Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
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About 20 graziers gathered in the pastures of
Big Creek Farms in Lamoni on Thursday as part of the south-central Iowa grazing group, hosted by
Chad and Katie Hensley.
The group discussed calving and adaptive grazing as spring progresses; shared recommendations on fencing, water and mineral mixes; and walked through a conservation buffer filled with trees to see where cattle overwintered. Chad says: "We bale-graze and plant trees to boost fungal networks in our pastures."
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When added to a crop rotation, triticale offers many benefits to farmers in the Corn Belt. It can boost the yields of other cash crops and provide livestock feed, reducing feed costs from off-farm sources.
Triticale’s strength is in its versatility – it can be grazed; used as a cover crop, or as feed or silage; or it can harvested for straw. This blog covers the possibilites of including triticale in pig rations.
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Please donate to help us cultivate connections to build our supportive learning community, to help increase conservation on Iowa’s landscape, to improve the viability of our farms and rural communities and to help support beginning farmers and farm transfer.
Our goal is to raise $30,000 in this year's spring fundraiser.
Your donation toward this goal will help us provide our members with farmer-led education on what they say they need most!
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Our 2018 "Cooperators' Program Year in Review" is now available to read online! In it, you'll find summaries of some of the on-farm research conducted last year by PFI farmers.
Through PFI's Cooperators’ Program, farmers carry out on-farm research and demonstration projects to help answer their most challenging questions. Knowledge from this research equips farmers to be more profitable, to be better environmental stewards and, ultimately, to make their farms and communities more resilient.
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Watch two new videos on early-season weed management
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Early-season weed control is a big deal for organic farmers. It's the last good opportunity to take out weeds across the entire field, before crops come up and in-row weeds become a challenge.
Tools like rotary hoes and harrows are implements farmers use to eliminate weeds just after planting, both before and after crop emergence. Watch our newest videos to learn more about each of these implements by clicking the thumbnails above.
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Do you or someone you know have journalism or communications experience that could help farmers tell their stories?
This new, full-time position will work with PFI staff, members and partners to grow the impact of our members’ voices in their communities and in the media by coaching them on speaking and media interviews, and coordinating speaking appearances at events and in the media.
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Will Lorentzen and Adrian White are looking to hire an employee for the 2019 season on their farm in Clayton County.
"We want to connect with, sustain and generally support interest in farming among young and beginning farmers here in Iowa," Will says.
"We've walked the path ourselves and think it's time we helped those who are like we were back then. Through
Labor4Learning, it will be exciting and fun to connect with new farmer acolytes and share our skills with the right candidates!"
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Celebrate the start of the 2019 growing season with other beginning farmers during an afternoon of good food and networking
in West Des Moines. Make new friends and connect with old ones while learning about each other’s spring projects, plans for the year and improvements from last year.
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Join one of six grazing groups getting together this spring! These groups will go on pasture walks and discuss spring grazing management, first cutting of hay, planting summer annuals and more. Meet and learn from fellow livestock farmers.
Each of these events runs from 4:30-7 p.m. and will have a meal provided.
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Thursday, May 16 |
Lockridge
Host:
Tim Diers
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Thursday, May 23 |
Maxwell
Host:
Bruce Carney
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Sunday, June 9 |
Charles City
Hosts:
Wendy Johnson & Johnny Rafkin
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Wednesday, May 22 |
Remsen
Host:
Robert Alexander
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Thursday, May 30 |
Oxford
Host:
Doug Darrow
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4:30 - 7 p.m. | Lockridge
4 - 6 p.m. | West Des Moines
4:30 - 7 p.m. | Remsen
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4:30 - 7 p.m. | Maxwell
4:30 - 7 p.m. | Oxford
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Ruth Rabinowitz of Santa Cruz, CA, was featured in
Environmental Defense Fund's magazine
Solutions:
Seeds of change
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Have you been featured in the media?
Tell us when and where to find a link to the article, and we'll feature you in a future issue of Practical News.
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