PAST EVENTS



October 28, 2015 4-6 pm
The Benton/Tama Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project, together with Iowa Learning Farms and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, is hosting a Nutrient Management field day on October 28, 2015, from 4-6 pm. Tama County producers John and Brian Weber are hosting at one of their farms at 2416 U Ave, Clutier, IA 52217. Discussion topics will be focused on managing nutrients effectively in a corn-soybean production system, and there are standing corn plots on-site that had different nitrogen treatments this spring.   

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Project Coordinator Shannon Mitchell presents 2015 progress for the Benton/Tama Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project

Cover Crop expert Steve Berger was the keynote speaker, and he told of his experiences using cover crops and results he's seen from extended use.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey talked about the Iowa Water Quality Initiative and the importance of cost-share incentives in changing row-crop farming.

Tama SWCD Commissioner Jack Boyer presented some of his own on-farm research/experiments he's done over the years.

Bob Recker with Cedar Valley Innovation LLC talked about some of the strip-cropping and other plots he's done over the years and results of yield and soil quality.

Cover crop plots were planted 3 weeks before field day and had good growth on them.

A crowd stands around listening about the different cover crops.

Rob Albers with Center Seeds donated some Dwarf Essex Rapeseed and Jackhammer Radish for the field day, and was able to be on-site to talk about those cover crops.

Brent Jones with Grassland Oregon donated a mix of Berseem and Balansa clover, and he had some samples with him to show what those will look like when they get more growth, compared to a standard red clover.

Looking over forage turnip (left) and Dwarf Essex Rapeseed (right), in the background is a cover crop machine Keastner Seeds, LLC will be using this fall.

Keastner Seeds, LLC (Luzerne, IA) buily a modified high boy sprayer so that it will plant cover crops down through the tubes, and there's a cutter bar that will cut the tops off the corn plants to create a mulch and also allow sunlight to get down to the cover crops seeded into standing corn.

A crowd discusses what they see with the NRCS rainfall simulator. This shows how tillage practices, and the presence of plants, affects rainfall runoff and infiltration, as well as the amount of sediment in the runoff and infiltration water. It was amazing to see how much 2 years of cover crops reduced runoff and increased infiltration on a field that had been no-tilled for several decades!

Mark your calendars!
Field Day August 25 - Vinton, IA - Selecting Your Best Cover Crop
August 5, 2015

VINTON – The Benton/Tama Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project will host a field day at Rodgers Park, just north of Vinton, on August 25, 2015. The focus of the field day is how to pick cover crops that best fit various farming operations. The event will start indoors, at Benton County Conservation/Nature Center, 5718 20th Ave Dr, Vinton, IA 52349. Registration will begin at 8:30 am, with speakers starting at 9. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, experienced cover crop user Steve Berger from Wellman, IA, and Practical Farmers of Iowa member Jack Boyer from Reinbeck, IA will all present information about cover crop use in Iowa. There’s also an outdoor session scheduled, with various cover crop plots, and there will be an NRCS rainfall simulator demonstration.

The Benton/Tama Nutrient Reduction Demonstration Project is a 3-year Water Quality Initiative demonstration project that runs from January 1, 2014-December 31, 2016. This project is an effort to educate farmers about the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, and to assist them in putting conservation practices on their fields. The territory of the project spans three watersheds that flow into the Cedar River: lower Wolf Creek, Rock Creek, and Pratt Creek. This project works with landowners to demonstrate the benefits of nutrient reduction practices on acres planted in seed corn and other crops, through the use of conservation practices, field trials, demonstrations, and education. Targeted conservation practices include cover crops, buffers, reduced tillage, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus application, and bioreactors. These practices – particularly when used as a system – will reduce nitrogen and phosphorus content in both groundwater as well as surface water.

Research has shown that implementing cover crops on a field reduces nitrates leaving the field by 30% or more. With added soil health benefits, cover crops can be a very cost-effective solution for many fields & farming operations.

Questions & Comments can be directed to Project Coordinator Shannon Mitchell at shannon.mitchell@ia.nacdnet.net, or 319-472-2161.

Kick - Off Presentation
Hickory Hills Park

Speaker & Guest List Includes:
IA Sec of Ag Bill Northey
IDALS Soil Conservation Division Director Jim Gillespie
ISU Professor Antonio Mallarino
Black Hawk County Conservation Park Ranger Al Finke
ISU Extension Beef Specialist Denise Schwab
Custom Applicator and farmer Dustin Kaestner
LUNCH by Benton County Farm Bureau, Tama County Farm Bureau, and Tama County Pork Producers




Fall Field Day
October 2nd, 2014
9:00 am
Valley Lane Farms

Rainfall Simulator
Cover Crops 
Aerial seeding and drilling on Soybeans and Seed Corn
Saturated Buffer
Speaker and Guest List
NRCS Conservation Agronomist Ray Archuleta
by Iowa Corn Growers Association
and Sand County Foundation
NRCS State Soil Scientist Rich Bednarek
USDA Ag Research Service Dan Jaynes
Sand County Foundation Craig Ficenec
Custom Applicator Dustin Kaestner
Aerial Applicator Mark Noe
Sponsors
Saddle Butte Ag Cover Crops
Center Seeds Test Plots Cover Crops
Ag Spectrum Cover Crops
Kaestner Seeds
Noe Aviation

Rodney Kavalier, a soybean and corn farmer from Dysart, looks into a control box of a saturated Riparian buffer that reduces nitrate, sediment, and phosphorus contamination of surface waters during the Fall Field Day in Dysart on Thursday, October 02, 2014. The field day was sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Sand County Foundation, with its aim to educate farmers about healthy soil composition and conservation farming techniques. (Sy Bean/The Gazette)

Robert Vobora, Area Resource Soil Scientist of Iowa NRCS, compares the high water retention of no-till farming soil to the less efficient yet most common technique of till farming during a rainfall simulation demonstration at the Fall Field Day in Dysart on Thursday, October 02, 2014. The field day was sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Sand County Foundation, with its aim to educate farmers about healthy soil composition and conservation farming techniques. (Sy Bean/The Gazette)

NRCS Conservation Agronomist and Soil Health Specialist, Ray Archuleta, discusses the purpose of using cover crops to reduce soil erosion, limit nitrogen leaching, and increase organic soil matter during the Fall Field Day in Dysart on Thursday, October 02, 2014. Rye and wheat are common cover crops, but others may be used for grazing forage for livestock. (Sy Bean/The Gazette)

A dog walks through rows of corn and cover crops during the Fall Field Day in Dysart on Thursday, October 02, 2014. Cover crops help reduce soil erosion, limit nitrogen leaching and increase organic soil matter on farms. (Sy Bean/The Gazette)

Buckingham resident and farmer, Wilfred Yuska, listens to a presentation on saturated Riparian buffers during the Fall Field Day in Dysart on Thursday, October 02, 2014. The field day was sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Sand County Foundation, with its aim to educate farmers about healthy soil composition and conservation farming techniques. (Sy Bean/The Gazette)