Event Details: Practical Yet Profitable and Ecologically Sensitive Ways to Farm
Practical Farmers’ Annual Conference has been the backbone of PFI’s organization since its founding, when farmers looking to improve diversity on their farms gathered to share their knowledge openly with others. From the days when farmers hosted these informal get-togethers at someone’s farm and when farmers knew this as the Annual Meeting. To the surging interest in pragmatic, sustainable farming solutions that in 2003 necessitated a shift in rhetorical scope from annual “meeting” to “conference.” And, to the ongoing upwelling of farmers who seek practical yet profitable and ecologically sensitive ways to farm. The annual conference has been a hallmark of what Practical Farmers stands for: farmer-to-farmer learning, networking and grassroots solutions to on-farm challenges for a more diverse, sustainable agricultural landscape.
The 2019 Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference will be at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa, on January 17-19, 2019.
For more information about being a sponsor or exhibitor, please email Kathy Eastman at
keastman33@gmail.com.
Lastly, check out the
PFI Annual Conference brochure here.
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Cover Crops Workshop
January 29 (5 – 8 p.m.)
Mistress Brewing Company
1802 North Ankeny Boulevard
Ankeny, IA 50021
Event Details: Join us for an evening of cover crops discussions and peer networking, featuring Iowa Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Julie Kenney! Enjoy a local brew and a free meal. Bring your questions, comments and a friend!
Agenda
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Mix & Mingle
6:00 p.m. | Dinner
6:30 p.m. | Deputy Kenney will give an IDALS update
6:45 p.m. | Local farmers including seed corn grower Mark Kenney will discuss their conservation practices
7:00 – 7:30 p.m. | Open discussion led by panel of local farmers
An RSVP is suggested in order to ensure that there is enough food ordered. Email covercrops@agribiz.org or call 641-861-2280.
For more information about the Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative visit
www.sustainableseedcorn.org.
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February 14 (8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.)
Jones County Fairgrounds
CSB Youth Development Center
800 N Maple Street
Monticello, IA 52310
Event Details: Farmers, agronomists, and those interested in learning more about soil health are invited to attend a daytime or evening soil health workshop being offered in Monticello on February 14 at the Citizens State Bank Youth Development Center on the Jones County Fairgrounds, 800 N Maple Street, Monticello.
Doors open to sign-in for the daytime workshop at 8:30 am. The daytime workshop will go from 9 am to 4 pm. The agenda for the workshop includes an introduction to soil health by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Soil Health Specialist, Doug Peterson. Ray Archuleta, a soil health advocate, will follow discussing current soil health topics. Brian Dougherty, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Ag Engineer will add a global perspective on soil health. A sponsored catered lunch will be served. Following lunch, central Iowa producer Jack Boyer will discuss how he’s used cover crops to build his soils and improve nutrient availability on his farms. Peterson and Archuleta will also discuss alleviating soil compaction and promoting soil fungi during the afternoon portion. The workshop will conclude around 4 pm following a question and answer session. If you plan to attend the daytime workshop, please RSVP to the Jones County Extension Office by calling 319-465-3224 by February 7 to help ensure an accurate head count for lunch.
The evening workshop will start with registration at 5:30 p.m. with the workshop kicking off at 5:45 p.m. and concluding around 8:00 p.m. The evening workshop will have more of an emphasis on how livestock relate to soil health. The agenda for the evening workshop includes an introduction to soil health by Peterson, a discussion on grazing cover crops by ISU Extension Beef Specialist Denise Schwab, and Archuleta will lead a conversation on livestock and soil health. There will be time for networking and a question and answer session as well. No RSVPs are required for the evening workshop since no meal will be provided.
Representatives from the USDA’s NRCS, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality, will be in attendance and available to answer questions. Soil commissioners from the Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones and Linn Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) will be in attendance as well.
Workshop sponsors include the following: Farm Credit Services of America; Iowa Corn Growers Association; Iowa State University Extension and Outreach; Citizens State Bank; Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones, and Linn Soil & Water Conservation Districts; Soil Health Partnership, and Iowa Soybean Association.
Certified crop advisors can earn continuing education units for soil and water and nutrient management at both the daytime and evening workshop. Contact or visit your local SWCD office for more information or with questions.
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Event Details: Farmers, agronomists, and those interested in learning more about soil health are invited to attend a daytime or evening soil health workshop being offered in Monticello on February 14 at the Citizens State Bank Youth Development Center on the Jones County Fairgrounds, 800 N Maple Street, Monticello.
Doors open to sign-in for the daytime workshop at 8:30 am. The daytime workshop will go from 9 am to 4 pm. The agenda for the workshop includes an introduction to soil health by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Regional Soil Health Specialist, Doug Peterson. Ray Archuleta, a soil health advocate, will follow discussing current soil health topics. Brian Dougherty, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Ag Engineer will add a global perspective on soil health. A sponsored catered lunch will be served. Following lunch, central Iowa producer Jack Boyer will discuss how he’s used cover crops to build his soils and improve nutrient availability on his farms. Peterson and Archuleta will also discuss alleviating soil compaction and promoting soil fungi during the afternoon portion. The workshop will conclude around 4 pm following a question and answer session. If you plan to attend the daytime workshop, please RSVP to the Jones County Extension Office by calling 319-465-3224 by February 7 to help ensure an accurate head count for lunch.
The evening workshop will start with registration at 5:30 p.m. with the workshop kicking off at 5:45 p.m. and concluding around 8:00 p.m. The evening workshop will have more of an emphasis on how livestock relate to soil health. The agenda for the evening workshop includes an introduction to soil health by Peterson, a discussion on grazing cover crops by ISU Extension Beef Specialist Denise Schwab, and Archuleta will lead a conversation on livestock and soil health. There will be time for networking and a question and answer session as well. No RSVPs are required for the evening workshop since no meal will be provided.
