Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with C-CHANGE -- the Consortium for Cultivating Human and Naturally Regenerative Enterprises -- and the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Conservation Learning Group, will present a virtual field day on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m. CST. Join for a live conversation with Iowa farmers Matt Russell, Wade Dooley, Rob Stout, Seth Watkins and Bryan Sievers.
Native perennials can generate profit as material for livestock feed and bedding, as well as anaerobic digestion. Targeted plantings on marginal land can also increase overall farm profitability, while providing numerous benefits for wildlife and pollinators, as well as improving soil and water quality and capturing carbon. This virtual field day will highlight the cooperation between the farmer partners and the C-CHANGE research group to explore the potential for perennial vegetation and future diversification of the agricultural landscape in Iowa.
“As farmers, we need to rethink how we do agriculture – it’s what we have always done as farmers,” said Marion County farmer Matt Russell. “We’re in a place where in the next 10-15 years, we will need to change from relying on fossil fuels to force nature to do what we need it to do to grow crops, but instead partnering with nature to do what we need to do. Working with nature and diversifying the landscape has a lot of potential to help achieve that goal.”
Virtual field day access instructions
To participate in the live virtual field day,
- Shortly before 1 p.m. CST on Feb. 24, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpduihpj8iE9ZHcjpsenc2DWQILG41wg0D.
- Or visit www.iowalearningfarms.org/page/events for the registration link.
- Or, join from a dial-in phone line by dialing 1-312-626-6799; meeting ID 914 1198 4892.
The field day will be recorded and archived on the ILF website so that it can be watched at any time.
Participants will be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit. Information about how to apply to receive the CEU will be provided at the end of the live field day.