Three competitive grants also focus on organics

• Feasibility of Organic Soybean Production Following Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Land, $12,500; Kathleen Delate, (515) 294-7069--By evaluating yield, pest status, soil health indicators, and economics of conventional and organic soybeans on CRP ground, the project will document biological and economic outcomes of the two systems and explore implications for management practices.

• Organic Farming Demonstration Projects (eastern Iowa), $13,000; Warren Johnson, Limestone Bluffs RC&D, Maquoketa--Three demonstrations are being established at New Melleray Abbey, one for weed control methods for organic row-crop production, one for use of compost as a soil amendment for fertility and to improve soil tilth, and a third for nitrogen-producing cover crops for organic corn production. Organically managed demonstrations also are being established at the Andrew Jackson Demonstration Farm with three acres of white corn, four acres of clear hilum soybeans, and one-quarter-acre plots of direct-seeded and transplanted echinacea, St. John's Wort, Anaheim peppers and basil.

• Evaluation of Organic Soil Amendments for Certified Organic Vegetable and Herb Production, $12,500; Kathleen Delate--After analysis for macronutrients, moisture and carbon/nitrogen ratio, several composts will be applied to production systems and the composts compared through an evaluation of their impact on product yields, pest status, soil health indicators, product quality and economics. On-farm sites have been established near Kanawha and Ames, and a research farm site has been established in southeast Iowa at the Muscatine Island Research and Demonstration Farm. Amendments tested include poultry litter, feathermeal, Bio-Cal® and conventional fertilizer.