Cover Crop Field Day to be Held in East Central Iowa Sept. 5

By Elizabeth Ripley

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Clinton County Soil and Water Conservation District and Natural Resources Conservation Service, will host a cover crop field day on Thursday, Sept. 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Marie Ketelsen Learning Center near Delmar. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

This field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops. Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil. When paired with no-tillage additional benefits include increased water infiltration and reduced erosion during heavy rain events.

The field day will feature the rainfall simulator from the Iowa Learning Farms and a cover crop drone seeding demonstration by Clinton County producer Brian Kilburg. Jason Steele, NRCS area resource soil scientist, and J.D. Hollingsworth, NRCS soil conservation technician, will lead a soil health demonstration and discuss how they have successfully integrated cover crops into their farms.

The field day will be held at the Marie Ketelsen Learning Center, located at the corner of 150th St. (E-55) and 200th Ave., Delmar, IA 52037. From Delmar, head west on IS-136 N for 4.7 miles. Turn left to head south on 200th Ave. for 2.9 miles The Learning Center is located on the east side of the road and field day signs will mark the driveway.

The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, though reservations are required to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by Aug. 29. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.

Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.