LEWIS, Iowa – The Armstrong Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm will hold a field day this Wednesday, June 29th, with crop management and soil health demonstrations hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the Wallace Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. The event is being offered in collaboration with a group of soil health driven producers and professionals in southwest Iowa known as the SWISH team.

The day begins at 10 a.m. and concludes with a presentation at 2 p.m. The field day will be held at the Wallace Learning Center and Iowa State University Armstrong Research and Development Farm, 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis. 

Agenda

9:30 a.m. Registration and welcome at the Wallace Learning Center.

10 a.m. Corn rootworm management demonstration with Erin Hodgson, professor in entomology and extension specialist in entomology at Iowa State; Ashely Dean, education extension specialist in entomology with ISU Extension and Outreach; and Aaron Saeugling, field agronomist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

11 a.m. STRIPS demonstration (Science-based Trials of Row Crops Integrated with Prairie Strips), featuring a soil pit, with Tim Youngquist, agricultural specialist in agronomy at Iowa State, and graduate student Cole Dutter.

Noon. Lunch and NRCS presentation. Using the soil health principles to build stress tolerance in cropping systems: Rainfall Simulator Demonstration with NRCS soil health specialists Hillary Olson and Ruth Blomquist.

1 p.m. Maximizing cover crop benefits: using diverse species mixes to build soil resiliency and interseeding demonstration with soil health expert and Shenandoah, Iowa, farmer Chris Teachout.

2 p.m. Maximizing cover crop benefits: cereal rye termination timing and options with Nate Quam, BASF, and Terry Gleaves, NRCS.

Sponsors include the Iowa Soybean Association; No-Till on the Plains; Benson Hill; Nutrien Ag Solutions – Hancock, Iowa; TFS AG Solutions, Aaron Sick, Carson, Iowa; and Iowa Cover Crop.

The field day is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is requested. Please register with Ruth Blomquist at 712-254-4346 (office), 319-541-2969 (cell) or ruth.blomquist@usda.gov