Mary Damm, of Bloomington, Indiana, holds a native prairie plant aloft. Mary is a prairie ecologist and owner of Prairie Quest Farm, a grass-based livestock operation located near McGregor, Iowa. The farm was previously owned by Mary’s close friend, the late Dan Specht, a long-time Practical Farmers member who was passionate about grassland birds and believed working farms and conservation complement each other. After his sudden death in 2013, Mary managed to purchase part of the farm and is working to continue his farming vision.
Managing diseases on a vegetable farm is difficult due to the diversity of crops and the range of diseases that threaten them. Organic vegetable farmer Beth Kazmar will share her on-farm experience preventing and managing diseases. She will focus on one or two crops, with emphasis on proactive methods like variety selection, hot water seed treatments, row spacing, employee education and use of organically approved materials.
Farminar: "Managing Disease in Organic Vegetable Crops" – Beth Kazmar
Annual Conference Short Courses: Silvopasture & Orcharding
Scheman Building Ames, Iowa
2019 Annual Conference: Cultivating Connections
Scheman Building Ames, Iowa
Chestnut Growers Workshop
1875 Peach Ave. Madrid, IA 50156Practical Farmers of Iowa works to equip farmers to build resilient farms and communities. Our values include: welcoming everyone; farmers leading the exchange of experience and knowledge; curiosity, creativity, collaboration and community; resilient farms now and for future generations; and stewardship of land and resources. Our programs are guided by the interests and priorities of our members.
Kate Edwards
Iowa City, Iowa
Rory Van Wyk
Winterset, Iowa
Ralph Gauer
Silver City, New Mexico
Dave Schmidt
Exira, Iowa
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