Cover Crop Field Day to be Held in East Central Iowa Sept. 5

Aug 16, 2024

By Elizabeth Ripley

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a cover crop field day on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Marie Ketelsen Learning Center near Delmar. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

This field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops. Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil. When paired with no-tillage additional benefits include increased water infiltration and reduced erosion during heavy rain events.

The field day will feature the rainfall simulator from the Iowa Learning Farms and a cover crop drone seeding demonstration by Clinton County producer Brian Kilburg. Jason Steele, NRCS area resource soil scientist, and J.D. Hollingsworth, NRCS soil conservation technician, will lead a soil health demonstration and discuss how they have successfully integrated cover crops into their farms.

The field day will be held at the Marie Ketelsen Learning Center, located at the corner of 150th St. (E-55) and 200th Ave., Delmar, IA 52037. From Delmar, head west on IS-136 N for 4.7 miles. Turn left to head south on 200th Ave. for 2.9 miles The Learning Center is located on the east side of the road and field day signs will mark the driveway.

The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, though reservations are required to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by Aug. 29. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.

Source : iastate.edu

Video: What It Takes to Stop African Swine Fever - Dr. Jishu Shi

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Jishu Shi, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Kansas State University, discusses African swine fever prevention and vaccine development. He explains why ASF differs from classical swine fever and swine influenza, how the disease threatens trade and pork production, why immunization safety remains a critical hurdle, and what producers can do now to reduce the risk of introduction. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Before a safe and efficacious vaccine for ASF can be commercialized, what we really have is prevention."

Meet the guest: Dr. Jishu Shi is Professor of Vaccine Immunology and the Dr. Wayne & Hilda Appleton Endowed Professor at Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. He directs the Center on Biologics Development and Evaluation and the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health. A veterinarian and vaccine immunologist, Dr. Shi has focused on vaccines for pigs and has worked on African swine fever vaccine development, control, diagnostics, and international training since 2018. Learn more from Dr. Jishu Shi on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.