Farmers Have Until March 15th To Decide Which Farm Bill Program They Will Use For This Crop Year
(Le Mars) — March 15th is the deadline for farmers to enroll for crop insurance, but it is also the date when farmers need to decide which farm program they wish to participate. Robin Reid serves as the Extension Farm Economist with Kansas State University. Reid says farmers need to decide if they will participate in the Price Loss Coverage or the Agriculture Risk
Coverage at both the individual farm or county levels as set up in the 2018 Farm Bill. This annual decision impacts the 2021 crop year, consistent with the 2018 Farm Bill. Similar annual decisions, for the 2022 and 2023 crops, will coincide with the final two years of the bill. Reid offers a brief summary as to the high points between the Price Loss Coverage plan, and the
Agriculture Risk Coverage program.
The K-State Economist tells of the contrasting differences with the Agriculture Risk Coverage.
Reid says farmers will want to weigh their options based on the current price of commodities, and the projected price.
The agricultural economist says corn could go either way, and there may be more factors that could affect the upcoming corn crop.
Reid says the farm program offers some flexibility allowing farmers, if they want, to participate in one program with one commodity, and the second program with a second commodity.
“In-person” meetings have been scheduled for Le Mars and Sioux Center to help farmers better understand the program options. The Le Mars meeting is scheduled for Monday evening, March 1st to be held at the Le Mars Convention Center beginning at 7:00 p.m. The following evening, March 2nd the Farm Bill meeting will be held at the Dordt University Ag Stewardship Center located
along Highway 75, north of Sioux Center. The Sioux Center meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.
NIPCO To Hold Virtual Annual Meeting
(Le Mars) — NIPCO, Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative of Le Mars has scheduled its annual meeting for Tuesday, April 6th, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s annual meeting will be held virtually. Members will be offered updates from various executives and officers from the power utility cooperative, including Basin Electric Power Cooperative. NIPCO’s Manager of Member Relations and Development Angela Catton explains what will take place during the annual meeting.
Catton talks about the challenges NIPCO faced during the past year, including maintaining a workforce that would be able to continue to deliver power during the pandemic.
Catton says NIPCO has been able to collaborate with several other entities for legislative action that has benefited the member cooperatives.
The NIPCO official says the power utility cooperative, for the most part, missed being directly hit by the derecho storm that swept across Iowa in August. However, Catton says NIPCO did send some of their crew to assist with the restoration of power in central and eastern Iowa.
Catton says one message that will be related to its members during the virtual annual meeting is that NIPCO is diversifying is sources of power that include not only coal burning and natural gas, but also wind, solar, and hydro power from generators situated at dams at various points along the Missouri River.
Le Mars Community Board Of Education To Hold Special Meeting
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will hold a special board meeting today at 12:00 noon. The local school board will discuss an open enrollment request. Three students, Rian Van Roekel, a 3rd grader, Carter Van Roekel, a 5th grader, and sixth grader Landon Van Roekel have made the request to enroll at the Hinton Community School, effective immediately. The school board will also consider approval of language for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 staff handbook’s “Procedure for Staff Reduction.” The recommendation from the school district’s administration is to approve the language that reads: “This section on Procedures for Staff Reduction shall not apply to teachers hired using Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funds for the 2021-2022 school year through June 30, 2023. Teachers hired using ESSER II funds may be reduced or otherwise terminated by any procedure adopted by the board and in accordance with Iowa law”. The school board will consider approval of the following temporary teaching positions, to be funded by ESSER II, for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. 2 Full-Time Equivalent Elementary At-Risk/Intervention Teacher, One Full-Time Equivalent Middle School Mathematics Teacher, and one Full-Time Equivalent High School Science and/or Math Teacher.
