Event Overview
Jim O'Connell and his son, Casey, specialize in corn and soybeans at O'Connell Farms in Linn County, Iowa. For the past 17 years, Jim has planted cover crops green into both corn and beans on all his acres. His farming practices are focused on reducing nitrates from water that leaves his land. He uses a variety of edge-of-field practices, like bioreactors and saturated buffers. He also has a 1.8-acre wetland. These practices have helped Jim cut nitrogen leaving his land by 70% – and recently earned him a Water Warrior award from the nonprofit Wings2Water.
Jim also works closely with the city of Cedar Rapids to monitor water quality and with Iowa State University to monitor biodiversity on their farm and wetland. Join Jim and Casey as they show how they improve water quality within their watershed.
Meal
Light refreshments will follow the field day.
See & Discuss
- Reducing nitrate runoff through edge-of-field practices
- Installing and maintaining biodiverse wetlands for wildlife habitat
- Building partnerships with local organizations to test and monitor water quality within urban watersheds
Sponsors
- Center for Rural Affairs
- Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance
