Pubs & Papers
Research can take many forms and lead to many different outcomes. The ultimate goal is sustainability – for the landscape, Iowa’s people and natural resources. Below is a list of intermediate outcomes of Leopold Center-supported projects, partnerships and activities. Included are extension publications, in-house research projects, informative presentations and other reports – all with some link to the Leopold Center.
All Pubs & Papers are PDFs, which require a free Adobe Acrobat Reader. Click on the image or title to view the PDF.
These materials were written, reviewed or presented by Leopold Center staff. All other materials are related or based on projects supported by the Leopold Center.
Pub & Papers here are sorted by date with the newest at the top. You can filter the list by selecting a topic area below and clicking "Apply." To see all again you can select "<Any>" as the topic, or click here. There is also an alphabetical listing available.
This is a synopsis of presentations at the 2013 Iowa Local Food Conference. Breakout sessions focused on three challenges related to local foods -- Business Incentives, Beginning and Minority Farmers, and Food Incentives -- and offered success stories from national and Iowa-based speakers.
Sharing the Lessons Learned from the 2013 Iowa Local Food ConferenceLeopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
This guide describes how to create a game-bird preserve business and profiles successful preserves in the Midwest. It includes sample enterprise budgets. See project description. You can also download the guide split into four sections: introduction, business tips, profiles and additional information.
Game-Bird Preserve Business Development GuideDan Burden, ISU Value-Added Agriculture
Contract grazing arrangments put livestock on pastures in managed grazing systems. This fact sheet, #1 in a four-part series, describes the basics of contract grazing. It is a product of the Green Lands, Blue Waters partnership.
The Basics of Contract Grazing
Midwest Perennial Forage and Grazing Working Group
This fact sheet, #2 in a four-part series, describes considerations for good pasture land, including forage, fencing and water sources. It is a product of the Green Lands, Blue Waters partnership.
Evaluating Land Suitability for Grazing Cattle
Midwest Perennial Forage and Grazing Working Group
This fact sheet, #3 in a four-part series, addresses agreements for when a livestock owner plans on managing his or her own cattle on land leased or rented from another person. It is a product of the Green Lands, Blue Waters partnership.
Pasture Rental and Lease Agreements
Midwest Perennial Forage and Grazing Working Group
This fact sheet, #4 in a four-part series, describes rates charged when a grazier is hired to manage someone else's livestock on the grazier's own land. It is a product of the Green Lands, Blue Waters partnership.
Rates Charged for Contract Grazing Agreements
Midwest Perennial Forage and Grazing Working Group
This manual outlines a shared measurement system for collecting economic data for coordinators of 17 Regional Food Groups that are part of the Regional Food Systems Working Group (RFSWG). The manual includes a sample farmer survey [PDF] to report local food sales and a sample institution survey [PDF] to report local food purchases, as well as instructions for coordinators to submit data [PDF].
RFSWG Data Collection GuideCorry Bregendahl and Laura Kleiman, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and Teresa Wiemerslage, ISU Extension
This directory lists sources for seed, custom spraying and aerial application and equipment. It was compiled by Tomoko Ogaway and Patrick Burke, Practical Farmers of Iowa, for the Iowa Cover Crop Working Group, which is supported by the Leopold Center.
Cover Crop Business Directory
Iowa Cover Crop Working Group
This fact sheet offers guidelines for establishing native perennial plants to attract beneficial insects, which provide pollination and pest control services. See related project E2009-09.
Conserving Beneficial Insects with Native PlantsKelly Gill and Matt O'Neal, ISU Entomology
This list of plant species offers a guide for planting flowers and grasses that help restore woodland function, retain nutrients in the soil and reduce stream pollution. Project description
Species for Iowa Woodland Planting and RestorationMichaeleen Gerken, ISU Natural Resource Ecology and Management
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