In this episode, we talk with Jorgen Rose, who is the habitat and policy coordinator for Practical Farmers of Iowa. We talk a little about what PFI is up to in the habitat world, why we started doing habitat programming at PFI, and how people can get involved. You can learn more about creating wildlife habitat on farms by checking out Bringing Back the Edges on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/PFIvideos.

In this episode, we talk with Adam Janke, who is the Wildlife Extension Specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. We talk a little about what wildlife habitat actually means, how the landscape has changed and how that has affected wildlife, and a few things that landowners or farmers can do to improve wildlife habitat on their farms. You can learn more about creating wildlife habitat on farms by checking out Bringing Back the Edges on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/PFIvideos.

In this episode, we talk with John Rock, who raises cattle and row crops in northwest Iowa near near the picturesque Little Sioux River. We chat about his experience grazing cattle on neighboring land owned by The Nature Conservancy and cedar tree removal and native prairie restoration on his own farm. John was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on grazing native plants here: https://youtu.be/tj_FdU-a7CY.

In this episode, we talk with Mark Quee, the Farm Manager at Scattergood Friends School, a boarding school near West Branch. The farm there raises organic fruits, vegetables and animals that the staff and students eat.

We talk about beneficial insects, integrated pest management, flowers and the wonderful mysteries of ecological processes.

Mark was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on beneficial insects here: https://youtu.be/p8lySv3oHkc.

In this episode, we talk prairie strips with northeast Iowa farmer Dick Sloan. We talk about why Dick decided to plant prairie strips, what they are, and what it takes to install and manage them. He was just featured in a new video series from PFI - Bringing Back the Edges: Creating Wildlife Habitat on Farms. You can check out the video on prairie strips here: https://youtu.be/NSCxiIQ7mI8

In this special bonus episode in three acts, PFI member Gina Nichols weaves together the fiction and the non-fiction, science and art, past and future to paint a portrait of one of farming's most important resources in "Consider the Soil." If you're curious about the soil, and you like a good story, you're going to love this episode.

For the final episode of the first season of On-Farm, we visited the farm of Maria and Ron Rosmann of Rosmann Family Farms near Harlan. The Rosmanns have been instrumental in many of the most important agricultural movements of the last 30 years: They were pioneers in organic livestock and row crops, and were among the core of farm families that helped Practical Farmers of Iowa get off the ground in the mid 1980s.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Music

On today's show, we'll talk about the history of their farm, their upcoming field day on September 9th, organic row crop and hog production, and the next generation – all three of their sons are working in agriculture, two of them on the family farm. You can check out a short video about their upcoming field day: https://youtu.be/zFtYCY2Ut7k – or learn more in this press release.

The post On-Farm, Episode 017: Maria and Ron Rosmann – Rosmann Family Farms appeared first on Practical Farmers of Iowa.

This week on the show, we have Jamie Hostetler of Rolling Meadows. Jamie farms with his family near Bellevue in eastern Iowa, where they raise 100% grass-fed beef and sell Red Devon cattle for seed stock. In 2010, shortly after moving to the area, they seeded row crop ground down to pasture and have been practicing high-density grazing to regenerate the soil and produce gourmet-quality, grass-finished beef.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Music

On September 16, the Hostetlers will be hosting a field day on their farm focused on all things grass-fed beef production. They'll talk production, from grass-efficient genetics, interseeding annuals to perennial pastures, and rotational grazing, all the way to market – what a grass finished animal looks like when its ready for market. On today's show, we'll talk all things regenerative grazing and grass-fed beef.

The post On-Farm, Episode 016: Jamie Hostetler – Rolling Meadows Farm appeared first on Practical Farmers of Iowa.

This week on the show, we have Earl Canfield of Dunkerton in northeast Iowa. Earl farms with his wife Jane and their four children. Their children represent the sixth generation of the Canfield family to be on the land since the mid-1860s, for which they received a Heritage Farm Award at the Iowa State Fair in 2016. The Canfields are making a transition from growing strictly corn and soybeans for commodity markets to growing and direct marketing a diverse mixture of value-added products, including whole grains, mixed feeds, produce and eggs.

On September 7th, they'll be hosting a field day on their farm focused on all the things that it takes to grow and market oats and hay in Iowa. In addition, the Canfield Family has spent the last two years relearning how to grow small grains in Iowa. They have researched machinery, production strategies and varieties, in addition to seeking potential market streams. One opportunity is to direct-market small grains to small-scale livestock owners as either whole grains or as part of complete mixed feeds. We'll talk about that and more on this week's show.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Music

The post On-Farm, Episode 015: Earl Canfield – Canfield Family Farm appeared first on Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Chris Teachout (left)

This week on the show, we had Chris Teachout, who farms near Shenandoah in southwest Iowa with his wife Janenne. Chris is a fifth-generation farmer, and he and his family have been using conservation practices on their farm since the mid-80s. He raises corn, soybeans and small grains, and has been using no-till practices for over 20 years. Ultimately, his goal is to regenerate his soil with cover crops and biology. On this show, we talk with Chris about how he got started with cover crops, what soil health is, and what he hopes people will learn at his field day.

Subscribe: iTunes | Stitcher | Google Play Music

On August 29th, Chris will host a field day on his farm, where the soil scientist Jill Clapperton will speak about soil regeneration and soil health. The event is free for members of Practical Farmers of Iowa – you can find more information and RSVP at this link.

The post On-Farm, Episode 014: Chris Teachout appeared first on Practical Farmers of Iowa.