FALL 2021
NEWS BULLETIN
ISA News & Updates
Inside This Issue: 
  • Iowa Soil Health Field Day to be held on Nov. 19
  • SeedFieldCheck Expanded to Four More States
  • ASTA's CCS & Seed Expo Dec. 6 - 9
  • Save the Date! - Iowa Seed Forum Feb. 9, 2022
Iowa Soil Health Field Day
News Release
October 26, 2021
For Immediate Release
For more information contact:
Kossuth Soil and Water Conservation District
Sara Pearson, Conservation Assistant
515-295-5156 ext 3
sara.pearson@ia.nacdnet.net
 
Soil Health Field Day to be held on November 19th
 
Matt and Nancy Bormann, in partnership with the Kossuth Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crop Initiative, Iowa Seed Association, and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) are hosting a soil health field day on Friday, November 19th from 11:00-1:00 p.m. at their farm located at 1307 130th Avenue, Bode, Iowa. 

View fields of cover crops and strip-tillage, see soil health demonstrations by NRCS soil health specialists, check out farm equipment, and learn about other conservation projects in Kossuth County. A complimentary lunch will follow the discussions and demonstrations. The field day also qualifies for 2.0 soil and water Certified Crop Adviser (CCA) continuing education credits.  

A feature at the event will be the NRCS Rainfall Simulator which provides a "seeing is believing" demonstration of how practices such as no-till farming, cover crops, and prescribed grazing benefit soil health and improve the water cycle on cropland and pastures. Pat Chase, Iowa NRCS State Soil Scientist, and Hillary Olson, NRCS Soil Health Specialist, will be conducting the simulation. A wind erosion demonstration will also be done to illustrate the movement of soil particles and the effects of wind over the soil surface.

Additionally, attendees will hear from Shannon Moeller, Project Coordinator for the Iowa Seed Corn Cover Crops Initiative. The Initiative focuses on ways to help increase adoption of cover crops specifically within the seed corn production system in Iowa. This project was developed by the Iowa Seed Association in conjunction with the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, and Iowa Corn. A grant from the Iowa Department of Agriculture under their Clean Water Initiative program provides funding for the project, which began in 2016.

Brian Tumey, Kossuth NRCS District Conservationist, will also provide an update on other conservation projects happening in Kossuth County.
The field day is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested by November 12 to ensure adequate space and food. To RSVP please contact Sara Pearson at 515-295-5156 ext 3 or sara.pearson@usda.gov. 
 
The Kossuth Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) was organized in 1947. A major function of the SWCD is to provide local guidance and oversight of federal and state conservation programs including cover crops, strip-till, no-till, windbreaks, wildlife conservation cover, waterways, and more. This oversight is provided by five locally elected commissioners who serve four-year terms. Kossuth County’s SWCD commissioners are Nancy Bohl Bormann, Charles Legler, Mike Smidt, Luke Snyder, and Billie Wille.  
SeedFieldCheck Expanded to Four More States
After a successful pilot program in Iowa, SeedFieldCheck™ expanded to four new states. SeedFieldCheck was launched in partnership with the Iowa Seed Association and the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association in 2020. Now it is also available in Nebraska, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan.

SeedFieldCheck enables seed companies to register the locations of their field crews daily. Field Managers mark registered fields as “planned” or “occupied” to alert pesticide applicators when there may be crews in the area. The information is shared in near real-time, replacing the endless circulation of emails and maps to targeted applicators.

“Ag worker safety and prevention of pesticide exposure are the highest priorities in our field operations, and SeedFieldCheck is an important tool in our efforts to keep everyone safe,” said a seed corn grower who used SeedFieldCheck. “This is the second year we’ve utilized SeedFieldCheck, and again it’s proved to add value to our field operations.”
Aerial applicators are also happy with the value SeedFieldCheck provides. “We have used SeedFieldCheck for the second season and it is equivalent to having another full-time office employee!” said Joel Meyer of Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. “It allows coordinated teamwork with seed companies as they schedule workers to be in their fields."
 
The FieldWatch board met in Des Moines on October 22 and invited seed representatives to join the board for lunch along with IDALS Secretary of Ag Mike Naig.  Following lunch, the group discussed their experience with the SeedFieldCheck program this past growing season. The comments were very positive about the program and the mobile app.  
ASTA's CSS & Seed Expo December 6 - 9
Attending this year's CSS & Seed Expo 2021 just got a little easier!
We are excited to bring together our seed industry community this year after a long time apart. With that in mind, here are a few special offers for attendance, for a limited time only:

  • Until October 31, 2021, non-member registrants can bring an extra employee from their company free! (register a non-member and the discount code is provided on the last page).
  • Production/operational personnel can attend the Seed Expo's new "Field Village" free - send your name, company, and job title to jcrouse@betterseed.org to receive your discount code!
  • Special one-day registration options will be offered now through Nov. 15.
  • Expo-only registrations will be offered Dec. 6 - 9 at the on-site desk only.!
Save the Date! - Iowa Seed Forum Feb. 9, 2022
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
9 AM-Noon
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Varied Industries Building

Lunch and ISU Seed scholarship recognitions to follow forum,
view conference information at www.iowaseed.org

Did you miss an issue? You can view all ISA News Bulletin publications here. 
FOLLOW IOWA SEED ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO GET NEWS AND UPDATES!