Iowa Learning Farms will host a free webinar highlighting the benefits of conservation planning at noon Sept. 19.

Kevin Kuhn, resource conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Iowa, will present. He serves on the ecological services staff of NRCS and has 30 years of experience assisting landowners with conservation on their farms. He’ll discuss how planning optimizes the use of conservation practices, saves time and money, and improves water and soil quality.

Planning for farmers, landowners
“Conservation planning is about putting the right conservation system in place that meets the objectives of the landowner, the resource concerns of the specific tract of land, and minimizes offsite resource concerns,” says Kuhn. “Conservation planning is time well spent.”

The Iowa Learning Farms webinar series takes place on the third Wednesday of the month. To watch, go to iowalearningfarms.org/page/webinars and click the link to join the webinar shortly before noon Sept. 19 to download the Zoom software and log-in option.

The webinar will be recorded and archived on the ILF website for watching at any time.

Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a culture of conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable.

Soil Health Week
The Soil and Water Conservation Districts of Northeast Iowa are hosting a cadre of soil health and agriculture experts the week of Sept. 16-20 at events throughout northeast Iowa for youth, families, students and adults. Scheduled events are:

• Growing Greener 4-H Youth Event. Steinlage Greenhouse, 12517 220th St., West Union; 5 p.m. Sept. 16

• Conservation Education Field Days. Fayette SWCD, Richard Jensen Farms; 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 18-20

• A Career in Sustainable Agriculture. Fred Kirschenmann, co-hosted by Upper Iowa University; 7 p.m. Sept. 19

• Soil Heath Symposium. Upper Iowa University; 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 20

• Post-Symposium Social. Farmer panels and tours; Steinlage Farm; 6 p.m. Sept. 20

The week will culminate on September 20 with an all-day soil health symposium at Upper Iowa University, where experts and local farmers will share their knowledge, vision and innovations about soil.

Visiting experts are Kristine Nichols, soil scientist; Fred Kirschenmann, farmer and distinguished fellow for Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University; Russell Hedrick, North Carolina farmer; and Loran Steinlage, West Union farmer. Agenda and sponsors are online.

The Soil Health Symposium costs $20; register at fcsw.eventbrite.com. For questions or accommodations, contact Fayette SWCD at 563-422-3868, ext. 3.

Source: Iowa Learning Farms and Fayette SWCD