A membership with Practical Farmers of Iowa will give you access to the network and programming you need to succeed. Join or renew your PFI membership in September and get some cool swag! Membership starts at just $25 annually.

PFI is hiring a field crops viability coordinator

Welcome Miranda Johnson to PFI staff

As the senior human resources coordinator, Miranda's role includes handling day-to-day human resources functions such as recruiting, onboarding, employee relations, budgeting and benefits administration, as well as planning for the future of PFI’s human resources department.

Learn more about Miranda.

Apply for PFI's Savings Incentive Program

Iowa Local Food Purchasing Assistance

Program now accepting vendors

ON THE BLOG

Blog: Sustainability to Benefit Farms and the Future

Dan Voss manages a 670-acre diversified farm specializing in corn, soybeans, hay and small grains, all of which he manages on extended rotations in an ongoing effort to improve the soil quality of his land.

“It’s not just my lifetime, it’s the succeeding generations," he says. "Soils are an important resource for us. We get our food from them, and the more we degrade them, the more fertilizer we need. The more we have to do to our soils for viability, the more degraded they become.”

Field day: Book Publication Celebration and Member Social, Featuring Angela Tedesco

Field day: On-Farm Cover Crop Research Trials

Sept. 14 | Noon-2:30 p.m. | Prairie City, IA

At this field day, Will and Cassie Cannon will discuss the cover crop research they're doing with PFI's Cooperators' Program, as well as their typical cover crop practices and equipment.

If you’re curious about measuring the benefits of cover crops, this is a field day for you!

Field day: Risk Management and Disaster Recovery: A Come-Back Story at Pheasant Run Farm

Sept. 18 | 2-4 p.m. | Van Horn, IA

When the August 2020 derecho swept across Iowa, Eric and Ann Franzenburg lost every crop and building on the farm. 

Join us to hear from the Franzenburgs about how they worked with their insurance agent and were able to get rebuilt and growing again.

Stay for a BBQ dinner and PFI fellowship after the field day!

For more, check out this interview with Ann describing her experience the day of the derecho.

More upcoming PFI field days

EVENT CANCELLED - Sept. 10: Farm the Best, Leave the Rest

Sept. 25: Growing Cultural Vegetables on Small Urban Plots With Cover Crops

Hosted by: Marie Andre & Tika Bhandari

4-6 p.m. | Des Moines, IA

Beth Hoffman and John Hogeland of Lovilia, IA, were featured on Iowa Farmer Today: Grass-fed beef calls for different business plan

Chuck White of Spencer, IA, was featured in the Des Moines Register: Values for Iowa farmland, the 'gold standard'; see second-largest hike nationally at 21%

Marian Kuper of Ackley, IA, and Ray and Kathy Stockdale from Iowa Falls, IA, were featured on Food and Environmental Reporting Network: The great carbon-capture debate

Rob Faux of Tripoli, IA, and Aaron Lehman of Polk City, IA, were featured in Investigate Midwest: IowaWatch: ‘No excuse why they’re taking so long’: Iowa farmers are fed up with lengthy pesticide misuse investigations

Kathy and Ray Stockdale of Iowa Falls, IA, were featured on Politico: Strange Bedfellows: Farmers and Big Greens square off against Biden and the GOP

Michael Vittetoe of Washington, IA, was featured on the podcast Cover Crop Strategies: Maximizing Cereal Rye Benefits and Focusing on Diverse Mixes for Grazing

Ryan Gibbs of Worthington, IA, was featured on the podcast Cover Crop Strategies: Making Soil Healthier Faster with Ryan Gibbs

Wayne Fredericks of Osage, IA, was featured on the podcast Cover Crop Strategies: Reducing Fertilizer Use with Cover Crops

James Hepp of Rockwell City, IA, was featured on the podcast Cover Crop Strategies: First-Generation Farmer Unlocks Weed-Suppressing Powers of Cover Crops

Mark Schleisman of Lake City, IA, was mentioned in the press release: Grassley, Feenstra Discuss Farm Bill Priorities in Roundtable with Commodity Leaders

PFI in the News

Practical Farmers of Iowa was mentioned on Agri-Pulse: Lawmakers not giving up on cover crop payments