Representatives from the USDA’s NRCS, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality, will be in attendance and available to answer questions. Soil commissioners from the Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones and Linn Soil & Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) will be in attendance as well.
Workshop sponsors include the following: Farm Credit Services of America; Iowa Corn Growers Association; Iowa State University Extension and Outreach; Citizens State Bank; Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones, and Linn Soil & Water Conservation Districts; Soil Health Partnership, and Iowa Soybean Association.
Certified crop advisors can earn continuing education units for soil and water and nutrient management at both the daytime and evening workshop. Contact or visit your local SWCD office for more information or with questions.
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Webinar: Farmed Prairie Potholes – Consequences & Management Options
February 20 (12 p.m.)
Event Details: Join speaker Amy Kaleita, Iowa State Professor of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering to discuss consequences and management options for farmed prairie potholes. Connect to the webinar
here.
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Iowa Conservation Education Summit
February 21 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Discovery Center, Blank Park Zoo
7401 SW 9
th St.
Des Moines, IA 50315
Join CE stakeholders from across Iowa for a day of active discussion and networking to identify opportunities, share success stories, and make recommendations for building capacity for CE in Iowa!
Outcomes from the summit will be incorporated into a statewide assessment report of CE in Iowa. Be part of this important project! The event begins at 9 AM at the Discovery Center at the Blank Park Zoo.
Summit attendees receive a $10 discount on registration to our Winter Workshop. Look for the discount code in your confirmation email.
Draft agenda for the day:
9 AM - Welcome
9:15 AM Large Group Session
What makes quality CE?
Why is CE important to you?
10:20 AM Review of preliminary survey results
11 AM Keynote Presentation - John Lawrence, ISU Extension and Outreach
12 PM - Lunch
1 PM Small Group Sessions
Identify opportunities, success stories, and best approaches for specific audiences
Discuss specific actionable items you or the group you represent can accomplish over the next one to five years
3 PM Share out results of small group discussions
4 PM End - Safe travels!
Register for the event
here.
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Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance: The 2019 Iowa Pork Congress
January 23 – 24
Event Details: A Midwest Pork Symposium
This event showcases products like nutrition services, property solutions, swine lightings and many more etc. in the Meat, Poultry & Seafood industry. Please register here for this year’s Iowa Pork Congress.
The following seminars were selected by IPPA producer leadership and are funded by the Pork Checkoff.
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The discussion will provide localized soybean production data, tips for managing emerging pests and strategies for optimizing soil health to boost yields. All tour stops will feature the ISA Analytics, Environmental Programs and Services and the On-Farm Network® teams presenting results from 2018 projects. Roundtables and breakout sessions will facilitate the tailoring of topics to each region and the local needs of farmers. The conferences include lunch and refreshments. Continuing education credits will be available.
Storm Lake
The soybean gall midge will headline the Storm Lake session, with Erin Hodgson, Iowa State University Extension entomologist. On-farm, analytics and environmental research results topics will include weed management, water monitoring, nutrient management, cover crops and watershed projects.
Schedule is as follows:
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Continental Breakfast, Welcome and Research Roundtable Discussion
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
3:45 PM - Al Kluis – Commodity Advisors, MN – Today’s Markets
For directions to the event you can
click here.
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2019 Iowa Soybean Association Farmer Research Tour
February 7 (8 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.)
Gateway Hotel and Conference Center 2100 Green Hills Dr. Ames, IA 50014
Event Details:
The Iowa Soybean Association is taking the annual research conference on the road this year! The ISA research team is going on tour, stopping at three cities in Iowa. The mainstay of the 2019 Farmer Research Tour continues to be providing valuable information on the latest research and management practices you can apply to your farm. This year, there will be topics focused on your geographical area and ISA researchers will share data relevant to your region.
The discussion will provide localized soybean production data, tips for managing emerging pests and strategies for optimizing soil health to boost yields. All tour stops will feature the ISA Analytics, Environmental Programs and Services and the On-Farm Network® teams presenting results from 2018 projects. Roundtables and breakout sessions will facilitate the tailoring of topics to each region and the local needs of farmers. The conferences include lunch and refreshments. Continuing education credits will be available.
Ames
For those joining in Ames, you will hear about data collection, storage and sharing. On-farm, analytics and environmental research results topics will include weed management, water monitoring, nutrient management, cover crops and watershed projects.
Schedule is as follows:
8:00 AM - 10:00 AM - Continental Breakfast, Welcome and Research Roundtable Discussion
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
2:30 PM - 3:30 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
3:45 PM - Al Kluis – Commodity Advisors, MN – Today’s Markets
For directions to the event you can
click here.
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The discussion will provide localized soybean production data, tips for managing emerging pests and strategies for optimizing soil health to boost yields. All tour stops will feature the ISA Analytics, Environmental Programs and Services and the On-Farm Network® teams presenting results from 2018 projects. Roundtables and breakout sessions will facilitate the tailoring of topics to each region and the local needs of farmers. The conferences include lunch and refreshments. Continuing education credits will be available.
Cedar Rapids
Those attending the Cedar Rapids session will learn about the partnership between Cedar Rapids utilities and upstream farmers from special guest Utility Director Steve Hershner. On-farm, analytics and environmental research results topics will include weed management, water monitoring, nutrient management, cover crops and watershed projects.
Schedule is as follows:
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM - Continental Breakfast, Welcome and Research Roundtable Discussion
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM - General Session with Steve Hershner, City of Cedar Rapids – City of Water Crisis
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM - Breakout Sessions – TBD
3:45 PM - Al Kluis – Commodity Advisors, MN – Today’s Markets
For directions to the event you can click here.