AMES – Practical Farmers of Iowa joins Iowa Learning Farms to showcase farmers’ experiences with cover crops at eight field days across Iowa, including three in Farm News’ coverage area.

County Soil and Water Conservation district commissioners and Eastern Iowa Hay Producers Association members are sponsoring the events that focus on the use and management of cover crops.

A record 100,000 acres of cover crops were planted in Iowa in 2012. This increasingly popular conservation practice protects soil from wind and water erosion and captures nitrogen that can otherwise leach from the soil and pollute nearby waterways.

The events scheduled in the Farm News coverage area are:

• March 15, from 9:30 a.m.to 2:30 p.m.: Northwest Iowa No-Till Conference, Moville Area Community Center, 815 Main St., in Moville.

• March 26, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Mike Sporrer Farm, rural Dedham, in Carroll County.

• April 1 at 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Dordt College Research Farm, 3598 U.S. Highway 75, in Sioux Center.

Each cover crop field day will include discussions and presentations including area-specific topics such as: no-tillage/strip-tillage systems, rotational grazing or grazing cover crops for livestock feed, soil and nutrient management benefits of cover crops and spring management for cover crops.

For more information, contact Aaron Andrews at (515) 294-4922 or Sarah Carlson at (515) 232-5661.

Founded in 1985, Practical Farmers of Iowa is an open, supportive and diverse organization of farmers and friends of farmers, advancing profitable, ecologically sound and community-enhancing approaches to agriculture through farmer-to-farmer networking, farmer-led investigation and information sharing.

Farmers in our network produce corn, soybeans, beef cattle, hay, fruits and vegetables.

For additional information, call (515) 232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org.