The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Iowa State University from holding in-person field days at research and demonstration farms for the summer. However, the research continued, and a series of virtual tours beginning Aug. 31 will provide an update on this year’s results. 

Five virtual field day tour stops are scheduled for Aug. 31 through Sept. 4, and each tour will last from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. At least six different research farms across Iowa will be featured, with 20 minutes of in-field video, drone footage and presentations by specialists with Iowa State University Extension. Following each presentation specialists will be available on the webinar to answer questions from attendees. 

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“Field days give farmers, ag businesses and the public a chance to see ag research projects in progress and talk with the researchers involved in the experiments,” says Mark Honeyman, associate dean in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and director of the ISU Research Farms. “Virtual field days are being held this year to keep all safe and still make the latest field research accessible to Iowa agriculture.” 

Each year, about 15,000 people visit Iowa State’s research and demonstration farms, including 2,000 students who receive hands-on educational experiences. 

"The research and demonstration farms represent the intersection of ISU’s primary missions of research, teaching and Extension,” says Angie Rieck-Hinz, Extension field agronomist for north-central Iowa. “The virtual tours provide a unique opportunity to exhibit research across the farm system and take people into the plots with the researchers.” 

This year’s field day activities were officially put on hold beginning April 1, due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19. 

Speakers and topics for field days 

To register, visit aep.iastate.edu/fielddays. The speakers for each field day follow:

Aug. 31. Daniel Robison, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State, opens the program. Honeyman and Tim Good, research farms manager, will provide an overview of the research farm system at Iowa State. 
Sept. 1. Matt Helmers, ISU Extension ag engineer in the Department of Ag and Biosystems Engineering, will discuss water quality monitoring and research. 
Sept. 2. Alison Robertson, ISU Extension specialist in plant pathology and microbiology, will discuss corn fungicide trials. 
Sept. 3. Mahdi Al-Kaisi, ISU Extension soil management specialist, and Angie Rieck-Hinz, ISU Extension field agronomist, will give an overview of long-term tillage and crop rotation studies. 
Sept. 4. Antonio Mallarino, ISU Extension specialist in agronomy, will give an update on phosphorus and potassium placement and tillage studies. 

Certified crop adviser credits are available during each virtual tour. There is no charge to attend, and a single online registration includes all five tour stops. For more information, contact Angie Rieck-Hinz, field agronomist with ISU Extension, at 515-231-2830 or [email protected]. 

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