The Field Crops program at PFI works with farmers raising corn, soybeans, small grains, alfalfa, red clover and other perennials. Their systems range from conventional or chemical methods, to organic production, no-till, ridge-till, strip-till, or low-input. Many of these farmers use cover crops, green manures or animal manures. Farmers research and share ideas about new and exciting ways to improve the sustainability of their farming system while staying profitable. Field Crop farmers are still the largest group within the PFI membership. This group now has the opportunity to learn and share their farming tips with other types of producers like fruit, vegetable and poultry producers and graziers.
Cover Crops Campaign: PFI provides farmers and agency personnel with information, anecdotes and research about adding cover crops to current conventional, organic or other farming systems. PFI provides farmers with opportunities to share their stories and research results with one another and with others outside the PFI membership. If you would like to ask a question or learn more about cover crops, contact the PFI office, 515.232.5661. Check out Managing Cover Crops Profitably by the Sustainable Agriculture Network. For additional information about cover crops throughout the Midwest, visit the Midwest Cover Crops Council Website.
To find contact information for pilots, seed houses or cooperatives that are helping get cover crops planted or terminated, see Cover Crop Business Directory.
Interested in adding cover crops to your farm? Check out Cover Crop Alternatives by Joel Gruver from WIU! These great pictures show how you can more easily add cover crops to your farming system.
Breeding Corn for Sustainable Agriculture: In 2003 PFI began working with corn breeders from USDA-ARS to improve corn lines that will become hybrids or others which will stay in the open pollinated form to help combat the lack of choice of corn genetics in the marketplace. PFI farmers and others looking for non-GMO corn can contact the PFI office and learn more about businesses selling these hybrids or how to make your own hybrid using public lines.
US Testing Network: An estimated 80 percent of the corn grown in the US today is genetically modified, and most seed companies continue to phase out non-GMO corn seed varieties. Practical Farmers of Iowa launched the US Testing Network in 2009 to rebuild the dwindling selection of non-GMO corn seed and continues to act as the fiscal agent today. The US Testing Network (USTN) is a group of independent seed companies, public corn breeders and private corn breeders who work with PFI's Breeding Corn for Sustainable Ag network to test non-GMO corn hybrids across the eastern US. Their goal is to improve the quality and quantity of non-GMO corn hybrids available in the marketplace. More about the seed retailers and breeders who offer these hybrids.
Aphid Resistant Soybeans (non-GMO): In 2009 PFI farmers began testing non-GMO soybean varieties that were selected for their ability to have less aphid populations. PFI works with public soybean breeders from Iowa State and Blue River Hybrids to conduct this research.
Water Quality: Farmers who want to test their farming system’s affect on water quality can work with PFI and IDNR staff to become trained through the IOWATER program and test water quality on their farms.
Resiliency Study: PFI is working with farmers who have different farming systems (row-crop, continuous pasture, organic row-crop, rotational grazing or prairie) and are located on the same soil type to measure water infiltration rates and soil quality from 0-36".
Energy Use: PFI works with farmers, Ellsworth Community College, and Dordt College to document their energy use among different farming systems. Farmers measure on-farm energy use and then assess where they can decrease it throughout the year. Energy use is measured in terms of cost ($), energetics (kcal) and greenhouse gas emissions (CO2). This helps farmers better assess which energy use to work on decreasing first depending on which type of measurement is most important.
Cropping Systems
Soils/Fertility
Weed Management
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