Practical Farmers lists ?Farminar? lineup

Practical Farmers of Iowa will be hosting eight online seminars called Farminars from 7-8:30 p.m. each Tuesday beginning next week through March 13.

Farminars provide an opportunity for farmers to learn from other farmers without having to travel. Any computer with an Internet connection may be used to participate.

Many Farminars will feature a beginning farmer learning from a more experienced farmer. Other Farminars will bring together multiple farm experts to present various perspectives on a topic. Participants log in to view the program live online and ask questions throughout the presentation in real time.

To register and participate, visit www.practicalfarmers.org/farminar. Recordings of 44 previous Farminars also can be viewed at the URL.

The Farminar lineup for January is:

? Tuesday, ?Tax Preparation Training for Farmers.? Farmer Jerry Peckumn and his Certified Public Accountant Leo Brooker, talk about tax preparation basics and how to properly file farm business taxes. Topics covered will be guided by participant questions, but will likely include business deductions, preparing tax documents for farm employees and recordkeeping tips to make tax season less stressful. Peckumn is a row crop and livestock farmer who lives near Jefferson. Brooker of Brooker and Co. in Jefferson has been Peckumn?s tax advisor for the past 25 years.

? Jan. 17, ?Scale and Profit: A Financial Snapshot of Three CSAs Featuring Blue Gate Farm, Fair Share Farm and Grinnell Heritage Farm.? This Farminar is targeted to those currently operating or thinking about starting a Community Supported Agriculture. It will help CSA farmers determine the proper scale for their CSA based on their skill level, farm size and markets. The presenters will cover profit potential, legal structure, goals, vision and more. Blue Gate Farm near Chariton markets certified, naturally grown produce, eggs, homemade crafts, honey and hay. Fair Share Farm in Kearney, Mo., is managed as a Limited Liability Company and grows a wide range of sustainably raised products. Grinnell Heritage Farm, near Grinnell, is owned and managed as a C-Corporation. Their produce and herbs are USDA certified-organic.

? Jan. 24, ?Insect Pest Management in Organic Vegetable Production? with Kate Edwards and Steve Pincus. Participants will learn organic-approved strategies to mitigate the damage caused by flea beetles, cucumber beetles, thrips, European corn borer, cabbage root maggot and aphids. Edwards, an engineer-turned-farmer, is renting a small acreage near Solon, and plotting her growing and business strategies, which include selling through diverse farmer?s market, wholesale markets and CSA markets. Pincus runs Tipi Produce with Beth Kazmar in south-central Wisconsin. In business since 1976, Tipi grows 45 acres of certified-organic vegetables, melons and berries for local wholesale and CSA. They have the background and experience to interpret scientific information for on-farm use.

? Jan. 31, ?Profitable Record-keeping: Simple Strategies for Keeping Better Records? with Joel Winnes and Ryan Herman.Designed with farm profitability in mind, this Farminar will focus on how to track expenses and income, and collect data that can help farmers make informed business decisions. Winnes is a beginning dairy farmer in northeast Iowa. Herman is a grazier on a beef farm in northeast Iowa. The Hermans have not raised hay since 2005, relying instead on stockpiled pasture and purchased hay.