Eric Fara grew up in Shelby County, Iowa, where his family raised crops for seed and his grandpa ran a grain elevator through which he sold the seed. About 25 years ago, they started raising wagyu cattle and grazing them on cover crops when possible. Eric felt a strong pull back to the farm after…
Fawcett Field Day Flyer 7-28 Join Heartland Co-op for a field day at Fawcett Farms. Bring the whole family for this one! There will be a bounce house, swimming, and fishing. Be sure to RSVP if you’d like supper. At this field day, expect to see cover crop equipment, a drone demonstration, riparian…
Karl Palmberg’s Larchwood, Iowa, farm has been in his family since 1938. But when he left for college, the operation was mothballed and put into hibernation. After retiring from the military, Karl returned to the farm and is building it back from scratch. He has been reevaluating the fundamentals and pivoting what he does to…
Will Cannon and his wife, Cassie, farm 1,000 acres of strip-till corn and no-till soybeans near Prairie City, Iowa. They use cover crops on a large scale and have reduced their applied commercial fertilizer rates. They also run a custom application and farming business, along with a trucking company. Recently, they started applying compost extract to their…
Jim O’Connell and his son, Casey, specialize in corn and soybeans at O’Connell Farms in Linn County, Iowa. For the past 17 years, Jim has planted cover crops green into both corn and beans on all his acres. His farming practices are focused on reducing nitrates from water that leaves his land. He uses a…
The popular Fencing and Grazing Clinic will return on Aug. 11 in Marion. Beef producers are invited to the hands-on clinic, which addresses one of the biggest challenges in implementing any grazing system: infrastructure. Program schedule 8:30 a.m. – Welcome 9 a.m. – Breakout sessions: New Tools in Fencing/Building Your Paddocks Noon – Lunch…
This virtual cover crop workshop offers an afternoon of sessions for farmers who are currently using cover crops in their farm practices, as well as those considering it. All are welcome to attend! You’ll hear about grazing cover crops and seasonal cover crop management. We’ll also share the basics of how to get started with…
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.…
Nicole Vernon grew up on Monck Farms, a 700-acre corn and soybean farm near Monticello, Iowa, where her parents emphasized sustainable farming and conservation practices. While at Iowa State University, Nicole bought her own 100-acre farm, raising corn, soybeans and cattle. She uses no-till and cover crops, and has restored prairie and wetlands. She has…
Justin Wehling began farming in 2023 with a conventional approach. He is now making small changes and trialing different practices to improve the soil health on his land. Justin moved to no-till and is experimenting with roller-crimping. He is part of PFI’s N Rate Risk Protection Program to try to reduce his inputs. He is…