Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa Co-host June 17 Field Day

AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) will co-sponsor a field day with Iowa State University Extension Field Agronomist Paul Kassel and farmer Jeff Joyce in Palo Alto County on Friday, June 17, from 12-1:30 p.m. The field day will begin with a complimentary meal at noon, followed by discussion of cover crop management, strip-tillage and tractor fuel saving tips. A walking field tour of corn planted into fall 2010 aerial-seeded winter rye will begin at 1 p.m. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

The cover crop management discussion will include yield response of corn and soybeans following fall-seeded winter rye and other cereal grain cover crops, nitrogen fertilizer needs of corn planted after fall-seeded winter rye, planter set-up for planting into cover crop residue and soil quality improvements related to cover crop use. Attendees will be able to discuss cover crop and strip-tillage management with ISU and PFI experts, along with local farmer Jeff Joyce.

The field day location is known locally as the Barringer farm at 3650 360th Street; the site is one mile east of Ruthven on the south side of Hwy 18. For questions about the event, contact Paul Kassel at 712-262-2264 or by email at kassel@iastate.edu.
 
Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Learning Farms have formed a cover crop management working group with 10 farmer cooperators across the state, demonstrating corn and soybean yield response to fall-seeded cereal grain cover crops fall-seeded before or after combine harvest of the previous crop.
 
Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation, encouraging 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.

Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) includes a diverse group of farmers and non-farmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle, and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many other PFI farmers focus on fruits and vegetables.  PFI programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstration, field days, conferences and more.   

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Contact: Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, 515-232-5661