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A re-design of the Leopold Center’s web site offers many new
features, including on-line access to more than 200
summaries of completed sustainable agriculture research
projects.
The report summaries cover nearly all of the competitive
grant research projects that have been funded by the Center
since its inception in 1987. The summaries have been
published since 1992 in annual editions of the Center
Progress Report. Summaries are now on-line in a full-text
searchable format on the Center’s web site:
www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/grants/completed_grants.htm
The research covers the gamut of sustainable agriculture
issues – from biocontrol of corn and soybean weeds, pests
and diseases, to plans for low-input sow housing, composting
manure and growing cover crops, to studies that looked at
ecosystems in field terraces, buffers, oak forests and
set-aside acres.
Reports also are organized by broad category: animal
management and forage, biocontrol and integrated pest
management, consumer food systems, education, energy,
erosion, farming systems, forestry and erosion control,
manure nutrient and compost management, organic, soil and
agronomy, swine production management, water quality, weed
control alternatives, and wildlife.
“Reports are available at the touch of a keystroke,
something we’ve never had before,” said Jeri Neal, who
directed the Center’s competitive grants program until it
was reorganized in 2002. “We think this feature is a great
resource for farmers, educators and anyone else who is
interested in sustainable agriculture.”
In addition to grants, users also can search any part of the
Leopold Center Web site including news releases, newsletters
dating to 1997, papers and speeches. The new design also
features more concise navigation, colorful graphics and
text, and new pages about the Center’s three research
initiatives, Aldo Leopold,
sustainable agriculture and
how
to contribute to the Leopold Center.
The project was directed by Laura Miller, who prepares
information and routine updates for the Web site, with the
assistance of Iowa State University students Brandon
Hagedorn and Landon Evans. Hagedorn, a third-year computer
engineering student, has handled technology support for the
Center the past 18 months. Juls Design of Ankeny provided
initial design for the home page.
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