Iowa Learning Farms, Iowa Nutrient Research Center, and Iowa Corn will host a cover crop, soil health and water quality field day near Gilmore City on Tuesday, November 16 from 12:00-2:00 p.m. at the Faith United Methodist Church. The event is free and open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

This field day aims to equip attendees with best management practices for establishing and managing cover crops to improve soil health and reduce nutrient losses. Cover crops offer many benefits to farmers and landowners, including reduced soil erosion, weed suppression potential, reduced nitrogen and phosphorus loads entering water bodies, and increased organic matter in the soil.

The field day will begin with a complimentary meal at the Faith United Methodist Church in Gilmore City. Following the meal, Dr. Matt Helmers, ISU professor Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE) and Iowa Nutrient Research Center director, will share information on the water quality results from over 30 years at will discuss phosphorus and potassium recommendations along with soil sampling information and information on deficiency symptoms.

The field day will begin at the Faith United Methodist Church, 111 SE 2nd St, Gilmore City, IA 50541. The event is free to open to farmers and landowners, though reservations are required to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by November 10. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.