Leopold Center funds 26 new projects, renews 20 more for 2007

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March 5, 2007

AMES, Iowa -- The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University has awarded grants for 26 new projects that support a wide range of activities from custom grazing and grass-based dairies to the financial and technical challenges faced by farmers interested in accessing niche food markets.

The 26 new projects total $549,456 for the first year of work, and were selected in a competitive process that began in July 2006. Grants for 17 of the new projects are for one year, four projects will run two years, and five grants are for three years. The Center also has renewed or is in the process of renewing grants for 20 multi-year projects that are in progress.

“These projects show the Center's response to emerging issues and trends in agriculture and represent a rich diversity of ideas and projects throughout Iowa," said Director Jerry DeWitt.

He said the Center's call for project ideas included an emphasis on the growing interest in grass-based and organic dairies. "We wanted to address the production, infrastructure and policy aspects of these systems, which can help protect the land as well as supply the demand for products in these new markets," he added. "I think we'll have some excellent work to showcase in this area."

The Center is funding three dairy projects that will provide technical assistance for new and beginning grass-based or organic dairy farmers throughout the state. In southern and southwest Iowa, the Leopold Center is funding work through a collaboration including the Iowa Institute for Cooperatives, Clarinda Economic Development, ISU Extension and the GROW Iowa Foundation. The Iowa Valley RC&D will coordinate dairy work in southeastern Iowa, and ISU Extension dairy field specialists will work with dairy farmers in northeast Iowa.

The 2007 grants also include 16 new projects in the Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative, which is led by Rich Pirog. Three of the new projects will develop business models for food distribution and processing, while another project will research and test a web-based food-purchasing template for use by farmer networks.

"These new projects help provide new tools, market strategies, educational resources and business structures that will help Iowa's farmers retain more of the value for food, fiber or energy produced with high standards of stewardship that protect Iowa's water resources," Pirog said.

Other Marketing and Food Systems Initiative projects include development of an on-line Iowa Grassland Products Calculator, cash flow and profitability analysis for small meat processors, and a feasibility study for an organic education program in northwest Iowa.

Seven new grants are part of the Center's Ecology Initiative, including two research projects on changing land use and custom grazing. One project will investigate effective ways to contact out-of-state landowners to explore land use options for their property. Researchers believe that many non-resident landowners buy rural property in Iowa for hunting and other recreational purposes.

"These properties might be well-suited for contract beef and dairy grazing, but we know little about non-resident landowners' willingness to consider these options," explained Jeri Neal, who leads the Ecology Initiative. "This project addresses a need we hear expressed quite often, especially in southern Iowa."

In a second project, Practical Farmers of Iowa in conjunction with ISU Extension will review custom grazing contracts and host a series of workshops and field days to discuss successful models for custom grazing in Iowa. They also will develop an Iowa Custom Graziers Directory with additional information for farmers.

Other Ecology Initiative projects include a white paper on protecting land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, research on the potential for perennials to remove nitrate from groundwater in streamside buffers, development of winter triticale cultivars for forage and biomass production, and low-external-input cropping systems.

The Leopold Center has conducted a competitive grants program since 1988 in accordance with legislation that established the center. The process has included an annual invitation to Iowa researchers and educators, asking them to submit project proposals that are evaluated by staff, a 17-member advisory board and outside reviewers. The 26 new projects were selected from 69 preproposals submitted last summer.

For more information about the new grant awards, go to the Leopold Center web site at: www.leopold.iastate.edu, and click on "Marketing" or Ecology" to reach the specific initiative web page. A description of the special dairy grants can be found at either location.

2007 NEW LEOPOLD CENTER COMPETITIVE GRANTS

Marketing and Food Systems Initiative:

• Building a direct-to-consumer food distribution system in Iowa
• Cash flow and product profitability analysis and improvement for small meat processors
• Development of a niche agriculture small business money map and process to disseminate information
• Effects of ambient temperature and transportation distance on the resulting pork quality
• Enhancing the sustainability of the University of Iowa food system: A factor-10 approach
• Food product demand mapping
• High tunnel production and distribution model for produce
• Investigating the feasibility of establishing food processing and distribution centers for western Iowa
• Iowa Grasslands Products Calculator
• Is the meat goat enterprise profitable and sustainable?
• New champions expanded scope: Developing an action plan for building an expanded regional food economy in Black Hawk and surrounding counties
• Organic agriculture program viability study
• Researching and evaluating an effective web-based local food sales template
• Safe food handling on the farm: Foodservice operations' expectations
• A system to operate greenhouses and aquaculture in conjunction with Iowa's ethanol plants
• Strengthening the local and regional food system in the Iowa Valley

Ecology Initiative:

• Adapting land retirement programs in response to Iowa’s changing agricultural economy
• Agronomic, ecological and economic comparisons of conventional and low-external-input cropping systems
• Custom grazing in Iowa
• Iowa recreational property ownership: Identification, contact and social dynamics of multiple use perennial landcover
• Quantifying the role of perennial vegetation in removing nitrate from groundwater in riparian buffers
• Screening winter triticale cultivars and breeding lines for forage and biomass production
• Soil moisture dynamics and plant transpiration under contrasting annual-perennial cover types

Grass-based/Organic Dairy Projects:

• Developing organic/grass-based dairies in southwest and southern Iowa
• Expanding grass-based organic dairy enterprises among southeastern Iowa farmers
• Sustainable economic development through organic and grazing dairy farm establishment and transition

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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/03-05-2007/leopold-center-funds-26-new-projects-renews-20-more-2007 on 01/21/2013