IIHR-Hydroscience and Engineering, along with Iowa Learning Farms, the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, Iowa Geological Survey and Partners of Scott County Watersheds will host a cover crop field day on Wednesday, Nov. 17 from 12-2 p.m. at Mike Paustian’s farm near Walcott. The event is free, open to the whole family and includes a complimentary meal.

The field day will begin at Paustian Farms, 6520 215th St, Walcott. The workshop is free and open to the whole family, but reservations are suggested to ensure adequate space and food. For reasonable accommodations and to RSVP please contact Liz Ripley at 515-294-5429 or ilf@iastate.edu.

In 2008 Mike Paustian returned to the family’s heritage farm, which encompasses nearly 1,400 acres and a 1,200 sow farrow-to-finish hog operation. In addition to utilizing no-till and minimum till, the Paustians have added cover crops to hold soil in place while scavenging nutrients from the soil and fall applied manure. Their goal is to build long term soil health and organic matter in their fields and improve water quality. In the past two years, they have increased their use of cereal rye and oats to cover nearly all of their acres.