Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

On The Ground with the Leopold Center Archive


Biochar and Organic Tomatoes

Applying carbon-rich biochar to farmland improves soil health, but questions still remain about how biochar will influence yields and interact with mycorrhizae, important soil fungi. Erich Sneller, ISU Environmental Sciences student, describes an experiment at TableTop Farm that applies biochar, with or without mycorrhizae, to organic tomatoes. This experiment is part of a larger effort to study biochar in natural ecosystems. Filmed September 2012.

Biochar and Prairie Biodiversity

Applying carbon-rich biochar to farmland improves soil health, but questions still remain about how biochar will affect the surrounding natural ecosystems. Lori Biederman, ISU Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, describes an experiment in the Loess Hills to understand how biochar influences the biodiversity of native prairies. Filmed September 2012.

Carbon Movement through Iowa Landscapes - The Project

Research funded by NASA EPSCoR models how carbon moves through Clear Creek, a typical Midwestern watershed in Iowa, with the goal of informing land management practices to create healthy soil, clean water and carbon sequestration. Thanos Papanicolaou and Christoper Wilson, University of Iowa, describe the project's importance. Filmed April 2012.

Carbon Movement through Iowa Landscapes - The Models

Research funded by NASA EPSCoR models how carbon moves through Clear Creek, a typical Midwestern watershed in eastern Iowa, with the goal of informing land management practices to create healthy soil, clean water and carbon sequestration. Graduate students Dimitrios Dermisis and Ken Wacha describe how the coupled WEPP and CENTURY models work. Filmed April 2012.

Iowa Woodlands Working for Water

Jan Thompson, professor in ISU Natural Resource Ecology and Management, describes a Leopold Center project that links the plant species in the woodland understory to stream water quality. Also featured are Ph.D. candidate Michaleen Gerken, graduate student Alister Olson and undergraduate student Joe Bolton. Filmed May 2012.

Testing a Trio: Prairie Strips, Row Crops and Birds

Iowa farmers can create vital habitat for grassland birds by incorporating small strips of native prairies into row-cropped fields. Anna MacDonald, ISU graduate student in wildlife ecology, discusses a Leopold Center research project at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Filmed November 2011.

Cattle Grazing for Healthier Pastures

Mob, strip and rotational grazing offer options to farmers for managing cattle to create healthier pastures. Jim Russell and Margaret Dunn, Iowa State University Department of Animal Science, discuss a Leopold Center project that compares the three systems. Filmed August 2011. News release

Grazing Native Grasslands at Whiterock

Tolif Hunt, executive director of Whiterock Conservancy, and ecologist Elizabeth Hill describe how cattle grazing can add beneficial disturbance to Iowa's native grasslands. The Leopold Center-funded project will compile nutritional data into a calendar to help landowners take advantage of this management tool. Filmed June 2010.

On-Farm Practices to Reduce Nitrate Loading to Shallow Wells

Dordt College researcher Robb De Haan and farmer Matt Schuiteman discuss a Leopold Center project on alternative cropping systems that help hold nitrogen in place, protecting shallow wells that supply the residents of Sioux Center, Iowa. Filmed June 2010.

Cover on the Ground - All Winter Long

Mary Wiedenhoeft, professor in ISU's Department of Agronomy, and Stefans Gailans, a Ph.D. student, discuss a Leopold Center-funded project on alternative crop systems using spring and winter varieties of canola and wheat. Filmed May 2010.