Leopold Center awards 21 new grant projects

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February 1, 2012

AMES, Iowa – The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture has awarded grants to 21 new projects that will bring Iowa’s ecology, economy and sociopolitical systems closer to sustainability and resilience.

The projects fall under all four of the Leopold Center’s initiatives—Ecology, Marketing and Food Systems, Policy and Cross-Cutting—and range from research on cover crops and bacterial resistance, to developing tools for local foods, to helping Iowa farmers understand and reduce their energy use.

“This year’s Leopold Center grants represent a broad array of science-based projects that will serve Iowa on many levels,” said Mark Honeyman, Leopold Center interim director. “The projects involve many fundamental topics: soil, water, crops, livestock, energy, food, farmers and land.  Collectively, these projects will continue to build the sustainability of Iowa’s agriculture and food systems.”

Six projects will complete their work in one year, while eight projects will run two years and seven projects will run three years. The new funding totals $1,201,290. Combined with multiyear projects already in progress, the new grants bring the Leopold Center’s currently funded research to roughly $2.25 million, about one million dollars more than last year.

Ecology
Six new projects in the Ecology Initiative were awarded a total of $615,389. One study will investigate the fate and transport of pathogens on land that receives manure applications and address emerging issues in antibiotic resistance. Two others will focus on improving cropping systems by investigating soil organic matter and the effects of winter cover crops. The remaining three projects seek to understand the environmental effects of cattle grazing and incorporate sustainable grazing into Iowa’s agriculture.

Marketing
Eight new projects in the Marketing and Food Systems Initiative were awarded a total of $258,104. The Regional Food Systems Working Group, formed in 2003, will use competitive grant funding to continue convening. Representatives from more than 25 groups meet quarterly to coordinate efforts to build vibrant regional food systems across Iowa.

Another project will field-test a semi-automated mechanical weeder for vegetable crops. Lie Tang, ISU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and Kathleen Delate, ISU Horticulture and Agronomy, developed the weeder with previous grant funding from the Leopold Center.

Other marketing projects will create training programs, develop tools to procure local foods for farm-to-school chapters, and help small farmers and meat processors improve their management and profitability.

Policy
Three new projects in the Policy Initiative were awarded a total of $105,350. One grant will support research into how trust ownership impacts Iowa’s landscape, and another will continue the Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) Initiative. The SALT Initiative began two years ago as a partnership between the Leopold Center and Drake University’s Agricultural Law Center, with the goal of compiling resources for landowners about farm leases and sustainable practices.  The third project will be a planning grant to expand use of prairie conservation strips studied at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Jasper County.

Cross-Cutting
Four projects in the Cross-Cutting Initiative received $222,447 of competitive grant funding. This initiative, created in 2010, provides funding for research in multiple areas that will help balance competing economic, ecological, societal and political demands.

The Leopold Center awarded a grant to Practical Farmers of Iowa to prepare metered energy analyses for 25 Iowa farms. The project will analyze data both before and after the farmers have taken steps to adopt renewable energy or reduce their energy consumption.

With another Cross-Cutting grant, Iowa State researchers will raise awareness about the benefits of wild pollinators and natural pest enemies, and test the hypothesis that adding a refuge of perennial plants to cropland will improve the ecosystem services provided by beneficial insects.  Other grants look at farrowing pigs in circular insulated tents (or yurts) and help the University of Iowa develop a biorenewable fuel use and procurement plan.

For details about all the Leopold Center’s active grant projects, visit http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/current.

Leopold Center 2012 New Competitive Grants

Ecology Initiative

• The complex role of tall fescue in grassland ecology
• Implementing an ISU Extension Master Grazier Certification course
• Investigation of bacteria transport and resistance mechanisms and implications for water quality from confinement swine and beef grazing production systems in Iowa
• Understanding soil organic matter change: Modeling root and soil interactions across agricultural landscapes
• 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
• Winter rye cover crop effect on corn seedling pathogens

Marketing and Food Systems Initiative

• Convening the Regional Food Systems Working Group (RFSWG)
• Establishing shared-use processing facilities at three possible locations in central and south central Iowa
• Field evaluation and system improvement of a semi-automated mechanical intra-row weeder for vegetable crops
• Improving profitability for small and very small meat processors in Iowa
• Machinery management for small- and medium-sized horticultural farms
• Micro-farming: Reducing rural and urban food deserts through job training
• Procurement tools to develop sustainable local food purchasing models for farm to school chapters
• Transitioning farmers to produce for wholesale markets

Policy Initiative

• The extent and impact of trust ownership on the sustainability and resiliency of Iowa’s agricultural landscape
• Investigating opportunities for enhancing farmer adoption of strategically targeted prairie strips in Iowa
• Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) Initiative II

Cross-Cutting Initiative

• Attracting pollinators and natural enemies to add value to Iowa agriculture
• Demonstrating farrowing alternatives for small farms: Insulated tents for sows and pigs
• Farm metered energy analyses: Getting baseline data, ground-truthing changes
• The University of Iowa Biomass Partnership Project

 

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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/02-01-2012/leopold-center-awards-21-new-grant-projects on 01/21/2013