Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa Cover Crops Working Group will hold an on site seminar about managing and increasing soil fertility by planting cover crops. PFI's Cover Crops Field Day takes place on Tuesday, April 27. Coffee and registration begins at 9:00 a.m. at the ISU Agronomy Farm in Boone.  At 9:30 a.m. everyone will car pool to the Boyd Farm, then to the Sorenson Farm, and finish up the day back at the Agronomy Farm. Lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m. featuring locally grown foods.

A cover crop is planted following a cash crop to decrease erosion, improve soil quality and cover the soil during the winter and spring. By using cover crops, farmers improve their ecological footprint.

Locations and descriptions are as follows:

9:00 a.m. Registration: ISU Agronomy Farm, 1308 U Avenue in Boone

Directions: Head west from Ames on Highway 30. Travel approximately 5 miles to the corner of U Avenue. The Agronomy Farm is on the south side of Highway 30 directly across from the United School. Look for signs to the main building.

9:30 a.m. Location 1: Boyd Farm, 240th Street in Boone

11:30 a.m.* Location 2: Sorenson Farm, 240th & West Avenue in Boone

*These times are estimated.

Thank you to the following Field Day sponsors: National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, ISU Agronomy Department, ISU Agronomy Farm, Green Land Blue Waters, and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Practical Farmers of Iowa includes a diverse group of farmers and nonfarmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other operations, including fruits and vegetables. PFI's programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstration, field days, conferences, and more. For more information, call 515-232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org.