Regenerating the Family Farm Through Diversification
Sunday, June 30 | Noon – 3 p.m. | Castalia, IA
As Caite and Jim looked at ways to make their farm self-sustaining, they decided to move toward grass-fed livestock. The gentle hills of the Driftless Region in northeast Iowa mean that most of their acreage is far more suitable for pasture than row crops. Tour the farm and see how they are raising a cow-calf herd, and a herd of Katahdin ewes and lambs, on pasture supplemented by farm-raised grain. Jim will lead a tour of his Allis-Chalmers farm equipment collection.
HOSTS:
Caite and Jim Palmer | Prairie’s Edge Farm | prairiesedgeiowa@gmail.com | Facebook: @PrairiesEdgeFarm | Instagram: @prairiesedgeiowa
THE FARM:
Caite and Jim are taking over the family farm, started by Jim’s great-grandparents in 1888. Now, they are farming in diverse ways to support their growing family. The Palmers started farming together in 2012 and began Prairie’s Edge Farm in 2015 to direct-market meat to local customers.
TOPICS:
- Pasture-raised beef and lamb
- Farm transfer
- Marketing grass-fed beef and lamb
- Allis-Chalmers machinery
SPONSOR:
LOCATION: 1206 150th St. Castalia 52133
DIRECTIONS:
From Decorah: Take IA Hwy 9 east about 4 miles to Centennial Road and turn right (south). Go 8.5 miles and turn left (east) on 150th Street; Prairie’s Edge Farm is the last farm on the left (north) side of the road.
From Postville: Go west 5.3 miles on U.S. 52 north to Castalia and turn right (north) on Centennial Road. Go about 2 miles, turn right (east) on 150th street and go 1.6 miles; Prairie’s Edge Farm is the last farm on the left (north) side of the road.
MEAL INFORMATION:
Caite and Jim will provide lunch starting at noon. Please RSVP by clicking the blue button below.
We take RSVP numbers to get an idea of the amount of food that we need to provide for the event. If you RSVP after the deadline but before the event, you are still welcome, but we cannot guarantee a meal.
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