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September News
Golden Valley County Zoning Requirements
The Golden Valley County Planning Commission is hoping to make all producers in the county aware of the zoning requirements for shelterbelt plantings. The county Zoning Ordinance 4.3 (3) states that:
Shelterbelts shall be located a distance of not less than one hundred fifty (150) feet from the centerline of state and county highways, secondary county and township roads and major arterial streets.
This setback requirement has been in place since 1986, however just recently a permit has been developed for these plantings. With the new permit available, all planned shelterbelts will need to have an approved permit from the zoning office before planting can begin. If a planned shelterbelt does not comply with the zoning ordinance a variance can be requested from the County Planning Commission. All new construction and additions to buildings in the county also need to have an approved zoning permit before construction or moving can begin. This includes grain bins and mobile homes as well. Copies of the zoning permit application can be attained from Stacey Heckaman, GV County Zoning Director. Please also address any questions to Stacey at 872-4673.
Soil Test Pricing
With the high cost of fertilizer, soil testing maybe on your mind more than normal this fall. With this newsletter is a price list for the soil testing lab at NDSU. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the office
COOL Requirements
County of Origin Labeling goes into effect on September 30th 2008. Here are a few things to keep in mind as this deadline approaches. Be prepared to sign an affidavit of the origin of all animals that are sold. An affidavit that was developed by the livestock industries is included as an insert to this newsletter. Additional copies of the affidavit can be found at www.beefusa.org/uDocs/countryoforiginaffidavit453.pdf. Also request an affidavit for any cattle that you purchase. All livestock that were in the United States on July 15th are considered to have originated in the USA. Having an accurate inventory of all the livestock on your operation at the time has been recommended by Tim Petry, NDSU Livestock Marketing Specialist. The records used in the “normal conduct of business” should be kept to verify the information given on an affidavit. Examples of these records include: calving books, sales receipts, purchase affidavits. For more information and to read the complete rule see www.ams.usda.gov/cool. Some other interesting facts that go along with COOL. · 70% of all the meat consumed in the US is exempt from COOL. · 90% of all imported meat is exempt from COOL. Products can be labeled with all countries that they may contain meat from, for example all pork can be labeled product of US and Canada, when there maybe only pork from the U.S. in that particular package
2008 Farm Bill Permanent Disaster Program
As part of the 2008 Farm Bill permanent disaster assistance was authorized for 2008-2011. Some highlights of the program include that every acre on the farm must be covered by insurance or a NAP policy. This includes pasture and native hay land. Because the farm bill details were not known at the time of the 2008 crop insurance deadline, a special buy in is available in 2008 until September 16th. In future years this buy in process will not be available. Keep in mind that the crop insurance deadline for some crops (alfalfa, alfalfa-grass mixes, and honey) is September 30th. Rainfall Index insurance can be used to meet the insurance guidelines, as long as it was held for a minimum of two 2-month periods. For more information on disaster assistance programs contact your local FSA office.
Forage Beef and Cover Crop Workshop
On September 24th, 2008, at the DREC Ranch Headquarters near Manning, there will be a Forage Beef and Cover Crop Workshop. This workshop is sponsored by: NRCS, Dunn County and Central-Western Stark County SCD’s and NDSU Research Extension Center. The program begins at 8:30am MDT and includes several topics. Some of the topics include: cover crops, background calves on annual forages, and soil health. Lunch is sponsored by Pulse USA, Stockmen’s Livestock, WPI Inc. and Dakota Farm Equipment. To register call 701-225-3811 EXT 3 by September 17th.
PLANTING WINTER WHEAT IN 2008 Joel Ransom, Extension Agronomist for Cereal Crops, joel.ransom@ndsu.edu
In the parts of the state that were not ravaged by drought,winter wheat yields were good again this season. If you areplanning on planting winter wheat this fall, the following are a few suggestions: · Planting date: The optimum planting date for the northern half of the state is September 1-15 and for the southern half September 15-30. The last date that winter wheat can be planted will depend on the weather. The seed must germinate in the fall so that the crop will be vernalized in the spring. A larger plant will over winter better than a seedling or a sprouted seed. · Planting depth: Adequate moisture for establishing winterwheat is often a concern as the soil profile is usuallydepleted of moisture in the fall. If there is little or nomoisture in the soils surface, planting shallow (1 to 1.5inches deep) and waiting for rain is recommended. · Seeding rates: Generally a seeding rate of 900,000 to 1 million viable seed per acre is adequate. Higher seeding rates may be appropriate if planting late or when planting into poor seedbeds. · Plant in to crop residue: The best winter survival is achieved when winter wheat is no-till planted into standing crop residues that are able to catch and retain snow. Planting winter wheat into a low residue crop such as soybean increases the risk of winter kill, so only the most winter hardy varieties should be grown (see data on winter survival in 2005/06 in the following table and at www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/aginfo/smgrains/WWsurvial.htm. Variety selection: In addition to agronomic characteristics such as plant height, yield, and disease and lodging resistance, also carefully consider the winter hardiness of a variety. In many years there is a direct correlation between winter survival and yield. Yield data from the 2008 season are being posted on the Small Grains Page http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/smgrains/. Data from previous years’ trials are available at http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/variety/index.htm. . Sources of certified winter wheat seed are ND State Seed Department or at the Small Grains Page.
Hay and Feed Cost Issues Topic of Web Seminar Sept. 11Cole Gustafson, NDSU Biofuels Economist
A free, Internet-based seminar for livestock and forage producers in North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming begins at 2 p.m. CDT on Sept. 11. The seminar is available to anyone with high-speed Internet access at http://econ.sdstate.edu/costcontrol.htm. Follow the instructions given to join the live session. Cole Gustafson, North Dakota State University Extension Service biofuels economist, and Harlan Hughes, NDSU professor emeritus, will cover energy-related issues and livestock decisions centering around high feed costs. Other presenters will discuss current hay prices and forage insurance choices. The presenters will make time for producers’ questions after the presentation. For more information, contact Matthew Diersen at (605) 688-4864 or e-mail matthew.diersen@sdstate.edu. The presentation will be recorded and posted on the Internet for producers to use in the future. The Risk Management Agency and South Dakota State University are sponsoring the workshop.
Grant Program Seeks Innovative Ideas for Farm, RanchFrank Kutka, NDSU Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, DREC
The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is soliciting Farmer Rancher Grant proposals for 2008. “I am encouraging farmers and ranchers to consider these competitive grants as a way to explore innovative management and marketing practices that could potentially increase profitability and environmental integrity, and improve the quality of life for their families and communities,” says Frank Kutka, SARE coordinator for North and South Dakota. Kutka also is a sustainable agriculture specialist at North Dakota State University’s Dickinson Research Extension Center. Individual operators, including youth, may apply for up to $6,000 for a two-year project and groups of three or more can apply for up to $18,000. The proposals are due by Dec. 1 at the North Central Region SARE office in St. Paul, Minn. Proposal information is available at http://sare.org/ncrsare/prod.htm. Also needed is a letter of support from a community representative. All applicants are encouraged to contact Kutka to discuss their project ideas and for editorial comments. Kutka can be reached at (701) 483-2348, ext. 113, or e-mail at frank.kutka@ndsu.edu.
There also is a new program to assist women and other underrepresented groups of applicants to improve their grant-writing skills,” Kutka says. For more information about the SARE program in the Dakotas, go http://www.DakotaSARE.info or contact Joan Benjamin, SARE associate regional coordinator, at (402) 472-0809 or e-mail jbenjamin2@unl.edu
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