Seven completed Leopold projects provide resources, make recommendations

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AMES, Iowa – Summaries of what has been learned from seven recently completed projects are now available on the website of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. All projects were supported by Leopold Center competitive grants within one of its four research initiatives: Ecological Systems, Marketing and Food Systems, Policy and Cross-Cutting. In addition to the research summaries, there are links to videos, publications that were created as part of the projects and other online resources.

Four projects in the Ecological Systems Initiative dealt with conservation practices. At Whiterock Conservancy investigators examined the forage quality of reconstructed prairies and oak savannahs, proposing a partnership between land managers and cattle graziers. Another project found that adding a few native flowering plants to buffer strips can attract pollinators and other beneficial insects. A fact sheet with recommended plant species was produced as part of the project.

In two other ecology projects, investigators evaluated the potential of woodchip bioreactors to improve water quality and studied the effects of mixed perennial farming systems on soil moisture.

A Policy Initiative project found that crop insurance options in Iowa are biased toward intensive commodity agriculture. To move toward policy change, the investigators recommended closing the knowledge gap between producers and non-producers on the value and viability of sustainable agriculture.

A Marketing Initiative project studied the potential of aronia berry, a native perennial plant that is easy to grow organically, as a new crop for southeast Iowa.

The Farm Energy Working Group used funds from the Cross-Cutting Initiative to promote energy-saving practices on Iowa farms. The group developed a website, “One Stop Shop to Reduce Farm Energy Use,” and created short videos that highlight farmers who are reducing their use of fossil fuels.

These are the seven recently completed projects:

• Credit, crop insurance and sustainable agriculture

• Defining the grazing season of restored natural grasslands

• Developing production, processing and marketing of aronia berries on small family farms in southeast Iowa

• Evaluating denitrifying bioreactors for edge-of-field nitrogen management in Iowa’s tile-drained landscapes

• Meeting on-farm energy needs through conservation, efficiency and renewable energy

• Optimizing buffer strips for improved ecosystem services

• Soil moisture dynamics and plant transpiration under contrasting annual-perennial types

Find the report summaries, as well as links to related resources, on the Leopold Center website at www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/completed  (search by project title).  The Leopold Center has funded more than 480 competitive grant projects since 1988.

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/01-14-2013/seven-completed-leopold-projects on 01/20/2013