Federal Agencies Provide Guidance to Researchers in Response to COVID-19
Due to the disruptions arising from the national response to COVID-19, multiple federal agencies are making adjustments to their procedures, including extending deadlines for grant solicitations. USDA NIFA has extended deadlines for several solicitations. NSF has released FAQ documents on grant deadlines, travel, and review panelists. NSF has also released a Dear Colleague letter soliciting proposals to conduct non-medical, non-clinical-care research on the transmission, prevention, and communication of COVID-19. The DOE-Office of Science has issued an extension for grant applications and further instructions on progress reports and travel. The DOE also launched a task force that will coordinate its resources to study coronavirus and other public health issues.
Federal Agencies Respond to COVID-19
The national response to COVID-19 is impacting every aspect of American lives, including the scientific enterprise. Many federal research agencies have issued guidance for researchers with regard to grant submission deadlines, travel, and review panels. View ASA Resource Website.
During the 2020 Commodity Classic and American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Annual Meeting, 2019 Iowa Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) of the Year, Adam Kramer was named the International CCA of the Year.
Adam Kramer is a small business owner in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Waukon, Iowa farmer, he was awarded the Iowa CCA of the Year during an annual award luncheon at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference (ASC) on February 12, 2019.
A certified crop adviser utilizes best management practices that protect the environment and lead growers to produce higher yields and increased profitability for their farms. Farmers and employers prefer to work with CCAs because they have demonstrated commitment, education, expertise, and experience to make a difference in a client’s business.
The Iowa Certified Crop Adviser of the Year Award is designed to recognize a CCA who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown that they are a leader in their field, and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry. The Iowa CCA program then nominates the annual Iowa CCA of the Year for the ASA award of International CCA of the Year.
It can feel like walking a tight rope as farmers work to improve soil health and yields simultaneously. And on that trajectory, consultant Adam Kramer aims to meet farmers where they are on their journey—be a bit of a stabilizing and encouraging force.
“The first thing I do when starting to work with a farmer is go to their fields, do an assessment, see what their capabilities are, and talk about their goals,” Kramer says. “And it’s important to see through the producer’s eyes what is happening in the field, so we can put together the right practices.”
His commitment to focusing on the farmer-led Kramer to being named the 2020 International Certified Crop Adviser of the Year.
Kramer’s business, Black Sand Granary, offers soil testing, data management, cover crop consulting, and equipment retrofits. He’s been self-employed since graduating with an agronomy degree from Iowa State University, and his consulting is based in southwest Wisconsin, along with some acreage he farmers in northern Iowa and uses as a demonstration farm. His consulting is focused on soil health with an eye on short-term and long-term impacts on profitability.
“You don’t change 1,000 acres at a time, you try things a bit at a time,” he says. “We’ve been on some of the same farms since 2006. On every farm, we soil test, run data for cropping plans, and serve as another set of eyes for production decisions.”
He says the biggest part of being a crop consultant is just the drive to want to help people.
“It’s about helping farmers mitigate risks while raising top-end yields—and doing it in a profitable way,” he says. “And it gets really exciting when they cross one threshold, master a skill, and then they are already looking for the next thing to do better. The farmers do all the work; as an adviser, I’m challenging them to do what they are capable of.”
Kramer has a natural curiosity about challenging assumptions about the status quo, and he has a deep respect for the environment. Intertwined, those have fueled a lot of ideas he’s tried and shared with farmers.
“I’m always trying to get lean, find efficiencies,” he says.
As an example, the equipment part of his consulting includes rebuilding planters and drills for no-till and cover crops.
“We’ve incorporated small grains into our crop rotations for continuous cropping. So we plant early-season soybeans, seed small grains by October, harvest the small grains at the end of the following July, and then plant cover crops which corn is planted into the next year,” he explains.
That system has shown increased water infiltration, improved organic matter, and reduced tillage and horsepower requirements for the farming operation.
When reflecting on his career and this award, Kramer gives credit to his wife Kellie, employees and partners at Black Sand Granary, and all of the academic mentors he had at Iowa State.
As the recipient, Kramer received hotel and travel expenses to the 2020 Commodity Classic and American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, a $2,000 honorarium, a commemorative plaque, and a one-year membership in the American Society of Agronomy.
Des Moines, IA – The Iowa Certified Crop Advisers (CCA) has named Terry Bockenstedt, a crop consultant with Nutrien Ag Solutions from Dyersville, 2020 Iowa CCA of the Year. He accepted this annual award during the Iowa CCA recognition luncheon at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference (ASC) on February 11, 2020.
Iowa Certified Crop Adviser board chairman, Dan Eklund (left), presents Terry Brockenstedt (right) of Dyersville with the 2020 Iowa CCA of the Year award and his 25 years of service plaque during an awards luncheon on February 11, 2020.
A certified crop adviser utilizes best management practices that protect the environment and lead growers to produce higher yields and increase profitability for their farms. Farmers and employers prefer to work with CCAs because they have demonstrated commitment, education, expertise, and experience to make a difference in a client’s business.
The Iowa Certified Crop Adviser of the Year Award is designed to recognize a CCA who delivers exceptional customer service, is highly innovative, has shown they are a leader in their field and has contributed substantially to the exchange of ideas and the transfer of agronomic knowledge within the agriculture industry.
Bockenstedt grew up on a farm just southeast of Petersburg, Iowa, in Delaware County, and graduated from Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, in 1971. He started working for Crop Production Services, now Nutrien, in northeast Iowa in 1974. He has always had an eye on environmentally and economically sound practices. Due to the northeastern Iowa terrain, he is committed to advising his growers to place fertilizer where needed to promote stewardship of the land and environment. He was one of the first in the area to begin using grid sampling and variable rate technology for spreading fertilizer and believes that CCAs have a responsibility to do what is right for the grower and the future of agriculture’s stewardship of the land.
Brockenstedt has earned the Environmental Respect Award from Crop Life Magazine for the first time at a Dyersville, Iowa, location in 2006, and a second time at a Worthington, Iowa, location in 2008. The past four years, he has been working extensively with vineyard growers in Iowa, demonstrating his commitment to helping growers. Nominated by his peers, he was awarded the Outstanding Industry Partner Award in 2019 from the Iowa Wine Growers Association.
Not only is Brockenstedt committed to his growers, but he is also committed to his company. Over the years, he has mentored managers at other Nutrien locations and even working with college interns during the summer at many the Nebraska and Iowa locations.
Currently, he is a board member of the Local Emergency Planning Committee for Dubuque County. He and his wife, Gloria, currently live in Dyersville.
Adam Kramer is a small business owner in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin and Waukon, Iowa farmer, he was awarded the Iowa CCA of the Year during an annual award luncheon at the Agribusiness Showcase & Conference (ASC) on February 12, 2019.
