ATLANTIC, Iowa — Crop and cattle farmer Alan Zellmer will host a virtual field day with Practical Farmers of Iowa exploring the benefits of rye for cattle on Tuesday, June 2, from 10-11 a.m.
The event – “Multiple Benefits of Rye: Calving, Grazing, Harvesting” – is free to attend and will take place on Facebook Live. To join in, visit practicalfarmers.org/field-days and click the link found in the page for this event.
You do not need to be a PFI member or have a Facebook account to participate – but those without an account will not be able to comment or ask questions. The field day is sponsored by KWS Cereals.
Alan Zellmer, along with his wife Brenda and their six children, are the fifth and sixth generation of Zellmers farming a century farm in Atlantic. Along with crop farming, the Zellmers operate a cattle feedlot and specialize in producing Waygu breeding stock.
During the field day, Alan will take us to his rye fields that provide spring calving pastures and forage for grazing where we’ll try to sport calves in the tall rye. We’ll also learn about harvesting rye to make stored feed and see a demo of Alan making rylage.
This event is part of Practical Farmers’ 2020 field day season, which includes more than 60 virtual events hosted by farmers located across the state, and beyond, on topics spanning the agricultural spectrum.
New this year, we have planned several event series that will let participants check in with certain farmer hosts throughout the season to learn about different facets of farm management. All of these events are free and offered a la carte: guests are welcome to attend all events in the series or pick the ones they’re most interested in.
Practical Farmers’ 2020 field days are supported by sustaining sponsors Albert Lea Seed; Barn2Door, Inc.; Grain Millers Inc.; Iowa Sustainable Ag Research and Education; Niman Ranch; Scoular; Sunderman Farm Management Co.; Trees Forever; USDA-NRCS; and Welter Seed and Honey Company, as well as several major sponsors, including: Bio Till; Center for Rural Affairs; Conservation Districts of Iowa; Farm Power Implements; Gandy Company; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa Farm Bureau Federation; Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health; KWS Cereals; La Crosse Seed; Man@Machine; Organic Valley – CROPP Cooperative – Organic Prairie; Pipeline Foods; and Prairie Creek Seed.
— Practical Farmers of Iowa
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