Q. What have been your experiences with animals and livestock in a sustainable agriculture system?

I grew up on an Iroquois County farm in east central Illinois. We had a diversified farm and that meant livestock as well as crops. We had a registered Black Angus cow-calf herd, produced eggs for the local hatchery, kept a small flock of Cheviot sheep, and managed a small farrow-to-finish swine operation. We were no different than our neighbors. If you farmed, you raised livestock.

These experiences taught me the important role of livestock on a farm. I have continued to position farm animals at the forefront of our work at the Center because without livestock, the move toward sustainability becomes far more difficult and challenging. Livestock bring economic value to the farm, recycle nutrients, and build soils and diversity.

Q. What have been the Center’s key accomplishments to encourage livestock production?

The Leopold Center has had a strong record of supporting livestock as a part of Iowa agriculture. Early efforts focused on work within the Animal Management Issue Team (1990-2002). This team looked at forage-based beef production systems, rotational grazing, use of stored feeds to extend winter grazing, and use of legume forage species for cattle grazing.

The Leopold Center also set up and supported work of the Manure Management Issue Team from 1990 to 1995. This group conducted early studies of the effects of manure applied prior to corn, the environmental impacts on surface and groundwater from the application of liquid swine manure, and economic impacts of livestock agriculture on the sustainability of family farms.

Another team of researchers studied the use of hoop structures for hogs. The Leopold Center hosted two successful conferences about these alternative systems that were attended by more than 500 people. Now we see hoop structures across the landscape, integrated into the pork industry, and under study for finishing beef cattle.

In addition to funding the work of these issue teams, the Leopold Center funded 15 competitive grants related to livestock and 12 competitive grants on grazing, all completed between 1996 and 2007.

Q. What is the Center doing now to increase opportunities for Iowa livestock producers?

A more recent activity has been the formation of the Pork Niche Market Working Group. This group is led by Practical Farmers of Iowa and is part of the Value Chain Partnerships project coordinated by the Leopold Center. It brings together producers, industry representatives, extension staff, researchers and others interested in expanding the opportunities in alternative pork production systems.

The Leopold Center also is funding projects targeted for dairy, grass-finished beef and goats. Following a special call for proposals in 2006, we are supporting three new projects that offer promise for grass-based dairy systems in Iowa. They are designed to increase the number of Iowa producers using these systems to meet the growing demand for milk production. In 2008, we will launch an interdisciplinary team whose primary task will be to build and expand grass-based beef systems in Iowa.

Other Leopold Center competitive grants underway will develop a grassland products calculator, help small meat processors analyze operations for cash flow and profitability, create a curriculum for producers participating in branded programs and niche markets, determine comparative costs for various finishing systems, and assist producers interested in contract grazing.

These are but a few of the livestock-based programs and activities we have invested in at the Center. Livestock is needed on the landscape and we will continue to place high priority on this important and vital part of Iowa agriculture.

Jerry DeWitt