The Grundy Soil & Water Conservation District is planning another workshop on Wednesday July 20th at the Grundy County Fairgrounds. This workshop will start at 9 am following the Tri-County Marketing Club meeting with ISU Economist Steve Johnson which starts at 7:30 am. These two meetings are being held during the Grundy County Fair, so there’s more to see and enjoy at the fair. Our SWCD board decided to look at “Cover Crop Economics” in these more difficult economic times.

Our first speaker was recommended to us by Sarah Carlson, the Midwest Cover Crop Expert with Practical Farmers of Iowa. He is Jerry Hatfield, Laboratory Director and Supervisory Plant Physiologist at the National Laboratory for Agriculture and Environment, formally the Agriculture Research Service located in Ames, IA. He’s had numerous research projects on Soil, Plant, and Atmosphere Interaction. Recently authored a couple of books “Nitrogen in the Environment, Sources, Problems, and Management”, and the other is “The Farmers Decision: Balancing Economic Successful Agriculture with Environmental Quality”.

Our next speaker is Jack Boyer, a farmer from Reinbeck, IA that has done research for Practical Farmers of Iowa on “Cover Crop Economics”. He is very good at explaining how he did the research, and how he saves dollars using cover crops; you might say it pays him to use cover crops.

The last speakers Liz Juchems, Conservation Station Coordinator and Educator for the Iowa Learning Farms; and Jamie Benning, Water Quality Program Specialist for Iowa State University. Both did research on “Cover Crop Economics” and will speak on the results of their findings.

We will also be putting together a local panel of farmers using cover crops in their farm operations.

Please plan on attending this workshop. A meal will be provided following the workshop for all attendees. Please RSVP BY July 13, to Denise Freeseman at denise.freeseman@ia.nacdnet.net or call the SWCD office at 319-824-3634 ext. 300 so we know how many to plan for.