Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Torray Wilson, riding on the four-wheeler, releases the family’s dairy herd onto fresh pasture at Seven W Farm near Paullina on May 31, 2018. While crops are just starting to sprout in the Wilson family’s adjacent field, the pasture is a lush buffet of vibrant green that nourishes the cows and helps them produce high-quality milk, which the Wilsons market through Organic Valley.
NEWS
Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking a diligent, respectful and passionate person to join our strategic initiatives team.
Do you or someone you know have journalism or communications experience that could help farmers tell their stories?
We are seeking a responsible and committed person to help with mailings, membership database updates, answering phones and other office tasks. 
UPCOMING EVENTS
Our 2019 spring cover crop field day series is nearly here! We hope you'll join us to learn about cover crops and how they can be used in crop and livestock systems. The series starts on March 26 in Fort Dodge and runs through June, with events planned for locations across Iowa.

Farmers and community members are invited to learn about a variety of cover crop issues, from varieties and planting strategies to equipment, grazing and harvest options, as well as various practices farmers use to maximize the financial return from cover crops.

All field days in the series run from 4 to 7 p.m., and are free and open to everyone.
Cover crop field day

March 26 – Fort Dodge

March 27 – Prairie City

April 2 – Osage

April 3 – Orange City

April 4 – Epworth

June 4 – La Porte City
Join our shared learning call on April 5 to learn about scouting and treating disease in small grains
A key aspect of producing small grains that achieve market quality for test weight or germination is managing disease appropriately. Dr. Emmanuel Byamukama, a small grains plant pathologist from South Dakota State University, will join us on April 5 to discuss disease management for small grains, including when to scout, what to look for, what the key windows are for fungicide application and which fungicide applications have a positive return on investment.

This call will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, April 5.

To join, dial (605) 313-5071 and enter passcode 357330# when prompted.
Practical Farmers of Iowa and Center for Rural Affairs are partnering to bring several performances of “ Map of My Kingdom,” a play that explores some of the thorny issues surrounding farmland transfer decisions, to communities across Iowa in March and April.

Admission is FREE, and all performances will feature a talk-back with the audience afterwards led by either playwright Mary Swander or PFI staff. RSVPs are requested for some locations.

Upcoming performances include:
Thursday, April 11 – Okoboji
7 p.m. - Pearson Lakes Art Center

  • Note: A free farmland legacy letter workshop will be held on Friday, April 12, at 11 a.m., at the nearby Iowa Lakeside Laboratory. Attendance at both events is encouraged, but not required.


Saturday, April 13 – Waterloo
2 p.m. - Grout Museum of History and Science
RSVP by April 9.
March 26: Field Day - Cover Crops
4 - 7 p.m. | Fort Dodge

March 27: Field Day - Cover Crops
4 - 7 p.m. | Prairie City

April 2: Field Day - Cover Crops
4 - 7 p.m. | Osage

April 3: Field Day - Cover Crops
4 - 7 p.m. | Orange City

April 4: Field Day - Cover Crops
4 - 7 p.m. | Epworth
April 5: Call - Small Grains
Noon - 1 p.m.

7 p.m | Okoboji

April 12: Workshop - Farmland Legacy Letter Workshop
11 a.m. | Milford

2 p.m. | Waterloo
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
Daryl DeGroot of Hull and Jeremy Gustafson of Boone were featured in Wallaces Farmer: Cover crop feeds corn crop

Kate Edwards of Iowa City and Wade Dooley of Albion were featured in Morning Ag Clips: Iowa Young Farmers seek legislative change
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.