AMES – Opportunities to harvest corn stover exist in two regions of Iowa near Nevada, in central Iowa, and near Emmetsburg in northern Iowa.

Iowa State University Extension will host three meetings in January to address emerging opportunities related to stover harvesting for the biomass feedstock needs of local industries.

These are:

1). Ogden, at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 6 at the Leonard Good Learning Center, 114 SW 8th St, Ogden. This meeting is in collaboration with DuPont. Register with the Boone County Extension office by calling (515) 432-3882.

2). Spencer, at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 14 at the Clay County Regional Events Center, 800 W. 18th St., Spencer. This meeting is in collaboration with POET. Register with the Clay County Extension office by calling (712) 262-2264.

3). Algona, at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 21 at Water’s Edge Nature Center, 1010 250th St., Algona. This meeting is in collaboration with POET. Register with the Kossuth County Extension office by calling (515) 295-2469.

There is no fee to attend the meetings. Registration is required for correct meal and handout counts.

Walk-in registration the day of the meeting will only be accepted if space is available.

Stover harvesting can impact economic, agronomic and water quality production factors. The meetings will address many of the positives and negatives of stover harvesting and discuss how stover harvesting can be managed within corn production.

Crop producers, land owners, crop consultants, agronomists, service providers and others with an interest in stover harvest and its removal from farm fields are encouraged to attend.

Iowa State University Extension meeting speakers include Mark Licht and Paul Kassel, field agronomists; Kelvin Leibold, Melissa O’Rourke and Kristen Schulte, farm management specialists; and Kapil Arora, agricultural engineering specialist.

Industry speakers on the agenda include: David Ertl, technology commercialization manager, Iowa Corn Growers Association; Dennis Penland, DuPont business development manager; Andy Heggenstaller, agronomy research manager, DuPont-Pioneer; B.J. Schany, commodities manager, POET-DSM; and Steve Petersen, end use product manager, Monsanto Corn Crop Management.

Barb Stewart, state agronomist, will present the USDA-NRCS perspective on soil health and stover removal at these meetings.

Industry representatives will be available to meet with participants during lunch and at the close of the meeting.

The meetings are funded in part by a grant from Iowa Energy Center.