IOA Field Day: Organic Seed Trials & Production

IOA Field Day: Organic Seed Trials & Production

Join hosts Bob and Sara Pearson at Prairie Sky Farm, which has been in Sara’s family since 1889. The Pearson’s raise soybeans, corn, oats, buckwheat, rye, vetch, alfalfa and grass hay on 240 acres, and they have continued to expand their operation by adding another 200 acres that are in their first year of organic transition. They also steward soybean and small-grain seed production fields, and conduct on-farm organic soybean and corn yield trials for Albert Lea Seed House.

Since 2014, the Pearson’s have worked together developing a certified organic farm that prioritizes soil conservation and soil health using a diverse crop rotation, cover crops and reduced fall tillage. At the field day, Sara and Bob will discuss their organic field crop rotation; show some of the equipment they use in their organic operation; and highlight conservation practices they use, prairie plantings, grassed waterways, and field borders for buffer management that all contribute to building soil health and sequestering vital carbon in the soil.

We will tour the farm to see first-hand how the seed purification and development process is managed, starting with the various research plots that are monitored throughout the growing season used to assess plant characteristics of the different seed types (i.e. flower color, pod color, pubescence, maturation).  From there, participants will visit the next stage of the process, the 2-3-acre production plots used to grow the seeds sold to ALOS customers. The field day will conclude with a farm-to-table lunch.

As domestic demand for organic continues to outpace production, and solutions are sought to address global climate concerns; organic production offers farmers a viable market for organic crop production, enhanced on-farm assets and solutions to address some of our climate challenges.

Field Day Registration Options:

1. Attend the field day (FREE) – register
2. Attend the field day and join us for a farm-to-table LUNCH – Please register HERE
   • ($10/member and $25 non-member)