Yearly Archives: 2020

Landowners! Sign Up for Sundog TODAY

Landowners can learn how vegetables and livestock work together in a farm system at SILT's Showcase Day Sept. 2 at 1 pm hosted by Sundog Farm in Solon. You'll learn how to preserve your farm and what you'll learn from a free land consultation with SILT. Register HERE to get the link. This free event is designed to illustrate many crops in SILT's new Landowners Guide to Sustainable Food Crops. If you've inherited land in Iowa or are thinking about growing something new, this book and field day are for you!

2020-08-15T12:52:33-05:00August 15th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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SILT Named in Food Tank’s Top 20

SILT was recognized this month as one of the 20 organizations in the world preserving farmland for the future. The internationally-renowned Food Tank published the list in late July 2020. See the article here. SILT is in the highly-esteemed company of the American Farmland Trust (also a member of the Chipotle Aluminaries Cohort with SILT), the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, Friends of the Earth International and many other grassroots organizations around the world.

2020-09-20T13:07:57-05:00August 7th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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$500 Fresh Food Drawing!

THIS DRAWING HAS ENDED. WE'LL BE ANNOUNCING THE WINNER SOON! Money is tight, businesses are struggling and fresh, natural food is feeling the love. So what better than a free drawing that will feed a family AND support a business that sources its food locally? Enter to win a $500 gift certificate to a participating retailer listed below and get fresh, natural food for the rest of the year! (Missing one? Have them contact us.) Ames Wheatsfield Co-op Cedar Rapids Cobble Hill Cedar Rapids, Coralville and Iowa City New Pioneer Co-op Cedar Rapids Rodina Clive Table 128 Council [...]

2022-08-23T13:15:21-05:00July 15th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Watch the Showcase Day at small frye farm

Susan Frye, owner of small frye farm, hosted SILT's first virtual Showcase Day in late June, 2020. The video starts with beautiful scenes from her professional flower gardens, historic buildings and perennial herbs on her century farm near Walcott. Next are brief presentations by SILT Farm Specialist Joe Klingelhutz on his free consultations and Executive Director Suzan Erem on how to protect your farm. NRCS's Lydia Whitman emcees. Special thanks to the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Women Land and Legacy for collaborating on this event. Contact Joe today for a free consultation about what your land wants to [...]

2020-07-06T20:41:31-05:00July 6th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Recorded Live Chats During Covid-19

We miss you! Since we can't meet in person for now, members of the SILT family are offering 30-minute chats of what they do and know! We invite you to be a part of the solution here in Iowa. Please consider a donation that reflects what you think it's worth to keep SILT's work going! Thank you! https://youtu.be/jju1z3pPAzI https://www.facebook.com/sustainableiowalandtrust/videos/298405174743364/ Stay til the end and see Joe stick his hand into a swarm of bees! Will Laurentzen of Jupiter Ridge Farm talks shiitake mushrooms Part I Part II Part III SILT Farm Specialist [...]

2020-08-07T11:36:45-05:00June 5th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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What do Equity and Inclusion Look Like?

This was the (corrected) lead story in SILT's June 2020 Update which can be read in full here. Land ownership has always been the measure and power of the wealthiest people in our country. America was built on land speculation. In 1773, "Two land companies had been created to speculate in the West...the Ohio Company of Associates, which proposed to purchase 500,000 acres beyond the Ohio River; and the Loyal Land Company, organized by Peter Jefferson...which aimed publicly at buying 800,000 acres of Kentucky but privately had ambitions of exploring and acquiring millions more..." George Washington was a surveyor, and [...]

2020-06-08T16:26:13-05:00June 3rd, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Now is Our Time

April 2020We hope you and yours are staying safe. We thank the healthcare, service and manufacturing workers who go out into this dangerous world every day, risking their lives to keep us home and fed. And we mourn those we've lost to this insidious virus and our overburdened healthcare system. Now is our time to rise above our fear and be the people we aspire to be. For me, that means generous, grateful and motivated to build a better world. Keeping SILT going strong is how I do it, because I know this work is a permanent solution that will outlive every crisis [...]

2020-04-22T20:57:27-05:00April 22nd, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Notice to Supporters re: COVID-19

March 17, 2020 Early last week, we began taking precautions at SILT to protect our staff, landowners and supporters from the spread of COVID-19. Staff are working from home. Board and committee meetings are done by video. Events are postponed. We hope everyone will follow the CDC recommendations so we can get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible. But thankfully, our work protecting land can and will continue. Farm Specialist Joe Klingelhutz uses social distancing and clean hands on his land walks. Besides, a walk outside is just what the doctors order! Iowa landowners can contact him anytime to make [...]

2020-03-27T12:21:52-05:00March 17th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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Michael Dugan to Play SILTFest Iowa City!

EVENT CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 OUTBREAK. Young acoustic artist Michael Dugan to Debut at SILTFest Iowa City! Michael Dugan is a singer/songwriter from Fairfield, Iowa. Known for his melodically intricate music coupled with poetic lyricism focusing on the introspective, Michael’s songwriting highlights the subtle inspiration ever-present in day to day living on the Iowa country side. 5 years since returning to Fairfield, he’s performed with countless bands including Dagmar, Captain Ascender, Cubits, Geodes, and recently launched his solo project. Come hear Michael and catch up on the latest from SILT in Eastern Iowa! Get ready for door prizes and [...]

2020-03-27T12:26:09-05:00March 4th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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What Iowa’s Land Use Says About Our Values

The week before the Iowa Caucuses of 2020, Dave Murphy of Food Democracy Now invited SILT Executive Director Suzan Erem to speak at a summit called Farmers, Soil and Climate in Des Moines. Other speakers included George Naylor, John Whitaker, Francis Thicke and other Iowa greats with the keynote coming from bestselling author Frances Moore Lappe. Every candidate had a spokesperson at the event.

2020-02-16T15:29:19-06:00February 16th, 2020|News|0 Comments
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