the Practical Farmer A quarterly publication of Practical Farmers of Iowa Vol. 27, No. 1 | Winter 2012 Wyatt Wheeler hides in the hay at a pasture walk held at Jake and Amber Wheeler’s farm near Monroe this winter. In this issue How specialty crops can supplement farm income Savings Incentive Program: 25 new farmers embark on 2-year quest Field crops: Profit more by using less, without sacrificing yield Special 2012 PFI Annual Conference photo section Solar PV pays off for PFI members PFI Board of Directors We love to hear from you! Please feel free to contact your board members or PFI staff . Contents DISTRICT 1 (NORTHWEST) Gail Hickenbottom, Treasurer David Haden 810 Browns Woods Dr . Letter from the Director . 3 4458 Starling Ave . West Des Moines, IA 50265 Primghar, IA 51245 515 .256 .7876 712 .448 .2012 Horticulture . 4–5 highland33@tcaexpress .net ADVISORY BOARD Dan Wilson, PFI Vice-President Larry Kallem 2011 Beginning Farmer Retreat . .6–7 4375 Pierce Ave . 12303 NW 158th Ave . Paullina, IA 51046 Madrid, IA 50156 712 .448 .3870 515 .795 .2303 PFI Leaders . 8–9 the7wilsons@gmail .com Dick Thompson 2035 190th St . DISTRICT 2 (NORTH CENTRAL) Boone, IA 50036 Savings Incentive Program . .10–11 Sara Hanson 515 .432 .1560 2505 220th Ave . Field Crops . .12–13 Wesley, IA 50483 PFI STAFF 515 .928 .7690 dancingcarrot@yahoo .com For general information and staff Climate Change . 14–15. connections, call 515.232.5661. Tim Landgraf, PFI President Individual extensions are listed in 1465 120th St . 2012 PFI Annual Conference . 16-19 Kanawha, IA 50447 parentheses after each name. 641 .495 .6367 Teresa Opheim (302) libland@peconet .net Executive Director Local Foods . .20 teresa@practicalfarmers .org DISTRICT 3 (NORTHEAST) Suzi Bernhard (301) Alternative Energy . 21 Tyler Franzenburg Finance & Benefits Manager 6915 15th Ave . Keystone, IA 52249 suzi@practicalfarmers .org Grazing . 22-23,. 25 319 .721 .2176 Patrick Burke (303) tfranzenburg@hotmail .com Office Manager Member Book Review . .24 Jeff Klinge patrick@practicalfarmers .org 16609 Highway 13 Farmersburg, IA 52047 Sarah Carlson (305) 563 .536 .2314 Research & Policy Director PFI News . .26-27 jefkling@neitel .net sarah@practicalfarmers .org Kevin Dietzel (307) Young Member Spotlight . 28 DISTRICT 4 (SOUTHWEST) Grazing Coordinator Earl Hafner kevin@practicalfarmers .org Member Discussion Groups . 29 303 Oak Ridge Dr . Panora, IA 50216 Luke Gran (308) 641 .757 .0560 Next Generation Coordinator New Members & PFI Calendar . 30 hafnerin@netins .net luke@practicalfarmers .org Sean Skeehan 746 Wyoming Tomoko Ogawa (306) Join PFI . .31 Chariton, IA 50049 Market Development, Local Foods, 641 .203 .0758 PFI Cook skeebout@bluegatefarmfresh .com tomoko@practicalfarmers .org Ann Seuferer (309) the District 5 (Southeast) Communications Director Ann Cromwell, PFI Secretary ann@practicalfarmers .org 3303 240th St . Julia Slocum Practical Farmer Williamsburg, IA 52361 319 .668 .8248 Office Assistant anniowa@commspeed .net julia@practicalfarmers .org the Practical Farmer keeps farmers and friends of farmers in touch with one another and provides informative articles about the latest Linda Grice Marc Strobbe (304) 25739 170th St . on-farm research, demonstration and observation to help all types Farm Viability Coordinator of farming operations to become profitable, while caring for the land South English, IA 52335 marc@practicalfarmers .org 319 .667 .2350 that sustains them . Provided as a member benefit to PFI supporters, agricol@netins .net Sally Worley (304) the Practical Farmer also serves to update members on PFI programming . Deputy Director the Practical Farmer is published quarterly by Practical Farmers of Iowa, At-LARGE sally@practicalfarmers .org 137 Lynn Ave ., Suite 200, Ames, IA 50014; 515 .232 .5661 . Joyce Lock 725 54th St . Newsletter Editor: Ann Seuferer Des Moines, IA 50312 515 .277 .3615 (Back issues are available upon request .) stirjoy@aol .com 2 the Practical Farmer From the Director Best Annual Conference yet; research plays big role at PFI The annual conference is over. Dare I say (Left to right) Francis Thicke, Teresa Opheim it was the best one ever? and 2012 PFI Sustainable Agriculture Award The conference showcased our open, sharing winner Fred Kirschenmann. strategy at Practical Farmers. I especially want to thank Sara Hanson and Ryan and Janice Marquardt for presenting their business plans with a panel of financial experts (and the crowd). So many of our beginning farmers are writing or honing their farm enterprise strategies and are eager to see what others have done. Thanks to Jon Jaffe of Farm Credit, Renee LaBarge of Lincoln Savings Bank and Dave Miller of Working Farms Capital for giving the beginners much needed feedback. Also: Gratitude to the Frantzen family for being willing to work through legacy planning questions publicly at the conference and in the Research plays major role at PFI PFI newsletter. Many of you are asking questions From nitrogen rates to weed management Veteran PFI researchers Vic Madsen and Doug about how to provide for your children while to P and K rates to cover cropping: Did you Alert at the 2011 Cooperators’ Meeting. keeping the farm together when you’re gone, know that members of Practical Farmers of and we hope the Frantzens’ journey will help you Iowa have done more than 1,000 research • Look for funding to further analyze our 25 better figure out your own. trials and demonstrations since 1987? What an years of research results—so much of that astounding achievement! Not surprisingly, we are information needs to be shared with a new internationally known for this activity. generation! As part of its Strategic Plan, the PFI Board of Directors decided it was time to take a good look It takes all kinds of skills to make an organization at where the Cooperators’ Program has been and succeed. We are blessed to have Donna Prizgintas how it should be improved. That work took place in our midst. Donna provided her home and at a December retreat in Ames with a terrific her culinary skills for our Cooperators’ Program committee: Veteran PFI researchers Ron Rosmann retreat. She specializes in using food from and Jeff and Gayle Olson, and David Haden, PFI farmers, including for this event: Growing Sean Skeehan and Mark Quee, who are newer Harmony Farm, Jumping Bean Farm, Table Top cooperators in the program. Rick Exner—the Farm, Berry Patch, Paul Willis and more. We were person behind the program’s long-term success— well cared for, and I believe we got more done joined us, as well as staffers Sarah, Tomoko, because of it. Kevin and Sally. Working for you, The Cooperators’ Committee Recommendations include: • Conduct projects with more sites and more years of data, to give us better scientific Teresa information for our farmers; Farm dog Luke, shown above enjoying the attention of a field day participant, is a two- • Be more strategic and conduct projects that and-half-year-old Great Pyrenees. He is finally will help farmers better deal with challenges P.S. Please help us improve! Soon you will receive settling into his job as guard dog for owner they will be facing; a member survey. Please respond promptly—we Sharon Krause’s sheep. Luke and his brother Bo • Include economic information in need your feedback to know what we, as your used to bicker and fight, but Sharon recently project design; staff and Board of Directors, should do next to separated them into two pastures guarding • Secure more press on cooperator deserve your membership. separate flocks. “They now have both bonded program results; with their flocks and become even more • Recognize the achievements of “our rock protective. And they don’t have any interest in star researchers” and encourage them to each other.” mentor others; www.practicalfarmers.org 3 Horticulture Specialty crops allow next generation to supplement income and return to conventional row crop farm by Sally Worley Kathy Hohl’s fifth generation farm near Donnellson has been transformed from a solely conventional row crop operation to one with multiple identities. “When we first added specialty crops to our row crop operation, we were primarily a fall retail business and changed our name to Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch,” say Kathy. “Since then we have added business facets to become a year- round operation. ‘Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch’ is how we answer the phone in the fall. In the summer we answer, “Veggie Barn at Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch,’ and in the winter, ‘Christmas Barn at Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch.’” The diversification of this traditional row Kathy Hohl (right), of Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch near Donnellson, is shown here with son Adam, crop family farm began after Kathy’s dad and Julie, Adam’s wife. retired and her husband Greg experienced neck trouble. “Greg needed several neck with products from other local farmers from do so by a local restaurant owner. To help them surgeries and couldn’t be jostled around spring through winter. “Our focus through create a customer base, the restaurant shared by animals any more so we had to give up every diversification has been making family their client contact list with the Hohls; they the livestock aspect of the farm.” The Hohl memories,” says Kathy. “If we keep that as a now offer around 50 CSA shares to individuals family started to explore specialty crop key mission statement, we can do that through in their community. “Ideally we would like all options to make up for the lost income that fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and vegetables our CSA members to drive to the farm each had been generated by hogs and cattle. in summer; pumpkins and a corn maze in week, but haven’t convinced them of that the fall; and a Christmas wonderland in the yet,” Adam says. “Our dream would be to retail Finding their passion winter.” Each season is ripe with on-farm everything from our retail barn, that’s why Kathy and Greg’s son Adam had raised pumpkins activities for families to enjoy.