Paul Ackley, a diversified crop and livestock farmer from Bedford, and his late wife, Nancy, received the 2021 Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award from Practical Farmers of Iowa on Friday morning during PFI's virtual annual conference.

Paul operates a diversified farm in southwestern Iowa, raising corn, soybeans, hay, winter wheat and a diverse mix of cover crops, as well as hair sheep and cattle, on about 800 acres.

Until her death in December, Nancy was a vital part of the farm operation over the couple’s more than 50 years of farming together.

The award is given each year by PFI to an individual or couple that has shown exemplary commitment to sustainable agriculture, generously shared their knowledge with others and been influential in efforts to foster vibrant communities, diverse farms and healthy food.

Practical Farmers of Iowa's first documentary film – "Livestock on the Land" – debuted on Thursday at our virtual annual conference.

"Livestock on the Land" is a story by Practical Farmers about the ways farmers are building a regenerative agriculture by centering their operations around the animals they care for.

Whether it's through rotational grazing, cover crops or fertility for crop fields, livestock hold the key to protecting our soil, cleaning up our water and even providing habitat for wildlife.

But most importantly, livestock give farmers a chance to get started, grow businesses, provide for their families, work together and, ultimately, bring back the next generation to start it all over again.

All farminars run weekly on Tuesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. CST and are free for anyone with an internet connection

to participate.

Each presentation focuses on a unique production or business management topic, and is led by a farmer or subject-matter expert.

Earlier this month, Bill Frederick of Jefferson, Iowa, shared some of the lessons he has learned while expanding Iowa Cover Crop's seed cleaning capacity.

Read about the various seed cleaning setups Bill has had, and his tips for seed cleaning in this blog.

The 2021 virtual annual conference is underway! For those of you in attendance, we would love to hear about your experience on social media! Tag us and use the hashtag #PFI21 on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

If you couldn't make it to the conference, be sure to subscribe to PFI on YouTube to get notified when we post the latest video of sessions from the conference.

In 2019, Eric Miller began his own on-farm research project planting 60 corn with a cover crop mix seeded in between the rows in June.

He prefers seeding cover crops at this time of year because it fits into his schedule. The wide corn rows result in ample cover crop growth by the fall, which in turn presents opportunities for grazing.

Jack Boyer of Reinbeck was featured on 4R Plus: An Ongoing Effort to Improve Crop Profitability

Mary Swander of Kalona was featured in Carroll Times Herald: With Manning sensibilities, former Iowa poet laureate finds podcast voice

Practical Farmers of Iowa was mentioned in an article in Ag Journal: Cover crops represent long-term investment

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