Leopold Center - Leopold Center funds 26 new projects, renews 20 more for 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: