Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Are you looking for paid, on-farm work and additional training on how to run a farm business?

Curious about aquaponics? How about running a flour mill?
Apply to Early Morning Harvest in Guthrie County!

Wondering about what it takes to run an orchard?
Join the team at Buffalo Ridge Orchard or Berry Patch to find out!

Want to get experience with a diverse farming operation?
Check out the positions available at farms like Maple Edge Farm and Bridgewater Farm!

Does fruit and vegetable production fit in your future farm plans? 
Choose from a handful of on-farm jobs across the state!

Labor4Learning has job openings with experienced farmers that cover nearly any enterprise you can think of. These jobs are found across the state and each opening varies in duration, hours, work activities and compensation, so visit our website for more information.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to expand your on-farm experience and build your farmer network while earning an income. 
Latest from Practical Farmers
May 9 |   Lamoni

May 16 |   Lockridge

May 22 |   Remsen
May 23 |  Maxwell

May 30 |   Oxford

June 9 |   Charles City
We’ll get together to go on pasture walks, discuss spring grazing management on lush pastures, first cut hay, planting summer annuals and more. Meet and learn from fellow livestock farmers. Each of these events runs from 4:30-7 p.m. and will have a meal provided.
Did you miss either of these event?
You can catch the highlights by clicking below. You can watch Roger Smith talk about marketing chestnuts or even Cody Hopkins share about Building a Meat Cooperative From the Ground up . These and many more videos are available.
If you are a Practical Farmers of Iowa member, you should have received your spring issue of our quarterly magazine, "the Practical Farmer," in the mail. If you wish to receive our magazine in the mail  join PFI today  and you'll automatically receive all future issues.

With this issue,  we are also pleased to announce our new digital version  of the magazine! Now, in addition to just downloading a static PDF or relying on your print copy,  you can engage with the magazine more interactively  on our website!
Check out these resources for beginning farmers
We have recently updated our collection of business, financial, production, and technical assistance resources to help aspiring and beginning farmers further their business goals. You can access them by clicking on the icons below.
We will continue to build this list and add new resources as they are available. If you see any resources missing that you find helpful please share them with us. You can send them to Greg Padget at greg@practicalfarmers.org .
This article contains helpful advice on how to correctly setup an electric fence, how to select a fence charger and what to be aware of when you go to ground your system for the first time.

Orchard and home for sale near Lansing, Iowa. Orchard contains over 200 organic apple trees along with other fruits.

Farm Commons is offering Cultivate Legal Resilience through Food Safety Law, a free, online course, until April 30, 2019. Through this self-paced course, farmers will learn methods for reducing their risk of food safety liability and best practices for planning for recovery support if and when a food-safety incident occurs.

The University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry is accepting applications for its Agroforestry Academy, set for July 21-26, 2019, in Columbia, Missouri. The training includes integrated classroom workshops, multiple on-farm visits, and hands-on demonstrations. It focuses on practical on-farm agroforestry planning and design to advance adoption of agroforestry as a cornerstone of productive land use. Scholarships are available for veteran farmers. Registration is due by May 24, 2019. 

Beginning Farmer Poll
What best describes you?
Farm full-time
Farm full-time with additional off-farm employment
Farm part-time with full-time employment off-farm
Aspiring to farm
Farm for a hobby
Upcoming PFI Events
Practical Farmers of Iowa has been chosen by Whole Foods as a recipient of its Community Giving Days!

On Thursday, April 18,  if you shop at  Whole Foods Market in West Des Moines , 5% of your purchase will go to support our Savings Incentive Program.
This program helps beginning farmers by matching them with mentors, networking opportunities and business planning support. While in SIP, participants are encouraged to save money for their current or future farm businesses. The "incentive" part of the program is a dollar-for-dollar match that PFI provides on money participants save while in the program.

Money raised at Whole Foods on April 18 will help us fund these savings matches, which beginning farmers use to buy essential equipment to better their farming operations. 
April 18:   Whole Foods Community Giving Day

May 9:   Grazing Group - Lamoni
4:30 - 7 p.m. |  RSVP

May 16:   Grazing Group -  Lockridge
4:30 - 7 p.m. |   RSVP
May 22:  Grazing Group - Remsen
4:30 - 7 p.m. |  RSVP

May 23:   Grazing Group - Maxwell
4:30 - 7 p.m. |  RSVP

May 30:   Grazing Group - Oxford
4:30 - 7 p.m. |  RSVP
Programs Designed for Beginning Farmers
Labor4Learning helps beginning farmers get paid on-the-job training with experienced farmers, and pays experienced farmers for their time and effort.

Savings Incentive Program is a 2-year program that pairs beginning and aspiring farmers with experienced farmer mentors; provides targeted learning and peer networking opportunities; offers business planning support and guidance. All this while you save money and then we match is dollar for dollar up to $2,400, to use toward the purchase of a farm asset. 

Find A Farmer allows for a comfortable place to start anonymous conversations with land-seekers or landowners about land access. Search for users in a particular area that fit your specifications and begin the discussion.

Find A Farmer is FREE and available for anyone with internet access! No membership is required.
 
Looking for more? Contact us today!
Greg Padget
Next Generation Director
(515) 232-5661
Steve Carlson 
Next Generation Coordinator
(515) 232-5661