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Finding new employees for a food or agricultural business has just gotten easier. At no cost, members of the MarketMaker website can use the new employment opportunities feature to post a new job opening and see it advertised nationally.

To see if nonpoint source loan programs were making a difference, Iowa Clean Water State Revolving Fund staff contacted Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to help conduct an evaluation. Extension sociologist J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. led the research team and results of the study have been published.

Iowa Learning Farms, along with Practical Farmers of Iowa, will host a field day on Thursday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Kent Swanson farm, rural Red Oak. The field day will focus on cover crop management and use for grazing and forage production, erosion control and soil health.

Early spring is a great time for amending the garden soil, and getting it prepared for the upcoming growing season. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach talk about changes to soil pH when adding ashes and lime to gardens, soil core aerification and soil testing.

Mushroom hunters who would like to legally sell morel mushrooms in Iowa must complete a morel mushroom certification workshop. The workshop will be offered at three locations in March and April.

Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crops workshop, along with the Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Practical Farmers of Iowa, on Thursday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Buzzy’s Pizza in Welton. The workshop will focus on cover crops for feed, soil and nutrient management. 

Iowa Learning Farms will host a field day, along with Practical Farmers of Iowa, on Friday, March 22, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Black Hawk Marsh State Game Management Area, Lake View. The field day will focus on cover management. 

Iowans will have a chance to form partnerships and network with other local food enthusiasts at an upcoming conference, “Road Map for Resilience: Empowering Iowa’s Local Food Economy,” at the ISU Scheman Building on March 19-20.

School teachers, youth organization leaders, informal education professionals, county and regional extension programs, and other organizations delivering STEM educational programs can apply to bring one or more of the nine specially selected programs into a club or classroom during 2013-14.