Jon Bakehouse, of Hastings, Iowa, is the newest addition to Practical Farmers of Iowa’s board of directors. Jon and his family raise corn, soybeans, small grains, hay, chickens and a small cow-calf herd at Maple Edge Farm. He was one of four individuals elected by PFI members in January to join or renew their tenure on the 12-person board of directors. The election took place during PFI’s 2021 virtual annual conference.

Jon starts his first term as a farmer director for PFI District 4, which represents southwest Iowa. The other three – including Vic Madsen, a farmer from Audubon, Iowa; Mark Quee, a farmer and educator from West Branch, Iowa; and Lisa Schulte Moore, an Iowa State University professor in Ames, Iowa – were all re-elected to their current positions on the board.

In addition to the newly and re-elected members, we have a new executive committee. Ann Franzenburg, of Van Horne, Iowa, is board president; Nathan Anderson, of Aurelia, Iowa, is vice president; David Rosmann, of Avoca, Iowa, is board secretary; and Lisa Schulte Moore remains the board treasurer.

Serving on the board of directors is one of many ways our members lead the organization. Learn more about the board and its role.

Recordings from the annual conference continue to get published! Subscribe to our YouTube channel or check the video archive on our website to catch our latest uploads!

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.

Father and son team, Jon and Jared Luhman, operate Dry Creek Red Angus in Goodhue, Minnesota. Each winter they contract graze their cattle on cover crops and crop residue – whether it’s on their neighbors’ fields or hauling cattle to Nebraska to overwinter.

In this farminar, the Luhmans discussed their winter grazing arrangements and how they work out the finances to benefit both the landowner and themselves.

Following the powerful derecho windstorm of August 2020, which damaged or destroyed many high tunnels, many farmers wondered what more they could do to strengthen their high tunnels and keep them in good shape for withstanding such severe weather.

During this farminar, Adam Montri will draw on 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.

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!

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!

Joel Gruver, of Macomb, IL, was featured in AgriNews: Research backs cover crops’ effectiveness

Paul Johnson, of Decorah, IA, was remembered in an article in the Des Moines Register: A fierce advocate for the land: Iowa and national conservationist Paul Johnson dies at 79

Paul was also mentioned in an article by Michael Rosmann, of Harlan, IA, published in Farm & Ranch Guide: Sustainable ag/sustainable mental health networks 

Jack Boyer of Reinbeck, IA, and Stefan Gailans of Ames, IA, were featured on RFD-TV: Jack Boyer is Iowa's Farmer of the Year

Rob Stout of Washington, IA, was featured in Wallaces Farmer: Different growers, different N management approaches

Practical Farmers of Iowa was mentioned in AgDaily: Cynthia Hayes Memorial Scholarship now open

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