Cooperators’ Meeting

The Cooperators’ Meeting is a two-day event where our farmer members gather to discuss past research and plan on-farm research for the following year.

Like our annual conference, our Cooperators’ Meeting is an annual event rooted in the Practical Farmers ethos of farmers generating independent solutions to on-farm challenges through farmer-led research projects — and then sharing that knowledge freely with other farmers. Cooperators share results of recently finished projects at the meeting.  The Cooperators’ Meeting is also where new questions are asked and future projects are planned. The two-day-long event is punctuated by a dinner, during which the Master Researcher Award is presented to a member who has conducted 20 or more on-farm research trials and hosted at least five Practical Farmers field days to share knowledge gained over the years.

Unlike our annual conference, however, attending the Cooperators’ Meeting is by invitation-only and participants in our Cooperators’ Program must be members of Practical Farmers of Iowa. Farmer members are welcome to become participants. For more information or to inquire about becoming a cooperator: contact Stefan Gailans at (515) 232-5661 or stefan.gailans@practicalfarmers.org