Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Stefan Gailans, PFI's research and field crops director, presents Bruce Carney of Maxwell (left) with Practical Farmers' Master Researcher Award on Dec. 18. The award ceremony took place during our annual Cooperators' Meeting dinner on Thursday, Dec. 12, but Bruce was unable to attend.

The Master Researcher Award honors those who have conducted at least 20 on-farm research trials through PFI’s Cooperators’ Program and hosted at least five field days with PFI to share the knowledge they have gained.

Bruce farms with his family at Carney Family Farms on 300 acres south of Maxwell, and was honored along with PFI's other newest master researcher, Mark Quee of Scattergood Friends School Farm.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Pre-registration for our annual conference closes at midnight on Thursday, Jan. 9. You are still able to attend the conference as a walk-in, but prices go up $10 for each day.
Controlling weeds and pests on the farm is one of many ways to help build a more resilient farming system. This week, we are highlighting field crop and horticulture sessions relevant to weed and pest control.
NEWS
Farminars will begin on Tuesday, with a presentation on an incubator farm model in Minnesota. These free online events run weekly on Tuesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. CST through March 17. Each focuses on a unique production or business management topic, and is led by a farmer or subject-matter expert.

The first farminar of the season, on Jan. 7, will be led by Dayna Burtness, Heidi Eger and Bailey Lutz, of Nettle Valley Farm near Spring Grove, Minnesota. See more below!
As part of our effort to offer more resources to non-operating landowners, the goal of this newsletter is to provide you with resources, articles, events and information we hope you find useful. 

From the winter magazine:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Learn about new market options for wheat and oats in southern Iowa

Davis City Community Center | 209 N Bridge St. | Davis City
Farmers in southern Iowa now have a new market option for wheat and oats! Learn more at this lunch and informational program.

On Tuesday, Jan. 7, from noon-2 p.m., join us in Davis City for lunch and a program featuring presentations on:

  • 2020 wheat and oat prices
  • contracts with Smithfield and Practical Farmers' cost-share program
  • small-grain agronomic resources

Tim Palmer, a farmer and president of the National Association of Conservation Districts (pictured), will be there to share his tips for adding small grains into rotation and the results he's seen on his farm.

Questions? Contact Alisha Bower at (515) 232-5661 or alisha@practicalfarmers.org
Access to land and limited business planning experience are two hurdles beginning farmers are likely to encounter. Dayna Burtness and her husband, Nick, have decided to support beginning farmers using an incubator farm model near Spring Grove, Minnesota.

The program provides access to 67 acres of grazable land, equipment and buildings, low-interest loans and joint-marketing opportunities for three seasons. 

Heidi Eger and Bailey Lutz have each taken advantage of this program to access land at Nettle Valley Farm and launch their own independent farm operations.
Join us for a call on clover management into a corn crop
Managing a cover crop heading into corn planting is tricky with any over-wintering cover crop, so good termination is key to limiting competition and maintaining corn yields.

With clover, there is the added difficulty of not only adjusting fertilizer timing, but also the amount of fertilizer to account for the biologically fixed N the clover generated.

The call will be held from noon-1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. To join dial (605) 313-5784 and enter passcode 239000# when prompted.
Jan. 7: Lunch - Small Grains
Noon - 2 p.m. | Davis City

Jan. 7: Farminar - Incubator Model
7 p.m. | Online

Jan. 10: Shared Learning Call - Clover Management
Noon | Details above

Jan. 14: Farminar - Greens Production
7 p.m. | Online
Jan. 16-17: Conference - Short Courses | Ames

Jan. 17-18: Conference - PFI Annual Conference 2020 | Ames

Jan. 21: Farminar - Pest Control
7 p.m. | Online

Jan. 28: Farminar - Customer Relationships
7 p.m. | Online
MEMBERSHIP
Thanks to your generous support, we have surpassed our goal of $25,000.

We accept donations year-round! Help us continue to raise the bar and push us further past our goal. THANK YOU all for your generosity!
Make your voice heard; help guide our farmer-led organization!
Thank you to the 300+ Practical Farmers of Iowa members who have taken the time to complete our 2020 member survey so far. We only ask this of you every three years, and the information we receive is critical to our programming and strategic planning.

If you have not yet completed the survey, we need your responses! Please check your email inbox for the subject line “2020 PFI Member Survey – We need to hear from you!” Whether you farm, plan to farm in the future or like to support the work we do, your feedback will help guide us into the future. Thank you!
IN THE NEWS
Members in the News
Jack Boyer of Reinbeck was featured in AgPro: City Partners with Farmers for Water Quality

Mike Jackson of Oskaloosa was featured in The Oskaloosa Herald: Jackson one of 'America's Best Young Farmers'

Jon Bakehouse of Hastings, Jack Boyer of Reinbeck; Mike Jackson of Oskaloosa, Loran Steinlage of West Union and Michael Vittetoe of Washington were featured in No-Till Farmer: ‘Skip Zones’ May Help Quell Fears About Corn After Cereal Rye
PFI in the News
PFI was not featured in the news this week
Have you been featured in the media? Tell us when and where to find a link to the article, and we'll feature you in a future issue of Practical News.