- Practical Farmers of Iowa

For Release: April 1, 2015
Celebrate Earth Day with farm tours, composting classes and a community
potluck – April 22, in Lamoni
LAMONI, Iowa — Big Creek Farms, Graceland University and Practical Farmers of Iowa are teaming to celebrate
Earth Day with a range of food-, farm- and soil-centered activities on Wednesday, April 22, from 1-8 p.m., in
Lamoni. Events include farm and high tunnel tours, composting workshops and a community potluck. All tours and
workshops are free and open to anyone.
The afternoon will begin at 1 p.m. at Big Creek Farms (200 E. 10th St. just south of town), a cut flower and produce
farm owned and operated by Chad and Katie Hensley. Attendees will get to tour the farm – which features a 20-by43-foot high tunnel – and discuss their composting challenges and successes. Next, the group will move to
Graceland University for a tour of its high tunnel, led by Jen Abraham-White, sustainability coordinator for the
university. After the tour, attendees can take an in-depth composting class taught by Dr. Hwei-Yiing Li Johnson,
extension specialist with the Lincoln University Composting Program.
At 5 p.m., workshop attendees and the public are invited to a potluck hosted by Practical Farmers of Iowa and Chad
and Katie Hensley at the Lamoni Community Center (108 S. Chestnut St.) Please bring a side dish or dessert to
share; Practical Farmers will provide a main dish and beverages. To help PFI plan for the potluck, RSVPs are
requested. Please contact Lauren Zastrow at (515) 232-5661 or lauren@practicalfarmers.org by Monday, April 20.
At 6 p.m., Dr. Johnson will lead a garden-scale composting class at the community center. All are invited to attend
the evening class or continue visiting at the potluck.
Schedule of Events:
• 1-2:30 p.m. – Farm tour and compost discussion – (Big Creek Farms)
• 2:30-3 p.m. – High tunnel tour – (Graceland University)
• 3-5 p.m. – Composting techniques and uses for farmers – (Graceland University, South Americas Room)
• 5-6 p.m. – Potluck – (Lamoni Community Center)
• 6-8 p.m. – Composting demo focused on garden-scale composting – (Lamoni Community Center)
Directions:
Big Creek Farms: From I-35, take Exit 4 for U.S. 69 toward Lamoni / Davis City and go about 1.5 miles. At the
outskirts of town, turn left (south) on S. Smith Street / County Road R30 and go 1.8 miles; the farm will be on left
(east) side of the road.
Graceland University High Tunnel and South Americas Room: The high tunnel is located on the university’s
campus near the intersection of E. Ackley Street and Smith Street, near the Lamoni Community Bike Trail (parking
along Ackley Street). The South Americas Room is located in the Memorial Student Center, within walking distance
of the high tunnel.
Lamoni Community Center: The center is located on the corner of S. Chestnut Street and Main Street / U.S 69 on
the south side of the road, next to the library.
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Practical Farmers of Iowa
(515) 232-5661; tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org
NEWS RELEASE:
Practical Farmers will host potluck during Earth Day in Lamoni
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Founded in 1985, Practical Farmers of Iowa is an open, supportive and diverse organization of farmers and friends
of farmers that seeks to strengthen farms and communities through farmer-led investigation and informationsharing. Farmers in our network produce corn, soybeans, beef cattle, hay, fruits and vegetables, and more. For
additional information, call (515) 232-5661 or visit www.practicalfarmers.org.
Contact:
Liz Kolbe | Practical Farmers of Iowa | liz@practicalfarmers.org | (515) 232-5661
Tamsyn Jones | Practical Farmers of Iowa | tamsyn@practicalfarmers.org | (515) 232-5661
Chad Hensley | Big Creek Farms | chad.bigcreekfarms@gmail.com | (712) 355-1384
Jennifer Abraham-White | Graceland University | abraham@graceland.edu | (641) 784-5079
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