Practical Farmers of Iowa

Our Blog Has Moved!

2010-12-14T16:32:00.004-06:00

SAVE THIS LINK!Don't miss out on any of the discussion and great blogging about Practical Farmers of Iowa, its members, activities, programs and staff. Visit our new blog http://practicalfarmers.org/blog/

Young Farmers Conference - School of Farmer Wizardry

2010-12-03T13:33:00.010-06:00

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Consolidation in the Food Industry

2010-11-14T11:00:00.001-06:00

Mary Hendrickson from the Univ. of Missouri recently presented about this topic at Iowa State in a Sustainable Agriculture class. Towards the end, the last few slides of the presentation seem like the main focus that PFI farmers are figuring out: how to keep earnings behind the farmgate and stay independent while selling enough supply to cash flow and reach more customers. Mary's questions

Root Cellar Workshop

2010-11-08T14:53:00.000-06:00

James Nisly hosted a root cellar workshop on his farm October 16th. The workshop featured his in progress 3000 square foot root cellar. James is a true advocate for local food, and is building this large structure with the goal of storing product for other farmers in the community to ramp up off season offerings of local farm products significantly. The workshop covered: collaborative storage,

Farminar Line-up (Fall 2010)

2010-10-27T08:44:00.003-05:00

Beginning Tuesday, Nov-2, PFI will broadcast every other week, four new online seminars or farminars with farmers as presenters. This "Fishbowl" with a beginner asking questions to a farmer with more experience in an area will allow participants to watch and ask their own questions, from the comfort of their home computer with internet.Free registration may be found at this linkWe hope you will

The Berry Patch Field Day

2010-10-22T09:32:00.001-05:00

Dean, Judy, and Jack the dog greet young visitors to the farm. The Berry Patch was an idyllic place to start PFI's fifth annual Garlic Fest. On this beautiful pre-fall day, approximately 50 people showed up to learn about Dean and Judy's operation while touring the farm on a hay rack and sampling delectable Honeycrisp apples. Mike Henry rings up a customer at the farm stand. The Berry

You don’t always get what you want…but often get what you pay for!

2010-10-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

You don’t always get what you want…but often get what you pay for!

Squash-apple cheddar gratin

2010-10-19T09:52:00.004-05:00

The Des Moines Register ran a story on squash yesterday. The story featured the very recipe I had just made with squash. I remember going to a potluck 10 years ago and tasting the squash-apple cheddar gratin Jan Libbey of One Step At a Time Garden recommended in the article. Jan had grown the squash, and she had prepared the dish specially for the potluck. I remember thinking: “Knowing farmers

Cover Crops, Manure, No-till and more: youtube and local tour, in Michigan

2010-10-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

Cover Crops, Manure, No-till and more: youtube and local tour, in Michigan Fall cover crops and manure make an excellent combination. One method to achieve this is called Slurry Seeding: adding cover crop seed directly into the manure tank with a low disturbance tillage tool. Dr. Tim Harrigan, MSU Extension Biosystems & Ag Engineering narrates a 6 minute video that shows you how the

2011 PFI Annual Conference Sneak Peak

2010-10-06T14:58:00.001-05:00

We are proud to give you advanced notice of a dynamite lineup for the next PFI annual conference, Jan. 7-8, 2011, at Marshalltown Community College. More details coming soon to your mailbox and on the PFI website. Keynote Address Farming Without Subsidies: New Zealand’s Journey Mike and Sharon Barton, Lake Taupo Basin, New Zealand Last year’s annual conference keynoters were homegrown

Iowa Fruit & Veggie Market Planner

2010-10-06T13:37:00.002-05:00

Check out this great resource from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU.Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Market PlannerWelcome to the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Market Planner This tool calculates rate of demand for 80 produce crops. You choose a central market location (within Iowa), consumers, time period, products and units of measure for results. Your selections

Slurry Seeding Cover Crops - Blight Farms (Albion, MI)

