AMES, Iowa—Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop and no-till field day next week, in Adair County. The free event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal. It takes place on Tuesday, November 29 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at the Randy Caviness Farm, near Greenfield. Liz Ripley, Iowa Learning Farms conservation and cover crop outreach specialist, will share results from on-farm cover crop demonstration trials and resources available to help farmers and landowners make a successful transition to a cover crop and no-till system. That includes information from Randy Caviness on the success he’s had with the method.

Caviness says “Many people talk about building up their soil, but then they don’t do anything about it. No-till actually does something about it. The more you leave the soil alone, the better it does. Some people think that if they till every four or five years, that they will get the benefits of no-till. No-till should be called never-till.” Ripley says….

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. Among the other experts planning on attending the meeting, is Iowa NRCS State Soil Health Specialist Hillary Olsen, and Ruth Blomquist, SW Iowa Soil Health Specialist.

The field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops to maintain yields during the transition to a higher residue system of no-tillage and cover crops. The field day will be held at the Caviness Farm, 2476 260th Street, Greenfield, IA 50849 and will be held rain or shine. The event is free and open to farmers and landowners, although they do require reservations, to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu.  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.