Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities. |
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Margaret Wolter, pictured here, taps a maple tree on her farm in Chelsea, Iowa. She spent the summer of 2017 working under the guidance of Donna and Bill Warhover at Morning Glory Farm near Mount Vernon, Iowa, through PFI’s Labor4Learning program. Read her story from our 2018 spring magazine. She recently completed PFI’s Savings Incentive Program.
The combination of these experiences helped Margaret and her husband, Brad, feel more prepared to take on her family’s heritage farm (now known as Sandhill Acres) in 2019.
“Whether it is learning through a field day, sending out questions on the listserv or firing off a quick text to a farmer friend, we wouldn't be anywhere without our PFI connections,” Margaret says.
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This week, we're announcing an expansion of our partnership with PepsiCo. Through partnerships like this, our cost-share programs are helping reduce risk for farmers as they integrate cover crops, diversified crop rotations and other sustainable practices into their farming systems.
In 2022 alone, we helped over 1,100 farmers in our cover crop and small grains cost-share programs access educational resources, connect with our farmer community and get the direct funding and technical support they need to master practices that build resilient farms.
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Farmers in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin with conventional or transition-to-organic small grain acres are still eligible for cost-share of $20 per acre when they follow their small-grain crop with a legume cover crop.
We also have a cost-share opportunity for taking a nitrogen fertilizer credit in corn that follows a small-grain in an extended rotation.
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Anna Hankins and Shae Pesek, who farm near Coggon, Iowa, typically raise Broad Breasted White turkeys in the farmyard consisting of grasses, clovers and weeds.
They were eager to see if there was an advantage to raising turkeys on a cover crop mix, thinking that might encourage them to increase their use of cover crops on the farm.
“This trial made us realize that the quantity of forage the birds can and will eat is vastly different than we anticipated,” Shae said.
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Interested in reducing your nitrogen rate in a soil health system? Don't miss your chance to enroll in our
yield warranty program, which can help you refine your nitrogen program with reduced financial risk.
PFI will help you create a plan to reduce nitrogen, and will pay up to $35 per acre if your yield drops below your benchmark yield while following the plan.
The deadline to apply is next week (March 31). Learn more by signing up for a time to speak with one of our staff.
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Work with us! PFI is now hiring a senior video coordinator, senior research coordinator, senior cost-share administrative coordinator and finance director.
Enjoy robust benefits, access to locally raised food and fun staff retreats while equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
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Meredith Nunnikhoven of Barnswallow Flowers
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Mollie Aronowitz, licensed realtor, accredited land manager and sustainability director with Peoples Company
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Morgan Jenning, PFI's field crops viability coordinator
This farminar is for landowners who lease their ground – and anyone who wants to know the basics of corn and soybean production. We’ll begin with an overview of soil types, planting and harvesting strategies and equipment used.
Then we’ll launch into a Q&A session: What’s a corn suitability rating? What exactly happens at the Farm Service Agency office? If cover crops are good for my soil health, why doesn’t my tenant want to plant them?
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In 2022, PFI launched a grazing cost-share pilot program to promote regenerative grazing practices.
On Tuesday, we heard from inaugural cost-share recipient Heath Hoppes of Hidden Hollow Farm.
View the recording to learn how he rotationally grazes his permanent pasture and cover crops, as well as how he uses the cost-share to expand his grazing practices and grow his production to include other species.
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Have you been featured in the media? If you're a PFI member, tell us when and where to find a link to the article, and we'll feature you in a future issue of Practical News.
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