Virtual Field Day Access Instructions:
To participate in the live virtual field day at 1:00 pm CT on January 23, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/91411984892.
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Iowa Geological Survey, is hosting a free virtual field day on Thursday, January 23 at 1 p.m. CT.
Join us for a live discussion with Keith Schilling, state geologist and director of the Iowa Geological Survey, Matthew Streeter, Iowa Iowa Geological Survey soil scientist, Jen Merryman, Iowa State University Natural Resources Ecology and Management University assistant teaching professor and Clark Porter, Porter Family Farms manager.
Grassed waterways are one of the most widely adopted conservation practices in Iowa, with nearly 328,000 acres across the landscape. This innovative project, funded by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, is exploring how these existing practices could be modified to provide additional water quality benefits through the denitrification process. Similar to saturated buffers, saturated grassed waterways route tile drainage through the system, allowing naturally occurring microorgansims to use soil carbon for energy and nitrate in the drainage water for respiration, resulting in improved water quality leaving the field.
“For our family farm, the reason that we've participated in this project is because it presents a tremendous opportunity if we can treat nitrate in waterways as opposed to some of the standard practices that we have right now such as bioreactors or saturated buffers,” commented Porter. Since the practice was installed in December 2023, Porter noted “I've been out here after some of the really heavy rains and this waterway has been no wetter than our other waterways, and dried out just as fast as the other waterways, so I'm pleased.”
Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.
Virtual Field Day Access Instructions:
To participate in the live virtual field day at 1:00 pm CT on January 23, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/91411984892 or visit https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/events-1.
Or, join from a dial-in phone line:
Dial: 646-876-9923 or 646-931-3860
Meeting ID: 914 1198 4892
The field day will be recorded and archived on the ILF website so that it can be watched at any time. The archive will be available at https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/virtual-field-day-archive.
Participants may be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit, if approved. Information about how to apply to receive the CEU will be provided at the end of the event.