Sarah Carlson

Co-Lead, Cover Crop Working Group 

Sarah Carlson joined the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) staff in the fall of 2007 and serves as the Strategic Initiatives Director. She helps transfer agronomic research about cover crops and small grains through supply chain projects, articles, blogs, and presentation materials, while working to improve the support for cover crop and small grains research.

Carlson also serves as an agronomist on the staff, transferring ideas for solutions to integrated crop and livestock concerns. Her work includes sharing farmers’ stories, results from on-farm research projects, and her own knowledge as a trained agronomist.

Carlson co-majored in Biology and Geography at Augustana College in the Quad Cities, graduating in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree. Following graduation, Carlson joined the Peace Corps as an Agricultural Business and Ag Extension volunteer. She lived in the southern highlands of Ecuador in South America for 2 1/2 years. Carlson returned to the Midwest in 2004 and began her master’s program, co-majoring in Sustainable Agriculture and Crop Production/Physiology in Iowa State University’s Agronomy department. She graduated in 2008 with a master’s degree.