2013 Iowa Cash Rental Rates Survey Results Available
(Posted on 5/7/2013)
Results from the most recent survey of farmland rental rates conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach showed that the average estimated cash rent for corn and soybean land in the state for 2013 was $270 per acre, an increase of $18 per acre or 7 percent from last year.

Iowa State Economist Honored by American Agricultural Editors’ Association
(Posted on 4/12/2013)
Mike Duffy, an Iowa State University professor of economics, will be presented the Distinguished Service Award this summer by the American Agricultural Editors’ Association.

Iowa State University Study Examines Farmer Use of Conservation Loan Programs
(Posted on 3/14/2013)
To see if nonpoint source loan programs were making a difference, Iowa Clean Water State Revolving Fund staff contacted Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to help conduct an evaluation. Extension sociologist J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. led the research team and results of the study have been published.

Farm Poll Examines Where, How Farmers Get Their Information
(Posted on 2/26/2013)
Iowa farmers rely primarily on agribusinesses, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and state agencies for their information needs, according to the 2012 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll.

Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Learning Farms Co-Host Cover Crop Field Days
(Posted on 2/25/2013)
Farmers will showcase their experiences with cover crops this spring at eight field days across Iowa. Practical Farmers of Iowa joins with Iowa Learning Farms, County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioners and Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association to sponsor the spring field days that focus on the use and management of cover crops.

2013 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey Follows Recent Trend
(Posted on 2/25/2013)
The 2013 Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey is now available to download from the Extension Online Store or the Ag Decision Maker website as Information File A3-10, Iowa Farm Custom Rate Survey. Print copies will be available at county extension offices. 

2013 Spring Cover Crops and Crop Insurance Eligibility
(Posted on 2/15/2013)
Livestock producers who established a cover crop after corn harvest last fall are wondering how this will affect their crop insurance coverage for 2013, according to William Edwards, economist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Farm Poll: Cell Phones Common among Iowa Farmers
(Posted on 2/5/2013)
About 70 percent of farmers report using at least one technology that provides them with Internet access, according to the 2012 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll. In addition, a basic cell phone was the most common communications technology used by farmers in the survey.

Course Helps Farm Women Manage for Today and Tomorrow
(Posted on 1/17/2013)
Farm women can learn how to plan a successful farm transition through a five-session course offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The “Managing for Today and Tomorrow” program, a new Annie’s Project course, is being offered in Jefferson on Thursday evenings, Feb. 21 – March 21.

Farm Poll: Farmers Say Land Market Bubble Will Burst
(Posted on 1/15/2013)
Many farmers appear to believe that farmland is overvalued and eventually the market bubble will burst, according to the 2012 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll.