Cooperators' Program trials are off to a roaring start in 2022. Farmers are conducting 83 on-farm research projects across Iowa and the Midwest this year! This week, PFI's research coordinator, Hayley Nelson, met with a few cooperators in northeast Iowa.

Shae Pesek (bottom) of Over the Moon Farm & Flowers in Delaware County, Iowa, is conducting four trials ranging from exploring sunflower types and overwintering bulbs for earliest bloom to turkey grazing and chicken diets.

Hannah Breckbill of Humble Hands Harvest (top left), in Decorah, Iowa, calculates the amounts of product she and Carly McAndrews of Trowel & Error Farm (top right), of Iowa City, Iowa, will need for their trial looking at whether a biological soil amendment product could reduce aphid pressure in their row-covered brassicas.

Receive $10 per acre on up to 200 acres, or 10% of your farmed acres (whichever is larger), and $5 per acre on everything above that. There are no requirements on the species or seeding method used. 

PFI is one of the vendors attending The Gathering: Coming Together Around Local Food in Mason City, Iowa, on April 30. Come visit our booth at the North Iowa Events Center from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Learn more about us, pick up some PFI materials or just say hello.

The event, hosted by Healthy Harvest of North Iowa, aims to inspire connections and conversations in support of a strong local food system. For more details, visit www.healthyharvestni.com/thegathering.

May 21: Film Screening - Livestock on the Land

7:30-10 p.m. | Harlan, IA

If you want to make sure you receive a printed copy of our upcoming 2022 field day guide, quarterly magazine or annual report, make sure your membership is up to date.

Tom and Maren Beard of Decorah, IA, were featured in the news twice:

Seth Watkins of Clarinda, IA, was featured in Brownfield Ag News: Iowa cattle producer struggling to find help on the farm

Steve Strasheim of Mitchell, IA, was featured on the podcast Farm Traveler: Growing Leafy Greens in the Hawkeye State - Twisted River Farm

Jenn and Adam O'Neal of Winterset, IA, were featured in the Des Moines Register: Despite the Winterset tornado's 'unrecognizable' destruction, this farm will soon sell flowers again

Practical Farmers of Iowa was featured on the Daily Yonder: Q&A: Lessons from the Land with Agriculture Expert Neil Hamilton

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.

Contact: maggie_n@practicalfarmers.org

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