2010-10-05T13:01:00.001-05:00

Delicious Evening

2010-09-25T19:59:00.003-05:00

60+ guests, a dozen volunteers and chefs Donna Prizgintas and Scott Coldiron all gathered in Vesuvius Wood-Fired Pizza in Ames on Sunday, September 12 for PFI's 4th Annual Garlic Fest.Ready to "overwhelm" our guestsFollowing the field day at Berry Patch Farm, the evening started with the tasting of four varieties of heritage garlic that Rick and Stacy Hartmann and Brian Hayward from Small

Talkin' Pasture Health (with Gompert)

2010-09-24T11:08:00.008-05:00

Terry Gompert, a Holistic Management educator, extension beef specialist, and grazier from Center, Nebraska, came to Central Iowa and toured two grazing farms on August 28, 2010. The two farms were Bill and Betty Kimble, and Ryan and Janice Marquardt.Warning: there are pictures of manure in this blog post.Terry Gompert relaxes on the porch with some of Betty Kimble's coffee before the pasture

Talkin’ cover crops - MessengerNews.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Info. - The Messenger

2010-09-19T19:35:00.001-05:00

Talkin’ cover crops - MessengerNews.net | News, Sports, Jobs, Community Info. - The MessengerTalkin’ cover crops Turning whole fields into buffer strips September 19, 2010 - By LARRY KERSHNER, For the Messenger Save | Post a comment | WEBSTER CITY - Watching an airplane that traditionally is used to spray row crops

The Mob and Its Roots

2010-09-14T14:17:00.012-05:00

Erin and Torray Wilson pasture walk, Friday, August 6th, 2010.Above is Erin and Torray Wilson's mob of sheep, beef cows, and dairy cows. These animals get new pasture twice a day. The dairy cows get to go ahead of the mob for 12 hours of every day, to get the best quality feed and to be separated from their calves before the once-a-day milking. Until they build up their dairy herd size, the

It's official: PFI has an endowment

2010-09-07T10:28:00.003-05:00

I just mailed off some very important paperwork for PFI: The financial papers that mean Practical Farmers of Iowa, co-founded by Dick and Sharon Thompson, will be around for years to come.Last Tuesday, the PFI Board officially voted to put $100,000 of our reserves into endowments created through the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. What a fitting step for the Board to take in 2010, the

Temple Grandin at PFI

2010-09-02T09:06:00.005-05:00

Temple Grandin, a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, gave a workshop on livestock facilities and behavior at Craig and LaVon Griffieon's farm in Ankeny on Tuesday, August 3rd.Temple visited PFI farmers B & B Farms and Wild Rose Pastures the day before the workshop.Many farmers had questions for Temple during the breaks.Temple talked about the things to consider when

Brucemore Art and Garden Show

2010-09-01T14:34:00.006-05:00

PFI made a trip out to Cedar Rapids to mingle with local food, garden, and art enthusiasts of central Iowa. I had the great opportunity to visit with non-farmer stewards - 25% of our membership.The Brucemore is a mansion and garden property that is now a National Trust Historic Site 26-acre landmark in the center of Cedar Rapids. Just South of Washington High School, this venue hosted hundreds

Who Will Feed Us?

2010-08-28T07:21:00.006-05:00

I have been invited to write an occasional essay for Practical Farmers of Iowa. The following is an essay I wrote to my Growing Harmony Farm Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) members in Ames, Iowa.Who will feed the world?In a recent article in Seed Savers Exchange they posed the question: Who will feed us? Will it be the Industrial Food Chain or Peasant Food Web?Allow me to quote from the

Grazing the Bottoms

2010-08-27T16:30:00.000-05:00

Do domestic grazing animals have a place on conservation lands? This is what a project at the Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in Polk County is seeking to answer. Graziers are contracted to bring animals onto the land during the summer, and scientists are taking measurements to determine the impact of the animals on the vegetation and animal life.Above is the pasture where Bruce Carney's cow herd

What's in a name?

