Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
The 2021-2022 winter magazine is on its way to mailboxes and will be available online soon!

This issue of our quarterly magazine contains articles related to growing small grains, diversifying farming, summer field day photos and more!

Featured on the cover for this issue is seven-year-old Levi Smith holding a tillage radish planted as a cover crop at Coon River Farms. He and his three siblings live on the diversified crop and livestock farm run by his parents, Seth and Etta Smith, and grandfather, Lynn, near Nemaha, Iowa.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
If this is your first time in Ames, or you want to try some local restaurants, the PFI staff has you covered.

We’re forgoing the PFI potluck this year, but we suspect conference-goers will enjoy spending the night out in Ames or ordering in to their hotel rooms.

To assist your decision-making, PFI staff have compiled their favorite Ames-area eats (and drinks).
Are you thinking about getting into farming but aren't sure where to start? The PFI annual conference has sessions to help beginning farmers, including sessions on land access, diversifying your farm and more.
NEWS
Practical Farmers offers a flexible, fast-paced work environment with opportunities for independent initiative and professional development. For more information, visit our employment page.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, Jan. 4 | 7 p.m.

The first farminar in the 2022 winter series will take place next Tuesday.

During this farminar, hear about some of Eliza's projects and learn why livestock, horticulture and agroforestry go hand-in-hand, as well as how to leverage this system to manage input costs and provide quality food. Register for the farminar.
MEMBERSHIP
We want to thank all of PFI’s members and supporters for your help making 2021 a successful year. We are proud to report that we:

  • Held 200-plus farmer-led events
  • Supported 29 beginning farmers’ business plans in Savings Incentive Program, and seven gain on-farm training in Labor4Learning
  • Facilitated 58 on-farm research trials on 44 member farms
  • Conducted outreach far beyond years past, including the premier of “Livestock on the Land” with more than 131,000 YouTube views.
  • Facilitated technical and financial assistance to help farmers add 117,427 acres of cover crops, and 16,275 acres of small grains into their rotations.

We have a year-end goal of raising $50,000 this December, and we’re so close! Pease help us wrap up 2021 and continue to broaden our impact in 2022 with a year-end donation.
IN THE NEWS
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.