Equipping farmers to build resilient farms and communities.
Paul Mugge, an organic farmer and long-time on-farm research participant from Sutherland, has been chosen to receive the 2020 Sustainable Agriculture Achievement Award from Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Paul Mugge has been a PFI member for more than 30 years. He and his wife, Karen, farm 300 acres of certified organic crops. Their rotation consists of corn, soybeans, small grains and some legumes.

The farm has been certified organic since 2001 and features a mature, 17-year-old restored prairie; prairie strips established in 2015; and a beetle bank installed with Xerces Society in 2018.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The 2020 annual conference is underway! For those of you in attendance,  we would love to hear about your experience on social media! Tag us and use the hashtag #PFI20 on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

If you couldn't make it to the conference, be sure to  subscribe to PFI on YouTube to get notified when we post the latest video of sessions from the conference.
ON THE BLOG
Gary Guthrie of Nevada owns row crop ground with 4 acres of prairie strips.

In this blog, Gary offers his wealth of knowledge on the when and how of prescribed burning.
NEWS
Transitioning vegetable production to a high tunnel requires shifts in management.

Mike Bollinger and his wife, Katie Prochaska, have been growing vegetables in high tunnels for over a decade at River Root Farm.
This is a joint project between Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Learning Farms.

Farmers in this project reported that in 63 of 70 site-years, properly managed cover crops had little to no negative effect on corn and soybean yield (and actually increased soybean yield in 10 site years and corn yield in three site-years).

From the winter magazine:
UPCOMING EVENTS
As the operator at New Morning Farm in south-central Pennsylvania, Jennifer Glenister oversees 25 acres of organic vegetable production, manages marketing and nurtures a team of 10 apprentice vegetable growers.

In this farminar, Jennifer will share her experience with a variety of cultural practices, bio-controls and organic spray options for pest control on crops from arugula to zucchini.
Meet-ups are a time for farmers to discuss the upcoming season, challenges, opportunities and ideas, and to network with other farmers over a cup of coffee and some breakfast. These events are free and open to all fruit, vegetable and flower growers. You don’t have to be a PFI member to attend.

All meet-ups are 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Feb. 4  – Waverly
The Wild Carrot

Feb. 6  – Logan
Logan Flours

Feb. 11  – Des Moines
Hoq
Feb. 13  – Algona
Feed Mill Coffee Co.

Feb. 25  – Solon
Salt Fork Kitchen
Bonus: Flower meet-up

Feb. 27  – Ames
PFI office
This three-day workshop, taught by North Dakota ranchers Joshua and Tara Dukart, will take a deep-dive into the holistic management planning process used to make every day decisions.

Holistic management is the belief in understanding our ecosystem as interconnected cycles to allow us to more effectively work with nature to improve the health of our land, animals, people, environment and finances.

This goal-setting and decision-making process provides farmers interested in more regenerative farming methods with the tools you need to improve the land, your business and your quality of life.
Jan. 17-18: Conference - PFI Annual Conference 2020 | Ames

Jan. 21: Farminar - Pest Control
7 p.m. | Online

Jan. 28: Farminar - Customer Relationships
7 p.m. | Online

Feb. 4: Meet-up - Vegetable Farmer
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Waverly

Feb. 4: Farminar - Weed Management
7 p.m. | Online

Feb. 6: Meet-up - Vegetable Farmer
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Logan
Feb. 11: Meet-up - Vegetable Farmer
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Des Moines

Feb. 11: Farminar - Cereal Rye
7 p.m. | Online

Feb. 11-13: Workshop - Holistic Management
Montour

Feb. 13: Meet-up - Vegetable Farmer
9:30 - 11:30 a.m. | Algona
IN THE NEWS
Members in the News
Al Schafbuch of Dysart was featured in Wallaces Farmer: Pace of conservation efforts in question

Liz Garst of Coon Rapids was featured on the "Mid-Americana: Stories from a Changing Midwest" podcast: The Gospel of Seed and Soil: Liz Garst
PFI in the News
PFI was not featured in the news this week
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.