2010-08-26T12:22:00.004-05:00

What a fun exchange on the PFI listserv today. We're looking for some creative help on what to call these wonderful nonfarmer members PFI has (such as Pete Lammers, pictured here at the Cory Field Day). As you see from the previous sentence, we now call them "nonfarmers." Is there a better term? We went to our members for help. "Consumers" doesn't seem to work, as we're all consumers. How about "

2010-08-25T09:46:00.002-05:00

PFI's modified HIGHBOY is available for over-seeding cover crops now!The PFI Highboy is ready and available to be used for farmers wanting to overseed cover crops into standing crops this fall. The highboy will be heading to Johnson county this Friday and then available in NW IA on Saturday if you'd like to use it.IT IS FREE to use you just need to come and pick it up. Its on a car trailer and

Stolen from Genuine Faux Farm's blog

2010-08-24T12:58:00.001-05:00

If you are a blog peruser, you may have already seen this. This is fascinating, and gives a tiny glimpse into the dizzying recordkeeping necessary to keep a successful CSA afloat. This cucumber example is merely one of many crops GFF manages! Rob and Tammy Faux From GFF Blog: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 Potential and Planning If you are a CSA member - and not just a person who is a member in

Doug Gunnink and Gearld Fry in Southeast IA

2010-08-20T12:01:00.000-05:00

On July 23, over 50 graziers visited three farms in southeast Iowa near Bloomfield with accomplished graziers Doug Gunnink and Gearld Fry. The following day, Doug and Gearld visited three more farms in the Williamsburg/Kalona area with a smaller group of graziers. Doug Gunnink talked about raising good quality forages in Virgil Knobloch's pasture.A next generation grazier listens intently to

The Beginning Farmer has a Field Day

2010-08-18T15:05:00.005-05:00

A cool, wet afternoon on a southern Iowa livestock family farm was the scene of an intimate farm tour led by Ethan and Rebecca Book. Beginning with a complimentary meal of farm meats freshly grilled, the tour extended over 4 hours. Eager participants didn't let a little rain get in the way of sharing practical farm knowledge. 6 farms represented by 27 people attended to walk the land and learn

What's Love Got to do with it?

2010-08-16T11:36:00.007-05:00

Pollination, is so important!On Sunday, August 1 at the farm of Laura Krouse near Mt. Vernon in east central Iowa farmers and eaters learned the importance of pollination. Laura and USDA corn breeders Linda Pollak and John Golden taught attendees different methods of improving, selecting and storing corn seed.Laura developed and markets Abbe Hills Open Pollinated corn. She using equipment that

Bahrenfuse/Castello Field Day

2010-08-13T15:37:00.019-05:00

WARNING! This blog contains pictures that are not friendly to squemish stomachs. This field day included poultry slaughter, and we will show pictures of the process.Approximately 35 people gathered on a rainy Friday to get a tour of Barney Bahrenfuse and Suzanne Castello's farm near Grinnell. They raise cattle, sheep, hogs and chickens on their predominantly pasture based farm. Per month,

PFI Camp!

2010-08-10T16:53:00.013-05:00

What a fun time! 25 kids from all across Iowa came to Scattergood Friends School for the 2010 PFI Camp from July 12-17th. We started with the Youth Leadership program doing teambuilding, leadership training, and of course learning about Scattergood's farm. A highlight was the four YLP participants helping the farm staff trim sheep hooves. It was hot and sweaty work, but a really great

Community to Ag Field Day

2010-08-10T12:29:00.009-05:00

Two weeks in a row, in two parts of the state, farmers and eaters came together to share and celebrate farms and an agriculture of support. On July 31 PFI beginning farmers Kate Solko (ISU Student Organic Farm), Alice McGary and Nick Leete, (Mustard Seed Community Farm) opened their farm to 20 visitors outside of Ames, IA. On August 8th experienced horticulture farmers Jan Libbey and Tim Landgraf

