Multi-Agency On-Farm Sustainable Agriculture Training

Multi-Agency On-Farm Sustainable Agriculture Training

Summary

The objective of this project was to train NRCS and Extension staff and farmers in innovative practices and systems approaches that show promise for use in EQIP, whole-farm planning and on-going agency funding.

The project reflected the desire to take agency staff beyond the valuable-yet-limited sustainable agriculture in-services that have taken place in conference centers and universities and introduce these staff to producers in their own environment at three on-farm training sessions. We felt this approach would better convey the complexity and immediacy of current sustainable farming issues.

In order to spur the active involvement of participating agencies, we met with administrators in February 1998 to formulate a syllabus for the three in-service events that would both satisfy the priorities of agency administrators and utilize the farmer skills that could be brought to bear. In the interest of reaching additional agency personnel, invitations were extended not only to the Extension Service and NRCS, but also to the Farm Service Agency, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

The consultation with administrators proved both stimulating and frustrating. In many cases, these representatives made excellent suggestions regarding resource people. One agency representative, however, did not seem to appreciate the difference between this kind of training and that focused on the needs of industrial swine production.

With agency concurrence, it was decided that the three in-service events would take place on farms in central, northeast and western Iowa and would focus on:

Issues around Integrated Farming (manure management, sustainable swine production, cropping systems);
Quality Water, Quality of Life (water quality, intensive rotational grazing and planning/decision-making tools); and
Building Markets, Building Communities (local marketing of hoophouse swine and other products, organic marketing and production, community strategies for agricultural development).

We recruited farmers, agency personnel and private sector individuals as appropriate per theme. Host farms were selected for geography, skills and practices and the presence of a covered structure that could serve as a meeting site in case of foul weather. The farms selected were:

Central Iowa Richard and Sharon Thompson farm, Boone;
Northeast Iowa Matt and Diane Stewart farm, Oelwein; and
Western Iowa Victor and Cindy Madsen farm, Audubon, and Ron and Maria Rosmann farm, Harlan.
The western Iowa in-service event was divided into a morning and an afternoon session at two different farms in two communities. Each farm and community has unique strengths that we wanted to capture.

In order to emphasize the opportunities for farmer-staff collaboration, we featured, where possible, presentations that involved both farmers and the professionals with whom they work. It has also been our experience that this sort of presentation has the greatest credibility.

For more information:
Rick Exner
2104 Agronomy Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
515-294-5486
515-294-9985 (fax)
dnexner@iastate.edu

Collaborators: