Friday, September 18, 2026 with ISU Football and Tailgate on Saturday, September 19
Join Iowa extension council members in Ames for an incredible day of learning, networking, and exploration at Iowa State University.
- Experience exclusive tours.
- Meet the dedicated individuals who bring the university's resources to your community.
- Witness the groundbreaking research that drives the extension programs in your county.
- Connect with fellow council members, campus extension staff and administrators.
- Get the inside scoop from County Services and 4-H with keynote addresses from Assistant Vice President for County Services Andrea Welchans and Iowa 4-H Program Leader Mitch Hoyer.
- Stay another day for the ISU vs. Bowling Green football game and ISU Extension and Outreach tailgate.
The registration fee for council members is just $25 and is reimbursable as professional development by your county. Council members may register a spouse or guest to join them for $45. Staff are welcome to attend at the $45 guest rate if they accompany their council members. Football tickets are available for an additional fee (see more below).
Space is limited to 30 people per tour track. Register by September 16 to save your spot. Our group football tickets for Saturday, September 19 have already been purchased, but you are still welcome to register to attend the tailgate for extension council members and their guests. For information about purchasing tickets on your own, visit ISU Athletics.
I enjoyed all of my day. I am a first time extension council member, this tour really enabled me to see more of the partnership with ISU.
Schedule
Friday, September 18, 2026
9:00 a.m. Registration & Refreshments, Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab
9:45 Welcome: IECA President Ann Leonard
- Morning Keynote: Assistant Vice President for County Services Andrea Welchans
10:15 Kickoff Tour: Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab
11:00 Tour Stop 1
12:15 p.m. Lunch at ISU Student Innovation Center
- Luncheon Keynote: Iowa 4-H Program Leader Mitch Hoyer
1:25 Tour Stop 2
2:40 Tour Stop 3
3:45 Return to Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab, ISU Creamery break, and adjourn
Saturday, September 19, 2026
9:00 - 10:30 a.m. ISU Extension and Outreach breakfast tailgate hosted by Vice President for Extension and Outreach Jason Henderson
11:00 ISU Football vs. Bowling Green kickoff (additional ticket purchase required at registration)
Tour Track A
Closed-toe shoes are recommended for safety during hands-on activities. Participants should be prepared for light movement and active engagement.
Stop 1 - ISU Campus Greenhouses
Stop 1 - ISU Campus Greenhouses
ISU has an amazing collection of greenhouses right in the middle of central campus. Learn about the research and teaching that occurs in the greenhouses and how the ISU Horticulture Department connects with counties through programs.
Stop 2 - Mission Moon: Hands-On STEM Experience
Stop 2 - Mission Moon: Hands-On STEM Experience
Mission Moon offers an interactive, NASA-inspired STEM experience where participants engage in hands-on activities that simulate real-world space exploration challenges. Attendees will explore engineering design through drone flight, rover operations, and habitat prototyping while learning about lunar science and mission planning. The tour highlights how these activities build problem-solving, teamwork, and innovation skills aligned with future aerospace careers. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how STEM connects to NASA’s Artemis missions and emerging space technologies.
Stop 3 - Navigating Disaster Recovery Together
Stop 3 - Navigating Disaster Recovery Together
When disaster strikes, ISU Extension and Outreach works with local partners connecting people, information, and resources. A guided scenario exercise will show how to navigate evolving information and identify Extension's role in supporting community recovery. Explore the challenges of coordination, communication, and of building shared understanding across agencies and community groups. The session is designed to deepen understanding of recovery realities while strengthening collaboration and community resilience.
Tour Track B
Closed-toe shoes and long pants are required for safety. Hard hats and eyewear will be provided.
Stop 1 - High Voltage Horticulture: Co-existence of solar and horticultural crop production
Stop 1 - High Voltage Horticulture: Co-existence of solar and horticultural crop production
Participants will tour the Alliant Energy Solar Farm at Iowa State University and learn how vegetable and fruit crops can be successfully produced within a solar farm. The tour will highlight ongoing research on crop performance, management practices, and the opportunities agrivoltaics creates for combining renewable energy generation with agricultural production. Participants will also learn about honey production in an agrivoltaics setting, including how pollinator-friendly plantings and beekeeping can contribute to both ecosystem health and farm diversification.
Stop 2 - Taste of Cyclone Kitchen
Stop 2 - Taste of Cyclone Kitchen
In late 2025, Health and Human Sciences Extension and Outreach launched an exciting new food and health opportunity for Iowans, Cyclone Kitchen! This fresh, fun program is all about cooking, learning interesting food facts, and connecting with others. You’ll get a taste of what the program is all about! We’ll explore the key ideas behind Cyclone Kitchen and dive into some hands-on activities that are sure to spark your curiosity (and your appetite).
Stop 3 - AI in Action with Iowa 4-H
Stop 3 - AI in Action with Iowa 4-H
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing how we live, work, and learn, and Iowa 4-H is helping youth and educators prepare for the future. During this interactive session, participants will explore hands-on AI activities currently being used across Iowa, learn about Iowa 4-H's nationally recognized AI initiatives, and discover how youth are applying AI to solve real-world challenges in agriculture, health, and beyond. Attendees will experience several AI learning activities firsthand and leave with a better understanding of both the opportunities and challenges of emerging technologies.
Tour Track C
Closed toe shoes are required for this tour. Long pants are preferred.
Stop 1: The Epicenter of AgTech: Iowa's Precision Ag Impact
Stop 1: The Epicenter of AgTech: Iowa's Precision Ag Impact
While precision agriculture feels like a modern frontier of innovation, filled with buzz around advanced sensors, AI integration, and spray drones, its roots trace back to groundbreaking breakthroughs in 1992 and the early 2000s. Since those first milestones, the industry has seen exponential growth. Today, Iowa State University's Digital Ag Innovation Lab is pushing the needle forward every day. Discover how we are redefining what is possible in precision agriculture and generating vital impacts at the state, national, and international levels.
Stop 2: Makerspaces in the Student Innovation Center
Stop 2: Makerspaces in the Student Innovation Center
Explore the Student Innovation Center, one of the newest buildings on the ISU campus. The tour will focus on makerspaces, which are collaborative spaces free and open to all ISU students, faculty, and staff, providing tools and technology to prototype and fabricate projects. Hands-on activities will demonstrate how makerspaces have been used in Extension and Outreach programming, specifically with Iowa 4-H members on campus.
Stop 3 - Growing Rural Iowa Through Food Innovation
Stop 3 - Growing Rural Iowa Through Food Innovation
Come learn more about Extension's efforts to help rural Iowa using food. The Food Innovation and Business Hub is a new initiative to serve entrepreneurs through business coaching, lab analysis and food safety support. This session will include a tour of the lab space and production spaces for ISU wine and beer - and maybe even some samples.
ISU Football Game & Tailgate
New this year! County extension council members and their guests are invited attend the ISU vs. Bowling Green football game on Saturday, September 19 at 11:00 a.m. Vice President Jason Henderson will host a breakfast tailgate prior to the game 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. near the stadium. Football tickets are no longer available for purchase in conjunction with Extension Council Day on Campus registration, however, you may purchase tickets on your own, and still participate in the tailgate. The football game is optional, and you need not attend Extension Council Day on Campus to attend the Tailgate – Saturday’s football festivities are open to all!
If you do plan to attend the tailgate, please use the registration form to RSVP to ensure we have plenty of breakfast food for everyone.
Details for Attendees
Friday, September 18
Extension Council Day on Campus
Driving in
From Hwy 30, take the University Ave. exit (Exit 146). Go south University Ave. through two roundabouts. We will gather at the Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab, 3800 University, Ames. It will be on the east side of the road shortly after the second roundabout.
Parking
Free parking will be in the Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab parking lot. You will be able to leave your vehicle in this lot the entire day.
Registration
Enter the main doors of the Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab building and check in at the registration table. Registration is available 9:00-9:45 a.m. The program begins promptly at 9:45. Our day begins and ends at the Alliant Energy Ag Innovation Lab; we’ll wrap up at 3:45pm.
Food
Morning refreshments will be available at the Digital Ag Innovation Center when you arrive. Lunch will be a buffet catered by Hickory Park Restaurant. And we’ll cap off the day with ice cream from the ISU Creamery that you can take with you on the road. If you indicated a special dietary need, that will be accommodated.
Attire
Dress comfortably with closed-toed walking shoes. Note the required attire for the different tours. Please plan to dress appropriately for your tour.
- Tour A requires closed-toe shoes
- Tour B requires both closed-toe shoes and long pants
- Tour C requires closed-toe shoes and prefers long pants
An extension council or Iowa State shirt would be appropriate, but not necessary. We want you to be comfortable.
What to Bring
- Water bottle (if you’d like to carry it). There are lots of places to refill in campus buildings. There will also be bottled water available on the buses.
- Umbrella or raincoat (depending on the weather)
- An attitude to learn!
You may prefer to travel light because you’ll have to carry what you bring with you. We promise we won’t give you any handouts that you have to carry!
Transportation for Tours
All tours will be transported to each location via charter bus. Each bus will be labeled with Tour A, B, or C and be led by a tour guide. The buses are not handicapped accessible. Please let Jennifer Vit (jvit@iastate.edu, 515-291-9186) know as soon as possible if that may be an issue for you so we can make alternate arrangements if needed. Tour A will walk from Tour A1 to lunch and will walk from lunch to Tour A2.
Timeliness
In order to pack in as much as possible into our day, our schedule will be tight. We will have a tour guide with you to help keep time and move your group as effectively as possible from location to location. If you have trouble arriving by our 9:45 a.m. start, please call or text me (Jennifer at 515-291-9186) so we can arrange to get you to your tour location.
Lodging
Visit the Discover Ames website for lodging options within Ames.
Saturday, September 19
ISU vs. Bowling Green Football Game
Tailgate Time
The Extension Council Tailgate will run from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. It is a come and go event, so come when you can and stay as long as you’d like.
Tailgate Location
The Extension Council Tailgate will be on the south side of the stadium, near the intersection of SE 16th Street and University Blvd (near Parking Lot S3). Look for an official red and gold tent with an Extension Council Day on Campus banner. Vice President Jason Henderson will be there, as well as Assistant Vice President for County Services Andrea Welchans.
Guests
You are welcome to bring along your family and friends to the tailgate. There is no additional cost for them to attend.
Food & Drink
Breakfast fare will be provided and the official Iowa State University beer and wine (made on campus) will be featured. Non-alcohol drinks will also be available. You may also purchase additional drinks beyond your provided tickets at the cash bar. Drink tickets will be distributed when checking into the tailgate. If you indicated a special dietary need, that will be accommodated.
Kickoff
Kickoff for the ISU vs. Bowling Green game is at 11:00 a.m. We encourage you to make your way to Jack Trice Stadium prior to kickoff.
Parking
Parking passes may be purchased through Ticketmaster up until noon on the Friday before the game, or until sold out. The grass car parking along SE 16th St., near Vet Med is likely the closest, most affordable paid parking. Free parking is also available in many campus lots. CyRide is running service on game day. Please view the Iowa State Athletics Football Parking and Tailgating page for information about parking, including parking maps.
Tickets
If you are attending Friday’s Extension Council Day on Campus, you will receive your tickets at registration. If you are only attend the Saturday football game, please come to the tailgate tent between 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. to receive your tickets.
General Game Day Information
Please visit the ISU Athletics Gameday Information page for details about their clear bag policy, prohibited items, water bottles, cashless payment, and other information to help you prepare for the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The registration fee for council members to attend the Extension Council Day on Campus is just $25. Council members may register a spouse or guest to join them for $45. Staff may also register at the $45 guest rate if bringing a council member(s) with them. There’s no cost to attend the football tailgate, and football tickets are available for purchase for $55 each.
Can county professional development dollars be used to pay for council member registration?
Yes, but only for the September 18 Extension Council Day on Campus. Council members may be reimbursed if they register individually or the registration may be charged to the county UBill (please ask your regional or county director for assistance with this). Football tickets are not reimbursable and are the responsibility of the extension council or staff member attending. After registering, you will be sent a separate link via email to pay for football tickets. Tickets must be paid in full prior to the event.
May I bring my spouse or another guest?
Yes. They must pay their own registration fee of $45 for the Extension Council Day on Campus tours (not reimbursable by county extension funds). You may also bring additional guests to the football game and tailgate on Saturday.
Can I attend just the day of tours or just the football game?
Yes. You will be able to select the event days of your choice on the registration form.
Can staff register to attend?
County or ISU staff can register to attend the tour day at the guest rate if bringing an extension council member from their county. The target audience is council members, but staff are welcome to attend with their council member(s). Any council or staff member may join the football tailgate or purchase football game tickets.
I have limited mobility. How accessible are the tour stops?
Several of the tours will require walking and the ability to stand for a period of time. Please connect with IECA Executive Director Jennifer Vit (515-291-9186) for specific questions related to mobility issues for the different tour stops and accommodation needs.
Why is the Extension Council Day on Campus on a weekday?
In order to see behind the scenes, it is necessary to hold the event when campus facilities are open and employees are available.
How can regional and county directors support council members in attending the Extension Council Day on Campus?
Communicate this opportunity to councils at their upcoming meetings highlighting the opportunity to learn about research happening and how that links to county programming. Download a printable flyer to share at your county extension council meetings.
Support council member registration, travel arrangements, and reimbursement of the cost of the registration for the council member. If your schedule allows, you may offer to provide rides to council members and attend as a staff guest for the day.
Is there a motel that you would recommend?
Because it is a football weekend, we were unable to book a block of rooms for an affordable price. Visit the Discover Ames website for lodging options within Ames. We recommend booking early since it is a football weekend.
Excellent opportunity to learn about the unbiased work that is being done, the passion, the impact to not only Iowa but the country and beyond. Energizing!