Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers offers windbreak assistance to livestock farmers impacted by the derecho

09-03-2020 in Article

CONTACT: Brian Waddingham, Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers
800.932.2436, bwaddingham@supportfarmers.com

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa – August 28, 2020 – The derecho that tore across the U.S. Midwest on Monday, August 10, caused widespread property damage with its hurricane-force winds. The storm left its mark on cities, rural towns and on farms across much of Iowa.

It tore into livestock farms, leaving grain bins, livestock barns, machine sheds, homes and trees in shambles. Coalition staff is seeing the damage first-hand and are speaking with livestock farmers who suffered tremendous losses during the storm. Many farmers have been concentrating on getting power back and cleaning up damaged or destroyed buildings, grain bins, homes and trees.

With harvest just around the corner, now may be a good time to contact the Coalition about assessing damage to your windbreaks around livestock barns and feedlots.  Through the Coalition’s Green Farmstead Partner program, we can provide you with free planning and design assistance to help you replace trees and windbreaks that were damaged around your cattle feedlots, hog barns and poultry buildings.

The Green Farmstead Partner program was created in 2009 to bridge the gap between farm families who want to plant trees and the nursery professionals who have expertise in tree plantings on farms and in rural areas. It is offered by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers with the help of Trees Forever and the Iowa Nursery and Landscape Association. The program provides information on tree and shrub plantings for livestock farms and offers the expertise of 28 nursery professionals around the state.

To help you get a better understanding of options that may work on your farm, including cost-share opportunities, please view the following links:
For Windbreak Renovation, click here.
For the Establishment, Care and Maintenance of Farmstead Windbreaks, click here.
To see the NRCS EQIP Cost Share Programs for Windbreaks, click here.
Trees Forever: Guide for Homeowners: Wind-damaged trees, click here.

The Coalition is here to help you discuss the options available to you and can serve as a starting point for you to learn about the programs that might work for your farm. We would be happy to come to your farm, at no charge, for a personal consultation. You can reach the Coalition at 800.932.2436 or email bwaddingham@supportfarmers.com. We will continue to work on options for assistance as you clear, clean, and rebuild on your livestock farm.

CSIF is a non-profit, non-lobbying organization that assists livestock farmers who want help interpreting rules and regulations, guidance on identifying good site locations for barns, counsel on enhancing neighbor relations and tips on how to protect the environment at no cost. This positive, solutions-based approach to helping livestock farmers grow is a collaborative effort involving the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Cattlemen’s Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Poultry Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Turkey Federation and Midwest Dairy.

For more information, call 800.932.2436 or visit supportfarmers.com.

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