DEC. 14 WEBINAR TO HIGHLIGHT GOVERNMENT RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO AID FLOOD RECOVERY

DES MOINES – A multi-state webinar entitled “Farming after the Flood – Farmer Perspectives and Agency Resources” will be on Wednesday, December 14 from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. to provide information for those affected by the 2011 Missouri River flood.  The webinar can be accessed at 6 sites in western Iowa.

The webinar will feature two producers in the process of repairing their farmland and representatives from key USDA agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who are working with producers whose farmland sustained flood damage.

“The duration of the flooding along the Missouri River this year was really unprecedented and this webinar has been designed to help farmers and landowners address the problems and prepare for the next crop year,” said Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.  “So whether farmers are dealing with extensive sediment deposits, scour erosion, holes or ponds, this webinar should have helpful information.”

The webinar is the second in a series and is sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension and Iowa State Extension in cooperation with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Farm Service Agency (FSA), Risk Management Agency (RMA), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Presentations will include a farmer panel and information from speakers on government resources and programs, points to consider when planning for the 2012 cropping season, and how to remain in compliance with farm bill programs while bringing flooded acres back to productivity.  The sessions will be followed by a question and answer period.  In addition, fact sheets and resources for further information will be distributed to participants at each site. 

For farmers with crop insurance and risk management questions, two representatives from the USDA RMA will discuss current programs.       

The webinar also will include:

• A farmer panel with Scott Olson of Tekamah, Nebr., and Lyle McIntosh of Missouri Valley, Iowa, on how they are repairing fields physically and biologically
• An overview of flood recovery programs, including levee repair, land clearing, and soil restoration assistance available from NRCS, FSA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Long-term land retirement programs available from NRCS, FSA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Flooding impacts on crop insurance
• How to remain in compliance with Farm Bill programs
• Additional resources

For more information on this webinar and additional host sites as they become available, as well as links to archived segments and fact sheets from the first webinar, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/topic/recovering-disasters, an Iowa State University Extension website.

Iowa Viewing Sites

• Council Bluffs at the West Pottawattamie Extension Office, 3501 Harry Langdon Blvd., Ste. 100, contact Cheri Boyer, 712-366-7070, cmboyer@iastate.edu

• Logan at the Harrison County Extension Office, 304 E. 7th St., contact Rich Pope, 712-644-2105, ropope@iastate.edu
• Malvern at the Mills County Extension Office, 415 Main St., contact Sherry Ford, 712-624-8616, slford@iastate.edu
• Onawa at the Monona County Extension Office, 119 Iowa Ave., contact Melanie Holt, 712-423-2175, mlholt@iastate.edu, or Cheri Hardison, chardi@iastate.edu
• Sidney at the Fremont County Extension Office, 610 Clay St., contact Anne Chambers, 712-374-2351, amorr@iastate.edu
• Sioux City at the Woodbury County Extension Office, 4301 Sergeant Road, contact Adrienne Jansen, 712-276-2157, jansena@iastate.edu, or Kristi Van Zanten at kvanzan@iastate.edu

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