Published Feb 3, 2025

2024 Field Day Recap
By Practical Farmers of Iowa

While you might see a few more PFI field days continue to trickle in through the winter and early spring, we’ve wrapped up the 60 events that were featured in the field day guide. Thank you to everyone who hosted and attended. We enjoyed reading in the evaluations the wide variety of reasons why you attended. There’s no “wrong” reason to attend a field day, and hundreds of good ones! Here’s a selection:

My dad wanted to come. | To encourage my wife. | A good friend invited me and my daughter.
My husband’s dream is a flower farm. | Attended with friends for the experience. | Close to home. Family friend. | To support my brother. | Our children are dreaming about how to farm on our 20 acres. Brought four of my girls with me. | Grandpa invited me. | My mom dragged me. | Invited to come with son and daughter-in-law. | My professor suggested it. | Bringing a friend who hadn’t been to a PFI event before. | To learn about what I see when I drive from Marshalltown to Des Moines. | For my birthday!

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Ross McCaw sports a fresh “Don’t Farm Naked” T-shirt while talking to field day attendees at a stop near a field entrance (Aug. 30, Marengo, IA).
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Matt and Jocelyn Vermeersch and their two boys, along with Maggie McQuown and Steve Turman, pose together after hosting a successful field day on generational farm transition and converting row crop ground to permanent pasture (Sept. 3, Red Oak, IA).
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Farmer Morgan Hoenig of Mogo Farm discusses the impact of adding a deer fence, purchased with PFI’s Produce Safety Cost-Share, around her production fields (Sept. 4, Mount Pleasant, IA).
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Adam Ledvina greets his goats during one of his “Year in the Life” field days. During this event, Adam showed attendees the equipment he uses on his farm (Oct. 1, Chelsea IA).
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Ron Rosmann takes attendees on a wagon tour through a recently grazed field of cover crops (Aug. 10, Harlan, IA).
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Kisonia Mufuta and two of her children pose on Kisonia’s farm plot at the Feed Iowa First Wanatee Farm (Sept. 13, Marion, IA).
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Ryan and Jamie Madison discuss their poultry processing preparations before encouraging guests to try processing a chicken themselves (Aug 25, Gladbrook, IA).
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Natasha Hegmann, PFI’s senior horticulture and local foods coordinator, confers with Clover, Bridgewater Farm’s chief ambassador and head of security, about microphone and speaker operations as farmer Dale Raasch describes the process of adding eight new high tunnels during this year’s wild weather (July 28, Bridgewater, IA).
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Ron Rosmann speaks before presenting Tim Kelley with PFI’s 2024 Farmland Owner Legacy Award during Tim’s field day, hosted with his tenant farmer, Brent Nold (Sept. 13, Elmo, MO).
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Dan Fillius of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach came prepared with pocket cutlery at Tate Carlson’s field day so attendees like Dan Murphy could sample watermelon grown in ground Tate is converting from row crops to fruits and vegetables (Aug. 29, Storm Lake, IA).
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Jeremy Wallace, of Raw Farms, explains how he manages the farm’s chicken enterprises to a group of his peers (Oct. 2, Luzerne, IA).
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Cait Caughey demonstrates how to clean seeds from a remnant prairie during her field day hosted at Willow Lake Nature Center (Oct. 26, Woodbine, IA).
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At the last of four field days Jenny Horner and Emilio Moreno hosted as part of PFI’s “Year in the Life” series, the chickens engaged with staff and equipment (Oct. 12, Red Oak, IA).
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Alex Udermann sets the stage at his field day by explaining the five principles of regenerative agriculture he follows on his farm (Aug. 9, Sartell, MN).
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Julie and Jon Martinez proudly display the prairie restoration they and their tenant farmer worked hard to establish, showcasing the benefits of on-farm conservation (Sept. 11, Camanche, IA).
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Elana Gingerich demonstrates planting a chestnut tree at her field day that explored how to get started growing chestnuts. (Aug. 27, Parnell, IA).
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While standing in their new high tunnel, Nathan and Emily Paulsen of Brun Ko Farm explain how they accessed funding to build a high tunnel, install water lines and make food safety improvements – upgrades they say have revolutionized their operation (Sept. 20, Exira, IA).
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Attendees converse over a meal while donning their biosecurity booties at the field day Dan and Ila Taylor and family hosted showcasing how they’re integrating row crops and livestock (Sept. 12, Bouton, IA).
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Mark Westbrock describes his grazing system for turkeys and geese, shown here, as well as chickens that graze among the fruit trees and shrubs at Solstice Farm (Sept. 15, Waverly, IA).
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Kevin, Kendra, Will and Myra pose in front of their new farm store after their field day about exploring how to balance farming with family needs (Nov. 9, Mount Ayr, IA).
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PFI member Jerry Ackermann, alongside Micah Ranum and Scott Rahl of Pheasants Forever, shows how precision conservation can enhance soil health and biodiversity (Aug. 21, Lakefield, MN).
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Two groups exchange greetings as they meet and learn about each other during Fiona Harrar’s field day (Sept. 26, Washington, IA).
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Carly and Ethan Zierke of Sweet Season Farm explain their new seed enterprise to attendees during their field day about mindful growth (Sept. 1, Calmar, IA).
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Jenny Horner explains the electrical fence system she and Emilio Moreno use on their farm, while Emilio drives the grounding stake during the third field day of their “Year in the Life” series (Oct. 12, Red Oak, IA).
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Jessica and Dan Bahe, owners of Bahe Cover Crops, pose for a photo after sharing tips for growing a cover crop business (July 30, Stanley, IA).
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Yearlings and kids enjoy some fresh pumpkins after a rainy afternoon during the last Spanish field day on Adam Ledvina’s farm as part of the “Year in the Life” series (Nov. 5, Chelsea, IA).
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Marcus and Emma Johnson dazzle in Buffalo Ridge Orchard shirts, featuring a botanically accurate illustration of their primary crop: the apple (the leaf placement matters!). Emma welcomed attendees before leading a discussion about their collaborative CSA and tours of their pack shed and orchard (Aug. 4, Central City, IA).
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Cover crop business partners Mike Dickinson (facing the camera) and Mark Unruh (to Mike’s left) of CoverPro 365 take field day attendees on a hayride to view a field of teff grass adjacent to Mike’s robust poultry operation (Aug. 23, Logan, IA).
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Ross McCaw’s parents and PFI staff help serve a hot meal after the field day (Aug. 30, Marengo, IA).
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Sandy McAntire (left) works with other attendees to gather prairie seed on the shores of Willow Lake. (Oct. 26, Woodbine, IA).
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A group of Jake Bigelow’s cattle accepts hay in exchange for helping Jake demonstrate his animal handling practices (Sept. 7, Winterset, IA).
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Kole, Larson and Ellie Wise, children of Ben and Megan Wise, stand at the gate to watch the ducks, geese and turkeys at the Westbrock field day in Waverly, Iowa, on Sept. 15, 2024.