We are taking nominations for the 2021 Farmland Owner Legacy Award. Pictured above from left to right are Ann Novak, Carol Bouska, Sally McCoy and Carol Bouska, the recipients of the 2020 award.

Practical Farmers of Iowa created the Farmland Owner Legacy Award to call attention to the need for improved landowner partnerships with farmers, and of the vital – but often unacknowledged – role non-operator landowners play in shaping the agricultural landscape, rural communities and opportunities for beginning farmers.

Many PFI members have been tugging on the curtain of Iowa’s local food system for years in an effort to get Iowans to better understand and value a food system of, by and for Iowans.

The challenge has been garnering public interest and addressing the various challenges to local foods in Iowa … until 2020 and the advent of the novel coronavirus shone a light on the realities and vulnerabilities of Iowa’s food system.

Read this guest blog co-authored by PFI members Jan Libbey and Audrey E. Tran Lam. 

Gina Nichols, a doctoral student at Iowa State University and PFI member, wrote a guest blog about her research into water-holding capacity in long-term cover cropped fields.

Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking an outgoing and dedicated professional to join our staff as livestock coordinator.

The livestock coordinator will work closely with many types of farmers, enterprises and systems, including conventional and organic, medium- and small-scale livestock farmers and graziers comprising beef, swine, sheep, goat, poultry and dairy farmers.

During this farminar, Adam Montri drew from his experience building hundreds of high tunnels to share tips for building a strong tunnel, and routine tasks farmers should do to keep their tunnels performing as expected.

En la comunidad latina el interés por la agricultura es fuerte, pero las vías para empezar no son claros. Como entrenador agrícola del Latino Economic Development Center en Minnesota, Rodrigo compartirá su experiencia operando una granja de vegetales orgánicos de 46 acres en Turtle Creek, Wisconsin.

Únase con Rodrigo en este seminario mientras él comparte cómo planifica sus temporadas de producción, cómo accedió a la tierra y comercializa sus cultivos con una cooperativa.

Nota: Este seminario será presentado principalmente en español.

Attend weekly meetups to learn from others and share your spring field crop management expertise. Discussion topics will vary from week to week, but may include: cover crops, small grains, legume cover crops, herbicide or tillage termination, organic cover crops, grazing cover crops, summer silage, nitrogen placement, manure application and how these aspects affect corn or soybean production.

Farmers, bring your thoughts and questions; we’ll work together to try to address as many as we can. For those with cows that are calving, wear your headset in the barn and dial in to join us – no need to be in front of the computer!

On March 5 from 12:15-1:15 p.m., we’ll hear from Practical Farmers' research and field crops director, Stefan Gailans, on how to consider a nitrogen credit from your leguminous cover crop. Accounting for a nitrogen credit from your legume cover crop can reduce corn production expenses while minimizing the risk of a nitrogen deficiency to corn.

Join fellow horticultural farmers on Fridays from 4-5 p.m. CST for a series of virtual meet-ups to close out the winter!

These events are FREE and open to all growers. You don’t have to be a PFI member to attend. If you grow annual vegetables, perennial fruits, nuts or cut flowers – or if you direct-market other products (meat, cheese, etc.), and these topics look interesting – please join us!

Levi Lyle of Keota, IA, was featured in Farm Innovations: Paying Farmers to Sequester Carbon for the Benefit of All

Mitchell Hora of Brighton, IA, was featured in Farm Innovations: Leveraging Data to Optimize Inputs, Improve Outputs

Chad Bell of Viola, IL, and Rebecca Clay of Sioux City, IA, were featured in Midwest Messenger: Cover crops have key role in resilient soils 

Practical Farmers of Iowa was mentioned in the Waukon Standard: Grazing Cover Crops Increases Profits

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: tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org