• PFI: Oxbows to Improve Water Quality

    Webster City Webster City, Iowa

    In 2018, Selden Spencer purchased farmland along White Fox Creek in Hamilton County, Iowa. The 100-acre property, previously owned by Ray Fry, is a mixture of cropland, woodland, ravines and riparian corridors. Ray still manages the property today. Before he sold the land, Ray worked diligently alongside The Nature Conservancy to restore an oxbow along…

  • NREC Batch & Build Workshop: Site Vetting and Surveying

    Melbourne Melbourne

    This is the second of a series of workshops to help equip ag retail professionals and others to address Iowa’s nitrogen challenge by scaling edge-of-field practices through batch and build delivery models. In coordination with INREC, the workshop is being hosted by Heartland Co-op and the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition. There is no registration cost…

  • CDI Annual Conference

    Ames Ames, IA

    Based on feedback from our membership, we have pushed back the dates by one day. Our conference will be Tuesday and Wednesday, August 25 & 26. Look for details and registration information this spring.

  • PFI: Boosting a Farm’s Resiliency Through Cover Crops and Crop Rotations

    Marengo Marengo, Iowa

    Ross McCaw began planting cover crops in 2019 to try to reduce his nitrogen inputs. He’s taking part in a nitrogen reduction trial through PFI’s on-farm research program to document the results. In 2023, Ross started planting a three-crop rotation to raise more rye for seed and get all of the benefits of cover crops.…

  • PFI: Establishing Native Historical Prairie Through Targeted Seed Selection

    Coon Rapids Coon Rapids, Iowa

    Jon Judson and his wife, Kay Neumann, own and operate Diversity Farms, a sprawling 300-acre property comprising woodlands, wetlands, prairie and a small pasture for grass-fed beef as well as a small orchard. Over time, Jon has reestablished prairie from remnant prairie, emphasizing strong genetics for robust reconstructions. His passion has led to him to…

  • PFI: Cover Crops and Conservation Across All Acres

    Oskaloosa Oskaloosa, Iowa

    Jackson and Amanda Drost are part of Drost Farms, a multigenerational family farm in Mahaska County, Iowa, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. Around 2010, the Drosts flew on their first acres of rye cover crop to graze with their cow-calf herd. Those initial acres have increased in recent years. While using primarily rye and oats,…