AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and Iowa Corn, will host a cover crop and wetland field day near Gilmore City on Wednesday, September 11. The 5:30-7:30 p.m. event held at the ISU Drainage Research and Demonstration Project, owned by the Pocahontas Soil and Water Conservation District. The event is free, open to the whole family and includes a complimentary meal.
Cover crops continue to grow in popularity in Iowa due to their many benefits including increased soil organic matter, weed suppression potential and reduced soil erosion. Together with edge of field practices like bioreactors, wetlands and saturated buffers are key to reducing nitrate loss from agricultural land in Iowa.
The field day will feature Doug Adams, Humboldt County farmer sharing his experiences with cover crops and tips for making a no-till/strip-till and cover crop system work. Also speaking is Matt Helmers, ISU professor and Ag and Biosystems engineer, who will share results from the over twenty-five years of research collected at the drainage site. Morgan Davis, Natural Resource Ecology and Management graduate research assistant, will highlight findings from ongoing soil health and greenhouse gas research being conducted on the site. The field day will conclude at a nearby nitrate removal wetland with William Crumpton, ISU professor of environmental science and wetland ecology expert.
The field day will be held at the ISU Drainage Research and Demonstration site. From Gilmore city, go two miles west on Highway 3, then one mile north on 320th Avenue and then one-half mile west on 510th Street.
The workshop is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested to ensure adequate space and food. Contact Liz Juchems at 515-294-5429 or email ilf@iastate.edu.
Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service, Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319) and GROWMARK, Inc. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.
— Iowa Learning Farms
For more news from Iowa, click here.