| News Release
For Immediate Release
September 12, 2008
Contact: Sally Worley, Practical Farmers of Iowa, (515)232-5661, sally@practicalfarmers.org
Dan Specht, (563)873-3873, danspech@netins.net
Tour a Diversified Farm at Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Day
McGregor—Dan Specht is hosting a Practical Farmers of Iowa field day at his farm near McGregor at 1:00 on Wednesday, September 24. A light meal will follow the field day. The tour will explore the diversified system Dan has created on his farm.
Topics of the field day include: fall calving beef cows, grass-finishing organically, retaining a hog operation, breeding corn for sustainable agriculture, and wildlife monitoring.
Dan Specht: “Iowa's economy and ecology are at risk when we place all our eggs into the corn/soy basket. Diversifying into a system based on perennial pastures allows me to obtain all my N fertilizer for free from pasture legumes and recycled manure.”
Dan Specht farms 700 acres of land that is a mix of forest, permanent pasture and row crops. He grows corn, hay and small grains. Dan’s emphasis is on grazing, including grazing cropland. He markets about 150 head of cattle annually to the Organic Grass-fed Beef Coalition. He also has a small hog operation, and markets those hogs through Organic Valley.
This field day is free, and everybody is welcome.
Sustaining sponsors for Practical Farmers of Iowa Field Days are the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Iowa State University Extension, Iowa Pork Producers Association, American Natural Soy, Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Midwest Organic Services Association, Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture, and the CROPP Cooperative of Organic Valley/ Organic Prairie Family of Farms. Major sponsors for the Field Days are Wheatsfield Cooperative Natural Foods Grocery, Hubbard Feeds, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Iowa Forage and Grasslands Council, King Corn and Mosaic Films, and the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education.
PFI is a non-profit sustainable agriculture group dedicated to farming that is profitable, environmentally sound, and healthy for consumers and communities. Founded in 1985, PFI has over 700 farmer and non-farmer members throughout Iowa. For more information, call (515)232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org. # # # |
