CHELSEA, Iowa — Adam Ledvina, of Blue Collar Goatscaping and Iowa Kiko Goats, will host a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day on using goats for ecological restoration on Saturday, Sept. 28, from 1-5 p.m., near Chelsea (2626 370th St., a few miles southwest of town).
The event – “Using Goats for Restoration and Market Diversification” – is free to attend and will include a potluck meal featuring goat meat following the field day. Guests are asked to bring a side dish to share. The field day is sponsored by National Kiko Registry, Premier 1 Supplies and Tama Soil and Water Conservation District.
During the field day, Adam will share why and how he raises Kiko goats to meet his goals of ecological restoration and profitability. As a beginning farmer, he has started a profitable business using goats for brush management and selling Kiko breeding stock.
He’ll discuss permanent and temporary fencing, parasite resistance, genetic selection and the increasingly profitable goat market. Adam will also share how he manages browsing on other people’s land while using Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share programs.
The Ledvina family operates 190 acres consisting of pasture, hay, row crops and land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. The farm comprises a diverse landscape, including riparian forests along a tributary of the Iowa River, prairie, savanna and hilly woodland forests.
Ten years ago, the family farm consisted of 80 acres of row crops and 110 fallow acres; now it is used to its entire potential to support livestock, wildlife and conservation.
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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