Iowa Learning Farms Hosts Benton County Cover Crops Field Day

AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms will host a field day, along with Practical Farmers of Iowa, on Tuesday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Dustin Kaestner farm near Luzerne. The field day will focus on cover crops for row crop systems.

The field day will include presentations and discussion with Tom Kaspar of the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment; Sarah Carlson, research and policy director at Practical Farmers of Iowa; cover crop farmer and host Dustin Kaestner; and Tina Cibula with Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Topics covered at the event include cover crop comparison with no-till, strip-till and conventional tillage systems, cover crops for erosion control and spring management considerations.

The event is free and includes a complimentary lunch. The public is invited to attend, but an RSVP is recommended. To register for this event, please call one of these county NRCS offices: Benton County, 319-472-2161 ext. 3; Iowa County, 319-668-2359; Tama County, 641-484-2701 ext. 3; and Poweshiek County, 641-528-2065 ext. 3.

The field day site is located at Kaestner Seeds, 7381 16th Ave., Luzerne; located 3/4 mile south of Highway 30 on 16th Avenue/County Road V44 on the west side of the road. From Luzerne: go north on 16th Avenue approximately 3 miles.

Iowa Learning Farms 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 Iowa Learning Farms is to build a Culture of Conservation, encouraging the adoption of residue management and conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best in-field management practices that increase water and soil quality while remaining profitable.

Iowa Learning Farms is a partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319), in cooperation with Conservation Districts of Iowa, the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Water Center.

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