REINBECK – Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Black Hawk Creek Watershed Improvement Project, will host a bioreactor and strip-till field day in Reinbeck on Thursday, Nov. 19 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Reinbeck Memorial Building Auditorium. The no-cost event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.

The field day will feature Grundy County farmer Vince Moye sharing his experience with the installation of three bioreactors and two saturated buffers as part of a batch and build effort to accelerate the installation of edge of field practices designed to reduce nitrate leaving the field. In addition to edge-of-field practice adoption, Vince utilizes strip-till and will discuss lessons learned to maintain yield while reducing erosion. Tanner Puls, IDALS Edge of Field Coordinator, and Jeremy Bril, IDALS Environmental Engineer Senior, will shed insight into how edge-of-field practices are functioning as well as how they are sited, designed, installed and funded through cost-share opportunities. Weather permitting, a tour of a strip-till field and one of the bioreactors will conclude the field day.

The field day will be held at the Reinbeck Memorial Building. The no-cost event is open to farmers and landowners, though we require reservations to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP, please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu by Nov. 12. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey and custom roasted coffee.

This Iowa Learning Farms field day is supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Clean Water Iowa, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and Heartland Co-op. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.