Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Grants

This is where you will find all of our grant reports. The Leopold Center has operated a competitive grants program since 1988, funding more than 420 Iowa-based projects in every county in Iowa.

The most recently completed projects are listed first. Click on the title to see the abstract, key findings and links to printable summaries of findings from each project. For more details about a project than what is included in the project summary documents, contact the lead investigator (email address is in the longer project summary).

  • To see grant reports from projects just in the Ecology Initiative, go here
  • To see grant reports from projects just in the Marketing and Food Systems Initiative, go here
  • To see grant reports from projects just in the Policy Initiative, go here
  • To see grant reports from the Cross-Cutting Initiative, go here
  • Grant reports from earlier projects not part of any initiative are on the list that starts below.

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View grants completed in year...

2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | 1992
2011
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Reducing pesticide use in Iowa vineyards: Alternatives to herbicides for vineyard weed management E2008-18 2011
Energy use and nutrient cycling in pig production systems E2008-03 2011
Custom grazing contracts: Successful models to grow profit, avoid pitfalls E2007-11 2011
Agronomic, ecological and economic comparisons of conventional and low-external-input cropping systems E2007-09 2011
The Landowners' Decision: Grazing and fire as management tools on Iowa grasslands and oak savannas E2007-05 2011
The impact of biodiversity services in row crop production in annual verses perennial landscapes E2006-13 2011
Optimizing legume establishment in winter cereal grains E2006-10 2011
2012
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Soil moisture dynamics and plant transpiration under contrasting annual-perennial cover types E2008-17 2012
2010
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Iowa recreational property ownership: Identification, contact and social dynamics of multiple-use perennial landcover E2007-19 2010
Participatory ecology for 'Agriculture of the Middle': Developing tools and partnerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change E2006-20 2010
Development and implementation of low-input delivery systems for ethanol co-products in forage-based beef systems E2006-12 2010
New strategies to enhance sustainability of apple orchards E2006-04 2010
Integrated soil and weed management production systems for perennial food crops E2006-02 2010
Sustainable economic development through organic and grazing dairy farm establishment and transition D2007-01 2010
2009
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Assessing soil quality impacts after conversion of marginal cropland to productive conservation E2006-17 2009
Native cover crops and timing of planting: Effects on 15N uptake, weed invasion and prairie establishment E2006-11 2009
The role of herbaceous woodland perennial diversity for improving nutrient uptake of riparian areas E2006-03 2009
Quantifying the role of riparian management to control non-point source pollution of pasture and cropland streams E2004-24 2009
Establishment of a field school for weed ecology and management E2004-06 2009
Effects of biomass harvest on soil erosion E2003-07 2009
Expanding grass-based organic dairy enterprises among southeastern Iowa farmers D2007-02 2009
2008
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Bird nesting on rotationally grazed warm- and cool-season grass paddocks in southern Iowa E2006-05 2008
Integrating hunting and grazing: Loess Hills and south central Iowa on-farm management experiences E2004-43 2008
Developing ecologically sound and profitable alternative fertilizer and manure phosphorus management strategies E2004-29 2008
Integration of natural seed treatments in organic and open-pollinated corn systems E2004-28 2008
Developing potatoes with horizontal resistance to the Colorado potato beetle E2004-26 2008
Pawpaw trial maintenance E2004-23 2008
2007
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Women, land and legacy: Agricultural policy for changing landownership 2006-P10 2007
Farm Bill listening sessions 2006-P01 2007
Taste of Place Project, Phase II: Outreach 2006-M13 2007
Case studies and benchmark transaction costs for select food products 2006-M02 2007
A survey of broilers from organic, free-range and conventional systems for cooked meat yields, composition, relative value 2006-M01 2007
Devising a framework for implementing cattle-grazing, fire on grassland in southern Iowa 2006-E18 2007
Assessing the market potential for goat meat among recent immigrants to Siouxland 2005-M33 2007
Market Maker for Iowa 2005-M29 2007
Using contracts to expand produce market opportunities 2005-M18 2007
Economic viability of local food marketing for Iowa restaurants, growers/producers 2005-M17 2007
Development of a rural wine culture in Iowa 2005-M14 2007
Small/midsize Iowa farmer marketing, entrepreneurship, business planning training 2005-M06 2007
Sustainable agriculture, marketing, entrepreneurship, and business planning skills 2005-M03 2007
Taste of Place: Place-based foods in Iowa 2005-M02 2007
The role of collaborative community supported agriculture: Lessons from Iowa 2005-M01 2007
2006
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
A study of place-based food tourism in northeast Iowa communities 2005-MSP01 2006
Developing an integrated research and outreach program for niche pork 2005-M28 2006
Southwest Iowa Entrepreneurial Center: An achievable product-to-market business model for niche ag producers 2005-M13 2006
Company environmental and societal positions as sources of competitive advantage 2005-M07 2006
Economic analysis of current and potential Muscatine melon market 2004-MSP09 2006
Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Agriculture Program at Marshalltown Community College 2004-MSP07 2006
2005
Project Title Project IDsort icon Completion Year
Growing your small market farm business planning program 2004-MSP6 2005
Evaluating on-farm food handling practices and microbiological quality of locally grown produce and eggs 2004-MSP1 2005