AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and Conservation Learning Group (CLG), is hosting a free virtual field day focused on the benefits to the soil, water and the atmosphere when sorghum is added to the corn and soybean rotation on Thursday, October 20th at 1 p.m. CDT. Join us for a live conversation with Andy VanLoocke, Iowa State University (ISU) Associate Professor of Agronomy, ISU post-doctoral researcher associates Kate Glanville and Rojda (Guler) Aslan-Sungur, and ISU graduate student Josh Bendorf.
At the ISU Sustainable Advanced Bioeconomy Research (SABR) Farm located west of Ames, Dr. VanLoocke’s team is exploring the impacts of adding bioenergy crops like sorghum to the traditional rotation of corn and soybeans grown on most acres in Iowa. Taking a systems approach, the team is closely analyzing the carbon/nitrogen budget or mass budget of sorghum and the impacts on the soil, water and atmosphere.
“This field day and larger research project will take a closer look at how crop rotation, climate and weather effect the corn, soybeans and sorghum differently throughout the year. The goal is to calculate the mass budget and impact of incorporating energy biomass crops like sorghum in the rotation,” commented Vanloocke
To participate in the live virtual field day at 1:00 pm CDT on October 20th, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpduihpj8iE9ZHcjpsenc2DWQILG41wg0D or visit www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/events and click “Join Live Virtual Field Day”.
Or, join from a dial-in phone line:
Dial: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 876 9923
Meeting ID: 914 1198 4892
The field day will be recorded and archived on the ILF website so that it can be watched at any time. The archive will be available at https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/events.
Participants may be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU). Information about how to apply to receive the credit (if approved) will be provided at the end of the live field day.
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, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319) and GROWMARK, Inc.
— Iowa Learning Farms
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