On March 3, AAI was represented by Reilly Vaughan, AAI Membership Directory, at the 17th Iowa Freight Advisory Council meeting in Des Moines, IA hosted by the Iowa DOT. 

AAI Membership Director, Reilly Vaughan, attended the 2nd Iowa Propane industry Working Group meeting in Des Moines, IA. AAI was invited to join the group in November 2016. "It is important that AAI participates in this working group because the majority of our membership use and sell propane. The more knowledge that we have of the propane inventory the better we can mitigate shortages and price spikes, that impact the membership and their customers." says Vaughan.

On March 7, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey highlighted 11 individuals, companies and organizations that were recognized with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards for their progress, their innovative solutions and their commitment to serving our communities through collaboration and hard work.

AAI leadership attended the event of over 520 people. The event was launched in 2012 and  Northey created the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Leader Awards to recognize, honor and promote Iowa citizens, companies and organizations who have made significant contributions to Iowa's agriculture industry.  

AAI Board Members in attendance were Troy Collins of CoBank, Craig Struve of Midwest Independent Soil Samplers, AAI members Mark Stutsman and Katie McWhirter of Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., Liz Hobart of Growmark, and AAI Membership Directory Reilly Vaughan. 

One of the awards was given to the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy Science Team in the Leadership in Conservation category. In 2010, a partnership was launched between Iowa State University, USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to develop the science assessment as part of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, a statewide strategy to reduce nutrients in Iowa waters and the Gulf of Mexico in a scientific, reasonable, and cost-effective manner. The team working on this effort consisted of 23 individuals representing five agencies or organizations under the leadership of Dr. John Lawrence at Iowa State University. AAI staff members Shawn Richmond, Environmental Technology Director and Dean Lemke, Nutrient Management & Environmental Stewardship Director served on the science team when they worked at IDALS. 

Longtime AAI member Sukup Manufacturing Company was also recognized in the Innovation in Agriculture Manufacturing category. 

Those recognized have displayed leadership within the categories of Innovation, Conservation, Education and Promotion, Service, and Collaboration.  "It is a tremendous honor and privilege to have the opportunity to recognize a group of leaders that have gone above and beyond in their service to Iowa agriculture," Northey said.  "These Ag Leader Award recipients tell, and live, the story of agriculture every day and I'm proud we have them as part of our Iowa agriculture family." Read full IDALS press release here.

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Union Count Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a cover crop field day Wednesday, March 29th. The 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. field day at Nick and Andrea Lacina's farm, rural Afton.  The field day is free and open to the public and includes a complimentary lunch. Joe Sellers, beef specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, will share information and recommendations to maximize the feed value of cover crops.  

The workshop is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested to ensure adequate space and food. Contact Liz Juchems at 515-294-5429 or email [email protected]. Full press release here. 

SHP will be enrolling 8-10 additional farmers in Iowa in 2017. This document has information to help answer questions about our current coverage and goals for enrollment. SHP  hopes to enroll a wide range of farms, soils, and communities across the state. See map for primary and secondary areas of interest for recruiting new farmers. 

How You Can Help?

If you know a good candidate for SHP, ask them if they know about SHP and/or would like to learn more. If so, you can proceed as you see fit depending on your relationship with that farmer.

• Ask them if it is okay if you share their contact info with SHP. If so, send Elyssa McFarland an email introduction or just their contact info with any background info that would be helpful.
• If you don't feel comfortable or can't share their contact info, you can share Elyssa's contact info with them ([email protected] or 319.212.0835)
• You can share a brochure and the SHP website with them to provide additional background before the exchange of contact info:  http://soilhealthpartnership.org