Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance

Albert Lea Seed Cover Crop Plot Tour
2025-10-24 00:00 - 23:59 UTC | Ames, Ames, IA
Please join Albert Lea Seed—along with co-sponsors Practical Farmers of Iowa and Rodale Institute—for a cover crop plot tour, featuring 34 species, 45 varieties, and 15 mixes that were planted in late August. See for yourself how new products and long-time favorites are performing in the field. Hillary Olson, State Soil Health Specialist with the Iowa NRCS, will also present on the role cover crops play in soil health. Lunch is included if you RSVP.

She Creates: Rural
2025-10-24 00:00 - 23:59 | Ankeny, Ankeny, Iowa
This conference is for rural women at every stage of business, whether you’re running a thriving Main Street storefront, growing a side hustle, building a service-based enterprise, or preparing to take the leap into full-time ownership. Together, rural women are fueling Main Street, strengthening local economies, and driving change in rural America. Few spaces offer this level of meaningful connection, collaboration, and business growth.

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-10-22/

Beginning Farmer Retreat
2025-10-22 00:00 - 2025-10-23 23:59 | Montour, Montour, Iowa
This annual event brings beginning farmers together to network, plan and discuss ways to improve their farms while helping to build a sense of community among this fast-growing farming demographic.The 2025 Beginning Farmer Retreat’s theme is land access.

Soil Health and Livestock: The above and below ground benefits
2025-10-22 00:00 - 2025-10-23 23:59 | Ames, Ames, IA
Must RSVP by Oct 15. Join us for a unique regional training highlighting the science, management, and soil health benefits of integrating livestock into the farm. The workshop is led by ISU Extension in collaboration with the Soil Health Nexus. We welcome agriculture & conservation professionals as well as farmers, landowners and students to attend.

Forestry on Tap
2025-10-21 00:00 - 23:59 | Iowa City, Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa Learning Farms will host “Forestry On Tap,” Tuesday, October 21st from 6-7 p.m. at Wilson’s Orchard and Farm near Iowa City with complimentary food and beverages available for purchase beginning at 5:30pm.

The event will provide local farmers, current and future landowners and urban residents with a chance to discuss and ask questions about conservation practices aimed to improve water quality and soil health, as well as managing risk from weather variability and climate change. There will be an opportunity for networking following the event. To ensure adequate space and food, please RSVP by October 14 by calling 515-294-5429 or email ilf@iastate.edu.

Continuum Ag: TopSoil Webinar
2025-10-20 00:00 - 23:59 | Iowa
Join Continuum Ag CEO Mitchell Hora as he hosts real estate expert and author Johnny Klemme for a discussion on farmland transition and legacy planning. Johnny will share insights from his new book, American Family Farmland: Preserving Values & Creating Wealth, helping farm families navigate buying, selling, or passing down their land with confidence. Register here.

Deadline: Iowa Cover Crop Free FFA Seed
2025-10-17 00:00 - 23:59 | Iowa
Iowa Cover Crop is giving away FREE cover crop seed through their Future is Covered program. FFA chapters can request up to 10 acres worth of cereal rye or oats to use for student projects, plots, or demos. Seed is delivered to your school at no cost.

Forestry Field Day at Phil McCune Woodland
2025-10-16 00:00 - 23:59 | Grinnell, Grinnell, Iowa
The program is intended to serve private woodland owners, public land managers, forestry consultants and service providers, and interested citizens of Iowa. Field days consist of 3 to 6 hours of outdoor classroom instruction on topics related to the improvement of woodland resources or the expansion of tree resources.

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-10-15 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-10-15/

Ag Exploration Day
2025-10-15 00:00 - 2025-10-16 23:59 | Crawfordsville, Crawfordsville, Iowa

Wildlife Habitat Education Program Kickoff (student program)
2025-10-11 00:00 - 23:59 | Toledo, Toledo, Iowa
A national program with state participation. Today’s students are our future land stewards. Students in WHEP have a greater understanding of the value of land and how it can be managed to benefit many wildlife and fish species.

NRCS Cutoff for Conservation Program Applications
2025-10-10 00:00 - 23:59 | Iowa
The first application cutoff for Iowa farmers and other private landowners to apply for conservation practices in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 through USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs is Oct. 10.

NRCS accepts conservation program applications on a continuous basis but sets application cutoff dates as funding allows. Iowa agricultural producers and private landowners can apply for NRCS program funding by visiting their local NRCS office. Iowa has 100 NRCS field offices located at USDA Service Centers in every county.

The Oct. 10 application cutoff includes the following NRCS Farm Bill programs:

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP)

Wildlife Habitat Field Day
2025-10-10 00:00 - 23:59 | Lacona, Lacona, Iowa
Join local Warren County conservation professionals for a field day showcasing a standout Central Iowa farm transformed into a habitat haven. The farm is a keystone example of the wildlife benefits that come with targeted grassland and timber management. We will be highlighting how tentative planning and management has transformed the farm from having an average of one covey a year to the latest 9 coveys in modern years!

Yellow River State Forest Fall Forestry Field Day
2025-10-09 00:00 - 23:59 | Harpers Ferry, Harpers Ferry, Iowa
Join us in beautiful northeast Iowa for the 2025 offering of one of the largest fall forestry field days in the state! This event will focus on woodland management and value related to bird and bat habitat.

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-10-08 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-10-08/

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-10-01 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-10-01/

Good Farm Neighbor Award: Rysdam Family
2025-09-26 11:00 - 13:00 | Bloomfield, Bloomfield, Iowa
Join the Coalition, The Big Show, and the Iowa Department of Ag and Land Stewardship from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. as we honor the Rysdam Family—cattle and sheep crop farmers from Davis County—with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award! The award presentation by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will take place during a short program at noon.
About the award: The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award is made possible by the Coalition to Support Iowa’s Farmers. This award recognizes Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment, their livestock and being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-09-24 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-09-24/

Layering Land Management: Combining In-Field and Edge-of-Field Practices for Water Quality and Soil Health
2025-09-18 14:00 - 16:00 | Reinbeck, 27599 X Ave., Reinbeck, Iowa, 50669
Clark Porter is a landowner and farm manager for Porter Family Farms in Iowa’s Grundy and Tama counties, alongside his mother Audrey and wife Sharon. Though he hires custom operators for fieldwork, Clark plays an integral role in production and conservation efforts. These have included overseeing the transition to 100% no-till, adding in cover crops and adopting several conservation practices, including saturated buffers and enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Come see how Porter Family Farms manages nutrients, soil health, nitrate runoff, no-till and cover crops. Attendees will learn about an experimental “saturated waterway” currently monitored by researchers at ISU and the University of Iowa. Farm landowners are encouraged to attend to explore how they can actively manage conservation on their land.

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar
2025-09-17 12:00 - 13:00 | https://www.iaagwater.org/event/iowa-learning-farms-webinar/2025-09-17/

Strength in Straw: Making the Most of a Rye Crop
2025-09-16 10:00 - 12:00 | Iowa
Tom and Robin Cummings operate TRC Farms near Redfield, Iowa, growing cereal rye, soybeans and hay. Their journey growing rye started about 12 years ago when a neighbor asked Tom to help harvest the rye for a portion of the seed, which Tom decided to continue growing. That pivotal moment brought the Cummings to where they are today. Working together, and with help from family and neighbors, they harvest and clean rye for cover crop seed and produce up to 40,000 square bales per year to sell at Bomgaars and Tractor Supply stores in their area. They credit their market success to hard work, creativity and relationship-building.
At their field day, Robin and Tom will showcase their seed-cleaning and straw-baling operations. They’re also eager to share how teff grass is finding its place in their rotations.

Conservation Practices To Create and Steward Critical Bird Habitat
2025-09-12 16:30 - 18:30 | polk city, Polk City, Iowa
Aaron Lehman and his family grow corn, soybeans and hay at Lehman Farms LTD. Conservation plays a central role on the farm. They use extended crop rotations and take part in several federal conservation programs, such as the Conservation Stewardship Program, Conservation Reserve Program and Prairie Pothole Water Quality and Wildlife Program. In 2017, Aaron was named Polk County Conservation Farmer of the Year.

See & Discuss

Creating sustainable on-farm bird habitat
Various funding options to create habitat
Crop rotation schedules and types to benefit birds
The benefits of habitat, including improved water and soil quality

Jack's Example Event
2025-08-12 08:00 - 17:00 | Iowa
This is an example event description.

Rebekah's Event
2025-08-11 00:00 - 23:59
