DES MOINES, IA (07/07/2014)(readMedia)-- Six Iowa farm families will be honored as recipients of The Way We Live Award at the 2014 Iowa State Fair. Each family will be recognized for their love of the land and the product they produce in award ceremonies during the Fair. "Nothing Compares" to the Iowa State Fair, August 7-17.

The Way We Live Award recognizes Iowa families for their hard work and love of farming. The families each exemplify dedication to animal agriculture and strong farm values. Each entrant was asked to submit a short essay describing how the occupation of farming and living on a farm has shaped their lives. Six families were chosen out of 38 entries from a variety of commodities and areas in Iowa.

Each family will receive a prize package including $250 cash, Fair tickets, free parking and recognition in the Paul R. Knapp Animal Learning Center during the Fair at 10:30 a.m. on various days. The Way We Live Award is sponsored by WHO NewsRadio 1040 and Tractor Supply Company.

Adams Family, Waucoma

Sunday, August 17

The Adams Family Farm has been operating in Waucoma since the early 1900s. Scott Adams, the current owner, was preceded by his father in the late 1940s after his return from World War II and Scott's grandfather in the 1900s. In 1981, Scott and his wife Jeanie took over the operation full-time after working alongside Scott's father for several years. In 2009, they began Adaway Dairy with their oldest son, Nathan. Nathan currently lives on Adams Century Farms, which was the first dairy to have a DeLaval robotic milking system in the state of Iowa. Nathan handles the dairy management with his wife, Annie, and two children. Scott and Jeanie's oldest daughters, Nicole and Jackie, often return to the farm to help out, and their younger children, Katie and Joey, plan on running the family farm one day. Katie graduated from Iowa State University (ISU) in 2013 with a degree in dairy science, and her brother, Joey, currently attends ISU and is also studying dairy science.

Clemsen Family, Brayton

Tuesday, August 12

Bryan and Shari Clemsen and their five boys, Dillion, 25, Aaron, 23, Emmet, 21, Garnner, 18, and Jarrid, 16, live on a farm that has been in their family for 59 years. They currently own 1,700 acres of land, 1,500 of which are used to grown corn and soybeans, and the rest is for hay and pasture. They also feed out approximately 1,000 head of beef cattle and have a herd of 40 cows. When they are not farming, the Clemsens take time for church, school and family meals. They also like to perform music when they can. Often hosting children without farming backgrounds, the family tries to educate them on the importance of hard work and agriculture.

Feldman Family, Honey Creek

Saturday, August 9

Thomas and Janna Feldman, along with their children Matthew, 22, and Mia, 19, are owners of Doe's and Diva's Inc., a goat and sheep dairy. The family purchased a goat to aid in Mia's health-related digestion issues and, over time, more goats and sheep were added until they had an excess of milk. They found an outlet in cheese making and built their own goat and sheep dairy. The milk from Doe's and Diva's does not contain any artificial growth hormones or antibiotics, and their goats and sheep are raised using natural herd management. The Feldmans also create natural goat milk soap products. The family provides tours of the dairy and takes goats and lambs on the road to Omaha and local stores to demonstrate farm life.

Grier Family, Guernsey

Saturday, August 16

Ron and Christine Grier and their son, Ryan, began their farming journey in 2005 when they decided to buy a farm and go back to their roots. Ryan had goats for a 4-H project and those goats soon developed into a 77 Boer goat operation. The Griers also have three bee colonies and grow corn, soybeans and hay on their 154 acres of land. In addition to the farm, both Ron and Christine have full-time jobs away from the farm. They keep the operation going with hard work and help from family members. Ryan, a computer science major at Iowa State University, often comes home to help out when needed. Ron is currently the vice president of the Tall Corn Meat Goat Wether Association, and both Ron and Christine are youth leaders and members of the American Boer Goat Association, the Iowa Meat Goat Association, the Iowa Honey Producers Association and the Farm Bureau.

Randolph Family, Goose Lake

Friday, August 8

Seven generations of Kruse family members have lived and worked on the same plot of land, a Heritage Farm, in Goose Lake. Now the Randolph Family Farm, its day-to-day operations were maintained by Leroy and Hannah Kruse until 1955 when they handed the reins to their son, Wally, and his wife, Joan. The two raised four daughters, Barb, Lynn, Kelly and Julie, on the original farm and continued living there until 2000. Today, farm operations are handled by Barb, her husband Todd, their son Daniel, his wife, Laurel, and their four children, Brandon, Sean, Joana and a new baby. Daniel's sisters, Jessica and Emily, also help out. Todd farms 115 acres of corn, soybeans, hay and oats. Forty-five acres of Todd's pasture are rented to his son Daniel for his cows. Daniel has 95 head of stock cows and farms more than 330 acres of corn, soybeans and hay. Over the years the Kruse family members have been involved in Farm Bureau, 4-H and church.

