Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.

Attendees of a spring cover crop field day listen to host Wayne Fredericks (on far left) at his farm near Osage in northeast Iowa. Wayne discussed his ongoing seeding rate and date cover crop trial and shared his playbook for terminating cover crops. “To us, it is about finding what productive, profitable, sustainable crop production practices work while keeping soil, water and air quality at the forefront,” Wayne says. “It is that balance that will help improve our competitiveness as producers.”

ON THE BLOG

Enterprise budgets for small grains in organic transition offer management insight

Transitioning to organic requires forethought and planning to keep a farm business solvent through the three years where crop production must comply with organic standards (no pesticides, synthetic fertilizers nor genetically modified seeds may be used) but organic premium prices are not yet accessible. In this blog, farmers in Practical Farmers' small grains cost-share provided us with economic data to inform enterprise budgets for an oat-corn rotation during the organic transition phase.

Read the rest of this blog

Guest blog: cover crops protect local drinking water supplies

Over the last five years, more than 60 cities in Iowa have struggled with high nitrate levels in their drinking water, and 30 percent of Iowa’s municipal water systems are at high risk for nutrient pollution.

In this blog, Elizabeth Lillard of the National Wildlife Federation talks about how rural communities are addressing the risk of nitrate contamination and the cost of water treatment by developing and implementing a source water protection (SWP) plan.

Read Elizabeth's guest blog

NEWS

Research report: "Establishing Cover Crop Skip Zones for Corn"

In this study, farmer-cooperators created skip zones while seeding cover crops, and then planted corn into these skip zones to see if this method could be part of a proper management plan for corn following a cereal rye cover crop. Farmer-cooperators created skip zones by using planters to seed cover crops in wide rows, or by plugging seed drill openers while seeding cover crops and ending up with cover crops in twin rows.

Read the full report on our website

Research report: "No-Till vs. Strip-Till Corn and Soybeans Following a Cereal Rye Cover Crop"

This research looked at the effect of no-till and strip-till on corn and soybean yields, as well as economic returns when planting into a cereal rye cover crop. Jack Boyer compared two nitrogen fertilizer rates. Tim Sieren also compared two side-dress nitrogen fertilizer application methods in addition to comparing no-till and strip-till.

Read the full report on our website

We are hiring! Join the PFI staff

Farmer Outreach Coordinator Do you or someone you know have journalism or communications experience that could help farmers tell their stories?

Strategic Initiatives Assistant Practical Farmers of Iowa is seeking a diligent, respectful and passionate person to join our strategic initiatives team.

View our employment page to apply

Several summer positions open at PFI!

PFI is hosting several Land and Water Steward positions this summer with Green Iowa AmeriCorps in partnership with University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy and Environmental Education. We are looking for several candidates to help with various tasks and projects, ranging from helping with field days and research to outreach about what we do. Read more about the program -- and if you're interested in a position at PFI, make sure you check the "Ames (LWS)" box under location.

View more details

Paid on-farm jobs still available through Labor4Learning!

Emma and Marcus Johnson of Buffalo Ridge Orchard are one of many trainer farms in the 2019 Labor4Learning program. The Johnsons are willing to hire an aspiring farmer and provide additional training on what it takes to run an orchard and vegetable farm. "We are excited about working with a trainee interested in local food and horticulture crops," Emma says. "Buffalo Ridge Orchard is a small operation that runs smoothly only because our staff and owners are committed to grow quality local food responsibly. "We have found that we get better at our jobs as we teach our processes to our staff, learning new techniques from them along the way. We look forward to growing together for the 2019 season!"

Read this job description and other openings

We still need beginning and aspiring farmer feedback!

If you're someone who plans to farm in the future, or has farmed on your own for 10 years or less, we need you to help guide our programming. Thank you to everyone who has shared with us already, but we need more voices! Please, take 10 minutes to let us know about your farming goals, barriers, and needs.

Take the survey here!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Don't miss the last two Iowa "Map of My Kingdom" play performances -- RSVP today!

If you've been thinking of attending "Map of My Kingdom," the PFI-commissioned play that explores some of the thorny issues surrounding farmland transfer decisions, RSVP today! The final two Iowa performances scheduled this season (in Okoboji and Waterloo) are next week -- and RSVP deadlines are rapidly approaching. Admission is FREE, and performances will feature a discussion with the audience afterwards led by either playwright Mary Swander or PFI staff. Practical Farmers of Iowa and Center for Rural Affairs partnered to bring several performances of the play to communities across Iowa in March and April 2019. Final spring 2019 performances include:

Thursday, April 11 – Okoboji 7 p.m. - Pearson Lakes Art Center RSVP by April 8. Saturday, April 13 – Waterloo 2 p.m. - Grout Museum of History and Science RSVP by April 9.

Learn more about this play!

( Note: This event was formerly called Farmland Legacy Letter Workshop) This workshop explores the pressures families face during farm and ranchland transition and how they might find ways to mitigate those tensions. It is designed for farmers and ranch families and those interested in the topic, from high school-age students to adults. The workshop is FREE and open to the public. Please RSVP to Debra at (515) 232-5661 or debra@practicalfarmers.org by Monday, April 8.

Learn more about the workshop!

More upcoming PFI events!

April 11: Play - "Map of My Kingdom" Performance 7 p.m | Okoboji April 12: Workshop - Farm and Ranchland Transition Workshop 11 a.m. | Milford

April 13: Play - "Map of My Kingdom" Performance 2 p.m. | Waterloo

View even more events on our calendar!

MEMBERSHIP

Check our your alebels

In an effort to make it easier for you to know when your PFI membership expires, we include your membership expiration date at the top of the address label on your mailed publications. This can help you keep track of when it is time to renew and prevent your membership from lapsing. If your membership is close to lapsing, you can renew online anytime. You can also choose to renew for multiple years or sign up for auto-renew. Need a little extra help with any of this? Please call us at (515) 232-5661.

MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Andy and Melissa Dunham of Grinnell and Ellen Walsh-Rosmann of Harlan were featured in Civil Eats: Grinnell Heritage Farm is Farming Against Type -- and Against the Odds -- in Iowa John and Beverly Gilbert of Iowa Falls, Tim and Curt Roseland of Gilman and Paul Willis of Thornton were featured in New Food Economy: When a Big Ag conglomerate buys an iconic niche meat company, who has to change? Ethan Crow of Marshalltown was featured in Iowa Farmer Today: Sprawl Hits Close to Home for Iowa Farmer

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

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