Agri News, MN
11-06-07
Northern Iowa news and notes
Equipment, labor sharing focus of Algona meeting
ALGONA, Iowa -- The economics of farm equipment and labor sharing is the
focus of a Nov. 27 meeting planned in Algona.
The workshop will be held in the Farm Bureau office. To register, contact Bob
Behnkendorf at (515) 295-2469.
Rapidly rising machinery costs and the shortage of skilled labor are affecting
farming operations in the Midwest. Some producers share these resources to
reduce costs and increase efficiency.
William Edwards, Iowa State University Extension economist, coordinates
the annual Farm Machinery Custom Rate Survey.
"Feedback from our custom rate survey indicates that many producers are
concerned about the significant rise in machinery costs and are looking for
strategies to deal with this ever increasing challenge.''
The workshop will address the benefits and drawbacks of sharing equipment and
labor; organizational issues associated with machinery and labor sharing;
planning for shared resources; and available resources for implementing sharing
arrangements.
King Corn will debut at Iowa State Nov. 7
AMES, Iowa -- What Iowan doesn't know about corn? We grow more of it than
anyone else; it's everywhere around us, in many of our foods, and increasingly is
filling our fuel tanks. Yet sometimes it helps to have a set of fresh eyes, which is
exactly what is offered by a new feature documentary that will be presented at
Iowa State University on Nov. 7.
The ISU Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture and several ISU
groups will host an Iowa screening of King Corn, a 90-minute documentary
directed by award-winning filmmaker Aaron Woolf.
In the film, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, best friends from Yale University, move to
the small town of Greene in north central Iowa to grow an acre of corn and follow
it through the food system.
The screening and discussion will take place in the LeBaron Auditorium at 6:30
and 8 p.m., respectively, on Nov. 7.
Annie's Project geared to farm women's needs
ESTHERVILLE, Iowa -- Getting a grip on today's agriculture technology and
becoming an effective farm business partner is the focus of Annie's Project.
Annie's Project is based on the experiences of a farm wife who spent her lifetime
learning how to be an involved business partner with her farm husband.
Annie's project takes life experiences and shares it with farm women living and
working in a complex dynamic, evolving business environment.
Iowa State University Extension will be holding this class in Estherville.
The short course will be offered in six 3-hour sessions on November 8, 13, 15, 29
and December 4 and 6 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In the class, farm women receive training in the areas of financial records,
production records, marketing plans and risk management, legal regulation and
records and human resources. The program costs $50 and class size is limited.
Participants should contact the Emmet County Extension office at (712) 3623434.