Diagonal women landowners field day set for Wednesday

Many Iowans may not realize that over 40 percent of the state’s agricultural land is owned by women — 33 percent of whom are over the age of 65.

According to Liz Juchems, Iowa State University conservation outreach specialist, women landowners are actually the largest growing category of landowners in Iowa. It is part of Juchem’s job to ensure conservation remains a priority for Iowa farmers, and she believes women will be a key factor moving forward for the state’s future in this regard.

“As our farming population ages, so do our landowners, and often it’s the wives that have maybe outlived their spouses,” Juchems explained. “So women do control a lot of the land here in Iowa. ... We do have the potential for a large land shift, and so making provisions now and getting conservation in the forefront as we see the land transition happening across the state is going to be important for the longevity of agriculture in the state of Iowa.”

For these reasons, Juchems and Iowa Learning Farms — in partnership with the Union County Soil and Water Conservation District — have planned a field day for women landowners Wednesday in rural Diagonal.

The field day will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and will be hosted at the family farm of James and Michelle Allen located at 1459 270th St. near Diagonal.

The field day is focused on the basics of cover crops, soil health and conservation leases and is aimed toward women landowners. The event is free and includes a complimentary meal.

James and Michelle Allen farm corn and soybeans and raise cattle with James’ parents. The Allens use a no-tillage system for both their corn and soybean acres with the goal to reduce erosion and planting time.

They also seeded 55 acres of cereal rye as a cover crop this past fall to help store nutrients in the soil after manure application. All this and more will be covered during the seminar, which will include a tour of cover crop fields.

“It’s an opportunity to see some cover crops hands on,” Juchems said. “To get a baseline understanding of what cover crops are — in soil conservation for the landowners especially — but also in a larger sense in water quality here for the state of Iowa.”

Additional speakers for the event will include Charles Brown, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach farm management specialist, discussing how to work with tenants to incorporate cover crops and other conservation practices. Juchems herself will also speak, sharing the benefits and challenges of cover crops, how cover crops impact soil health and an introduction into seeding and termination.

Another Union County woman landowner, Deb Thummel of Shannon City, will share her experience with cover crops and provide tips for successfully adding them to farmland. Thummel and her family have raised cattle, corn, soybeans and hay at their family farm for several years. She recently added cereal rye and radish cover crops to her farm.

Iowa Learning Farms hosts events like this all across the state, but this will be the first women landowners field event of the year.

“Sometimes, they (women) can feel intimidated attending a traditional field day event, where our main audience is typically men,” Juchems explained. “They might not feel like they know enough or can ask the right questions. So whether they’ve been actively farming, or are just getting started managing the land ... we hope they can get that kind of local, peer experience with this process as well.”

James Allen said he welcomes all those interested to his and his wife’s farm, and is looking forward to the field day. The Union County Soil and Water Conservation District asks those interested in attending this free event to RSVP by calling 641-782-4218 ext. 3 or by emailing dixie.baker@ia.nacdnet.net.

Directions from Creston: Drive south on County Road P27/High and Dry Road for 9 miles. Turn right to head west on 270th Street for .4 miles. The Allens’ farm is located on the north side of the road.