Who We Are
Practical Farmers of Iowa includes a diverse group of 2,300 farmers and nonfarmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle, and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other operations, including fruits and vegetables.
PFI's programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through our internationally recognized On-Farm Research projects, Field Days, Annual Conference, Farminars, and Membership Services. Farmer members are the catalyst for the directions taken by our Program Areas (Field Crops, Horticulture, Grazing, Niche Pork, Next Generation, Poultry, and Policy) and the many Resources we make available in our Newsletter, Blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
Our members are delightfully varied. In general, however, many believe in the following principles, first articulated 25 years ago by one of our founding members, Ron Rosmann:
- Diversified crop and livestock operations,
- Lower or no fertilizer and pesticide inputs,
- Widespread ownership of land and resources,
- Farmers' control over their own operations,
- The value of hard work,
- Utilizing "appropriate sizes and types" of technology,
- Water and soil stewardship principles,
- Family- and community- centered lives,
- Reliance on self-ingenuity and experience for answers to farming problems,
- A closeness to spirituality and nature,
- A fair economic return for labor and production,
- A large plant and animal species gene pool.