From the PFI Listserve

 Pocahontas County Cover Crop Management 101

Pocahontas, IA – Learn how to improve your cover crops at a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day workshop in Pocahontas on Thursday, August 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The field day will begin with a complimentary evening meal, followed by a cover crop management discussion.  The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

The cover crop management discussion will include: fitting cover crops into corn and soybeans, aerial-seeding cover crops, cover crops and organic agriculture, grazing cover crops, no-till + manure and cover crops, funding cover crops: EQIP and MRBI, new cover crop species, planting dates, planting rates, killing methods.

Tom Kaspar from the National Laboratory for Ag and the Environment will present about ten years worth of research he and other colleagues have been conducting on cover crops.

Sarah Carlson will share on-farm research results of 2 study PFI farmers have been conducting with cover crops in no-till and organic farming systems. She will also share other farmers’ cover crops stories and share an opportunity for farmers to conduct on-farm research through PFI’s Cooperators Program.

Joe Frerk from NRCS will share information about EQIP and MRBI program funds available to help offset the cost of adding a cover crop to your farming system.

Address: County Conservation, 702 NW 7th St., Pocahontas, IA 50574 
Directions: At the corner of highways 3 and 4 travel north on 4 a 1/2 mile to the County
Conservation Board. Buildings are north of the hospital on the east side of the road.
Look for PFI field day signs.

Field Day Contact: Joe Frerk, NRCS and Soil Water Conservation District, (712) 335-4790,joe.frerk@ia.usda.gov

Practical Farmers of Iowa includes a diverse group of farmers and nonfarmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle, and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other operations, including fruits and vegetables. PFI’s programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstration, field days, conferences, and more. For more information, call (515) 232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org.