In September of 2022 I began my current role as Extension Field Agronomist for Northwest Iowa. These past months have been a whirlwind – in the best way. The fall season was filled with trying to understand my new role, but also brought many combine rides and meeting producers in my counties.
With the help of my colleagues across the state and local extension staff, we held many meetings and learning opportunities throughout the winter season. We held Crop Advantage Series at 12 locations across the state. This is an opportunity for producers to learn from campus extension specialists about all their current research and findings. We also held Planter University, which is a clinic where producers learn about maintenance on their planters, and things to remember when it’s time to put the seed in the ground. In addition to these clinics, we held private pesticide applicator trainings. I held 25 trainings across my 9 counties. Farmers and applicators take yearly trainings to be certified to apply chemicals to their fields. At these meetings, we go over how to apply chemicals correctly so the farmer and the public can stay safe.
I began this spring season by pulling soil moisture samples. This information is critical for producers across Northwest Iowa, but state climatologist also rely on this data for studying weather patterns. In summary, Northwest Iowa is below average for soil moisture, and we will be relying heavily on in-season precipitation for the 20+ inches of rain we need to grow the crop.
I am busy planning summer programming for producers. Right now, that consists of research farm field days, youth field days, and one program that I am very excited about, Agronomy in the Field. This is a program that is designed for women interested in agronomy. All women are welcome no matter your current involvement in agriculture. Landowners, women who farm, retail agronomist and more are all welcome to these 5 hands-on learning sessions that I will be holding from May to September at the Iowa State University Northwest Research farm near Sutherland. At these sessions we will be talking about both corn and soybean germination, staging, insects, and diseases. We will also get the chance to hear from speakers on topics like organic farming, conservation, and marketing grain. If you or someone you know would be interested in this event, please reach out to the ISU Extension and Outreach O’Brien County office at 712-957-5045 to sign up!
The summer season always seems to fly by, and before I know it, I will be back in the combine with producers. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me in this position. If you are located in Lyon, Sioux, Plymouth, Woodbury, Monona, Osceola, O’Brien, Cherokee or Ida counties, I would love to hear from you and learn more about your operation!