Et cetera : ISU Showcases Urban Agriculture through Statewide Pilot, Field Days Conference

Growing Urban Ag in Iowa is a pilot project that addresses issues relevant to urban farming, including alleviating hunger and increasing sustainability. The project also focuses on job skills training, food safety, community building and youth involvement.

Urban Ag Field Days, part of the pilot project, feature on-farm demonstrations and encourage conversations between extension specialists, urban farmers and curious community members.

Two upcoming Urban Agriculture Field Days invite urban farmers, extension specialists and community members to attend. Interested individuals can register online.

• July 9, Southern Goods, LLC, Waterloo: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.
• Sept. 17, Sinsinawa Mound Collaborative Farm, Sinsinawa, Wisconsin: 12-2 p.m.

"Attendees hear directly from farmers about how they built their farm, the decisions they make and how ISU Extension and Outreach is helping them as they move forward," said Graham Sandersfeld, urban agriculture outreach specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.

Urban Ag at National Urban Extension Leaders Conference

ISU Extension and Outreach educators also discussed the statewide pilot project with extension leaders from 11 states at the National Urban Extension Leaders North Central Regional Conference in Cedar Rapids. Extension specialists in urban agriculture, youth education, community planning, horticulture and communication gathered to share experiences and successful tips for engaging urban audiences.

In a session on ISU Extension and Outreach's Growing Urban Ag in Iowa project, extension county project leaders Hailee Sandberg, Sandi Helgerson, Q Richardson and Paul Gibbins presented their regional urban ag activities and pilot urban farmers from Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo and Des Moines. Kathleen Delate and Graham Sandersfeld, extension specialists with Iowa State's horticulture and agronomy departments, discussed the field days and on-farm demonstrations held on these farms.

ISU Extension and Outreach is dedicated to engaging urban audiences. Innovations from the ISU Urban Ag project, including the development of new educational videos and web content focused on food safety and pest management topics, reinforce the ongoing need to provide education to urban agriculture enterprises.

For more information about the Growing Urban Ag pilot project, visit Growing Urban Ag in Iowa, or contact Kathleen Delate at kdelate@iastate.edu or Graham Sandersfeld at grsfeld@iastate.edu.