AMES, Iowa -- The Iowa Learning Farm and the Winneshiek Soil and Water Conservation District will co-host a field day at the Gordon Hunter farm near Decorah, Iowa. The field day will be Wednesday, June 17, beginning at 11 a.m.
Paul Hunter is a cooperator with the Iowa Learning Farm (ILF) and farms with his father Gordon. They will present and discuss their experiences with no-till farming as part of the field day program. Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Agricultural Engineer Mark Hanna will offer guidance on adapting various planters to enable planting into no-tilled fields. The Hunters and Frank Hageman will have their no-till planters on display. Also Bob Vobora, a Natural Resources Conservation Service soil resource specialist, will talk about soil quality and infiltration with regard to no-till; and Andy Herringshaw, an ISU economics graduate student who is working with the Iowa Learning Farm, will discuss the economic benefits of no-tilling. Finally, ISU Extension Agricultural Engineer Matt Helmers will demonstrate the ILF conservation systems rainfall simulator.
The field day is free and the public is invited to attend, but an RSVP is suggested. Please call the Winneshiek NRCS/SWCD office, (563) 382-4352, ext. 3 by Monday, June 15. The event is at the Gordon Hunter farm, located at 2331 Highway 52 South, one mile south of Decorah; at the field entrance east of the farmstead.
The Iowa Learning Farm takes a grassroots approach, offering innovative ways to help all Iowans have an active role in keeping our state’s natural resources healthy and not take them for granted. A goal of the Iowa Learning Farm is to build a Culture of Conservation, encouraging the adoption of residue management and conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF staff are working together to identify and implement the best in-field management practices that increase water and soil quality while remaining profitable.
Iowa Learning Farm is a partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service and Iowa Department of Natural Resources; in cooperation with Conservation Districts of Iowa and the Iowa Farm Bureau.
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