WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2015 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that a one-time extension will be provided to producers for the new safety-net programs established by the 2014 Farm Bill, known as Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC). The final day to update yield history or reallocate base acres has been extended one additional month, from Feb. 27, 2015 until March 31, 2015. The final day for farm owners and producers to choose ARC or PLC coverage also remains March 31, 2015.

Read press release for additional information in link below:

USDA Provides One-Time Extension to Farm Bill Safety-Net Deadline – Update Final

The Ralph Keeling Award has been presented for many years see winners through 2014 at the attached link:

Past Ralph Keeling Award Winner List 2014

Dairy farming in Iowa is a significant part of agriculture in our state. With nearly 1,375 dairy herds and more than 200,000 dairy cows, our dairy farm families bring value to all of Iowa. Making sure these families survive and thrive is important not only to the dairy industry, but to many other organizations and communities who greatly benefit from dairy’s positive impact throughout the state.  

The views of Iowa’s dairy farmers on many issues affecting them at a statewide level are covered in this policy booklet. This grassroots organization of dairy farmers has prepared this policy booklet as a resource for you. We encourage you to read through our policies and refer back to this booklet when making decisions regarding dairy farming.  

Iowa’s dairy farm families are vital to our state. Our social and economic benefits are keys to Iowa’s agricultural success. A recent study of the economic impact of Iowa’s dairy industry reports a per-cow per-year impact of $23,445. That means that Iowa’s dairy industry has an economic impact of over $4 billion dollars per year. We are 1,375 dairies strong and we want to ensure that dairy farming will be around for future generations of Iowans. 

President— Larry Shover, Delhi, IA

Access policy booklet 2015: policy for booklet 2015

Dairy Iowa is driving the future of Iowa’s dairy industry through statewide partnerships and efforts.   Iowa is home to more than 1373 dairy farms with abundant land, water, feed and forage supplies.  Positive business climate, capital resource availability, competitive milk prices, and diversified processing base with unfilled capacity make Iowa a great place for dairy farming.

Dairy Iowa is a collective group made up of Iowa’s dairy organizations, dairy producers, dairy industry and business leaders, dairy educators and others in order to have a more coherent, concise industry statewide. Our mission is to provide a unified effort to support and promote Iowa’s dairy farmers, dairy industry, communities and consumers.

For more information on dairy farming in Iowa please feel free to contact:

Sue Ann Claudon at 515.330.7906 or email sueannc@iowadairy.org

 ISDA Annual Meeting  Date: January 9, 2015 Time: 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Centennial Oaks Golf Club  Waverly, IA

Mark your calendar for the 2015 Iowa State Dairy Association Annual Meeting. Chuck Gipp, Iowa DNR & Doug Wilson, CRI/Genex will be keynote speakers, along with a business session, policy proposals, and election of board members will be on the agenda.  Questions and RSVP via email to Sue Ann Claudon, sueannc@iowadairy.org