Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities. |
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On Tuesday, lifetime PFI members Ron Rosmann, of Harlan, Iowa, and Eric Madsen, of Audubon, Iowa, discussed aspects of Buffalo cultivators and planters they use on their organic farms.
With cultivator specialist Dale Kumpf on hand to offer additional context, attendees learned about organic weed control and how to fine-tune a planter, and they got to watch a cultivator in action.
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Growing winter spinach is a practice in cognitive dissonance; it feels somehow upside down to plant during harvest season, harvest when snow flies and deliver fresh, bright leaves during the coldest days of the year.
But those attributes are also what make winter spinach production special. Read more in our summer magazine article, "Finding the Sweet Spot," which highlights a few farmers getting creative with their winter markets.
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Even if seasonality is part of the job, producers need consistent demand for consistent income. PFI’s directories are here to support farmers market their goods and help customers shop local year-round!
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Sunday, Aug. 7 | 1-3 p.m. | Ames, IA
Planning for a land transition can be daunting. What kind of legacy will you leave?
We’ll overview a variety of ways others have transitioned land and help you prioritize what’s most important based on the legacy you want to leave.
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Tuesday, Aug. 9 | 2-4 p.m. | Tripoli, IA
How do you covert row crop land to perennial crops and pasture? Beginning farmers Eric and Courtney Jensen continue to explore this question.
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Tuesday, Aug. 9 | 2-4 p.m. | Newell, IA
What does it take to start a cut flower farm business? In 2018, Clovergold Flower Farm became a reality as Jenna Cook’s passion for growing flowers merged with Adam Cook’s agronomic acuity.
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Saturday, Aug. 13 | 10 a.m.-Noon | McGregor, IA
Mary Damm is interested in finding a grazier who understands that a diversity of plant and animal species can co-exist alongside cattle with proper management.
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Tuesday, Aug. 30 – Thursday, Sept. 1 |
8 a.m.- 4 p.m. | Boone, IA
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.”
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Hosted by: David and Susan Differding
2-4 p.m. | Winthrop, IA
Hosted by: DaQuan Campbell
4-6 p.m. | Waterloo, IA
Hosted by: Scott and Shannon Koether
Noon-3 p.m. | McGregor, IA
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Our email discussion groups can connect you with PFI members who have solutions. Here are a few recent questions that sparked conversation in the field crops email group:
- “I'm looking for anyone who would share their ideas on deep ripping or sub-soiling to fix compaction and then selecting a multi-species mix of cover crops that would help prevent future soil problems.”
- “I'm planning to help my farmer add diversity . . . to cover crops that will go in the ground in central Iowa in a couple weeks after oats, ahead of beans. Who has experience with phacelia, flax and annual rye?”
- “Anyone have any experience zapping Canada thistle?”
If you have farming questions, become a member and join one of PFI’s five email discussion groups to get connected, get creative, get curious and get answers. Please call the office or email Debra Boekholder at debra@practicalfarmers.org to be added to a discussion group.
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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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