Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
On Wednesday, Lee Tesdell of Slater received Practical Farmers of Iowa's 2019 Farmland Owner Legacy Award. This award is granted annually to landowners who help the next generation get started, advance land stewardship and promote long-term sustainability of farm businesses, environmental quality and rural communities.

Lee owns Tesdell Century Farm, which has been in his family since 1884. He works with his tenants Charles and Mike Helland, who raise row crops on 60 of Lee's acres, to address soil conservation and water quality issues by implementing in-field and edge-of-field practices.

In the photo above, PFI board member Lisa Schulte Moore presents Lee with the Farmland Owner Legacy Award.
ON THE BLOG
At Practical Farmers, we try to help farmers make changes in order to reach their goals. Change is hard, even when change is wanted! From the research we use to guide our work, we know that making commitments helps people make the change they want.
In June 2019, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that  Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship  has applied for a Cooperative Interstate Shipment agreement with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. The program will allow participating state-inspected meat and poultry processors to distribute their products across state lines.

Hear from Ty Gustafson, co-owner of  Story City Locker , who instigated and championed the adoption of this program in Iowa. Ty lists a few points for farmers to consider in this blog.
NEWS
While earlier cultivation passes require more care and attention to detail, later cultivation passes require keeping a close eye on fields to know when it’s time to get back out there. In this video, learn from PFI farmers about what they’re trying to get done with the cultivator later in the year.
Practical Farmers of Iowa is looking to hire a short-term contractor to build relationships with Iowa’s Latino community and increase their participation in our membership network .

We aim to connect with and learn about Latino Iowan farmer interests, as well as the barriers they face, so we can provide programming to help them begin and improve their farming careers.

This part-time, temporary contract position will run from approximately August 2019-January 2020, and will connect with Latino farmers, service organizations and Latino media outlets in Iowa to build relationships, learn about barriers and opportunities, and increase awareness about PFI.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, July 16 | 4 – 6 p.m. | Elkport, IA
Hosted by: Pete Kerns and Natasha Hegmann

Wednesday, July 17 | 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Grundy Center
Contact: Fred Abels 

Wednesday, July 17 | 10 a.m. – Noon | Sutherland, IA
Hosted by: Paul and Karen Mugge

Wednesday, July 17 | 1 – 3 p.m. | Sutherland, IA
Hosted by: Paul and Karen Mugge

Friday, July 19 | 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Blakesburg, IA
Hosted by: Bart VerEllen
July 16: Field Day - Vegetables for Rural Communities
4-6 p.m. | Elkport

July 17: Field Day - Soil Health Workshop
9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. | Grundy Center

July 17: Field Day - On-Farm Prairie & Insect Habitat
10 a.m. - Noon | Sutherland

July 17: Field Day - Organic Row Crops
1-3 p.m. | Sutherland

July 19: Field Day - Commercial Hair Sheep
10 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Blakesburg
July 23: Field Day - RAGBRAI at Howell's Greenhouse
6-10 a.m. | Cumming

Aug. 3: Field Day - Agroforestry
10 a.m. - 2 p.m. | Maxwell

Aug. 4: Workshop - Next Generation Summit
1:30-5:30 p.m. | Van Meter

Aug. 6: Field Day - Soil Health
2-7 p.m. | Buckingham

Aug. 7: Field Day - Growing Chestnuts
1-3 p.m. | Columbus Junction
MEMBERS IN THE NEWS
John Gilbert of Iowa Falls, Scott Wedemeier of Maynard, Kevin Dietzel of Jewell and Francis Blake of Waukon were featured in Wallace's Farmer: Apple cider vinegar may benefit dairy cattle

Rick Cruse and Lisa Schulte Moore, both of Ames, were featured on BBC: Why is soil disappearing from farms

Blake Carlson of Cedar Falls was featured in the podcast Redeeming the Dirt: Young farmer, passionate follower of Jesus, interview with Blake Carlson
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.