AMES – Practical Farmers of Iowa takes their farmer-to-farmer education format online with their farminar series, beginning Nov. 14 and continuing each Tuesday night through the end of the year. The popular webinar series offers practical knowledge for row crop, livestock and fruit and vegetable farmers and is free for anyone with an internet connection to participate.
Held every Tuesday at 7 p.m., each farminar focuses on a unique production or business management topic. All presentations are led by an experienced farmer or subject-matter expert, and attendees are able to ask questions in real time using a chatbox while they listen and watch a slideshow.
The first farminar of the season features Jim and LeeAnn Van Der Pol and their experience transferring management and ownership of their farm and pasture-raised meat business to their children.
Other farminar topics this season include managing a profitable marketing mix for fruit and vegetable growers; terminating cover crops using a roller-crimper; growing specialty cut flowers and integrating cattle to make cover crops profitable.
An additional farminar schedule for Practical Farmers’ winter farminar series that takes place January through March 2018 will be released in December.
To participate: Go to practicalfarmers.org/farminars and click the “join in” button and select to sign in as “guest.” A schedule for all upcoming farminars, as well as the recordings for 138 past farminars, is also available at this link.
Practical Farmers of Iowa’s 2016 fall farminars are made possible with funding from Ceres Trust, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship’s Water Quality Initiative, McKnight Foundation, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural Resource Conservation Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
2017 Fall farminar line-up:
• Nov. 14 – “Farm Transfer Planning for the Next Generation”
• Nov. 21 – “Achieving Profitability with Fruits and Vegetables”
• Nov. 28 – “Three Experiences with Roller-Crimping Cover Crops”
• Dec. 5 – “Grow Flowers that Sell: Top 10 Sellers at Brightflower Farm”
• Dec. 12 – “Integrating Livestock and Cover Crops for Profit in Kansas”
• Dec. 19 – “Integrating Livestock and Cover Crops for Profit in Nebraska”
