Women farmland owners near Iowa City invited to soil health conservaton meeting

Women who live in Iowa and own, co-own or manage farmland are invited to a conservation discussion focused on improving soil health on Wednesday, May 1 at the beautiful Ned Ashton House, 820 Park Road, Iowa City. Two meetings are scheduled. Coffee and registration begin at 8:30 a.m. for the morning session, which ends with lunch at noon. The second meeting will begin promptly at noon with lunch and end by 3, with optional informal networking afterward.

Women non-operator owners who own more than 40 acres, may have recently inherited farmland, or are feeling overwhelmed with all the decisions of farmland management will find this event especially helpful. This is a beginning level informational meeting; no prior knowledge is required. The program, sponsored by Women, Food and Agriculture Network, the Cities of Coralville, Iowa City and North Liberty, and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is called Women Caring for the LandSM.

Maintaining healthy soil is the key to productivity and environmental health for our farmland. Nearly half the farmland in Iowa is currently owned or co-owned by women. Women landowners who attend this meeting will learn to assess and improve the health of their soil. The informal atmosphere allows discussion with women conservation professionals who can help with landowners' management goals. Current practices of farming are changing rapidly. Some common practices are harming the land and water, and there are more options available to you than in the past. Conservation practices have been modified or replaced with more holistic options that not only improve soil conditions and other natural resources, but also positively impact rural communities. There is no obligation to pursue any new management style; just come and visit with us.

Space is limited (sorry, no walk-ins). A $10 fee helps defray the cost of lunch. Register at wfan.org/wcl-urban or contact carol@wfan.org or 641-430-2540 by 4 p.m. Monday, April 29th.

This meeting is made possible with funding from a Conservation Innovation Grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The USDA is an Equal Opportunity Provider, Employer, Lender. If you need special accommodation to participate, please contact Carol at the information above.

Women, Food and Agriculture Network is a non-profit, educational organization formed in 1997 to provide networking, information and leadership development opportunities to women involved in all aspects of sustainable agriculture. Learn more at www.wfan.org, or by calling 515-460-2477.