Hi folks! Thanks for reading the February edition of Coffee Shop Talk with Daviess County Farm Service Agency (FSA). We finished January with 0.80 inches with the last measurable precipitation coming on January 23. Currently all 114 Missouri counties are registering on the drought monitor at one level or another. Normal precipitation for January in Daviess County is 1.22 inches.
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Here are a few FSA topics and reminders for you this month:
We are coming up on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) management timeframes for burning or spraying of cool season grasses. Almost all current CRP contracts are required to have Mid Contract Management completed in years 3-6 of the contract. You should have been contacted within the last month if you need to complete your Mid Contract Management in 2018. If you are not sure if you have completed your Mid Contract Management, please contact the office.
The three options for Mid Contract Management are fire burn, light strip disking, or chemical spraying. If your contract is cool season grasses (CP-1) you can burn or spray from March 15-April 30. Fire burning removes heavy thatch and encourages the growth of wildflowers, legumes and seed-producing plants. An application of chemical should temporarily set back the growth of grass species to allow for the growth of forbs and legumes to increase the stand’s diversity. Chemical rates should conform to the label recommendations for “suppression.” This is also a good time to address any woody species or noxious weeds if they are present in your CRP. Light disking can be done on either warm or cool season grass contracts now through March 31.
A note from our sister agency: The Daviess County Soil & Water (SWCD) annual state cost-share sign up begins February 1. Applications will be taken through the month of February for fiscal year 2019 which runs from July, 1, 2018-June 30, 2019. Some of the practices include, but are not limited to, pasture seeding, terrace and tile systems, sod waterways, diversions, cover crops, structures, spring developments, and grazing systems.
All landowners or operators will need a current landowner authorization form, which establishes land ownership, filled out before or at the time of applying. Forms are available at the SWCD Office. Office hours are Monday-Thursday 7:30-4:30 and Friday 7:30-4:00. For questions call the office at 660-663-3703 extension 3.
Landowners, if your farm is having a change in operators for the 2018 crop year, please let us know soon after the change so we can update your records. Operators, if you are changing farms or how you are going to operate this year, please let us know. This includes bank account changes, creating an entity or making changes to an existing one, purchasing or selling ground, renting new farms, etc.
Final reminder: We are working away on 2018 Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) & Price Loss Coverage (PLC) contracts. The choice between ARC or PLC is a one-time choice you made in 2015, but you have to sign a contract every year for the life of this Farm Bill in order to participate. If you have some free time, stop by and we’ll get those done.
That’s all folks! If you have any questions about anything in this newsletter or any of our programs in general, don’t hesitate to give us a call or stop on by.
Mandi Bird
County Executive Director