Iowa Learning Farms will host a cover crop, relay intercropping and water quality field day near Crawfordsville on Thursday, Nov. 6, from noon to 2 p.m. at the Iowa State University Southeast Research Farm. The event is open to farmers and landowners at no cost and includes a complimentary meal.

“In a relay intercropping system, where three crops are grown in two years, benefits include a marketable small grain for use as a cover crop and additional revenue for the farmer,” said Liz Ripley, conservation and cover crop outreach specialist with Iowa Learning Farms. “Similar to cover crops, a relay intercropping system can provide many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression, reduced nutrient loads entering water bodies, increased organic matter in the soil and forage for livestock.”

The field day will include an introduction to relay intercropping with Mark Licht, associate professor and cropping systems specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, who will share updates from relay intercropping research conducted on-site at the research farm. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit cover crop demonstration plots, located a short walking distance from the main building on site. Weather permitting, Cody Schneider, ISU Southeast Research Farm manager, and Mila Victorio Pessotto, ISU Department of Agronomy postdoctoral research associate, will lead attendees through a tour of the plot to discuss cover crop best management practices and answer questions. Additionally, Ripley will discuss a smart agricultural drainage project led by ISU researchers.

The field day will be held at the Iowa State University Southeast Research Farm, located at 3115 Louisa-Washington Rd, Crawfordsville, IA, 52621. The event and open to farmers and landowners, though reservations are required to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by Oct.30.  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. This event is planned in partnership with the Iowa State University Southeast Research Farm and supported by a USDA NRCS Conservation Innovation grant award NR233A750011G012 and U.S. National Science Foundation award 2125484.  For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit the Iowa Learning Farms website.

About Iowa Learning Farms

Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, EPA Section 319 Grant Program, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and GROWMARK Inc.