Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
A drone's eye view of the farm of Gary Guthrie of Nevada, Iowa, shows how Gary's tenants bale straw from this year's wheat harvest. Cutting horizontally through the field are Gary's prairie strips. On the bottom right, you can see Gary's young orchard, planted in 2020.

Gary and other Practical Farmers of Iowa members will be featured in an upcoming PFI video series about on-farm habitat.
ON THE BLOG
Read about Wayne Fredericks' journey establishing on-farm habitat to increase pollinators on his farm.

There are many benefits to adding these pollinator-friendly plant species to a farming landscape, including improving soil health and water quality, attracting pollinators, creating habitat for natural predators of crop pests and increasing wildlife diversity.
NEWS
On this episode of “Live From the Farm," Roger discussed combine settings and the conditions he looks for to harvest cereal rye and oats. We also take a look at Roger's seed cleaner.

Because the small-grain crops Roger raises are mostly sold as cover crop seed, he discusses best practices for raising, harvesting and handling cover crop seed.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, Aug. 3 | 5:30-6:15 p.m.

Over the last 15 years, agritourism has helped Anna and Dave Geyer expand their farm and bring the community together.

Anna will take us on a tour of the farm and share how and why she and Dave started these business ventures, and the struggles they faced in getting started. Some of the topics she will discuss include navigating county regulations, leveraging time and resources and managing unexpected growth.
Thinking about ways to reduce tillage in your vegetable operation? Have you heard about “no-till” or “low-till” methods and are curious to see them in action? Join fellow low-till (and low-till-curious) growers for this summer web series!

Presented in four sessions over four weeks, this series includes virtual tours, demonstrations and presentations from researchers and farmers in Iowa and Wisconsin.
Wednesday, Aug. 4 | 6-7 p.m.
Presenters: Rue Genger & Claire Strader

Tuesday, Aug. 10 | 6-7 p.m.
Presenter: Dylan Bruce
Thursday, Aug. 19 | 4-5 p.m.
Presenters: Mark Quee & Jon Yagla

Thursday, Aug. 26 | 6-7 p.m.
Presenters: Hannah Breckbill, Emily Fagan & Jordan Scheibel
Join Des Moines Water Works, Heartland Cooperative, Peoples Company and Practical Farmers of Iowa for a multipart virtual boot camp designed to share the why, what, when and how of successful and intentional farmland management.

Learn from landowners, farmers and conservation professionals about successful strategies for implementing conservation and stewardship practices on rented farmland, and hear why responsible landownership is so important to building a better agriculture in Iowa and across the Midwest.
Workshop #2: Rhythms of Agriculture
Friday, Aug. 6 | Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 13 | Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 20 | Noon – 2 p.m.
Hosted by: Kristy & Bob Walker
10 a.m. - Noon | Iowa City, IA

Hosted by: Anne & Landon Plagge
4-6 p.m. | Latimer, IA

Hosted by: Dayna Burtness & Nick Nguyen, Bailey Lutz, Heidi Eger
10 a.m. - Noon | Spring Grove, MN
RSVPs are required for all "Catching Up" events to ensure we maintain the small, conversational environment these events are designed for.

Anyone is welcome to RSVP for a "Catching Up" event! To learn more about a specific event or to RSVP, email the PFI staffer indicated, or call the PFI office at (515) 232-5661.
Learning About Cover Crops, 60-inch Row Corn and Grazing Cover Crops
Thursday, August 4 | 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Host: Bronson Allred
Transitioning Ground from Row Crops to Vegetable Production
Thursday, August 5 | 5-7 p.m.
Host: Shaffer Ridgeway
Aug. 10: Live From the Farm - Packhouse Set-Up and Packing Vegetable CSA Boxes
11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m. | Online
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IN THE NEWS
Members in the News
Terry Troxel of Crescent, IA and Beany Bode and Joanne Roepke-Bode of Algona, IA, were featured on IPTV's Market to Market: Growth in local food continues for CSAs.

Bizimana Charles, Jacqueline Ndabazaniye and Mukiza Gahetano, farmers connected with Lutheran Services in Iowa, of Des Moines, IA; Zach Couture of LSI; Suzan Erem of West Branch, IA; and Sally Worley of Grimes, IA were featured in the Des Moines Register: 'If I do not get land on time, I will not be able to pay my bills': Land access No. 1 barrier for refugee farmers

Jordan Clasen of Johnston, IA, was featured in Iowa Farmer Today: Farmers market vendor transitions from grocer to grower.


Levi Lyle of Keota, IA, was featured on KHOI's DonnaLonna Kitchen: Cherry Pitters

Maggie McQuown and Steve Turman of Red Oak, IA, were featured on KMTV Channel 3: Positively the Heartland: Trading the Big Apple for the family farm

Bill Frederick of Jefferson, IA, James Holz of Grand Junction, IA, Peter Bardole of Jefferson, IA, Sarah Carlson of Pleasant Hill, IA, Tim Bardole of Rippey, IA, and Al Frederick of Jefferson, IA, were featured in The Jefferson Herald: Iowa Cover Crop hosts Ernst, spotlighting way for farmers to improve image
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.