Event Details: Presented in partnership with the Marshall County Farm Bureau. Women and men are encouraged to attend this free event that is open to the public and includes a complimentary meal.
Leading off the workshop is Allen Burt, Marshall County farmer and landowner. To protect the soil from erosion, Allen is using both no-tillage and strip-tillage on his Century Farm near Marshalltown. As an early adopter of cover crops, Allen uses oats and winter cereal rye on nearly 700 acres. He began in the 1980 planting corn immediately following the chopping of the cover crops for silage. “We just didn’t call it cover crops back then,” commented Allen.
Additional speakers include Charles Brown, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach farm management specialist, discussing how to work with tenants to incorporate cover crops and other conservation practices. Liz Juchems, Iowa Learning Farms conservation outreach specialist, will share the benefits and challenges of cover crops, on-farm research results and an introduction into seeding and termination. Ann Staudt, Iowa Learning Farms assistant program manager, will facilitate a discussion on the role of the earthworms as a biological indicator of soil health.
The field day will be held at the Fisher Community Center, Room B, 709 S. Center St. Marshalltown. The workshop is free and open to the whole family, but reservations are suggested to ensure adequate space and food. Please RSVP to Marshall County Farm Bureau at 641-753-6637 or jean.klosterman@ifbf.org. RSVP is due by June 4.
Event Details: Learn about the benefits and challenges of cover crops, especially corn production following rye and the challenges of seeding disease. Alison Robertson, ISU extension plant pathologist, will share research her lab has been doing to understand the role of seeding disease in yield drag, and discuss best management strategies to reduce disease. You’ll also learn about incorporating small grains production into traditional row crop rotations and the unique cover crop opportunities this provides. After lunch, you are welcome to tour Kauffman’s depopulated layer facility.
RSVP for meal to: Debra Boekholder, (515) 232-5661 or debra@practicalfarmers.org by Wednesday, June 13.
June 20 (12 pm)
Event Details: Sign up for the webinar here. Join Sara Berges on June 20 at 12 pm.
Event Details: The day will include: strip till demonstrations by various local equipment companies, cover crop presentations and inter-seeding demonstrations, and a panel discussion with local farmers.
Registration begins at 8 am. Meeting runs 9 am-4 pm.
Register for the event here.
Event Details: Join us to learn about soil health on Dave Moose’s farm. Donna Brandt from the University of Missouri Soil Health Assessment Center will lead a soil pit demonstration. Speakers include Catherine O’Reilly from Illinois State, Kim Isermann with Soil Health Partnership, a local farmer panel discussion.
Registration begins at 8:00 am. Meeting runs 8:30 am- 12 pm.
Register for the event here.
Event Details: Join hundreds of fellow strip-tillers at the 5th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference in Iowa City, Iowa, July 26-27, 2018.
This is a unique, one-of-a-kind learning experience assembling the best strip-tillers, agronomists and researchers together in one location to share cutting-edge ideas, techniques and strategies to raise your level of strip-till profitability, efficiency and efficacy.
Click here to learn more about strip-till and other water quality and soil health solutions at work.
The 5th annual National Strip-Tillage Conference offers 7 general session speakers, 12 Strip-Till Classrooms and 20 invaluable Strip-Till Roundtables. Just as important is the chance to profit from unlimited hallway networking with the most innovative, forward-thinking minds in strip-till during this late-July event in Iowa City!
This will be one of the topics, headed by professor of soil science Harold van Es. Harold van Es is also chair of the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at Cornell University.
Treating “sick soils” isn’t as simple as applying a Band-Aid or injecting an antibiotic. A permanent path to recovery requires a thorough diagnosis and an incremental plan.
Harold van Es has been digging into the dynamics of developing healthy soils and strong biological activity. His team developed the Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health (CASH) framework, which includes the measurement of 16 soil health indicators that represent important processes in the soil. CASH can be used to identify specific problems related to physical, biological and chemical concerns in the soil, and CASH reports allow for targeted management approaches.
He will discuss how different management practices impact biological, physical and chemical indicators and what strip-tillers can learn from those variables to improve soil biology.
Register now online or by calling (262) 782-4480. You may also register additional farm/family members. Contact Customer Service if you are organizing a group of 10 or more. You may register additional people from your farm or family for $224 each. Price for registration will automatically adjust. (You will have the opportunity to review your order before purchase.)
A goal of this innovative project is to help address a variety of social factors influencing the adoption of conservation practices and assist emerging farmers in the creation of a sustainable business plan for their operation. To learn more about conservation practices visit here.
The application deadline is Wednesday, May 16 – space is limited so apply today! All applicants will be notified of their application status by June 1, 2018. The Emerging Farmer Forum is an all-expense paid two-day cabin stay. You can apply here.
Partners Include: Iowa Learning Farms, Seth Watkins, Nathan Anderson, Iowa Beef Center, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Community and Economic Development, Beginning Farmer Center and Practical Farmers of Iowa.