How plants ‘cry wolf’ to fool aphids

2010-08-04T21:38:00.002-05:00

How plants ‘cry wolf’ to fool aphidsInteresting article from discovery.com. 5 PFI farmers (4 organic & 1 conventional) are testing 2 or 3 different non-gmo soybean varieties which have been selected for greater aphid resistance. They are comparing aphid resistant soybean varieties with other susceptible soybean varieties. Aphids and beneficial insects will be counted during the height of aphid

CSA 101

2010-08-02T12:23:00.000-05:00

Most people are familiar with CSAs, or Community Supported Agriculture. Here are a quick few tidbits if the concept is new to you. 1) Farmers have guaranteed income at the beginning of the season. Asset: Money is available up front for seeds and supplies. Limitation: Caps your income, income comes all at once vs. regular intervals. 2) Members share risk with farmers. They have stock in the farm

2010-07-30T16:53:00.002-05:00

ON-FARM RESEARCH DESIGNThose who are thinking about conducting on-farm research please look at the map below. This is available on the PFI website and was designed by Rick Exner and Dick Thompson and several other PFI founding members over the years. This is solid information to help you start thinking about setting up a successful, scientifically rigorous trial. Again if you'd like to do

Local foods project - three months later

2010-07-28T13:46:00.006-05:00

When I was reading a success story about the renowned local food establishment, L'Etoile Restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, one sentence especially struck me: “Through the peak of the season, Traci estimates that they source 95 to 97 percent of their ingredients local, with wintertime averages around 75 to 80 percent” (from Farmer Jane: Women Changing

Finding Civilization in the Age of Lawnlessness

2010-07-24T20:16:00.009-05:00

Nearly 50 Iowans toured 3 backyard gardens in Ames, IA on Saturday. 3 stops showed a sampling of what urban dwellers can do to participate in food production, conservation, and greener living.Amber Anderson-Mba's Dwarf Nigerian milk goats, ducks, and chickens grazed/browsed the lawn amid perennial and annual food crops. Her rain-barrels collecting water for all her garden and animal watering

2010-07-22T08:50:00.005-05:00

Interested in conducting on-farm research about cover crops this fall?PFI again this year has money available to conduct several on-farm cover crop projects and money for supplies or seeding costs to help you test out new ways to try out cover crops in your system.Please contact me soon if you are interested. Some project ideas could include: * aerial seeding * over-seeding with the hagie

Faux Field Day: Constructing a High Tunnel

2010-07-20T13:05:00.020-05:00

On July 8 and 9 I worked at the Faux field day in Tripoli along with Sally and Tomoko of PFI. This field day was a special two day training build where we constructed a moveable high tunnel, right there on Tammy and Rob Faux’s farm. During the two days, around 30 different people showed up to help. Some were members, some were not, and many are now new members of PFI! It was so much fun meeting

Savings Incentive Program Progress!

2010-07-19T14:49:00.005-05:00

We are doing really well as a result of the generous contributions by individuals, family foundations, and a few companies.In just 2 months of asking we have raised nearly $60,000!!! Over half way to our $100,000 goal for 2010.One of our donors told us recently, "I like SIP because beginners put their own money into it, they have skin in the game and that is what will make them successful."The

Small Potatoes Farm Hosts a Field Day

2010-07-18T12:13:00.008-05:00

Yesterday, Rick and Stacy Hartmann and Brian Hayward hosted a Field Day at Small Potatoes Farm. There is a lot to like about their operation--they raise high quality vegetables {I know: I'm a member of their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)} and are extremely thoughtful in their approach to a farm business. Rick is featured on one of our Farminars, check out http://

