Title Year Category
Description

By Hayley Nelson and Stefan Gailans This project was supported by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation and Water Quality, the Walton Family Foundation and AgSource Laboratories. In a Nutshell: Yield drag …


Publish Date
June 6, 2019

PFI Staff
Hayley Nelson
Cooperators
Wade Dooley
Dick Sloan
Description

Funding by Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). This material is based upon work supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under number 69-6114-15-009. In a Nutshell: Determining the optimal harvest window for 100% grass-fed cattle …


Publish Date
June 4, 2019

PFI Staff
Meghan Filbert
Cooperators
Bruce and Connie Carney
Dave and Meg Schmidt
Collaborators
Joe Sellers, ISU Extension
James West, retired ISU veterinarian
Description

In a Nutshell: Farmers were interested in the effects of integrating sheep grazing to their vegetable production beds during fallow periods. Two farmers completed experimental trials to evaluate the yields of fall brassica crops following a spring cover …


Publish Date
May 23, 2019

PFI Staff
Liz Kolbe
Cooperators
Carmen Black
Mark Quee
Description

In a Nutshell: Farmers conducted high tunnel tomato variety trials comparing hybrid varieties Big Beef and Bigdena, and heirloom varieties Black Krim and Italian Heirloom. Key Findings At Lee Matteson and Rose Schick’s, Big Beef produced higher yield …


Publish Date
May 8, 2019

PFI Staff
Liz Kolbe
Cooperators
Rob Faux
Lee Matteson & Rose Schick
Description

In a Nutshell: To meet customer demand, Iowa vegetable farmers need to grow lettuce during the hot summer months when lettuce, a cool-season crop, is most difficult to grow. Six farmers compared four lettuce varieties – Concept, Cherokee, …


Publish Date
May 6, 2019

PFI Staff
Liz Kolbe
Cooperators
Jill Beebout
Carmen Black
Kate Edwards
Rob Faux
Jordan Scheibel
Jon Yagla
Description

In a Nutshell: Delaying cover crop termination date in the spring can result in more growth (and attendant environmental benefits) but could also result in corn yield drag. In this experimental trial, Arlyn Kauffman compared two cereal rye …


Publish Date
May 3, 2019

PFI Staff
Stefan Gailans
Cooperators
Arlyn Kauffman
Collaborators
Alison Robertson, Jyotsna Acharya; ISU Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Description

In a Nutshell: Two farms provided enterprise budgets for cherry tomato production in 2018. Yield, revenue, net income and details about expenses and labor are reported by each farm. Key Findings The two farms were similar in their …


Publish Date
May 2, 2019

PFI Staff
Liz Kolbe
Cooperators
Emma & Marcus Johnson
Derek Roller & Molly Schintler
Description

By Hayley Nelson and Stefan Gailans In a Nutshell: Waiting to plant organic, no-till soybean until terminating cereal rye by roller-crimping delays planting to late May. To try to plant soybeans earlier in roll-crimped cereal rye, Scott Shriver …


Publish Date
April 29, 2019

PFI Staff
Hayley Nelson
Cooperators
Scott Shriver
Description

In a Nutshell: Raising pigs on pasture increases the exposure to and intake of forages, which can affect the fatty acid composition of pork. Grass-fed animal fats contain higher proportions of omega-3 fatty acids than grain-fed animals. Increased …


Publish Date
April 25, 2019

PFI Staff
Celize Christy
Cooperators
John and Holly Arbuckle
Description

In a Nutshell: Lee Matteson and Rose Schick determined differences in cost and labor for strawberry bed establishment using two methods: biodegradable plastic and a matted row of mulch. The farmers tracked labor, expenses, yield, and revenue during …


Publish Date
April 24, 2019

PFI Staff
Liz Kolbe
Cooperators
Lee Matteson
Rose Schick
Description

In a Nutshell: Planting soybeans within one day of terminating a cereal rye cover crop does not reduce yield and can improve weed control compared to terminating the cover crop 10–14 days prior to planting soybeans. In experimental …


Publish Date
April 18, 2019

PFI Staff
Stefan Gailans
Cooperators
Jack Boyer
Tim Sieren
Description

In a Nutshell: A successful management strategy for corn and soybeans following a cereal rye cover crop may differ across farms in terms of tillage, N fertilizer application or both. Farmer-cooperators Jack Boyer, Tim Sieren and Jeremy Gustafson …


Publish Date
April 4, 2019

PFI Staff
Stefan Gailans
Cooperators
Jack Boyer
Tim Sieren
Jeremy Gustafson