March 29, 2024

Practical Farmers of Iowa begins 2018 winter farminar series

AMES – Practical Farmers of Iowa will offer nine new topics as part of its long-running Tuesday night webinar series, known as farminars, thus continuing its farmer-to-farmer education through the winter. Farminars offer practical knowledge for beginning and experienced farmers raising row crops, livestock, fruits and vegetables, and are free for anyone with an internet connection to participate.

Farminars are held every Tuesday at 7 p.m., and each focuses on a unique production or business management topic. All presentations are led by a 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.

Topics covered in the farminar series range from technical issues for the advanced grower to introductory topics for beginning farmers. For instance, beginning farmers Caleb and Jacqueline Shinn are slated to lead a farminar Feb. 27 about their experience finding affordable insurance coverage for their young livestock farm.

The couple raise beef cattle, pastured poultry and eggs at L4 Farms near Osceola, and they have struggled to find insurance coverage that fits their farm – a common challenge for beginning farmers. Joining them for the presentation is Rodney Sebastian from the USDA Risk Management Agency, who will discuss current insurance programs and risk assessment tools the Shinns could consider.

The Shinns are lifetime members of Practical Farmers of Iowa and say they have benefited from hearing other beginning and advanced farmers’ experiences and are happy to share theirs.

“It has been great learning from so many people on the farminars. We wanted to be able share our experience as beginning farmers trying to find options to mitigate our insurance risk, yet keep costs down.”

Other farminar topics this season include using permaculture design at the farm scale; growing woody ornamentals to sell as cut flowers; beginning farmer barriers and strategies; red clover as a preferred cover crop; native habitat restoration for pollinators; getting started with niche pork and direct meat marketing.

To participate go to practicalfarmers.org/farminars, click the “Join in” button and select to sign in as “Guest.” A schedule for all upcoming farminars – as well as the recordings for 144 past farminars – is also available at this link.

Practical Farmers’ 2018 winter farminars are made possible with funding from Cedar Tree, Ceres Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural Resource Conservation Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Practical Farmers of Iowa works to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Our values include welcoming everyone; farmers leading the exchange of experience and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community; and resilient farms now and for future generations. Founded in 1985, farmers in the network raise corn, soybeans, livestock, hay, fruits and vegetables, and more.To learn more, visit http://practicalfarmers.org.

2018 Winter farminar line-up beginning with the third session:

3) Jan. 30 – “Beginning Farmer Barriers and Strategies” – Jenny Quiner, Bill and Stacey Borrenpohl

Beginning farmers face a range of barriers to overcome when starting a successful farm business. Accessing start up capital and land, building a market, finding a balance between farm work and family life, and overcoming production challenges are among the many issues beginners have to navigate. Beginning vegetable farmer Jenny Quiner of Dogpatch Urban Gardens, and beginning livestock farmers Bill and Stacey Borrenpohl, will discuss the challenges they’ve faced as well as their strategies for overcoming them.

4) Feb. 6 – “Red Clover: Still the ‘Cadillac’ of Cover Crops” – Bill Deen

In many regions of North America, red clover has a long history of use as an under seeded cover crop in small-grain systems. While enthusiasm for cover crops is increasing, red clover use is in decline due to perceptions that other cover crop options are superior, and also concerns that red clover stands establish poorly. However, research consistently demonstrates that red clover is still the preferred cover crop for soil health, rotation effect and nitrogen contribution. When used in combination with winter wheat in a corn-soybean system, the impact on soil health and economics is profound. Based on 20-plus years of red clover experience, Bill Deen will describe how to estimate yield and nitrogen benefits of red clover, and will discuss recent research aimed at ensuring red clover stand uniformity when under seeded to either small grains or corn.

5) Feb. 13 – “Using Natives to Create Pollinator Habitat: A Guide to Native Restoration” – Jessi Strinmoen, Dennis Pederson

Pollinators such as bees, butterflies and insects are critical to crop production and play a crucial role in our nation’s food supply. This farminar will provide a guide to restoring native prairie by offering recommendations for research and planning, site preparation, planting and management. This information is applicable whether you’re restoring many acres or considering a backyard project. Jessi and Dennis from Shooting Star Native Seeds will talk about how to choose a seed mix, how to eliminate weeds before you plant, what equipment is needed and the management practices needed for continued growth of your pollinator habitat.

6) Feb. 20 – “Getting Started with Niche Pork” – Alyssa Juergensen, Dan Wilson

Raising livestock for niche markets can be a profitable enterprise when implemented successfully and markets are established. One way to add a niche livestock enterprise to your farm is through working with a company like Niman Ranch, which organizes a network of small family farmers raising animals according to a specific set of standards.Hear from Alyssa Juergensen, a field agent with Niman Ranch, and farmer Dan Wilson about their protocols and how to get started raising livestock for Niman Ranch.

7) Feb. 27 – “Managing Risk on a Young Livestock Farm” – Caleb and Jacqueline Shinn, Rodney Sebastian

Beginning livestock farmers Caleb and Jacqueline Shinn have struggled to find affordable insurance coverage for their farm business. The Shinns will share details about their farm and the process they’ve gone through as they evaluate their risk-management options. Rodney Sebastian, with USDA Risk Management Agency, will discuss current insurance programs and risk assessment tools the Shinns could consider.

8) March 6 – “Planter Technology for Cash Crops in Cover Crops” – Robb Ewoldt, Jeremy Marsden

What is the return on investment of planter technology when it comes to planting cash crops following cover crops? Jeremy and Robb will discuss how they partnered to test current planter technology on a custom-built planter. Together, they have performed tests of hydraulic versus spring down force, electric versus ground-driven,and row-shut-off versus no shut-off on almost 1,000 acres that include conventional tillage, no-till and cover crops. They will share the planter data as well as the harvest data so you can see the impact of each practice in order to calculate the ROI in your operation.

9) March 13 – “Direct Marketing at Seven Sons Farm” – Brooks Hitzfield

The Hitzfield family transitioned from almost losing the family farm in Roanoke, Indiana, to creating a profitable multi-species enterprise (beef, pork and poultry) that now services thousands of families across the Midwest. This discussion will focus on how Seven Sons Farms uses internet marketing strategies to engage its growing consumer outlet in the Midwest. Brooks will also leave you with three free tools that can help you to acquire customers in your sleep.