Title Year Category
Description

Abstract Flea beetles can cause significant damage to eggplants and reduce harvest yields. In 2010, Ben Saunders compared kaolin clay and row covers as physical barriers to reduce flea beetle damage on eggplants. Yields were higher in both …


Publish Date
January 28, 2012

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Ben Saunders
Description

Abstract Soybeans (Glycine max) are an important source of protein in animal diets, fed as soybean meal. Raw soybeans contain trypsin inhibitor (TI), which reduces protein digestion, feed efficiency and limits on-farm feeding of raw, unroasted soybeans to …


Publish Date
January 28, 2012

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
John Gilbert
Description

Abstract Three winter feeding strategies for growing calves—low-input, medium-input, and high-input—were tested by weighing the animals periodically to determine rates of weight gain for each strategy. Calves fed distiller’s syrup on stockpiled pasture and then as a supplement …


Publish Date
August 5, 2011

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Bruce Carney
Jacob Myers
Description

In the fall of 2009, a trial to observe the effects of a cover crop planting of tillage radish was conducted at One Step at a Time Gardens (OSTG), near Kanawha, Iowa. The observation was conducted to examine …


Publish Date
June 9, 2011

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Description

Abstract Jill Beebout and Sean Skeehan of Blue Gate Farm produce crops in the field as well as in two high tunnels. This report summarizes their production and sales data from their two high tunnels in spring and …


Publish Date
February 9, 2011

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Jill Beebout
Sean Skeehan
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 8, 2011

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
Francis Thicke
Bruce Carney
Dan Specht
Dan and Torray Wilson
Greg Koether
Linda Grice
Linda Grice
Ron Rosmann
Ryan Herman
Tom German
Description

Abstract Jason Jones of The Homestead near Pleasant Hill planted white mustard (Sinapis alba) fall 2009 to test its impact on weed germination in spring 2010. White mustard germinated uniformly and winter killed in late November 2009. Weed …


Publish Date
February 7, 2011

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Jason Jones
Description

Abstract Soil samples were collected in summer 2009 at 11 different farm “pods” in different areas of Iowa, each pod containing fields and pastures with different management practices. Perennial vegetation resulted in significantly higher total soil carbon and …


Publish Date
February 4, 2011

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Francis Thicke
Bruce Carney
Dan Specht
Dan and Torray Wilson
Greg Koether
Linda Grice
Paul Mugge
Ron Rosmann
Ryan Herman
Tom Frantzen
Tom German
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 4, 2011

PFI Staff
Sarah Carlson
Cooperators
Jeff Olson
Ron Rosmann
David Haden
Paul Mugge
Tom Frantzen
Description

Abstract Thirty-nine stocker cattle were weighed before and after three different grazing periods from July 18, 2009 to October 17, 2009, to compare the rate of gain on the different forages being grazed. Three different forages were compared: …


Publish Date
January 14, 2011

PFI Staff
Practical Farmers of Iowa
Cooperators
Bruce and Derek Carney
Description

Abstract Flea beetles are frequent eggplant pests that adversely affect yields and fruit quality. This trial tested two non-toxic physical controls, kaolin clay1 (Surround WP) and row covers, applied from transplant to flowering, for their effectiveness in controlling …


Publish Date
January 4, 2011

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Ben Saunders
Description

Abstract Scattergood Farm near West Branch tested tillage radish for weed control in one of their vegetable fields. They also collected data on seed germination for the cash crop after tillage radishes to observe if the tillage radish …


Publish Date
November 3, 2010

PFI Staff
Sally Worley
Cooperators
Mark Quee