This photo was captured at a field day on Nov. 8, 2018, at John and Janna Wesselius's The Cornucopia near Sioux Center, Iowa.

We are seeking experienced farmers who plan to hire an employee in 2021 to participate in our Labor4Learning program.

The program is intended to benefit both parties: aspiring farmers get a paid, on-farm job and additional training on how to run a farm business, and the experienced farmer gains an eager-to-learn employee.

We are seeking a diligent, respectful and passionate person to serve as a strategic initiatives manager for the strategic initiatives team.

The strategic initiatives team works creatively to build collaborative connections between the private and public sectors that accomplish the goals of our farmer members on the broader Iowa and Midwestern landscape.

General sessions are webinar-style sessions with a presentation by one or several speakers or panelists. Q&A will be facilitated through a chat box, similar to PFI’s farminars. All general sessions will be recorded and available on the platform for later viewing.

In addition to two sessions presented bilingually, a selection of sessions will be offered with Spanish interpretation.

Además de dos sesiones presentadas en un forma bilingüe, se ofrecerá una selección de sesiones con interpretación en español.

During farmer-to-farmer conversations, two farmers will spend 40 minutes conversing together on selected topics or shared experiences, and then take questions from the audience via the chat box. This format is similar to a podcast, but with the benefit of a video component and live Q&A.

Roundtables are facilitated conversations on a specified topic, where attendees are able to interact with one another in a live video meeting. Rooms are capped at 30 participants to allow for deeper attendee engagement. Depending on content and structure, some roundtables will be recorded for later viewing, others will not.

As the name suggests, lightning talks are short, focused and hopefully exciting to watch. We know many farmers are evaluating new practices or have figured out a process that would be useful to share with others. Each lightning talk round will feature six talks, each 8 minutes long, prepared and presented by farmers.

PFI is excited to offer Saturday morning sessions tailored to PFI’s younger audience. Sessions for younger children will be led by Blue Morningsnow, known as “Miss Blue” in her role as lead preschool teacher and director of Prairie Flower Children’s Center in Ames, Iowa. Sessions for older youth and teens will feature a virtual show-and-tell of independent, on-farm 4-H and National FFA Organization projects.

Aspiring farmers, bring your farming ideas and visions into reality at the Exploring Farming series this January.

Registration is $40 for PFI members, and $80 for non-PFI members, and includes all four workshops. Registration closes Dec. 31, 2020!

In the Corn Belt, markets for small grains are limited. But as cover crops gain momentum, the demand for cover crop seed is on the rise.

Enter selling small grains as cover crop seed. Seed should meet purity standards, and therefore should be cleaned.

For Bill Frederick (left) of Jefferson, Iowa, seed cleaning for small grains is a crucial part of his business, Iowa Cover Crop.

On Jan. 8 at 12:15 p.m., call in to hear from Bill as he shares his experience with cleaning seed, from purchasing a cleaner, to settings and maintenance, to marketing.

Thanks to your generous support, we have surpassed our goal of $25,000.

We accept donations year-round! Help us continue to raise the bar and push us further past our goal. THANK YOU all for your generosity!

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.

Contact: tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org