Below is a listing of upcoming conservation field days around the state. For a complete listing of future conservation field days in Iowa, click here.

Upcoming Field Days

New Models to Quantify Value Gained from Soil Health Practices 

Wednesday, April 27 (12pm – 1pm) 

Live Webinar 

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place April 27 at noon CDT will feature Aria McLauchlan, co-founder and executive director, and Harley Cross, co-founder and director of strategy at Land Core, a nonprofit organization advancing soil health policies and programs that create value for farmers, businesses and communities. McLauchlan’s expertise in soil health and federal soil health policy aids Land Core in forming strong partnerships and coalitions with agricultural stakeholders, while Cross brings a substantial history of success and unique perspective to developing new financial infrastructure and incentives for soil health in the U.S.

In the webinar, “Valuing Soil Health to De-risk Adoption and Develop Incentives for Producers through Lending and Insurance,” McLauchlan and Cross will discuss emerging developments in the areas of risk analysis, financing and insurance that take into account the risk reduction value of implementing conservation practices such as cover crops, no-till and crop rotation which typically improve soil health, increase resilience to climatic events and contribute to higher yields and reduced input costs. In particular, they will highlight the statistical model Land Core is developing to quantify that reduced risk, and their work with lenders and insurers in the Midwest to create products for farm operators to benefit financially through new lending and insurance incentives based on soil health.

To access the webinar: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172

 

Agronomy in the Field 

Thursday, April 27 (5:30pm – 7pm)

Mason City, Iowa 

Agronomy in the Field is a workshop series for women that provides learning opportunities over forage and crop production. Focus is placed on developing agronomic and decision-making skills that can be utilized on one’s own personal or family cropping operations, including water quality and conservation practices. These workshops will be lead with hands-on opportunities in crop fields to help participants solidify the concepts and information they are taught.

Register here: https://iastate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bIUjhQ37dOkxscm

 

Conservation and Benefits of Alley Cropping 

Thursday, April 28 (10am – 11am)

Live Webinar 

Alley cropping combines rows of trees with agronomic or horticultural crops between the rows. This system can generate a range of farm products in tree rows including biomass, timber, fruit, or nuts while at the same time improving environmental outcomes. This webinar will go over planning for alley cropping, and more.

Register Here: https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07ej0jibrccfcddf7f&oseq=&c=&ch=

 

ILF Conservation Webinar Series 

Wednesdays at 12pm 

4/27: Aria McLauchlan and Harley Cross, Land Core
5/4: Andrew Diallesandro, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service