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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20211103T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20211103T170000
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20221103T202257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221220T223141Z
UID:7670-1635926400-1635958800@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Fishers & Farmers: Connecting landowners for grassroots action
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/ffp-connecting-landowners-for-grassroots-action/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DSC_0530-scaled-e1670567476814.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20211103T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20211103T170000
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20221103T155606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231019T195418Z
UID:7641-1635926400-1635958800@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Video | Watershed Leaders Network
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/video-watershed-leaders-network/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/watershed-video.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210715
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210716
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210718T195619Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T133033Z
UID:5600-1626307200-1626393599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Peno Creek Cooperative Partnership
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-peno-creek-cooperative-partnership/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/DSC_0909.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210715
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210716
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210718T195541Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T133216Z
UID:5596-1626307200-1626393599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Seven Mile Creek Watershed Partnership
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-seven-mile-creek-watershed-partnership/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/New-Movie-3-2.Movie_Snapshot.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210619
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210620
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210623T000006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221210T053346Z
UID:5559-1624060800-1624147199@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Women for the Land + Learning Circles for Women Nonoperating Landowners
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-women-for-the-land-learning-circles-for-women-nonoperating-landowners/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_2085-e1670650413307.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210617
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210618
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210623T142806Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T133450Z
UID:5556-1623888000-1623974399@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Farmers for Tomorrow
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-farmers-for-tomorrow/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/New-Movie-3-2.Movie_Snapshot.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210520
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210521
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210524T191848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230130T161740Z
UID:5518-1621468800-1621555199@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Polk County Iowa SWCD
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-of-the-ground-polk-county-iowa-swcd/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/polk.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210515
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210516
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210518T184857Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221220T223554Z
UID:5511-1621036800-1621123199@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Middle Cedar Partnership Project & Black Hawk Creek Coalition
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-middle-cedar-partnership-project-black-hawk-creek-coalition/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/BioReact-Nick-M-farm-MCPP-scaled-e1670649677445.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210417
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210418
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210419T143426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T133910Z
UID:5459-1618617600-1618703999@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Farmers of Mill Creek & Petenwell Castle Rock Stewards
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-farmers-of-mill-creek-petenwell-castle-rock-stewards/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/mill-creek.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210415
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210416
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210420T162037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T134025Z
UID:5457-1618444800-1618531199@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Shoal Creek Woodlands for Wildlife
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-shoal-creek-woodlands-for-wildlife/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/shoalMovie_Snapshot.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210320
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210321
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210323T152430Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221210T052309Z
UID:5403-1616198400-1616284799@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Clean River Partners
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-clean-river-partners/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cannon-river-photo-2.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210319
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210320
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210323T232025Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221208T195454Z
UID:5407-1616112000-1616198399@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil - Healthy Water
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-dodge-county-farmers-for-healthy-soil-water/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/dodge-county-1.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210220
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210221
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210222T204636Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T134436Z
UID:5366-1613779200-1613865599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Polk County\, Iowa SWCD
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-polk-county-iowa-swcd/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Polk-SWCD-photo-1.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210218
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210219
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210223T124320Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T134535Z
UID:5363-1613606400-1613692799@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Peno Creek Landowner Council
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-peno-creek-landowner-council/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/peno-creek-zoom.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210121
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210122
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210126T221005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221121T070343Z
UID:5335-1611187200-1611273599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Root River Field to Stream Partnership
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-root-river-field-to-stream-partnership/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/river-root.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20210116
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20210117
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20210118T154248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T134819Z
UID:5213-1610755200-1610841599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Jo Daviess County Soil & Water Health Coalition
