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Work has begun on 17 new projects that are
part of the Leopold Center’s Ecological Systems and Research
Initiative. Total first-year cost of the projects, some of
which are multi-year efforts, is $363,621.
The new projects were awarded funding in a competitive
process that began in November 2003 with a call for
proposals generating 40 concept papers.
The new projects run the gamut from winter grazing
stockpiled forages to the creation of a new field school for
farmers that focuses on weed ecology and management. Also
funded will be triticale feeding trials for swine, part of
the search for an alternative third crop for Iowa.
Several of the projects submitted were related to grazing,
rotational grazing and forages. Jeri Neal, Ecological
Systems and Research program leader, said that these
projects will eventually be moved to a new ecology program
area that is focused on increasing the visibility of grazing
and grass-based systems in Iowa agriculture.
A significant project in this area is an intensive effort to
quantify phosphorus losses under a wide range of grazing
management practices, especially those near riparian areas.
“This project, at $113,000 over three years, is a large part
of the ecology initiative’s research budget,” Neal said,
“but if we [the Leopold Center] want to encourage rotational
grazing, we need to have a much better understanding of how
to manage our animals and pastures to minimize phosphorus
losses.”
The Center’s ecology initiative has been working to develop
partnerships and leverage funds for multi-state projects
that could lead to significant changes in the landscape.
Many of the new projects will complement those efforts.
Assessment of triticale
varieties for swine feeding performance and tolerance to
late planting, year 1 of 2, $12,219, L. Gibson, J.L.
Jannick, and M. Honeyman, ISU Agronomy and ISU Research
Farms (2004-E27) Two winter and two summer triticale feeding
trials will be conducted to evaluate pig performance (hooped
housing). Investigators have seen both economic and
environmental advantage from growing triticale in Iowa, but
lack information on feeding performance.
Developing ecologically sound and profitable fertilizer
and manure phosphorus management strategies, year 1 of
3, $27,500, A.P. Mallarino, ISU Agronomy (2004-E29) Evaluate
long-term impacts of a strictly response-based, low input
phosphorus fertilizer management program for corn and
soybean; assess early plant availability of poultry manure
phosphorus; and use the Iowa P-Index to estimate field
phosphorus loss under alternative phosphorus management
practices. The project investigator will use this data to
develop improved management guidelines for phosphorus.
Developing potatoes with horizontal resistance to the
Colorado potato beetle, year 1 of 3, $7,233, D.G.
Fisher, Maharishi University of Management (2004-E36)
Continue ongoing research to develop potatoes with
horizontal resistance to the Colorado potato beetle. The
investigator theorizes that a process of recurrent mass
selection can be used to accumulate resistance while
preserving high yield.
Economically optimal enterprise mix for Iowa farms,
year 1 of 1 (begins Dec. 2004), $15,000, J.D. Lawrence, ISU
Economics (2004-E1) Develop a computer model to incorporate
price and production risk for alternative crop and livestock
enterprise when a certain set of farm constraints (labor,
capital, solvency, land characteristics) are ‘imposed’ on
Iowa family-sized farms with and without government
programs. The model should be useful in evaluating the
strengths and weaknesses of diversified farming operations
under different economic and resource conditions.
Establishment of a field school for weed ecology and
management, year 1 of 3, $34,350, M. Liebman and R.G.
Hartzler, ISU Agronomy (2004-E6) Collect data for weeds and
pests for both large and small field plots in two-, three-
and four-year rotations and organize an interactive
farmer-practitioner focused field school that targets weed
ecology and management, with an emphasis on decision-making
skills and capacities and easily adaptable, broadly
applicable techniques and models.
Grapes, pheasant, sweet corn education outreach effort,
year 1 of 1, $2,100, J. Kuntz and M. Moore, Mahaska County
Agriculture and Rural Development (MCARD) (2004-E19) Provide
documentation and outreach materials for a three-year
demonstration project where ducks, pheasants, and sweet corn
have been integrated into vineyard establishment.
Integrating hunting and grazing – Loess Hills and south
central Iowa on-farm management experiences, year 1 of
1, $12,833, J.L. Pease, A.L. Major, ISU Natural Resource
Ecology and Management (2004-E43) Four landowners are
cooperating in this on-farm work to measure activities of 13
target species of birds in rotationally grazed warm and cool
season grass pastures. The investigators are collecting
real-life data in an attempt to validate prior experimental
work on managing forages to benefit both livestock and
wildlife.
Integration of natural seed treatments in organic and
open-pollinated corn systems, year 1 of 2, $25,000, S.
Goggi and K. Delate, ISU Seed Science Center and ISU
Horticulture/Agronomy (2004-E28) Screen plant essential oils
for antimicrobial properties for seed and soil-borne corn
pathogens, and establish trials to test the efficacy of
identified natural seed treatments. Investigators hope to
find effective biological seed treatments for alternative
cropping systems (specifically those with sustainable,
organic and open-pollinated corn).
