Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Current Grants

The Leopold Center supports projects in a variety of areas that enhance sustainability for all Iowa agriculture as part of its long-running Competitive Grants Program. These grants fund research, education and demonstration projects across four initiatives: Ecology, Marketing and Food Systems, Policy and Cross-Cutting (involving all three areas).

Projects are listed below by initiative area. Click on the title for a detailed description of the project, who is doing the work, and where it is taking place.

Here's a list of all projects new in 2012 [PDF]

Ecology
Project Titlesort icon Project ID
Winter rye cover crop effect on corn seedling pathogens E2012-03
What drives corn yield stability in the context of climate variability? E2011-07
Use of mob grazing to improve cattle production, enhance legume establishment and increase carbon sequestration in Iowa pastures E2010-13
Use of grazing management to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while increasing soil organic matter and water-holding capacity of cool season pastures in southern Iowa E2012-08
Understanding soil organic matter change: modeling root and soil interactions across agricultural landscapes E2012-11
Transitioning to ecologically functional production systems E2010-10
The complex role of tall fescue in grassland ecology E2012-01
Reconnecting Iowa riparian buffers with tile drainage E2010-01
Quantifying the effect of perennial vegetation on soil and water quality E2009-16
Providing shaded pasture with perennial biomass energy plantings E2008-01*
Performance of cropping systems designed to reduce nitrate leaching into shallow municipal well aquifers E2009-22
Investigation of bacteria transport and resistance mechanisms and implications for water quality from confinement swine and beef grazing production systems in Iowa E2012-05
Improving soil quality by conserving insect pathogens E2010-18
Implementing an ISU Extension Master Grazier Certification course E2012-16
Impacts to the land-water-human system of rural Iowa from high intensity continuous maize production EPSP2008-01*
Impacts of conventional and diversified rotation systems on crop yields, profitability, soil functions and environmental quality E2010-02
Greenhorn Grazing: A modular pasture and animal management curriculum for beginning and transitioning graziers E2009-14
Grazing prairie and browsing oak savannah: Improving species diversity while maintaining cattle and goat productivity and resting home pastures E2008-05
Grazing compatibility in and for future years E2006-01
Getting the most from Iowa's forests: Linking forest understory composition to stream water quality and enhancing nutrient capture in forest remnants in agricultural landscapes E2011-05
Game-bird preserve alternative-enterprise models: Soil and water conservation and value-added income diversification XPSP2012-DB
Farmer perspectives on ecosystem service management, land-use targeting and the future of cornbelt agriculture E2011-15
Evaluating canola (Brassica napus) as an alternative oilseed crop and enhancing winter cover in Iowa E2009-21
Enhancing botanical composition, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration of pastures in south central Iowa through soil disturbance by mob grazing of beef cattle E2011-06
Crop availability of phoshorus in beef manure E2010-12
Blurring the lines between working and conservation lands: Bird use of prairie strips in row-cropped watersheds E2011-20
Biochar and managed perennial ecosystems: Testing for synergy in ecosystem function and biodiversity E2011-03
Agronomic, environmental and economic performance of alternative biomass cropping systems E2008-24*
Agricultural soil erosion and carbon cycle observations in Iowa: Gaps threaten climate mitigating policies ESP2010-TP
Marketing
Project Titlesort icon Project ID
Transplant production decision tool for vegetable producers M2010-10
Transitioning farmers to produce for wholesale markets M2012-12
Research and development of an online local foods buying club cooperative M2011-03
Procurement tools to develop sustainable local food purchasing models for farm to school chapters M2012-07
New Champions Expanded Scope: Developing an action plan for building an expanded regional food economy in Black Hawk and surrounding counties M2007-07*
Micro-farming: Reducing rural and urban food deserts through job training M2012-13
Machinery management for small- and medium-sized horticultural farms M2012-11
Local food in every pot: Growing farmers in northeastern Iowa through public and private partnerships M2011-16
Involving new immigrants and minorities in local food systems M2011-08
Increasing access to healthy, fresh and local food to students in three rural public schools in northeast Iowa M2010-18*
Improving profitability for small and very small meat processors in Iowa M2012-16
Growing up local: A value chain analysis of local produce in Iowa M2009-11*
Field evaluation and system improvement of a semi-automated mechanical intra-row weeder for vegetable crops M2012-24
Evaluating the impact of regional food system work on growers M2010-19*
Establishing shared-use processing facilities at three possible locations in central and south central Iowa M2012-06
Enhancing value and marketing options for pawpaw (Asimina triloba) by developing pulp separation and preservation techniques M2009-20
Developing permaculture techniques for increased production and profit in sustainable year-round agriculture for beginning farmers and ranchers in southwest Iowa M2011-05*
Developing and implementing a strategic plan for farm-to-school programs in northeast Iowa M2009-04*
Cultivating the agrarian dream: Aspiring agri-entrepreneurs helping one another choose their path M2009-24*
Convening the Regional Food Systems Working Group (RFSWG) M2012-08
An automated mechanical intra-row weed removal system for vegetable crops M2009-23*
Cross-Cutting
Project Titlesort icon Project ID
The University of Iowa Biomass Partnership Project XP2012-05
The Long-Term Agroecological Research (LTAR) Experiment: Ecological benefits of organic crop rotations in terms of crop yields, soil quality, economic performance and potential global climate change mitigation XP2011-02
Sustainable production of bioenergy from agricultural and food waste XPSP2011-SJ
Iowa Farm Energy Working Group XP2011-03
Increasing Iowa farmers' resiliency through the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) cooperators' program XP2011-01
Greenhouse production of high-value crops in an aquaponic system XPSP2013-01
Grass-Based Livestock Working Group G2008-01
Game-bird preserve alternative-enterprise models: Soil and water conservation and value-added income diversification XPSP2012-DB
Farm metered energy analyses: Getting baseline data, ground-truthing changes XP2012-06
Exploring the role of multifunctional agriculture on the future of agriculture and rural development XP2010-03*
Drainage water quality impacts of current and future agricultural management practices XP2011-04*
Demonstrating farrowing alternatives for small farms: Insulated tents for sows and pigs XP2012-04
Building social networks to capture synergies in wood-based energy production and invasive pest mitigation XP2011-07
Attracting pollinators and natural enemies to add value to Iowa agriculture XP2012-07
Policy
Project Titlesort icon Project ID
The extent and impact of trust ownership on the sustainability and resiliency of Iowa’s agricultural landscape P2012-01
Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) Initiative II P2012-04
Investigating opportunities for enhancing farmer adoption of strategically targeted prairie strips in Iowa P2012-08
Impacts to the land-water-human system of rural Iowa from high intensity continuous maize production EPSP2008-01*

Projects with * asterisk: Work on these grant projects has been completed and is awaiting a final report.

About the grant process

The Leopold Center’s Competitive Grants Program that is open to all Iowa educational and non-profit organizations. Each year, the Center selects 35 to 45 new research and demonstration projects to fund. A Request for Pre-proposals (RFP) is issued in June, pre-proposals are due in late summer, and decisions on full proposal development are made in early fall. Final funding decisions occur in January. More details here.