Wild Weather

2010-07-11T15:15:00.003-05:00

Once you get to know farmers and follow their lives, "the weather" becomes far more important to you. Last week, as the windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the sheets of rain slapping my car windows, I slowed down and thought, not of the cancelled Fourth of July celebrations that day, but of crop losses.What a lot of rain PFI farmers have seen this spring and so far this summer! Thursday,

Managing Pasture for Birds at Dan Specht's

2010-07-07T14:06:00.009-05:00

Pastures can be managed for bird habitat and for productivity and animal performance. On a warm Saturday morning (June 26, 2010), fifteen people gathered at Dan Specht's farm to hear about different ways to manage pastures for bird habitat.Dan started the session by talking about his grazing management practices, including grazing some pastures and hayfields early in the spring, causing them to

Cover Crops 101 in Clutier, IA

2010-07-01T14:14:00.012-05:00

How many farmers remember using cover crops to cover their soil during the winter and spring? Many farmers have tried to use cover crops and its not easy but new momentum for this practice has reinvigorated farmers talking about the challenges that exist on-farm for those interested in adding this important conservation practice to their farming system.To help farmers discuss the challenges of

Anderson Field Day

2010-06-29T13:47:00.009-05:00

25 folks descended upon the farm near Cherokee, IA to review PFI beginning farmer Nathan Anderson's pasture rehabilitation efforts and its suite of research projects to find out how to build a higher productivity pasture.In a well organized, relaxed and engaging style, Nathan led a tour of pastures on the perimeter of the farm describing the production history, treatments made to reclaim/

10 Good Reasons Environmentalists Should Support PFI

2010-06-28T13:36:00.003-05:00

Practical Farmers of Iowa has many good partners in the conservation and environmental communities. Why should environmentalists support PFI? Here are 10 good reasons:1. We have the leadership. Many PFI members serve in leadership positions—and bring their land stewardship principles with them. The current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture and his past and present challengers are all members of

more on eating locally

2010-06-23T13:53:00.005-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I attended the presentation by Ken Meter at Story County office on the impact of local food system within the county. Meter’s presentation provided many interesting statistics, from obesity rate of Iowans to Iowa’s average farm income. One of the numbers, however, stood out as it resonated my last blog entry. I wrote on this blog about a month ago

Klinge/Tidwell Field Day

2010-06-21T15:54:00.029-05:00

On Friday June 18, I attended my first PFI Field Day. This was special for me because it was at my dad's farm, Home Farm Organics, in Farmersburg. PFI staff members Sarah and Tomoko drove up as well and we had a great time.My dad, Jeff Klinge, farms a 5th generation, 300 acre diversified farm. Together, he and my step mom, Deb Tidwell, have produced organic corn, alfalfa, and barley since

Double K Farms Ingredients for Success on the Organic Farm

2010-06-21T15:05:00.010-05:00

On June 12th, over 50 people attended the PFI field day at Double K Farms, with Liz and Andre Konstantinov. The topic was what ingredients are essential for success for an organic farm. Below are some photos of the event.Good food is a highlight of nearly every PFI field day. The Konstantinov family prepared a wonderful meal for all of their guests.Des Moines area food/health enthusiasts turned

A blog about a blog

2010-06-17T10:53:00.001-05:00

Claire Runquist, PFI member, recently graduated from Marshalltown High School, and is attending Macalester College in the Twin Cities this fall. However, Claire is not spending her summer packing for college. She received an internship with the World Food Prize Foundation to spend eight weeks working at AVRDC - The World Vegetable Center in Patancheru, Hyderabad, India. Her work will focus on

Wesselius Field Day

2010-06-11T12:54:00.012-05:00

Field day season has officially arrived! Saturday Sally and I (along with Amber from the Energy Group) took the trip over to northwest Iowa and visited the Wesselius' farm. What a beautiful day! They are doing many neat things on their farm and they gave us a glimpse into what they do. The Wesseliuses garden approximately 2 acres and market their produce through a small CSA (Community Supported

PFI Cooperators conducting 100 R&D projects in 2010

2010-06-09T11:32:00.005-05:00

On May 1st, PFI launched a new local foods project. People who expressed their interests in increasing their local food purchases are keeping records of their food purchases for one year. PFI provided them with a spreadsheet, which contains several formulas to display plots of overall, local and distance food purchases throughout one year. Last week, one of our

Come All Ye Beginning Farmers

2010-05-07T17:07:00.008-05:00

Are you a beginning farmer in Iowa (10 years or fewer)? Have you checked-in with Luke at Practical Farmers of Iowa? Send an email to luke@practicalfarmers.org and make sure you are on our list of beginners to get the latest updates and opportunities from PFI.--------------------------------------Beginning farmers! Take this Survey to help PFI help get you the land you need.Click here to take

Savings Incentive Program is launched

2010-05-07T15:45:00.010-05:00

Today is a big dayPractical Farmers of Iowa is officially launching a fundraising campaign for our Savings Incentive Program.Our 300 beginning farmers are smart, eager, hard working, and stewards of the land--they deserve the efforts we will take with this campaign! Our members tell us their stories of beginning, how difficult it is to make those first capital purchases. SIP will reward farmers

Land Ownership Statistics in Iowa

2010-05-06T13:14:00.001-05:00

Check out these sobering facts compiled by Hannah Lewis, Jan Flora, Andy Larson, John Baker, and Lynn Fallon.INCREASING AGE OF LANDOWNER · In 2007, more than half the farmland (55%) in Iowa was owned by people over the age of 65 (compared t o 30% in 1982) (Duffy 2008) · The increasing age structure of farmland owners show no sign of abating and continues to move toward an

Greg Judy Talks Grazing in Northeast Iowa

2010-05-03T15:24:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday, April 21, 2010, Greg Judy came and gave an all-day workshop at the Northeast Iowa Dairy Center in Calmar. Despite beautiful weather outside, over 50 people came and sat inside all day to listen to Greg talk about holistic high-density grazing. People asked great questions all day. That did not seem to phase Greg at all, in fact it seemed to make him even more enthusiastic about

Grazing Cover Crops

2010-05-03T12:03:00.003-05:00

On Thursday, April 22 Kevin Dietzel and I headed to southeast Iowa to enjoy the sites and tasty bakery treats of Kalona, IA and also learn about innovative approaches to cover crops. Some might call SE IA the "tropical zone" of Iowa. I would agree. They have a much longer growing period in the fall following grain harvest and have warmer temperatures in the fall. Maybe that is why several

Iowa bread

2010-04-30T10:43:00.009-05:00

As part of my project to investigate the possibility for Iowa grown cover crop grains to be used as food, a local CSA called Farm to Folk in Ames has been providing me the space to share my breads. So far, I’ve been using two different varieties of hard red winter wheat and buckwheat from Iowa farmers in my ciabatta bread. Making ciabatta starts with preparing biga (pre-ferment), which consists

Nature's Metropolis

2010-04-27T16:43:00.000-05:00

I was looking through one of my favorite books today, Nature’s Metropolis: Chicago and the Great West, and, as always happens, Practical Farmers of Iowa drifted into my mind. PFI has had an influx of non-farmer members in recent years. To me, that is a natural progression for this most wonderful of sustainable agriculture organizations.Nature’s Metropolis, by William Cronon, makes the case that

Communications Assistant Enjoying PFI

2010-04-26T16:30:00.005-05:00

Today begins my third week here at Practical Farmers of Iowa. The time has gone by so quickly. Starting a new job is exciting, but scary, so having a supportive team of co-workers really helps! Thank you all for being so friendly.I just wanted to introduce myself and provide some background information.I live in Ankeny, where I spent most of my years growing up. I am originally from

