Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Iowa Learning Farm hosts field day in Delaware County

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June 8, 2010

AMES, IOWA— The Iowa Learning Farm (ILF) and the Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District will co-sponsor a field day at the Tom Vaske farm, rural Masonville, Thursday, June 17, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. The field day includes a complimentary supper and features discussion of no-till management practices. The event is free and the public is invited to attend. Families are encouraged to attend and see the Iowa Learning Farm’s new Conservation Station mobile learning center.

The field day will begin with informal discussions about soil quality using several educational modes: NRCS soil scientist Bob Vobora will demonstrate water infiltration rates, Delaware Soil and Water Conservation District staff will talk about the benefits of no-till, and attendees can view the ILF’s Conservation Station. After the complimentary meal, served by the Delaware County Cattlemen, Tom Vaske will offer comments about his experiences with no-till and strip-till management on his farm.

The ILF Conservation Station is a new educational tool that is traveling the state to teach all Iowans about soil and water quality. Through demonstrations, pictures, computer animations, displays, video and sound, people of all ages can learn why Iowa’s water and soils are precious and how they can help preserve and protect these natural resources. The station also has a rainfall simulator which illustrates the effects of rainfall on the land by collecting surface water runoff and subsurface drainage.

Tom Vaske has hosted ILF on-farm tillage demonstrations since 2005, rotating comparisons of no-till and conventional-till planted soybeans and corn planted with either strip-tillage or spring field cultivation.

The field day site is at Vaske’s farmstead, located at 2567 110th Avenue (Delaware County road W-63); approximately three miles south of Highway 20 on the east side of W-63.

The Iowa Learning Farm is building a Culture of Conservation, encouraging adoption of residue management and conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF staff are working together to identify and implement the best in-field management practices that increase water and soil quality while remaining profitable. Iowa Learning Farm is a partnership between the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources; in cooperation with Conservation Districts of Iowa and the Iowa Farm Bureau. 

For more info contact:

Carol L. Brown, communications specialist, 515-294-8912

John Lundvall, ILF field coordinator, 515-294-5429 

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