicators the locations of registered specialty sites. The boundaries on map entries are user-submitted specialty/sensitive site designations. In addition to site designations, the map inter-face provides other data layers, including one mile radius boundaries around apiaries.

The two online registry tools developed and provided by FieldWatch™, Inc. are 1) driftwatch®: a registry site for use by producers of commercial crops sensitive to pesticides, and 2) beecheck®: a registry site for beekeepers and apiarists. Specialty crop producers with apiaries may enter hive locations using either the driftwatch® or beecheck® registries. Submit-ted producer site entries are overseen by state-appointed stewards prior to their inclusion in the online registries. For further information contact the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-5321.

Bremer County Extension Staff Bill Arndorfer Regional Director Ron Lenth County Education Program Coordinator Katie Diemer County Youth Coordinator Tammy Curley Office Manager/Bookkeeper Jeannette Mukayisire Family Finance Specialist

Area ISU Extension Ag Engineering Kapil Arora, pbtiger@iastate.edu 515-382-6551 Agromomy Terry Bosol, tlbasol@iastate.edu 641-435-4864 Farm Management Melissa O’Rourke, morourke@iastate.edu 563-382-2949 Dairy Specialist Jen Bentley, jbentley@iastate.edu 563-382-2949

Calendar of Events

Apr 11—Bee and Honey Production, 6:30 pm, Extension Office, Tripoli Apr 16-22 National Extension Week Apr 17 – 4-H/FFA, FSQA Training, 6:30 pm to 8 pm, Hawkeye Community College Apr 22 – 4-H/FFA, FSQA Training, 9-10:30 am, Hawkeye Community College Apr 23 – 4-H Dairy Workshop, 3 pm, Blasberg Dairy, Tripoli Apr 29—Operation Re Leaf/Alliant Energy, 8:30-10:30 am, Extension Office, Tripoli Apr 30 - 4-H Sheep Workshop, 3 pm, Waverly Fairgrounds May 5 – 4-H/FFA Sheep Weigh In, Waverly Fairgrounds, Waverly May 7 – 4-H Photo Workshop, 2-8 pm, Pikes Peak May 20 – 4-H Poultry Workshop, 10 am, Extension Office May 24—Lawn and Turfgrass Workshop, 5:30-6:30pm, Waverly Civic Center

PRSRT STD

Postage and Fees Paid

USDA

Permit No. 35

Return postage guaranteed

www.extension.iastate.edu/bremer