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AMES, IA – A one-day Drainage Research Forum will bring experts from the upper Midwest t
A study published by the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University presents findings from INRC-supported research on the views of landowners and farmers regarding edge-of-field conservation practices and the barriers to scaling up these practices to significantly reduce nutrient loss. Using two rounds of survey responses among over 1,000 landowners and farmers residing in five watersheds in Iowa, conducted in summer 2022 and 2023, this study provides informative updates for EOF practices on current adoption rates and adoption willingness, perceived environmental benefits, and barriers to adoption and puts forward suggestions on effective education strategies embraced by landowners and farmers.
Matt Helmers has been making a difference on Iowa’s landscape for more than two decades. His passion for agriculture and conservation have led to a career working with Iowa’s farmers and communities as they adopt new practices to improve water quality and manage nutrients.
A new educational opportunity, the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and Your Farm Workshop, is available to interested local Iowa State University Extension and Outreach staff or other farm and community leaders. The new workshop is available to provide farmers, landowners and conservation professionals with information on the purpose, need, action items, and benefits of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy and provide tools to create a basic nutrient reduction plan for their farm operation.
A digital toolkit of related resources to use individually or in association with the workshop is also available. Follow this link to access the digital toolkit with presentation slides, handouts, advertising materials, and evaluation materials.
The materials are based on a half-day workshop conducted in 2023. They utilize modeling tools like the Nitrogen Load Estimate Calculator and Nutrient Tracking Tool to provide tailored estimates of nutrient losses from row crop acres under current operating conditions and after incorporation of nutrient management practices.
To inquire about planning a workshop in your area -- or for other questions -- contact Kay Stefanik, assistant director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center.
Despite incentives to use just the right amount of nitrogen fertilizer on corn fields, current official recommendations are broad and ideal rates can vary widely from field to field and year to year. A research team led by Michael Castellano, the William T. Frankenberger Professor of Soil Science and an Iowa State University professor of agronomy, and ISU colleague Sotirios Archontoulis, Pioneer Hi-Bred Agronomy Professor, is collecting data from trials across Iowa – mostly in fields of participating volunteer farmers – to build models that offer far more granular guidance. The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative is supported with annual funding from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
Iowa Nutrient Research Center Director Matt Helmers will be one of the hosts at the upcoming Conservation on Tap event, sponsored by Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Des Moines Water Works and Conservation Learning Group, Thursday, Oct. 19, from 6-7 p.m. at Big Grove Brewery & Taproom in Des Moines. Staff from Big Grove Brewery will join in the conversations as to why water quality matters for brewing, along with Ted Corrigan, CEO and General Manager of Des Moines Water Works, and Mark Licht, associate professor and extension cropping systems specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
Two workshops on tile drainage and water quality intended for women in agriculture will be held this fall in eastern Iowa.The first workshop will be held on Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m. in Hiawatha, and will include presentations on the basics of field tile drainage, the economics of tile drainage and water quality considerations. The second workshop will be held Nov. 8 at 5:00 p.m. in Cedar Rapids and will include presentations on tile drainage-related water quality practices, as well as opportunities for cost assistance. The workshops are hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Linn and Johnson counties and sponsored by a grant from Wings2Water. More details at:
The Iowa Soybean Association’s Research Center for Farming Innovation (RCFI) is exploring the potential for drainage water recycling at the farm leve
A publication in Bioenergy Research Letters by INRC Director Matt Helmers and others, reports findings of a model-based investigation on the potential benefits of growing winter rye as a cover crop as part of corn-soybean rotations in the North-Central Region of the U.S. They concluded that harvesting fertilized rye CCs before soybean planting in this area could reduce nitrogen loads to the Gulf of Mexico by 27% relative to no cover crops, while providing an estimated 18 million Mg yr−1 of biomass-equivalent to 0.21 EJ yr−1 of biogas energy content (3.5 times the 2022 US cellulosic biofuel production).
DES MOINES, Iowa (May 24, 2023) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the three principals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, today jointly announced that the online dashboards that report the results of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy have been updated to reflect the latest reporting period. Today’s announcement coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Adoption of conservation practices continues to increase, and progress is expected to continue to build over the next decade as water quality and conservation practice implementation accelerate.
The Water Security Initiative is a consortium of interdisciplinary researchers at Iowa State University collectively and collaboratively working towards advancing water security and justice throughout the urban-rural continuum. The mission of the initiative is to support world-class research and education in water sustainability that ensures equity for all people and care for natural and managed ecosystems. To promote graduate student research and engagement in this effort, a competitive grants program is open for graduate students at Iowa State University.
By Madeleine Resener, GeoPols
Nitrogen, one of the most plentiful gases in our environment, is both a friend and foe to our planet and to ourselves.
AMES, Iowa – When can we expect to see reduced levels of nutrients in our water if we make positive changes on the landscape? New Iowa State University research shows how complicated it is to give a sound answer to that question.
The research is featured in a recent article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Environmental Quality, co-authored by Ph.D. student Gerasimos J. Danalatos, Professor Michael Castellano and Associate Professor Sotirios V. Archontoulis, in Iowa State’s Department of Agronomy, and Calvin Wolter, a Geographic Information Systems analyst with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
AMES, Iowa — Drainage experts from around the world will convene in Des Moines, in person, Aug. 31- Sept. 2, to discuss agricultural drainage opportunities and solutions to challenges at the 11th International Drainage Symposium.
INRC Assistant Director Kay Stefanik shares information about the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS) N-Load model and recent revisions made to to allow for a finer scale in estimating nitrate loss.
A newly published study found that poorly drained agricultural soils emit enough of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide that the resulting climate change effects could far exceed the benefits of using the same soils as a means of sequestering carbon.The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was authored by Steven Hall, associate professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology; Nathaniel Lawrence, ISU graduate student in ecology, evolution and organismal biology; Carlos Tenesaca, research scientist in ecology, evolution and organismal biology; and Andy VanLoocke, associate professor of agronomy. Funders for the work included the Iowa Nutrient Research Center.
Iowa State University scientists, including Raj Raman, agricultural and biosystems engineering, are leading a multi-institutional effort to reimagine cover crops by using perennial groundcovers to protect the environment and benefit crop production. The researchers recently received a $10 million grant to support their work. The Iowa Nutrient Research is proud to have funded some of the preliminary work that set the stage for this exciting project.
The Iowa Water Center and Iowa Nutrient Research Center at Iowa State University will jointly fund research to explore the linkages between water quality and social well-being for Iowa communities. Projects must be led by Iowa State University, the University of Iowa or the University of Northern Iowa. Applicants must submit a proposal intention by Nov. 1, 2021, with full proposals due November 15. Funded projects may start as early as March 2022.
A new user-friendly dashboard for the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy was released Aug. 13, 2021, which uses visual reporting tools, like charts, graphs and maps, to share the data instead of a longer, narrative-based report. The information for the 2020 report update is included within the dashboard. Moving forward, the online dashboards will be updated regularly as data is collected from a variety of sources and partners.
The Conservation Learning Group, a think tank-based organization at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach dedicated to addressing conservation and environmental challenges, has been recognized by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers with a 2021 Educational Aids Blue Ribbon for CLG’s Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual.
Alison Robertson, plant pathology and microbiology, discusses findings from INRC-supported research on potential benefits of spacing cereal rye cover crop plantings from corn crop seedings in “Corn and Soybean Digest.”
The 2020 annual Drainage Research Forum was held December 1, from 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (CDT), via Zoom.
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