AMES, Iowa — An Aug. 1 field day at the Armstrong Research and Demonstration Farm near Lewis includes topics of interest to crop producers in southwest Iowa.
The field day will begin at 5 p.m. with a light supper provided by the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development, the owner of the farm. It is open to the public at no cost.
Tours will begin after supper and include four stops:
• a demonstration of the new weather station by Elwynn Taylor, agronomy professor, including how it will measure soil moisture with the data accessible to producers through a web-based system;
• an update of an energy project at the farm to monitor equipment fuel usage and corn drying costs by Mark Hanna, agricultural and biosystems engineering professor;
• an evaluation of corn development related to various planting dates by Aaron Saeugling, an extension crops field specialist;
• an update on a trial of nine cover crops by Ajay Nair, horticulture assistant professor
The Armstrong farm contains livestock and those visiting it are asked to take a few precautions: change clothing and footwear after being at another livestock operation; and refrain from bringing any food items to the farm. Those who have recently returned from a trip abroad are asked to wait five days before visiting the farm. If you have any questions about the precautions, call the Research and Demonstration Farms office at (515) 294-5045.
The farm is located at 53020 Hitchcock Ave., Lewis, 12 miles southwest of Atlantic on Highway 6, half a mile south on 525th Street, and a half mile east on Hitchcock Avenue; or 13 miles east of Oakland on Highway 6, half a mile south on 525th Street, and half a mile east on Hitchcock Avenue.