The Monthly Feedstuff - Adapting to drought + Lots of livestock events coming up!

Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.

The ongoing drought in Texas through southern Missouri has been making national headlines. Farmers are selling to reduce herd size, thereby bringing production in line with available food sources, be it pasture or feed.

In Iowa, due to drought conditions, 39 counties have been opened up to emergency CRP haying and grazing. In this articl e, Iowa State University Extension offers suggestions for adjusting livestock production to adapt to new realities. In addition to reduced stocking rates producers can wean calves earlier, provide supplemental feed and adopt managed grazing practices.

This fact sheet from PFI serves as an introduction to managed grazing, and is a good place to start for those looking to adopt the practice.

PROGRAM UPDATES

Tell us your ideas!

Help keep our work farmer-led!

If you have an idea for a conference session, presenter, field day host or farminar topic we want to hear from you!

You are always welcome to call or email, but now you can also submit your ideas through our handy idea form, which drops right into our “Idea Bank”.

BEYOND THE GATE

Summer magazine article: "A Vision for Regenerative Iowa-Based Meat"

Nick Wallace’s vision for Iowa's future led him to co-found 99 Counties – a new Iowa-based meat marketing company that plans to start selling meat in September 2022.

Based out of Keystone, Iowa, 99 Counties' mission is to "connect regenerative farmers directly to consumers who care about supporting humane and sustainable livestock production."

New pastured poultry short course from FACT

The Food Animal Concerns Trust created a free short course on getting started with pastured poultry.

This collection of their webinar archive, combined with new materials, covers topics from breeds and health to infrastructure to marketing and much more. All the basics you need to know to get from beginning to end with a pastured poultry flock.

Additionally you can check out all of PFI’s many years of poultry content on our website.

Addressing heavy fly loads

Excessive fly loads can impact growth gains. As fall approaches, the shift to colder weather signals the end of issues with flies. However, because temperatures are increasingly staying warmer for longer, the fly season lengthens as well.

This article published by the University of Nebraska Extension, serves as an overview of common problematic flies and methods of treatment.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Field day: Establishing and Grazing Legume Covers and Small Grains in an Organic System

Aug. 20 | Noon-3 p.m. | McGregor, IA

Come visit with Scott and Shannon Koether and learn how they include rotational grazing, small grains and red clover in their organic field crops system.

Scott farms with his family, raising and rotationally grazing cattle on cover crops and forages like sorghum. The Koethers also raise organic corn, winter wheat, oats, peas and medium red clover.

Field day: Bus Trip to Northfield, Minnesota: Raising Regenerative Tree-Range Poultry

Aug. 27 | 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m. | Northfield, MN

Hop on the bus with other poultry enthusiasts to learn from Wilbur de la Rosa and Wil Crombie of the Regenerative Agriculture Alliance in Northfield, Minnesota.

Wilbur and Wil will share how chickens in the “Tree-Range'' system are raised in a coop and paddock system that integrates trees and perennial crops like hazelnuts and elderberries.

Content will be delivered in Spanish and English during this event, and interpretation will be provided.

Note: The event is free, but seating is limited and pre-registration is required.

To register, contact Debra at debra@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661, or register here.

Visit PFI at the Farm Progress Show in Boone!

Tuesday, Aug. 30–Thursday, Sept. 1 | 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. | Boone, IA

Practical Farmers of Iowa staff and farmers will be at booth #9515 in the Varied Industries tent for the duration of the event.

Find our booth to join conversations, ask questions and share practical advice on topics such as cover crops, small grains, grazing and more. Or, just stop by for a bag of popcorn and to say “Hi”!

Note: Tickets must be purchased to enter the show. Visit farmprogressshow.com for more information.

Field day: Drones, Extended Rotations and Cover Crop Grazing in Bloomfield

Sept. 9 | 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. | Bloomfield, IA

Join us to learn from Tim Dotterer about how he has added cover crops, small grains and cover crop grazing into his operation.

Tim recently acquired a high-capacity drone for seeding cover crops and spraying, and experimented with legume cover crop mixes hoping to reduce synthetic nitrogen inputs.