New Farm Simulation Program Premieres at July 2 Field Day

Video games let you build your own city, and a new Internet-based simulation program under development at Iowa State University lets you build your own farm. I-FARM, a database-driven farming systems simulation model, will be demonstrated July 2 in Harlan. The model will be featured as an afternoon activity during a Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) Integrated Crops and Livestock Field Day. The model is part of a three-state, USDA-funded project designed to create farming systems in which animals and crops are raised together rather than in separate operations. The University of Maine and Michigan State University are developing other systems. Farm modeling programs are not new, says I-FARM developer Ed van Ouwerkerk, an integrated agricultural systems specialist in Iowa State’s agricultural and biosystems engineering department who’s working with the Iowa group. "Many of the existing simulation programs are just for crop or livestock operations," he said. "They do not at look how they can work together in one system to reduce external inputs, conserve resources and tighten nutrient cycles to maximize efficiency." The model has weather and soils data for 12 Midwestern states, along with data for a range of crops and crop rotations as well as associated practices such as tillage, fertilization, planting, weed control, harvesting and residue removal. Swine and cattle production are modeled, based on feed intake, growth rate, grazing or confinement operations and manure management systems. Users can select options that fit their farm or interests. Detailed information about soil erosion, the farm’s energy and labor requirements, what’s produced in terms of crops, livestock, manure to be used as fertilizer, and residue that could be harvested for its biomass can be shown through the simulation. I-FARM results also can be used in other models related to water or air quality. Up to 20 people can simultaneously use I-FARM software, which runs from a Web site. To access I-FARM, go online. The July 2 field day will begin with a 9:30 a.m. pasture walk at the Russ and Phyllis Brandes farm, an integrated operation near Hancock at 37885 Mahogany Road. A noon lunch will feature a discussion about the economic rewards for integrated farming such as value-added specialty markets. The I-FARM demonstration will begin at 2:30 p.m. at the Shelby County Health System offices, 1213 Garfield Ave. Reservations are required and can be made by calling Rick Exner, (515) 294-5486. The development team is looking for real-life data and experiences for the I-FARM model. The PFI field day is sponsored in cooperation with the Iowa Forage and Grasslands Council, the USDA National Soil Tilth Laboratory and Shelby County Extension. Iowa partners in the integrated farming project are the Departments of Agronomy, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Economics, English and Animal Science at ISU; North Central Regional Center for Rural Development; Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; National Soil Tilth Laboratory; and Practical Farmers of Iowa. The project, Re-Integrating Crop and Livestock Enterprises in Three Northern States, is funded by the USDA/CSREES Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems.