Articles

In May 2011, Iowa farm women began sharing their experiences in central Africa, where 80 percent of the farming is done by women. The collaboration was developed by a farmer-to-farmer project through Iowa State University’s Value Added Agriculture program with cooperation from a Ugandan nonprofit organization, Volunteer Efforts for Developing Concerns (VEDCO).

Rain barrels, rain gardens and other strategies to reduce flooding and improve water quality is the focus of the Virtual Eco Family Conference, “Water, Our Precious Resource,” on April 5.

Key factors in conducting a safe burn include monitoring wind direction and wind speed, temperature, and relative humidity. Jesse Randall, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach forester, outlines controlling an open burn and when it’s not advisable to burn.

Proper management of furnace and ventilation controller settings in hog buildings can reduce propane and electricity costs. A new publication from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach illustrates the impact controller settings can have on furnace run time and energy consumption in swine production facilities.

The Iowa Master Gardener program is once again offering a series of summer webinars. The 2012 series titled "Garden Goodness" will be hosted by Iowa State University Extension county offices on the fourth Tuesday of the month, May through August. The sessions are open to all interested gardeners; participants are not required to have completed Master Gardener training to attend.

Home gardeners welcome daffodils as a sign of spring. However, they often have questions about when to plant and how to manage foliage after spring blooming.

The 2012 Lauren Christian Pork Chop Open will be held Tuesday, July 24 at Veenker Memorial Golf Course in Ames. The 18-hole best ball tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. and includes lunch at the golf course. Following the tournament, players and others are invited to attend a reception, meal and awards program.

Answers to farm safety and health questions, case studies and a calendar of farm safety related events are available on one website – eXtension.org.  Farm safety and health is the most recent community of practice, or topic area, to launch on the national research-based information and education site.

Iowans can make their voices heard about creating a more vibrant food system at the Iowa Local Food Summit April 3. The summit will include conversations and workshops about how to meet the goals outlined in the Iowa Local Food and Farm Plan, developed by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in response to state legislation passed in 2011.