There were seven virtual field days announced during the week of June 15. For more information about recently announced field days, visit here.

Recently Announced

June 24 | Environmental Performance of Wetlands Receiving Non-Point Source Nutrient Loads: Benefits and Limitations of Targeted Wetland Restorations

Over the past 15 years, over 90 wetlands have been restored through the Iowa Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) with the explicit goal of intercepting and reducing nonpoint source nitrate loads. William Crumpton, Professor at Iowa State University, will summarize results from 15 years of work on Iowa CREP wetlands, including nutrient removal, GHG emissions, and hydrology. The research presented in this webinar is one of the largest and longest running projects of its kind and helps to clarify the potential benefits and limitations of targeted wetland restorations.

Register for this webinar, here.

June 25 | Farmer Partners Share Experiences as part of 10 Year Cover Crop Project

Join us for a forum with farmer partners, Rick Juchems, Rob Stout and George Schaefer, Stefan Gailans, Practical Farmers of Iowa, and Mark Licht, Iowa State University Extension, as they share their experiences, tips for success, and results from one of the longest on-farm cover crop demonstration projects to date.

Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa recently concluded a ten-year field-scale study of the effects of winter rye cover crops on corn and soybean yields. With consistent results across the full decade of recording and measurements, the final report notes no significant improvement or decline in cash crop yields attributable to the use of cover crops.

Register for this virtual field day, here.

June 26 | Early Interseeding of Cover Crops for Grazing

Seth Smith will show videos of a cover crop he interseeded in early June, and we’ll check in on how it’s growing. He will discuss his corn planting population, row width and hybrid selection. We’ll see how he has rigged up his cultivator to interseed multi-species cover crops and discuss how he does this in both organic and conventional crop fields. Seth’s goal is to get several weeks of fall grazing out of the cover crop in order to save money on feed.

Register for this webinar, here.

June 27 | Using Conservation to Improve Farm Profitability

Nathan and Sarah Anderson farm using in-field conservation practices that reduce soil loss, increase soil health, reduce inputs and provide forage for livestock. They also target edge-of-field conservation on marginal lands to provide water quality and wildlife benefits while improving return on investment on farmed acres. We’ll chat with Nathan twice over the course of the season to learn about conservation he’s using on his farm to increase profitability.

In part 1, Nathan will discuss planting corn in 60-inch rows with interseeded cover crops, and he’ll share the environmental and agronomic benefits he sees – or hopes to see – from the practice.

Register for this virtual field day, here.

June 29 | Cover Crops and Forage in Mahaska County

Get a first-hand view of how the De Bruin family farm integrates cover crops with their operation. This virtual field day includes a video tour of the farm in which Jake and Doug will discuss their journey with cover crops and how they use cover crops to benefit their cattle operation. After the video tour, Jake and Doug will host a live facilitated discussion and Q&A session.

Register for this virtual field day, here.

June 30 | Flame-Weeding and Crop Rotation for Weed Control

Learn how Noah and Caleb use a flame-weeder as one of many tools for weed management on their organic farm. We’ll check out a field that was previously flame-weeded, and Noah and Caleb will show video from a few weeks prior of the flame-weeder in action. They’ll also discuss the importance of including a small-grain crop in the rotation for their weed management strategy.

Register for this virtual field day, here. 

July 8, 15, 22 | Virtual Cover Crop Boot Camp

The series is designed to efficiently provide actionable agronomic information which can help independent and retail agronomists and crop consultants build their business through recommending and implementing cover crops.

“The needs of agronomists and advisers for information, practices, and business tactics related to cover crops has not been diminished by pandemic-related restrictions,” said Sarah Carlson, strategic initiatives director for PFI. “These webinars will provide ag professionals, who are working with farmers every day, with an opportunity to tune up muscle-memory about cover crops, learn from industry experts, and examine new ways to build their business. And they can join these lunchtime webinars from the convenience of their truck, office or living room.”

Learn more about this virtual field days, here.


Upcoming

June 23, 24, 25, 26 | Virtual Spring Field Day Webinar Series: Crops, Drainage, Herbicides, and UAVs

This virtual field day webinar series is being offered this year instead of the annual face-to-face spring field day that is held at the Iowa State Southeast Research and Demonstration Farm due to the current COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rebecca Vittetoe, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach. “COVID-19 hasn’t stopped the growing season and we are adapting our typical field day to the situation.

Register for the webinar series, here.

June 24 | No-Till Oat and Rye Production

Martin has been a long-time user of no-till and cover crops. It was his cover crop that got him into growing rye for his own cover crop seed. He then decided to further diversify his farm with an oat crop. This virtual farm tour will showcase both rye and oats in the field, and Martin will share the lessons he’s learned about producing both crops, from no-till planting in soybean residue to harvesting and cleaning the product.

Register for this virtual field day, here.