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-jo-daviess-county-soil-water-health-coalition/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Greg-Thoren-field-day-in-July.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201219
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201220
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20201221T174717Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T134926Z
UID:5209-1608336000-1608422399@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Neighbor to Neighbor | Tainter Creek Farmer-Led Watershed Council
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/neighbor-to-neighbor-tainter-creek-farmer-led-watershed-council/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Derek-Petersheim-with-Karl-Dallefeld-Prairie-Creek-Seed-at-the-Petersheim-Farm.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201217
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201218
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20201222T131859Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221117T135421Z
UID:5216-1608163200-1608249599@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Clean River Partners
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-cannon-river-watershed-partnership/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cannon-river-zoom.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201120
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20201124T031150Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221220T223637Z
UID:5172-1605744000-1605830399@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Boots on the Ground | Black Hawk Creek Water & Soil Coalition
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/boots-on-the-ground-black-hawk-creek/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hawks-creek.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20201019
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20201020
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20201124T032256Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221213T165800Z
UID:5183-1603065600-1603151999@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:RFD TV interview | Fishers & Farmers combines sustainable farming & stream management
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/rfd-tv-fishers-farmers-combining-sustainable-farming-proper-water-managment/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-2020-11-09-150310.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20180806
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20180808
DTSTAMP:20260411T161154
CREATED:20220922T213312Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T181350Z
UID:6232-1533513600-1533686399@fishersandfarmers.org
SUMMARY:Hannibal\, Missouri
DESCRIPTION:More than 150 people attended the 2015 Indian Creek summer field tour. Here\, a crowd gathers around a soil pit to learn from Roger Windhorn\, Illinois NRCS.\n												\n					\n	\n\n	\n\n\n\n	\n\n\n			\n	\n	\n		\n	Five years after a local steering committee met in Indian Creek watershed for the first time\, more than 50% of farmland in the basin was in conservation practice.\nInterest in best practices and stream health was high\, and community-driven outreach had transformed the way nutrients were used on local farmland. \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Strong local leadership\n“Before any work on this project began\, a diverse local steering committee was assembled\,” says Chad Watts\, project director. “Farmers\, crop consultants\, ag retailers\, local conservation staff\, bankers\, and other citizens stepped up. From the start they had real decision-making power\, and they’ve used it to make things happen.” \nThe project started after Watts’ organization\, Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) received funding from Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to discover how conservation practices on 50% of farmland in an agricultural watershed would affect water quality. \n“We amassed partners\, then sat down to choose a watershed\,” says Watts. “Our criteria were clear: 1) documented need or problem; 2) manageable size; and 3) a strong local partner. Indian Creek and Livingston County rose to the top\, largely due to strong leadership at Livingston County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD). \nPersonal invitations\nOutreach was a top priority. CTIC drew on existing relationships to bring in conservation and farm business partners who shared practices\, products\, and expertise. Livingston SWCD secured Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative cost share dollars. The SWCD sent letters and made calls to every farmer in the watershed and Terry Bachtold\, director\, visited all 104 farmers to invite participation. \n“Terry’s not a technology guy\,” says Watts. “He gets in the car and goes to talk to people. He connects with them and people trust him. He’s been around a long time.” \nTerry’s personal approach defined the steering committee. “I hand picked them\,” says Bachtold. “I asked farmers I knew\, farmers we’ve worked with in the past\, farmers respected by neighbors. Everyone was invited to participate\, but the core group of five to eight people had to bond and become close to make it work.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Terry Bachtold made personal invitations to Livingston County landowners\, asking them to participate. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources\, goals\nAgronomists\, crop advisors\, and ag retailers are important members of the core group. “They bring expertise to bear\,” says Watts\, “and a lot of ideas. Farmers pay their local retailers to give them advice. They’re trusted people. They jumped right in\, and they’re all on board.” \n“(Participating) allows me as a retailer to sit down with a farmer and not just say\, ‘This is the regulation’\,” says Mike Trainor\, Trainor Grain and Supply\, “but to say\, ‘This is what we’re doing on farms.’” \nLearning and action on the land included 23 demonstrations in the first three years. Cover crops\, nitrogen application\, and controlled drainage were the focus. Most demonstrations consisted of 20+ acre blocks of trials showing conservation technologies\, nutrient application methods\, nutrient formulations\, or application timings. Winter meetings were held. Summer field tours the first two years drew more than 400 people. Water quality is monitored at watershed outflow for nitrate/nitrite\, phosphorous\, and total suspended solids. \n“It’s honest. it’s open. It’s almost us teaching us\, rather than somebody coming in and saying ‘I’m teaching you\,’” says Watts. “Landowners are looking for ways to improve efficiencies. They know their farms and soil. They know the gaps. They enjoy being a good example\, and many are now spokesmen for the practices and the project.” \nParticipants emphasize that while many things make the project successful\, one important reason is that people like each other. “They have a good time getting together and talking about issues\,” says Watts. “There are some real progressive people on the steering committee and they’re always bouncing ideas off one another. They’re open.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	\n				\n					\n		Regular planning meetings\, field days\, conversation and mentoring normalized new habits. | Photo: CTIC\n	\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	Shared resources are also important. “The SWCD didn’t have to bring everything to the table. CTIC didn’t have to bring everything to the table. We’ve got this multi-layered sort of approach\,” says Watts. “Everybody contributes something and we can all go home knowing we’ve done good things.” \nNorman Harms\, participating farmer\, says\, “Give it a try and get started\, and try not to get too discouraged if you get too many no’s. It kind of builds on itself once you get going.” \n\n	\n\n\n	\n		\n	— Story by Nancy North \nFishers & Farmers Partnership for the Upper Mississippi River Basin supports collaborative\, local\, farmer-driven work for healthy streams\, farms and fish habitat. For more than a decade we have provided funds to projects in Iowa\, Illinois\, Minnesota\, Missouri and Wisconsin\, as well as connection and leadership development for local teams\, including this Iowa project. Learn about Fishers & Farmers Partnership funding and apply here.
URL:https://fishersandfarmers.org/event/hannibal-missouri/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://fishersandfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/hannibal-mo.webp
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