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

Upcoming Field Days

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: Transforming Drainage to Improve Soil Resiliency and Maintain Productivity 

Wednesday, July 6 (12pm)

Live Webinar

The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar taking place July 6 at noon CDT will feature Jane Frankenberger, professor and extension agricultural engineer, Purdue University. Frankenberger led the $5 million Transforming Drainage project that brought together researchers and extension specialists from eight states to advance more resilient drainage systems. Her work focuses on advancing drainage design and management utilizing tools and strategies to support informed decision making by landowners and stakeholders.

In the webinar, Frankenberger will highlight the Transforming Drainage project and present lessons learned as well as advances made in practices that store water in the landscape to increase resilience. Drawing on the innovation and field work of the project members, she will discuss practices including controlled drainage, saturated buffers and drainage water recycling. She will also cover tools, publicly available data, research studies and education products that can be used across the region to inform drainage decisions and transform drainage systems. 

For more information, click here. 


Soil Health and Grazing Series: Part 1

Wednesday, July 6 (12:30pm-3pm)

Kubik Family Farm

2587 130th St, Traer, IA 50675

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Learning Farms are offering two field days focused on soil health in grazing systems. In These hands-on field days, attendees will learn how to assess soil and pasture conditions.

For more information and to register, click here.


Soil Health and Grazing Series: Part 2

Friday, July 8 (12:30pm-3pm)

Smith Family Farm

26129 Tivoli Ln, Epworth, IA 52045

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Learning Farms are offering two field days focused on soil health in grazing systems. In These hands-on field days, attendees will learn how to assess soil and pasture conditions.

For more information and to register, click here.


Prairie Strips and Conservation on Big Spirit Lake

Saturday, July 9 (10am-1pm)

13026 253rd Ave

Orleans, IA 51360

Landowners Eric and Kelly Hoien invite you to their 129-acre farm just off Big Spirit Lake to learn how they’re working to protect their local watershed and provide habitat for wildlife. The Hoiens have installed 23 acres of prairie strips as a way to protect soil and water quality, and reintegrate native prairie back onto the landscape.

At this field day, Eric and Kelly, along with staff from Iowa State University’s STRIPS team, will discuss nuts and bolts of designing, establishing and managing prairie strips. You’ll learn about edge-of-field practices, water quality benefits and hear how Eric and Kelly have used programs like the Conservation Reserve Program to help pay for conservation practices, build habitat and improve their little piece of the Big Spirit Lake watershed.

For more information and to register, click here by July 5.


Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Webinar Series

Wednesday, July 13 (12pm)

Live Webinar

The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar taking place July 13 at noon CDT will feature Mike Castellano from Iowa State University.

For more information, click here.


Conservation Rotations and Cover Crops Following Small Grains

Friday, July 15 (10am-12pm)

Linder Family Farms, 47605 180th St

Easton, MN 56205

Andy Linder farms with his father, Don Linder, near Easton, Minnesota, raising no-till soybeans, no-till and strip-till corn, oats, canning crops and hay. He also operates a cover crop seed business selling seed and doing high-clearance applications.

At this field day, you’ll learn from the Linders about managing diverse rotations, no-till corn, spring-seeded covers and the benefits of grazing for soil health. Andy will showcase his oat field planted next to a field of canning peas, and no-till corn planted into a spring cover crop. If you’re interested in small grains, reduced tillage, and grazing cover crops then this is a field day for you!

For more information and to register, click here by July 11.