Location:
Gilbert Franklin Community Room
105 SE 2nd Street
Gilbert, IA 50105
RSVP: ilf@iastate.edu or 515-294-5429
Iowa Learning Farms will host an establishing and managing prairie field day in Gilbert on Thursday, Aug. 27 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Gilbert Franklin Community Room. The no-cost event is open to farmers and landowners and includes a complimentary meal.
This field day aims to assist farmers and landowners with establishing and maintaining prairie perennial vegetation. These areas offer many benefits including: pollinator habitat, reducing soil erosion from sensitive areas, building soil health, improving wildlife, providing beauty to the landscape and providing biomass for renewable fuel generation through anaerobic digestion.
The field day will include Tim Youngquist, Iowa State University STRIPS program farmer liaison, sharing results from over 15 years of research on prairie strips as well as practical recommendations for how to incorporate prairie on the agricultural landscape. Pat Murken, Story County farmer, will discuss how he has worked to establish and maintain the family’s prairie, including working with the Gilbert Fire Department for controlled burns. A representative from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will also be on hand to share opportunities for support for establishing perennial vegetation. Weather permitting, a tour of the prairie will conclude the field day ahead of the complimentary meal.
The field day will begin at the Gilbert-Franklin Community Room, 105 SE 2nd Street, Gilbert, IA 50105. The no-cost event and 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 Aug. 20. Attendees will be entered in a drawing for ISU Prairie Strips honey.
Iowa Learning Farms field days and workshops are supported by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. For more information about Iowa Learning Farms, visit www.iowalearningfarms.org.