Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.

This issue explores some of the many ways that Practical Farmers of Iowa members come together to learn, support one another and create community.

Stories highlight why members believe cooperative on-farm research is so valuable; how PFI members rallied to help fellow horticultural producers in the wake of the devastating August derecho; how PFI members have been coming together since our founding – and more.
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Carbon session recordings from the virtual conference
Recordings from the annual conference are starting to trickle in. Subscribe to our YouTube channel or check the video archive on our website to catch our latest uploads!
NEWS
Sweet potatoes are a popular fall storage crop, and as part of the
morning glory family offer a nice agronomic and culinary alternative to winter squash.

But because they are both a vining crop and a root crop improved by curing, sweet potatoes can present challenges for weed management and harvest and washing, depending on soil conditions.

Farmer-cooperators Kate Edwards, Emily Fagan, Jordan Scheibel and Jon Yagla tracked expenses, labor, yields and revenue for sweet potato production on their farms during 2019.
EVENTS
Dayna Burtness has been raising pastured pigs since 2015 at Nettle Valley Farm in southeast Minnesota. In this farminar, she will ask Steve Deibele, an experienced pig farmer, her top five questions around finishing pigs on pasture.

Steve owns Golden Bear Farm in Kiel, Wisconsin, and has 20 years of experience. Both farms are in similar climate zones, and the farmers will discuss planting and feeding perennial and annual forages.

Tune in Tuesday at 7 p.m. to join Dayna and Steve on this dive into pasture-finishing!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Feb. 9: Farminar - Pasture-Finished Pigs
7-8:30 p.m. | Online
Feb. 16: Farminar - Contract Grazing Cover Crops
7-8:30 p.m. | Online
IN THE NEWS
Members in the News
Scattergood Friends School Farm of West Branch, Iowa was featured on IPR's Talk of Iowa: The Benefits of A Nature-Based Education

Several members are featured in a publication available as part of an exhibition at Iowa State University's Brunnier Art Museum: Compelling Ground: Landscapes, Environments, and Peoples of Iowa

  • Mary Swander of Kalona, Iowa
  • Tom Rosburg of Colo, Iowa
  • Patti Naylor of Churdan, Iowa
  • Rick Cruse of Ames, Iowa
  • Angie Carter of Hancock, Michigan
  • Amber Anderson of Ames, Iowa
  • Lee Burras of Ames, Iowa
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.