AMES, Iowa — Two workshops will be held this fall to help Technical Service Providers, Certified Crop Advisers and other advisers who work directly with farmers and landowners achieve their certification in prairie strip design, establishment and monitoring. The workshops are being offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and are free for all attendees.
The full-day workshops will cover field mapping, prairie plant identification, seed mixtures, maintenance, determining costs, data from cooperating farmer studies and more. Attendance at the workshop is the first step of a three-part certification program to become a prairie strips consultant.
A limited number of qualified attendees will receive a $250 stipend for attending the workshop and a $1,000 bonus after successful installation of prairie strips on a client’s field. Program participants will create a communication piece to support their business credentials in prairie strips.
Workshop dates and locations
All workshops will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will be facilitated by faculty and extension staff from Iowa State University. The dates and locations for training workshops are:
- Oct. 17, Tama Hall, Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo
- Nov. 2, FFA Enrichment Center, Ankeny
Additional information about the workshops and registration form can found on the STRIPS website. Completed registration forms and questions should be submitted to rachaelw@iastate.edu.
The workshops are sponsored by the McKnight Foundation, the Walton Family Foundation and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation through the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance.
— Rachael Whitehair, Iowa State University
For more news from Iowa, click here.