Please join Iowa Organic Association and Matthew Miller, an organic farmer, that has been raising corn, soybeans, and oats organically for twenty years near Bristow, Iowa. Of those 20 years, weeds were a challenge during every single year.  Matt has found the Treffler harrow to be an amazing tool for controlling early season weeds.  He will share how this tool fits into his weed control system.  By controlling weeds when they are small, many problems can be avoided, and organic farming becomes much more fun.

There is no cost to attend the event, however, we do ask that you please RSVP below.

Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) Conference is scheduled to be conducted on January 21-22. PFI is excited to be back in person at the Scheman Building at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. Please expect the same great conference experience you’ve come to know from PFI over our 36 years—50+ sessions, hundreds of attendees, 80+ exhibitors, plenty of networking time—but with COVID-19 still lingering, PFI will require face masks and have additional precautionary steps in place.

The conference theme is Facing the Horizon, where together we will gather to chart our course forward to a more resilient agricultural future. Please find more information about this year’s conference by following this link: https://practicalfarmers.org/events/annual-conference/

Please join Iowa Organic Association and Dr. Elizabeth Rieke for Economics of Soil Health Systems webinar. Dr. Elizabeth Rieke is a Soil Microbiome Scientist at the Soil Health Institute. Her work primarily focuses on how adoption soil health management practices affect soil microbial structure and function. Additionally, Dr. Rieke is leading the institute’s effort to develop microbially derived indicators of soil health.

Dr. Rieke is a member of the Soil Science Society of America. She received her B.S. in Biological Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech, her M.S. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and her Ph.D. in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering from Iowa State.

Soil health is defined as “The continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.” This abstract definition often leads to the question of “How do we measure soil health and is adoption of soil health management practices economically viable?” This webinar focuses on how to measure soil health, including how to appropriately interpret your soil health indicator data. This event will also cover the economic benefits associated with adopting soil health management practices.

This webinar is sponsored by Audrey Tan Lam with with Center for Energy and Environmental Education with University of Northern Iowa.

There is no cost to attend the event, however, we do ask that you please RSVP below.

OGRAIN will host an in-person conference January 28-29 in Madison, WI.

The first day will focus on general organic grain production.

The second day will focus on food-grade organic grains.

No-till discussion will be held prior to the conference during the evening of January 27th.

Real Organic Project is having their second Virtual Symposium on Sunday, January 30th from 3-5pm and on Sunday, February 6th from 3-5pm. For tickets be sure to visit their page by following this link.

Please join Iowa Organic Association and organic farmer Joe Langmeier for the Organic Grass Milk Dairy Farming webinar. Langmeier’s farm is 100% organic dairy and produce farm. They have been organic for 20 years now. 

Langmeiers have been 100% grass fed since 2005 and have milked once a day since 2012. They decided to pursue organic because they disliked the use of chemicals on their farm. Lagmeiers have had a lot of success focusing on excellent dry cow/calf raising and high-quality forages. 

During this webinar, Joe Langmeier will discuss what he thinks it takes to be profitable farming this way. In addition, the Langmeiers are also chasing a dream of growing organic produce, nuts and fruit as well.

There is no cost to attend the event, however, we do ask that you please RSVP below.

This producer-initiated conference is designed for advanced growers and attracts participants from throughout the Midwest and beyond.

February 3, 4, 7, & 8  |  Online

Registration and Event Information

Only $50 with Early Bird Registration by 15 December!

Interpretation is available in Hmong and Spanish.

Albert Lea Seed will be hosting their Annual Small Grains & Forages Conference on 02/03/2022.

This event is free and will be available via Zoom. To register follow this link.

Schedule for the day is below:

• • 10:00 – 10:40 — Alfalfa: Establishing and Managing Productive Stands
    Craig Sheaffer | Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota

• • 10:45 – 11:40 — Which Grass (and How Much) Should I Mix With Alfalfa
    Jerry Cherney | Professor of Agriculture, Cornell University

• • 11:45 – 12:30 — Small Grains for Forage: Managing for Quality & Quantity
    Jim Paulson | Fieldstone Consulting; Farmer and Former Extension Professor, University of Minnesota

• • 12:30 – 12:45 — Break

• • 12:45 – 1:15 — Quality Oats: Can I Actually Contract Oats for $6.50/Bushel?
    Beth Stebbins | Procurement and Sustainability, Grain Millers

• • 1:20 – 2:00 — Practical Management Tips for Raising Milling Oats
    Ben Dwire | Producer, Arco, Minnesota

• • 2:05 – 2:45 — Winter Barley: A New Crop for Minnesota Farmers
    Kevin Smith | Professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, University of Minnesota

Real Organic Project is having their second Virtual Symposium on Sunday, January 30th from 3-5pm and on Sunday, February 6th from 3-5pm. For tickets be sure to visit their page by following this link.

Please join Iowa Organic Association and Chris Trump for the Tending to the Microbial Life of your Soil webinar. Chris is a world-renown educator in Korean Natural Farming (KNF) techniques speaks on the power and effectiveness of tending to the microbial life and diversity of the soil in your ag land. Chris is a life-long farmer that bridges the gap between scientists and farmers, giving farmers effective and efficient tools for decreasing disease and directly affecting their bottom-line through the use of indigenous micro-organisms.

KNF is an all-natural farming experience that works for whatever the size of your farm or garden. You can exponentially increase the output of your farm at about half the price of traditional inputs.

Chris Trump is the first person to use KNF techniques on a large-scale farm. He is the creator of the latest version of liquid IMO and he has perfected the KNF inputs and solutions so that they are incredibly effective. Chris wants to walk alongside you on this KNF journey. He will help your farm/garden be successful.

There is no cost to attend the event, however, we do ask that you please RSVP below.