Prairies evolved with periodic disturbance from drought, fire and grazing. Without these pulsed “setbacks,” woody encroachment or grass threatens to diminish the robust diversity that’s the hallmark of the tallgrass prairie. Over the last few years, Stennie Nelson has been working with Doug Chafa, land manager and biologist with the Iowa DNR, as part Doug’s…
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…
See the flyer for SWISH Summer Tour Stop 3 Join the South West Iowa Soil Health group as they meet with farmers! You’ll learn about practices that farmers across SW Iowa are using on their land. This includes diverse cover crop plantings like flax, buckwheat, and camolina. Make sure to bring a lawn chair…
Complimentary lunch at 12 p.m., sponsored by Five Star Cooperative. The first session will start in the meeting room of the Borlaug Learning Center beginning at 11:00 a.m., followed by outdoor sessions ending by 3:00 p.m. Morning session 11:00 a.m. – Managing Crop Diseases in 2026 – Alison Robertson, extension plant pathologist Other…
Every Wednesday, Iowa Learning Farms hosts a webinar at 12 pm. Find more information about this week’s topic at iowalearningfarms.org.
Field Day Agenda Registration for the field day will start at 9:30 AM. Welcome Effects of sulfur on corn and soybeans Richard Roth, Assistant Professor and Extension Nitrogen Specialist Fungicide efficacy and disease pressure update Alison Robertson, Professor of Plant Pathology and Microbiology and Extension Field Crops Pathologist Soybean herbicide demo…
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…