Field day to feature farmer panel discussing modern conservation practices
AMES, Iowa—Crop farmers and anyone involved with on-farm conservation practices will get an in-person demonstration of some of the latest conservation efforts happening in Iowa during a special field day Aug. 3 near Ames.
Agronomists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are partnering with Cargill to hold a half-day event at Iowa State’s Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy Research Farm, located between Ames and Boone.
Presentations will focus on conservation practices Iowa farmers have already implemented and options for the future, according to Meaghan Anderson, agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach.
“We want to show how farmers have overcome some of the challenges of implementing in-field conservation practices and perhaps dispel a few myths along the way,” said Anderson. “In addition to session speakers, we have a panel of farmers who will speak about their own experiences in various landscapes and soils across Iowa.”
The panel will follow lunch and will include a discussion of how farmers got started with conservation and what they’ve learned along the way.
Participants will also get an update on Cargill RegenConnectTM – the brand’s regenerative effort to promote sustainability and environmental outcomes within agriculture.
The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with registration and check-in, an official welcome address at 9 a.m. and lunch around noon. The day will conclude around 1:30 p.m., following presentations by a panel of farmers engaged in conservation.
Modern conservation equipment and technology will be on display during the morning, including a Highboy cover crop seeder and strip-tillage equipment.
Session topics will include an overview of Iowa State’s research farms, presented by Kendall Lamkey, who oversees the farm operations as an associate dean with Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Mark Licht, extension cropping systems specialist, will discuss cover crop seeding and how to achieve success. Jeremy Hollingsworth, a soil conservation technician with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, will share the “why” behind conservation practices and holding soil in place, and Ben Covington, agricultural and biosystems engineering program specialist, will provide expertise on how to be successful with strip-till.
Register online via the event registration page. Attendees should register at least a week in advance, to help with planning materials and lunch.
The Agricultural Engineering and Agronomy Research Farm is located at 1308 U Ave. Boone, Iowa. For more information about the event, contact Meaghan Anderson at 319-331-0058 or mjanders@iastate.edu.
(contributed article and photo, ISUANR)
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