Spend a Saturday in July on a vibrant organic dairy farm in northeast Iowa. Scott and Gary Wedemeier, the Iowa Organic Association, and Practical Farmers of Iowa will host a field day focused on organic transition, medium-scale dairying, rotational grazing, on-farm innovation, and adapting to changing markets. Visitors will tour the dairying facility, walk through grazing paddocks, and see the infrastructure that the Wedemeiers have built over the last two decades to support their growing herd. Aaron Anderson, Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), District Conservationist for Fayette County, will speak on soil health and water drainage in relation to organic transition. This event will also serve as one of the Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Network's monthly gatherings.  

Gary Wedemeier and his son, Scott Wedemeier, own and operate an 1,100 acre family farm in Maynard, Iowa. Scott is the third generation to farm this land. The Wedemeiers recently transitioned their herd and are now part of the Organic Valley Cooperative. The Wedemeiers also have a small number of sheep and pigs, maintain a natural wetland, and raise steers.

Lunch is provided. Practical Farmers of Iowa will be collecting RSVPs later in the season. If you'd like to RSVP below, we will send you an email later in the season when PFI has their registration site up and running. Thank you!

This field day is made possible through the Iowa Organic Association, Practical Farmers of Iowa, and through a grant from the USDA's Risk Management Agency.