Does increasing landscape diversity in farmed closed depressions (potholes) increase profitability and ecosystems services? [E2016-20]

Project Description: 

This goal of the project is to stimulate farmer consideration of “retiring” farmed potholes into land cover that both improves water quality and saves money. Within the Prairie Pothole Region of the upper Midwest, there are a significant number of farmed wetlands and drained potholes. The project will measure key pothole and plant production metrics, and also model pothole hydrology and productivity comparisons of farmed vs. perennial cover. 

Project ID: 
E2016-19 and E2016-20
Years of Grant Project: 
2
Total Grant Amount: 
$121,140
Project Start: 
2016
Lead Investigator: 
Amy Kaleita
Lead Investigator Bio: 

Amy Kaleita holds a Ph.D. and a master of science from the University of Illinois-Champaign, and earned a bachelor of science from Pennsylvania State University. She is an associate professor in the Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department at ISU.  Kaleita’s research focuses on information technology for precision conservation agriculture, focusing on remote sensing, crop and hydrologic modeling.

Email: kaleita@iastate.edu

Co Investigators: 

Andy VanLooke, ISU Agronomy Department
Michelle Soupir, ISU Ag and Biosystems Engineering
Emily Heaton, ISU Agronomy Department