January, Mollie Clark Mary Ebert Vicki Frohling

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1 January, 2016 Mollie Clark Mary Ebert Vicki Frohling Youth Coordinator Program Coordinator Office Coordinator Upcoming Programs: Jan. 2 Beef Weigh-In Jan. 3-Figure Drawing Workshop Jan. 5 Commercial Manure Applicators Training Jan. 9-Beef Weigh-In (snow date) Jan. 21 Farmers Coffee-Market Outlook on Crops & Livestock Jan. 21-April 14 (Thursdays)-Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Website: guthrie Facebook: Guthrie County ISU Extension & Outreach Twitter and Instagram GuthrieCoExt VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) services will be offered once again starting in January for low and moderate income families. These services are for people with an income of $57,000 or less. To schedule an appointment at the Guthrie County Extension Office call , or at the Greene County Extension Office, call No appointments will be scheduled before January 15th. Call Monday- Friday, 8:30 am to 4:00 pm. Appointments are added throughout tax season. Only basic State & Federal returns will be processed. We do NOT prepare schedules or forms related to business profit/loss (except Schedule C-EZ or C with business expenses under $10,000), capital gains/losses, farm or rental income, employee business expenses, or moving expenses. Please consult a professional tax preparer for services not offered at a VITA site.

2 Commercial Manure Applicators Training Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, in cooperation with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, will offer the Commercial Manure Applicator Certification Workshop on Tuesday, January 5th, from 9:00 am to noon. Guthrie County Extension & Outreach will serve as a host site for this training. Sometimes not getting what you want can be the best thing for you Pre-registration is preferred by contacting the Guthrie County Extension Office at There is no charge for attending this workshop. Anyone not able to attend training should schedule an appointment with their DNR field office to take the certification exam. Farmer s Coffee A Farmer s Coffee will be offered on Thursday, January 21st, at 9:30 am at the Guthrie County Extension Office on Market Outlook on Crops & Livestock Shane Ellis, ISU Extension Farm and Ag Management Field Specialist, will be our featured speaker for this event. Please join us for hot coffee and refreshments

3 Private Pesticide Applicator Training Private Pesticide Applicator Training will be offered at the Guthrie Activity Center on Thursday, February 11, 2016, at 1:30 pm. There is a fee of $20. To find out your current certification status, call the IDALS Pesticide Bureau at To become certified initially, you must take the exam offered by the IA Dept. of Ag & Land Stewardship (IDALS). A Study Guide (PAT 1) is available for purchase at the Extension Office. One way to renew your certification is to pass the certification test every 3 years. A second way is to attend a private applicators continuing instruction course each of the 3 years during your renewal cycle. Please call our office at with questions or to register. You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow Cooking with Venison It s hunting season and venison is a great source of protein, inexpensive, and easy to find. Venison is similar in structure and taste to beef and pork, so it can be substituted for beef and pork in most recipes. People often think of deer when it comes to venison, but venison actually refers to meat from deer, elk, moose, reindeer, caribou, and antelope. Cuts of venison are similar to cuts of pork and beef when it comes to tenderness and cooking methods, however, it is somewhat less tender than beef or pork because the animal gets more exercise so has less fat and more muscle. For more information on cooking methods, go to

4 Iowa Farmland Value Average Iowa farmland value is now estimated to be $7,633 per acre having dropped in value for the second consecutive year. Per acre value declined $310, or 3.9 percent, since last year s survey. Farmland values have now fallen almost 13 percent from the historically high 2013 values. Land values were determined by the 2015 Iowa Land Value Survey, which was conducted in November by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at ISU & ISU Extension & Outreach. Results from the survey are similar to results by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Realtors Land Institute. The $7,633 per acre, & 3.9 percent drop in value represents the whole state, although values are also determined by crop reporting districts & each of Iowa s counties individually according to low-, medium- & high-quality farmland ratings. Farmland values hit a historic peak of $8,716 per acre in 2013, but declined 8.9 percent to $7,943 the following year. The drop in value this year is smaller than that of last year, but now marks the third time values have fallen since The 3.9 percent decline may seem less than what many people speculated, but according to Wendong Zhang, assistant professor of economics at ISU who led the survey this year, this is not out of line due to a mix of factors. Farmland values are still more than twice the reported values from 10 years ago, and almost 14 percent higher than 2011 values. For the 3rd year in a row, Scott & Decatur counties reported the highest & lowest farmland values. Decatur Co. reported a value of $3,514/acre, about 2 % from last year s report. Scott Co. reported the highest value at $10,918/acre, however, values there declined about $700/acre, higher than this year s statewide average & just over 6 % from last year. The largest district-wide decrease in farmland value was North Central Iowa, which reported a drop of 6.7 percent, bringing farmland values there down to $7,962 per acre. Mitchell and Floyd counties, in the Northeast portion of the state, reported the largest percentage drops in value at 8.6 percent; and Black Hawk County, also in the Northeast district reported the largest dollar decrease with a loss of $784 per acre. The district with the highest overall farmland value is Northwest Iowa at $9,685 per acre, and the lowest is South Central at $4,397 per acre. The value of all qualities of farmland fell across the state, with high-quality farmland losing 5 percent ($490 per acre) of its value, medium-quality land falling 3.2 percent ($232 per acre) and low-quality farmland falling 0.9 percent ($44 per acre). Statewide averages for high-, medium- & low- quality farmland are now $9,364, $7,127 & $4,834 per acre. The only district to show an increase in values was NW Iowa, which reported values 0.7 percent higher than last year. Clayton & Allamakee Counties reported the largest percentage increases with a 2.9 percent gain. Of respondents that listed positive and/or negative factors influencing farmland values, low interest rates & high yields were the most commonly cited positive factors and lower commodity prices were the most frequently cited negative factor. High input prices, an uncertain agricultural future and cash/credit availability were also cited as negative factors. With stagnant commodity prices, declining farm income forecast, a slowing Chinese economy, and a potential increase in interest rates, the Iowa farmland market appears to have peaked for the foreseeable future, and seems to continue drifting sideways to slightly lower. However, as Zhang put it, It will most likely be an orderly adjustment as opposed to a sudden bubble burst. Most farmers will be able to weather the storm as the market prices find a new equilibrium, but farmers and land owners who bet on the high commodity prices lasting and aggressively expanded or borrowed heavily will face significant problems in the months ahead. In the 2015 survey, over 75 percent of respondents thought land values in their territory would continue to decline next year. The majority predicted the decline would be either less than 5 percent or between 5 & 10 percent. The magnitude of the predicted drop depends on the location areas relying heavily on corn & soybeans could see a bigger decrease. The Iowa Land Value Survey is based on reports by agricultural professionals knowledgeable of land market conditions such as appraisers, farm managers, agricultural lenders & actual sales. It is intended to provide information on general land value trends, geographical land price relationships and factors influencing the Iowa land market. The 2015 survey is based on 514 usable responses providing 708 county land values estimates. The survey was made available online for the first time this year, and 55 percent of participants chose this method as opposed to the traditional paper survey.

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6 January, 2016 Guthrie County Extension & Outreach Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 Happy New Year! Office Closed 2 9 am-noon- Beef Weigh-In pm- Figure Drawing Workshop 7 pm-youth Committee Meeting 9 am- Commercial Manure Applicators Training Beef Weigh- In *Snow Date* pm- Extension Council Meeting 21 9:30 am- Farmer s Coffee 4-7 pm- VITA / pm- VITA Calendar may be subject to change

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12 Guthrie County Extension & Outreach 212 State Street Guthrie Center, IA Phone: ISU Extension & Outreach programs are available to all without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries can be directed to the Director of Equal Opportunity and Compliance, 3280 Beardshear Hall, (515) Guthrie County Extension & Outreach Council Jim Calvert, Chairperson Erica Tunink, Treasurer Bret Hodges Barb Gigar, Vice Chairperson Carol Cain Jim Clark Sheree McClellan, Secretary Karen Kennedy Mike Thomas