Van Regenmorter Family, Inwood

Sunday, August 10

Chad and Jody Van Regenmorter and their two daughters, Rebecca, 16, and Emily, 13, farm approximately 1,800 acres of corn, soybeans and oats and manage a 160-sow farrow operation. The farm has been in their family for three generations beginning in the 1950s. Chad and Jody have been members of Farm Bureau, the Corn Growers Association and the Pork Producers Association as well as several church groups and local and state boards. Rebecca and Emily both attend West Lyon Community Schools and are active in 4-H and showing hogs Rebecca also serves on the county council and participates in FFA.

"Nothing Compares" to the 2014 Iowa State Fair, August 7-17. The Fairgrounds are located at East 30th and East University Avenue, just 10 minutes east of downtown Des Moines. For more information, call 800/545-FAIR or visit www.iowastatefair.org.

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More than half of Iowa farmland is rented, and the percentage of farmland rented has increased over time due to the changing demographics of farmland owners. Iowa farmland cash rental rates decreased by $10 an acre from 2013 to 2014; east central Iowa cash rental rates decreased by 3.9 percent in 2014. Additionally, farmland values have increased by 10.8 percent in east central Iowa from 2012 to 2013, but have leveled off in the first quarter of 2014.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach offices across east central Iowa are hosting farmland leasing meetings from August 6 through August 21 at selected locations. These meetings will address questions that land owners, tenants, or other interested individuals have about farmland leasing. Locations include Welton at 1:30 p.m. on August 6, Muscatine at 1 p.m. on Aug. 18 and Tipton at 6 p.m. on Aug. 20. Meetings are approximately 2 ½ hours in length.

Attendees will gain understanding of current cash rental rate surveys and factors driving next year's rents such as market trends and input costs. They will learn about types of leases and results of farmland value surveys. Additionally, information on 2012 Census of Agriculture, 2014 Farm Bill, CSR2, and Nutrient Reduction Strategy will be presented. A 100-page workbook will be included with registration that includes land leasing information such as surveys, sample written lease agreement and termination forms, and many other publications.

"Due to changes in commodity markets, cash rent values, and government programs farmland owners and tenants may have more decisions over the next year than in previous years, and this meeting provides information to stay up to date on farmland lease issues", says Ryan Drollette, ISU Extension and Outreach Farm and Ag Business Management Specialist. Drollette will be the presenter at the meeting.

Registration is $25 per individual and $40 per couple. A $5 late registration fee will be charged if registering less than two calendar days before the workshop. Pre-register and find out additional meeting and location details by calling the corresponding local county extension office for the desired meeting location.

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WASHINGTON, June 13, 2014 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced up to $14.5 million in funding for two USDA bioenergy programs made available through the 2014 Farm Bill. USDA's Rural Development (RD) announced it is accepting applications from companies seeking to offset the costs associated with converting fossil fuel systems to renewable biomass fuel systems, while USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced the availability of $2.5 million in grants to enhance national energy security through the development of bio-based transportation fuels, biopower, and new bio-based products.

USDA today also announced a valuable aid to those in, or interested in, starting a bio-energy business, the Bioeconomy Tool Shed. The Tool Shed is a portal offering users access to a complement of web-based tools and information, statistical data and other resources related to the sustainable production and conversion of biomass into products and fuel, a process often referred to as the bioeconomy.

"These USDA investments are part of the Obama Administration's 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy, and they benefit our economy as well as the environment," Vilsack said. "USDA's support for bio-based technologies is good for the climate, and enhances rural economic development while it decreases our dependence on foreign sources of oil." He concluded, "These and other USDA efforts will create new products out of homegrown agriculture from this and future generations of American farmers and foresters."

USDA plans to make up to $12 million in payments for eligible biorefineries through RD's Repowering Assistance Program, which was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Biorefineries in existence on or before June 18, 2008 are eligible for payments to replace fossil fuels used to produce heat or power with renewable biomass. Since President Obama took office, USDA has provided $6.9 million to help biorefineries transition from fossil fuels to renewable biomass systems. Applications, deadlines and details will be published in the Federal Register on Monday, June 16, 2014.

USDA is also seeking applications for NIFA's Sun Grants program that encourages bioenergy and biomass research collaboration between government agencies, land-grant colleges and universities, and the private sector. Congress authorized the Sun Grant program in the 2008 Farm Bill and reauthorized the program in 2014. The program provides grants to five grant centers and one subcenter, which then will make competitive grants to projects that contribute to research, education and outreach for the regional production and sustainability of possible biobased feedstocks. The project period will not exceed five years.

The newest addition to the USDA Energy Web, the Tool Shed can help those interested in bio-energy business ventures by providing access to the data and information necessary to evaluate potential opportunities across the entire supply chain: from feedstock production, to bioenergy production, bioenergy use, and linkages between feedstock production, bioenergy production and use. The tool is designed to assist in evaluating the feasibility and opportunities for locating a new biorefinery. It provides the stakeholder access to information on demographics, land use, biomass, feedstock, economics, and financial management.

Today's announcements were made possible through the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users)