The Iowa Beef Center and Iowa Cattlemen's Association will be sponsoring two programs this month for small and medium beef and dairy operations. Any cattle operations with less than 1000 animals in outside yards are invited to attend to learn more about how  environmental regulations and inspections may impact their operation.

Both programs start at 10 AM and will conclude about 3 PM. The keynote speakers are Stephen Pollard from EPA, and Gene Tinker or Bill Ehm from IDNR. They have been asked to address fly-overs, inspections and environmental compliance- all topics of high priority for Iowa livestock operators regardless of size and scope of operation. Justine Stevenson, ICA Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, will provide an update on policy, administrative and other hot topics the Iowa Cattlemen's Association is working on in 2013.

With high feed costs producers need to evaluate and seek out feedstock options to manage through high feed input costs. Dr. Dan Loy will discuss current use of alkali treatment to increase the digestibility and value of corn stalks in cattle rations. With the current challenge on producers' minds being the availability of water for summer 2013, there's no doubt that it's important to have a plan in place to insure cattle are managed appropriately to avoid heat stress and other issues this summer. Greg Brenneman & Byron Leu, or Dan Huyser & Denise Schwab, ISU Extension engineer and beef specialists, will focus on considerations producers can use to navigate through a hot dry summer if this is a reality.

The programs will be held March 21, at the Mahaska County Extension Office in Oskaloosa, and March 22, at the Jones County Extension Office in Monticello. Please RSVP your intent to participate by calling the ICA office at 515-296-2266 by Friday, March 15. Lunch will be provided free of charge thanks to local business sponsors.

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The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Sheep Industry Association have announced plans to conduct a referendum from February 25 to March 15, 2013.

As part of the referendum, all eligible producers will be able to vote on two questions, the first is whether the $.10 per head assessment on all sheep sold should be increased to $.25. The second question would allow the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board, beginning in 2016, to change the assessment rate by $.05 every three years. The Board would only be granted this authority if producers approve increasing the assessment to $.25 and the board could only make such changes by resolution only following a producer comment period.

Any producer who is actively engaged within this state in the business of producing or marketing sheep or wool and who receives income from the production of sheep or wool is eligible to participate in the referendum and is entitled to one vote.

Farmers may vote in the Iowa State University Extension office in the county in which they live. When voting each farmer will have to sign an affidavit stating they are a producer eligible to vote or provide proof of their county of residence and a sheep or wool sales receipt from the previous 12 months.

The current Sheep and Wool assessment is $.10 per head on each sheep sold by a producer and $.02 per pound of wool sold by a producer. The Iowa Sheep and Wool promotion board is governed by Iowa Code Chapter 182, which was initially passed in 1985 and was updated last year to allow for the current referendum to increase the assessment rate.

Producers with questions about the procedures or eligibility for voting in this referendum can contact the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at (515) 281-5321 or by e-mail to sheepvote@iowaagriculture.gov.

For more information on how funds generated by the assessment are used, Iowans can contact the Iowa Sheep Industry Association at 712-790-6303 or via email at info@iowasheep.com or find out more online at www.iowasheep.com.

In accordance with Iowa Code, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is responsible for holding referendum votes and all costs incurred by the Department will be reimbursed by the Iowa Sheep Industry Association.

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Mushroom hunters who would like to legally sell morel mushrooms in Iowa need to complete a morel mushroom certification workshop. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Bettendorf, Iowa will be offering the course on Thursday April 4, 2013 from 1 to 4 pm.

"The aim of the workshop is to help assure that misidentified mushrooms are not sold as morels," said plant pathology professor Mark Gleason. "To meet the need for this training, we are offering a three-hour certification workshop on identifying morels and false morels." Certification lasts for three years, so those who certified in 2010, when the Iowa law requiring certification first took effect, will need to recertify this year.

The agenda for the workshop includes:
• Pre-training identification test
• Presentation on recognizing morels and false morels as well as other species of wild mushrooms
• Examination of fresh and preserved morels and false morels
• Post-training identification test (and re-testing as needed)
• Wall-size and wallet-size training certificates

Those interested in attending the workshop should preregister by emailing Mark Gleason at mgleason@iastate.edu or calling 515-294-0579 by Monday, March 26. Preregistration is important, allowing appropriate space and materials to be available at all training venues. The workshop fee is $50 per person, payable at the training. Cash or check accepted; no credit cards.

Additional questions about the workshops can be directed to Mark Gleason, 515-294-0579 or mgleason@iastate.edu.

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There are new opportunities to harvest corn stover in two regions of Iowa - near Nevada in central Iowa and near Dubuque in eastern Iowa. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host two meetings, one in each part of the state, to address emerging opportunities related to stover harvesting for the biomass feedstock needs of local industries.

The central Iowa meeting will be held Feb. 28 at the Iowa Arboretum near Madrid, Iowa. This meeting is in collaboration with DuPont and will look at the use of corn stover in cellulosic ethanol production. The eastern Iowa meeting will be held on March 6 at the 4-H Building at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds, Dubuque, Iowa. The eastern Iowa meeting is in collaboration with JELD-WEN Fiber of Iowa to discuss use of corn stover as a fiber material. Both meetings start at 12:45 p.m.

Stover harvesting can impact economic, agronomic and water quality production factors. The meetings will address many of the positives and negatives of stover harvesting and discuss how stover harvesting can be managed within corn production. Crop producers, land owners, crop consultants, agronomists, service providers and others with an interest in stover harvest and its
removal from farm fields are encouraged to attend.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach meeting speakers include : John Sawyer and Antonio Mallarino, soil fertility specialists; Mahdi Al-Kaisi, soil management specialist; Chad Hart and William Edwards, agricultural marketing specialists; Matt Helmers and Kapil Arora, agricultural engineering specialists; Mark Licht and Virgil Schmitt, field agronomists; and Kelvin Leibold, farm management specialist. Industry speakers on the agenda include : Dr. David Ertl, technology commercialization manager, Iowa Corn Growers Association; Dennis Penland, DuPont business development manager; Andy Heggenstaller, agronomy research manager, DuPont; and Gardner Lance, general manager, JELD-WEN Fiber of Iowa.

A noon lunch will be sponsored by industry partners prior to the start of the meeting at no cost to the participants, however pre-registration is required. Industry representatives will be available to meet with participants during lunch and at the close of the meeting.

Registration forms for the Feb. 28 Boone County meeting are available from the Boone County Extension Office by calling 515-432-3882, or online at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/boone/. Registration for the March 6 Dubuque meeting are available from the Dubuque County Extension and Outreach Office by calling 563 583-6496, or online at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/dubuque/.

There is no fee to attend this meeting. Registration is required for correct meal and handout counts. Walk-in registration the day of the meeting will only be accepted if space is available.

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