Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

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.

Leopold Center Document 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 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.

January 2013
Leopold Center Document Conserving Beneficial Insects with Native Plants
Kelly Gill and Matt O'Neal, ISU Entomology

The brochure was developed as part of the Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure Initiative, and provides an overview of state programs designed to help landowners who want to rent to a beginning farmer, and considerations that landowners might want to include in those leases.

October 2012
Landowners Helping New Farmers
Edward Cox, Drake Agricultural Law Center

The brochure was developed as part of the Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure Initiative, and discusses what factors should be considered when setting up a lease for land that will be rotationally grazed.

October 2012
Rotational Grazing on Leased Land
Edward Cox, Drake Agricultural Law Center

This report that explores the challenges and opportunities to increasing wholesale fruit and vegetable sales in Iowa and outlines strategies for the statewide Local Food and Farm Initiative coordinated by the Leopold Center. The report summarizes interviews with 15 Iowa growers and 12 wholesale buyers with experience in the local produce wholesale market.

October 2012
Scaling-Up: Perspectives from Growers and Buyers on Barriers and Benefits to Wholesale Marketing of Local Fruits and Vegetables
Sally Worley and Marc Strobbe, Practical Farmers of Iowa

This brochure describes an experiment that compares the soil health, water quality, biodiversity and energy production of various biofuel systems, ranging from continuous corn to native prairie. News release  Learn more

September 2012
Leopold Center Document Comparison of Biofuel Systems
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

This guide offers an overview of the various licenses required for selling local foods in Iowa (fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, honey, eggs and dairy products) and directs readers to the appropriate agency for answering specific questions and the process for obtaining each license. News release

September 2012
Leopold Center Document Iowa Food Marketing Regulations: A Guide for Small-Scale Producers
Joanna Hamilton and Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

This brochure describes the Landscape Biomass Experiment, which seeks to develop a portfolio of sustainable biofuel feedstocks for Iowa's future.

September 2012
Leopold Center Document Landscape Biomass Experiment
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Energy and economic returns are presented from 2006-2011 comparing three cropping systems at the ISU Marsden Farm: 2-year conventional corn-soybean rotation and 3- and 4-year rotations that add small grain, red clover and alfalfa. More about this research, which is supported by the Leopold Center.

September 2012
Energy and Economic Returns by Crop Rotation
Ann Johanns, Craig Chase and Matt Liebman for ISU Extension Ag Decision Maker A1-90

This guide developed by the Leopold Center provides information about places to visit on or near the Iowa State University campus in Ames that are related to sustainable agriculture. Contact information is provided for each entry for users to arrange their own visit.

August 2012
Leopold Center Document Central Iowa Sustainable Agriculture Tour
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

This four-page color fact sheet offers basic guidelines for planting and maintaining prairie conservation strips on row-cropped farms. The recommendations are based on research conducted by the STRIPs Research Team at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. Additional resources are listed in this updated guide.

August 2012
Leopold Center Document A Landowner's Guide to Prairie Conservation Strips
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture