PETERSON, Iowa — Graziers John Rock and Aaron Nelson will host a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, focused on grazing native perennials on Wednesday, June 19, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on land they farm near Peterson (377 440th St., about 4 miles southeast of town).
The event – “Grazing Native Perennials in the Little Sioux Watershed” – is free to attend and will include a meal served at the Buena Vista County Conservation Park following the field day. RSVPs are requested for the meal by Friday, June 14. Sign up online at practicalfarmers.org/field-days, or contact Debra Boekholder at debra@practicalfarmers.org or (515) 232-5661. The field day is sponsored by First Cooperative Association.
John and Aaron are cousins who farm and raise cattle in the Little Sioux watershed. Through their separate grazing operations – John operates Rock Cattle Company, and Aaron operates Nelson Farms – both lease ground owned by The Nature Conservancy. Under the current terms of these conservation-minded leases, John and Aaron graze cattle from May 15 through the end of June, controlling exotic cool-season grasses in TNC-restored prairie in the process.
John has been working to restore a native pasture that was 80% covered in eastern red cedars, and is using grazing to further restore native vegetation to the pasture. He also operates a small farm-to-freezer beef business that focuses on where the meat comes from and the high-quality forage the animals have consumed along the way.
At the field day, John and Aaron will discuss the benefits and challenges associated with grazing native perennials. Amy Crouch, an ecologist and Little Sioux program manager for The Nature Conservancy, will highlight the ecological benefits of managed grazing.
With John and Aaron, she will also discuss conservation leasing issues associated grazing conservancy-owned lands. Other topics will include the habitat and wildlife benefits of native perennial grazing systems; pasture regeneration; forage-chain planning and integration; and beef marketing.
Directions to the field day are available on Practical Farmers’ website.
This event is part of Practical Farmers’ main 2019 field day season, which includes 40 events across Iowa, and the region, on topics spanning the agricultural spectrum. The field days are meant to help connect farmers with their peers for networking and farmer-to-farmer learning.
Practical Farmers’ 2019 field days are supported by several sustaining and major sponsors, including: Albert Lea Seed; Bio Till; Center for Rural Affairs; Gandy Cover Crop Seeders; Grain Millers Inc.; H.A. Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture – Iowa State University; Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance; Iowa Beef Center at Iowa State University; Iowa State Department of Agronomy; La Crosse Seed; Man@Machine; MOSA Certified Organic; Niman Ranch; PepsiCo; Pipeline Foods; Premier 1 Supplies; River Valley Cooperative; Scoular; Sunderman Farm Management; Sunrise Foods International; Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education; Trees Forever; Unilever; Welter Seed & Honey Company.
— Practical Farmers of Iowa
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