Mike DeCook and his sons, Joshua and Wyatt DeCook, operate DeCook Ranch in Monroe County, Iowa. Over the last 30 years, they have managed 800 acres of pasture, custom-grazing 600 head of cattle. One of their goals has been to create a welcoming habitat for grassland birds. They use fire to mimic grazing and have…
See the event flyer. The Heartland Co-op Conservation Team is partnering with the Beaver Creek Watershed Management Authority for a soil health presentation by Jeremy Gustafson, Hagie High Clearance Seeder demonstration and saturated buffer demonstration! Lunch will be provided by the Iowa Cattlemen’s Association. Please RSVP for the meal by contacting Nolan Grove at…
8:30 AM Registration and refreshments 9:00 Opening Remarks and Welcome – Greg Guenther, President of the North Central Iowa Research Association 9:15 Current Farm Updates and Projects – Matthew Schnabel and Ben Petersen 9:30 Load For Plot Tours and Demonstrations: • Mid-season oat production practices with Dr. Margaret Smith, Forage Agronomist with Albert Lea Seed…
Bassett Farms is a three-generation operation near Ames, Iowa, raising 1,500 acres of row crops alongside a 100-head cow-calf herd. Mike manages the grazing side and has spent the past seven years building an adaptive grazing system that increases productivity while fitting within the realities of a working family farm. This pasture walk will be…
Mark and Melissa Schleisman and their family raise popcorn, field corn, soybeans, rye, wheat, oats, cattle and hogs at M&M Farms in Calhoun County, Iowa. Soil and water conservation are a priority for the family. They use cover crops on all their fields, grazing the covers whenever possible. Over the past five years, they have…
About the Summit The Upper Mississippi River Watershed stands at a crossroads. Agricultural runoff, public health risks, and recurrent flooding are converging into one of the most pressing environmental and economic challenges of our time. Addressing these issues requires a new model of collaboration between agriculture, conservation, public health, and private sector leaders. Watershed26 is…
Ryan Tiefenthaler grew up helping on his family’s row crop and hog farm near Carroll, Iowa. After college, he returned to the farm to help his dad and started a custom application business for area farms. When an opportunity to raise fish fell through in 2016, Ryan quickly pivoted his plans for the large facility…
Derek Young is a fourth-generation farmer who began farming in 1993 with his father and grandfather, running a soybean, corn and cattle operation. He strip-tills over half of his corn acres and no-tills most of his soybean acres while also maintaining conventional fields. He has covers flown on in the fall on over 1,000 acres,…
Catherine Schut owns and operates Hive and Petal, a boutique flower farm in Prairie City, Iowa, focused on specialty blooms and honeybees. Catherine grows unique seasonal flowers, from winter tulips and spring peonies to dried florals, using thoughtful, organically inspired practices that prioritize soil health and pollinators. At this field day, Catherine will lead…
Mark and Brenda Kingland farm on 1,700 acres in Winnebago County, Iowa. Eight years ago, they began strip-tilling to change efficiency in their fertilizer program and improve soil health. In 2022, Mark added a drone on his farm to apply cover crops and do precision spraying. His goal is to have a cover crop mix flown on…