No-till + Cover Crops

2010-04-23T13:52:00.004-05:00

Check out this great video about farmers using cover crop mixes in North Dakota to improve their soil quality in a no-till farming system.http://sare.org/publications/FromTheField_Forgey1.htmThis farmer was funded by the SARE program to do on-farm research. SARE is also funding 2 projects at PFI: 1) focused on increasing the use of Cover Crops and 2) focused on Bio-Energy production from

Beginning Farmers

2010-04-22T10:46:00.008-05:00

Yesterday I took time off work at Practical Farmers of Iowa to help beginning farmer (and my girlfriend) Sally Hertz on her 1.2 acre vegetable farm. I learned a few things and wanted to put those thoughts on the blog for the week.Hort is WorkSmall (1-2 acres) of vegetables is tough work (duh). It seems that if you can scale up to 10 acres or so you can get a bunch of time-saving and back-saving

Farmer Among the Tombs

2010-04-16T17:45:00.003-05:00

A wonderful aspect about having a member-directed organization is that we respond to farmers' priorities, and not staff members' own individual priorities. That is much more difficult to accomplish than you might think!Often times members have on their minds topics that I've rarely thought about. Take today, for example. The topic that's getting a lot of traffic on the PFI listerv? Rural

Its getting to be that time of year!

2010-04-14T15:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, thats right! Its the time of the year to gear up for PFI Camp 2010! July 14-17th will be here sooner than you think. And don't forget the Youth Leadership Program July 12-14th!This year is going to be lots of fun. We will be at Scattergood Friends School near West Branch. They are a boarding school outside of Iowa City, and an active PFI member. They also have game fields, a great art

Gearing up for SIP

2010-04-07T21:01:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to start getting applications coming in for the Savings Incentive Program. This is a really great opportunity for beginning farmers.Over 6 years, our goal is to get 90 beginner farms complete a "PFI UNIVERSITY" a first-rate farm business planning/mentorship program and get a nice chunk of money at the end to pay for a productive farm asset.Our goal is to raise $250,000 from a

What's going on in the office?

2010-04-07T13:02:00.004-05:00

What's going on in the offices of Practical Farmers of Iowa?A lot:Field Days, Field DaysStaff are finishing lining up field days for the upcoming summer and fall, and getting commitments from our many wonderful sponsors. We’ll be in touch soon on the full slate of offerings.Ready to Launch!A committee of members has been helping PFI set the details for our exciting new Savings Incentive Program,

Alternatives in Agriculture

2010-04-02T09:53:00.001-05:00

While preparing for the newsletter I have had the opportunity to peruse Dick and Sharon Thompson's Alternatives in Agriculture. These PFI founders conduct research on their farm to this day, 25 years after the formation of an organization they helped create to foster on-farm research. More impressive, they update Alternatives in Agriculture each year. They don't do this with the help of PFI

Leaders and Robust Debate

2010-03-23T18:06:00.003-05:00

I've just finished a profile for our upcoming newsletter on the current Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey. Bill has been a long-time PFI member, as is the farmer who ran against him in the last election, Denise O'Brien, and the farmer who is challenging him this time around, Francis Thicke. That fact led me to wonder: How many PFI members have served in public office?If a simple query to

2010-03-22T14:46:00.004-05:00

Questions asked by Dave Schmidt, beginning grazier and participating member of PFI's Next Generation Program-What are the best forage mixes for central Iowa? -Would you recommend using any of the native legumes or warm-season grasses? (maybe in separate paddocks for mid-summer?) -What are the best strategies for rejuvenating old CRP ground? (intensive grazing? re-establish? RX burn?) -What are

PFI's Great Members

2010-03-17T16:51:00.000-05:00

In the past three weeks, I have made a lot of phone calls, written a lot of emails, and introduced myself in person to a lot of people, most of them PFI members. It has amazed me how welcoming, accepting, and helpful everyone has been. People seem genuinely excited that I have joined the PFI team. What an exceptional group of people have come together in this organization called PFI! Of course,

Our State Fair is a great State Fair!

2010-03-10T15:41:00.001-06:00