Iowa State University Extension & Outreach and the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District, with partnership assistance from USDA-NRCS, are hosting a tour at the Paul Overman beef feedlot and the Wayne and Wade Brunsman dairy farms north of Dyersville in northeast Iowa on Tuesday, November 19, starting at 10 a.m.

MANURE TOUR NEAR DYERSVILLE: November 19 tour will look at management practices to help small dairies and beef feedlots address potential water quality impacts of runoff from outside open lot areas. The farms feature clean water diversion from buildings and fields, covered and open manure storage, and feeding under roof. There will also be a manure spreader calibration exercise to help fine-tune application rates of nutrients used for crop production.

The tour will look at practices and management techniques to help small dairies and beef feedlots address potential water quality impacts of runoff from outside open lot areas.  The farms on the tour feature clean water diversion from buildings and fields, covered and open manure storage, and feeding under roof.  The event will also feature a manure spreader calibration exercise to help fine-tune application rates of nutrients used for crop production.

This tour is part of the Water Quality Initiatives for Small Beef & Dairy feedlots

The tour will start at 10 a.m. at the Overman feedlot, will move to the Wade Brunsman dairy and then on to lunch provided at the Wayne Brunsman farm. After lunch the tour will conclude with a brief overview of the hoop barn facilities and manure handling and the manure spreader calibration exercise. For more information about this field day call Angie Rieck-Hinz at Iowa State University 515-294-9590. This event will be held regardless of weather conditions so come dressed appropriately. To respect biosecurity protocols, please wear clean street shoes and not barn or chore footwear. Plastic boots will be provided.

The Overman feedlot is located at 3327 163rd Street at New Vienna. From Dyersville, take highway 136 (exit #294 on highway 20) five miles north to New Vienna, then turn west on Main Street and follow West Main (Petersburg Road, which becomes 163rd Street) west two miles to the Overman farm. The Brunsman farms are located one quarter mile west and one mile north. Watch for signs.~~~PAGE_BREAK_HERE~~~

This effort is part of the Water Quality Initiatives for Small Beef and Dairy Feedlot Operations. Additional details will be shared on the Small Feedlot Web page.

Iowa Farm Energy Group will hold a tour Nov. 13 of robotic milking facility

The statewide Farm Energy Working Group will meet Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Northeast Iowa Community-Based Dairy Foundation in Calmar to tour the new robotic milking facility, hear about federal farm energy programs, and learn about the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) Energy Cooperators program. The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. in the Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation conference room. The foundation is on Iowa Highway 150 south of Calmar.

The Northeast Iowa Dairy Foundation will provide a tour of the new robotic milking facility to increase energy efficiency in the 250-cow milking system. The foundation is a nonprofit organization to educate farmers on best practices in dairy operations. Winneshiek Natural Resources Conservation Services staff members will discuss the Energy Initiative for Farmstead and Landscape. NRCS is a USDA agency. Liz Kolbe, PFI energy and horticulture coordinator, will discuss that organization's farm energy cooperators program.

The working group, focused on farm energy conservation and renewable energy generation at the farm level, is facilitated by the University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy & Environmental Education and funded by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU. Members include farmers from small to midsized farming operations and representatives from Iowa utilities, farm organizations, extension service, policy organizations, universities, USDA Resource Conservation and Development groups, renewable energy organizations and others. For more information or to register contact Jeff Beneke, working group coordinator, at (319) 273-3850 or [email protected].