Iowa pawpaw trial maintenanceI, year 1 of 3, $1,750,
P. O’Malley, ISU Extension (2004-E23) In 1999 and 2000,
plantings were established near Columbus Junction and Nashua
to assess viability of pawpaws for upper Midwest production.
This project will provide production maintenance and record
keeping for previously established Iowa pawpaw trials, and
begin fruit evaluation phase of the trials.
Quantifying the role of riparian management to control
nonpoint source pollution of pasture and cropland streams,
year 1 of 3, $113,276, J. Russell and R.C. Schultz, ISU
Animal Science and Natural Resource Ecology and Management
(2004-E24) Comprehensively study, both on-farm and on
research farms, the sediment and phosphorus losses for a
number of management variations on cattle grazing systems in
and around riparian areas. The investigators are refining
ongoing research to get better data on phosphorus movement
as associated with pastures and grazing systems.
Forage double-cropping demonstration, year 1 of 3,
$5,000, I. Lamb, S. Barnhart, M. Honeyman, Iowa Native
Lands, ISU Agronomy and Agricultural Research Farms
(2004-E39) Research plots of cool season legume crops
(alfalfa and medium red clover) will be interseeded with
warm season native prairie species to collect management and
forage quality evaluation data. The investigators are
looking for forage alternatives with improved diversity that
require fewer management inputs and still retain
high-quality performance.
EcoFair, (work completed) $2,750, Maharishi
University of Management (2004-E40) This grant provided
speaker fees and travel expenses for Chris Maser, who
presented a keynote address at the annual eco-fair. His
presentation employed a discussion of forest ecology and
history as a metaphor for understanding the role and design
of the human community and the individuals that comprise it.
Survey of mycorrhizal symbioses at Neal Smith National
Wildlife Refuge, year 1 of 2, $20,000, I. Lamb, P.
Drobney, L. Tiffany, Iowa Native Lands, Neal Smith Wildlife
Refuge, and ISU Department of Ecology, Evolution and
Organismal Biology (2004-E18) Conduct a preliminary survey
of mycorrhizal (root fungus) associations in remnant and
reconstructed prairies at Neal Smith National Wildlife
Refuge to establish baseline data and experimental protocols
for future investigation of this biological component of the
soil. The symbiotic relationships between plants, soil and
fungi and their contributions to plant and soil vitality are
poorly understood, and investigators offer this as a
starting point for understanding soil functionality in
perennial plant systems.
The role of herbaceous woodland perennial diversity for
improving nutrient uptake capacity of riparian areas, 1
year, $18,000, C. Mabry McMullen and J.R. Thompson, ISU
Natural Resource Ecology and Management (2004-E4) Quantify
the nutrient uptake capacity of understory perennial
herbaceous plants and compare nutrient uptake capacity of
well-established understory to that of degraded woodland
understory. The absence of herbaceous spring perennials in
the grazed majority of Iowa riparian forests has been
associated with nutrient loss, and investigators believe
that nutrient retention could be significantly enhanced by
native herbaceous perennials.
Using the past to plan the future: Retrospective
assessment of landscape and land use change in Clear Creek
Watershed, year 1 of 1, $12,998, L.A. Schulte, A.
Rayburn, and L. Merrick, ISU Natural Resource Ecology and
Management, (2004-E38) Investigate landscape and land use
change in Clear Creek watershed at four time periods using
three ecological and social measures: land cover, stream
sinuosity, and housing density. Investigators theorize this
can provide an understanding of the effects of land
management decisions.
Variations in water and nutrient cycling and soil
properties during agricultural landscape restoration,
year 1 of 5, $25,000, H.Asbjornson, M. Helmers, M. Liebman,
L. Schulte, and R. Kolka, ISU Natural Resource Ecology and
Management, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, and
Agronomy (2004-E14) Examine differences in nutrient, water
and carbon storage and output for selected annual and
perennial plant communities and then provide educational
opportunities about the results. The investigators theorize
that we can reduce nutrient loads, improve water management,
and maintain or improve agricultural productivity by
strategic integration of perennial plants in agricultural
landscapes.
Winter grazing of stockpiled grass-legume forages to
reduce costs of developing beef heifers, year 1 of 1,
$28,612, J. Russell, ISU Animal Science (2004-E35) Evaluate
cow performance, feed requirements, and costs for
maintaining pregnant two-year cows with grazing stockpiled
grass-legume forage versus feeding hay with corn gluten
supplementation. The project is collecting a third year of
data and hoping for a more severe winter after having two
mild winters that may have affected the accuracy of
recommendations from the first two years of work.
Go to the Ecology
initiative page
Read the
Winter 2003 RFP
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