Iowa Learning Farms and Practical Farmers of Iowa will host several cover crop workshops across Iowa in November.
Workshop topics range from using cover crop mixtures, selecting the right cover crop, using cover crops to enhance soil and water quality, cover crop effects on soil health and more. Local farmers who are using cover crops on their fields, and experts from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the USDA-National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, and Practical Farmers of Iowa are workshop speakers.
The cover crop workshops include:
- Nov. 12: Wallace Learning Center at the Armstrong Research Farm, Lewis
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; RSVP by Nov. 7
- Nov. 18: Borlaug Learning Center, at the Northeastern Research Farm, Nashua
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; RSVP by Nov. 13
- Nov. 19: Fire Department Building, 104 S. Main, Kanawha
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; RSVP by Nov. 14
- Nov. 20: Rob Stout farm, 2449 Hemlock Ave., Washington
- 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; RSVP by Nov. 14
- This workshop will also cover bioreactors.
- Nov. 25: Truro Community Building, 100 S. Main Street
- 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; RSVP by Nov. 23
All workshops are free and include a complimentary lunch. Please RSVP to Iowa Learning Farms, 515-294-8912 or email: ilf@iastate.edu.
Cover crops are growing in popularity in Iowa. Research shows that when cover crops are added to a corn-soybean rotation, they can help reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, increase soil organic matter and reduce soil erosion. When cover crops are used in combination with other conservation management practices, point and nonpoint source pollution is reduced in Iowa waters and downstream.
Source:iastate.edu