AMES, Iowa—Women landowners, farmers and ag retailers will have the opportunity to meet again this winter to learn more about agronomy and related agricultural topics through distance-learning sessions of Agronomy in the Field.

The goals of Agronomy in the Field are to strengthen agronomic skills for women that allow for better decision-making, provide a better understanding of inputs for crop production, see and understand different conservation practices and increase confidence in communication with a spouse, farming partner, ag retailer or tenant. 

These programs are hosted by extension field agronomists Angie Rieck-Hinz, Meaghan Anderson, Rebecca Vittetoe, Leah Ten Napel and Clarabell Probasco.

Five free distance-learning classroom sessions of Agronomy in the Field will be offered from January through early April. Sessions will be over the noon hour, starting at 12 p.m., and will typically last until 1 p.m. These sessions will be provided through a web-conferencing program, so women can join online from the comfort of their own home or office. 

“It can be hard to travel in the winter months with weather challenges and family priorities, so hopefully the web-conferencing technology will allow women across the state to still be a part of the program, even if they are unable to physically be in the same location,” said extension field agronomist Angie Rieck-Hinz.

All sessions will be recorded so women can access them at a time convenient for them if they can’t join in for the live sessions.

The sessions that will be offered this fall and winter are as follows:

• January 9: Lean and Mean Crop Production.
• February 20: Interpreting Soil Test Results and Fertilizer Recommendations.
• March 6: Developing Successful Herbicide Plans.
• March 20: Managing Your Forages to Maximize Productivity.
• April 3: Iowa Soils and Understanding CSR2.

Any interested women landowners, farmers and service providers who would like to participate in upcoming sessions can register for the sessions at https://go.iastate.edu/PGFFCZ. Once registered, participants will receive an email confirmation with a link to join and can participate in one or more sessions at no cost. For more information, visit the Iowa Women’s Agronomy in the Field Facebook page.

(contributed press release, ISUANR)