NW Iowa News

Dordt University’s Agriculture Department is partnering with Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), and Iowa Learning Farms, to host a joint field day on Wednesday, September 7 at the Dordt University Agriculture Stewardship Center. The event includes a free meal at 5:30 p.m. followed by the program from 6:30-8 p.m.

“We are exploring the question, ‘How will the emerging carbon economy impact how and what we farm?’” says Gary De Vries, instructor of agriculture at Dordt.

The forum will address the following topics:

• Exploring how perennial vegetation and livestock manure can have a multitude of benefits from water quality and soil health to potential development of renewable natural gas.
• Carbon Farming: What’s driving it and what does the future look like?
• Sustainability metrics: What really matters and why?
• What are the most practical and adaptable production practices that can be adopted in the short-term?

Dr. Jerry Flint, chief operating officer of the National Pork Board, will speak on “Why sustainability of pig production matters.”

A question and answer panel will follow. The panel includes:

• Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore - Director of ISU’s BioEconomy Institute and USDA funded C-CHANGE consortium
• Jerry Flint - COO National Pork Board
• Bryan Sievers - Farmer, Scott County, Iowa - owner/operator of an on-farm anaerobic digester. He now partners with Roeslein Alternative Energy, who has historically generated electricity, but is converting to an RNG project that will incorporate biomass from winter-hardy and perennial cover crops with beef cattle manure as feedstocks
• Staci Bogue-Bucholz - Site and Optimization Leader, RNG Business Unit Leader for GEVO’s Renewable Natural Gas Project located north of Rock Valley
• Dwight Mogler - Senior partner in Mogler Farms near Alvord in Lyon County and National Pork Producer Council Director, and he will serve as the moderator

“Dordt University, C-CHANGE and Iowa Learning Farms share a common goal of providing unbiased research data to assist in the decision-making process for farm operations to conserve water quality and soil health while retaining profitability,” said De Vries. “The event is going to be informative and helpful as producers make decisions for the future.”

The event will take place at the Dordt University Agriculture Stewardship Center, located a mile north of AgriVision at 3648 US 75. For those planning to attend, please RSVP to Helen.Zeutenhorst@Dordt.edu by August 30.

About Iowa Learning Farms

Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources (USEPA section 319) and GROWMARK, Inc.

About Dordt University

As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.

Original source can be found here.