Title Year Category
Description

Abstract Corn (Zea mays) is a major crop across the Midwestern U.S. Yields have been steadily increasing in Iowa from an average of 48.5 bu/ ac in 1950 to an average of 171 bu/ac in 2011 (USDA NASS). …


Publish Date
October 23, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
John Gilbert
Bruce Kress
Description

Abstract Soil quality indicators were compared in different farming systems at eight “pods” of neighboring farms around Iowa. Samples were collected for three years and analyzed for organic matter, total carbon and nitrogen content, bulk density, stable aggregate …


Publish Date
March 14, 2012

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Ryan Herman
Greg Koether
Paul Mugge
Steve Reinart
Ron Rosmann
Dan Specht
Francis Thicke
Dan and Torray Wilson
Description

Abstract Cover Crops are an important addition to any farming system to improve soil quality and decrease soil erosion or nutrient loss. Farmers are concerned that a winter rye cover crop could negatively impact their cash crop yields. …


Publish Date
March 7, 2012

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Bill Buman
Jim Funcke
Rick Juchems
Larry Ness
Mark Pokorny
George Schaefer
Jerry Sindt
Rob Stout
Gary and Dave Nelson
Kelly Tobin
Description

Abstract Cover crops have been increasing in popularity because of the benefits they provide to the soil and the environment, among others; however, they are rarely harvested. Not only can a cover crop protect Iowa’s soil from erosion …


Publish Date
March 3, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Description

Abstract Many PFI vegetable producers grow sweet potatoes. To increase the marketable yield of sweet potatoes, some have heard that it is effective to remove roots formed by sweet potato runners to help concentrate energy growth to the …


Publish Date
February 6, 2012

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Nicholas Leete and Alice McGary
Mark Quee
Description

Abstract Jill Beebout and Sean Skeehan of Blue Gate Farm have kept records in their high tunnel for the past three seasons to create Iowa-specific scheduling and marketing information to determine which high tunnel crops generate the most …


Publish Date
February 5, 2012

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Jill Beebout and Sean Skeehan
Description

Abstract Soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a pest to soybeans in Iowa. In certain years, it can be economically devastating to a farming operation. Conventional farmers can use insecticides to control soybean aphid populations but …


Publish Date
February 5, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
Mark Petersen
Paul Mugge
Dordt College, Chris Goedhart
Ron Rosmann
Description

Abstract Six cooperators documented their local and distance food purchases between May 1, 2010 and July 31, 2011. For this study, local food was defined as food produced within Iowa. After 15 months of data collection, the data …


Publish Date
February 4, 2012

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Harold and Marilyn Andersen
Joel and Amy Logan
Dean Lewis and Anita Maher Lewis
Susan Posch
Teresa Opheim
Rich Schuler
Tomoko Ogawa
Description

Abstract During Iowa’s spring 2008 floods, PFI members who had grass-based livestock systems and long crop rotations reported that their soils held the rainwater. This experiment tested those claims. The main objective of the study was to quantify …


Publish Date
February 1, 2012

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Francis Thicke
Dan Specht
Dan and Torray wilson
Greg Koether
Ryan Herman
Steve Reinart
Description

Tips for Increasing Local Food Purchases From what the participants learned through this project, here are some tips for increasing your local food purchases: Start by reading labels and learning how far the food travels at the grocery …


Publish Date
February 1, 2012

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Description

Abstract Scattergood Farm measured the effects of two cover crops or no cover crop on numbers of weeds and compaction measured by soil density in a vegetable crop following a transition from a pasture. The treatments tested were …


Publish Date
January 31, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
Mark quee
Description

Abstract Organic production typically delays planting of soybean (Glycine max) until late May. However, a longer season provides time needed to reach maximum yield potential. In 2011, planting dates in mid-May resulted in yields five bushels per acre …


Publish Date
January 31, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
Ron Rosmann