Practical Farmers of Iowa offers free farmers web series starting January 4 – Newton Daily News

AMES – Practical Farmers of Iowa’s winter 2022 webinar series called ‘farminars’ will begin on Tuesday, January 4 with a presentation from Virginia farmer and consultant Eliza Greenman on how to integrate animal husbandry, the agroforestry and horticulture.

The event is one of 11 farminars offered through March 29 on issues relevant to new and experienced row crop, livestock and horticultural farmers, as well as landowners.

All farminars take place every week on Tuesdays from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. CST, are free to attend and anyone with an Internet connection is welcome to participate. Each presentation focuses on a unique production or business management topic and is led by a farmer or subject matter expert. Participants can ask questions in real time using a chat box during presentations.

To participate: Go to Practicalfarmers.org/farminars, click the “Register to Join” button, follow the instructions and click the URL to join. A calendar of all upcoming farminars – as well as recordings of archived farminars – is also available at this link.

Other topics in the 2022 series will explore organic no-till in rows; on-farm research on cover crops, manure and nitrogen; production of organic seeds; day neutral organic strawberries; the integration of grassland strips into agricultural fields; marketing of grass-fed beef; estate planning; direct online marketing; and farmland conservation programs.

The 2022 series will also feature a Spanish-language farminar on March 15 exploring ways to manage weeds and pollinators with mesotunnel production of crops like cucumbers, melons and squash. For more details on the event and speakers, visit Practicalfarmers.org/farminars.

The 2022 Series Farminars include:

• January 4: “Fruits and fodder” – Eliza Greenman

• January 18: “High yield organic direct sowing” – Brett Israel

• February 1: “On-farm research explores cover crops, manure, nitrogen and yields” – Woody Van Arkel and Cameron Ogilvie

• February 8: “Mysteries Revealed: Organic Seed Production and How Growers Can Play a Role” – Adrienne Shelton

• February 15: “Day-neutral organic strawberry production in the Upper Midwest” – Aaron Wills

• February 22: “Prairie Strips & Conservation Programs” – Paul Mugge and Tim Youngquist

• March 1: “Marketing Grass-Fed Beef at Grand View Beef” – Amanda Severson

• March 8: “Estate and Estate Planning” – Beverly Jones

• March 15: (Presented in Spanish only) “Optimización de polinización y manejo de malezas bajo mesotuneles” / “Optimization of pollination and weed management under mesotunnels” – Sharon Badilla-Arias

• March 22: “Online marketing for pasture products” – Hannah Bernhardt

• March 29: “Working Land Conservation Programs: Resources and Strategies for Success” – Kalee Olson and Kayla Bergman

To note: A full list of presenters, sorted alphabetically by community, is included below.

Practical Farmers Winter 2022 Farminars are made possible through funding from the Cedar Tree Foundation; Rural Affairs Center; Ceres Trust; United States Environmental Protection Agency; the USDA Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the National Food and Agriculture Institute; and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.