Working Groups & Research Teams
Many Leopold Center-supported projects are organized as either a working group or research team. A working group brings together stakeholders from different groups and/or backgrounds to collaborate on a common issue or need. Many working groups are organized as a community of practice that uses collective knowledge and expertise to explore unique solutions. A research team brings together scientists from different fields to work on a specific research question or set of closely related questions.
See information about previous working groups and research teams supported by the Leopold Center.
This group, initiated in 2011 as part of the Leopold Center's Policy Initiative, was established to increase discussion, networking and to facilitate additional research regarding the interplay of land tenure arrangements, public policy and the sustainability and resiliency of Iowa's agricultural system.
The Agroecology Research Team set up the Bear Creek Watershed Demonstration Project, a highly successful, award-winning program that worked with landowners to install riparian buffers to mitigate erosion, reduce nitrate runoff and improve wildlife habitat. The Leopold Center supported this team from 1991 to 2002; research continues on special projects with additional funds.
The Hoop Group, supported by the Leopold Center from 1997-2002, compared hoop structures to conventional facilities for swine production, beef cattle production and other livestock. Mark Honeyman and James Kliebenstein from Iowa State University led the group. Special projects have continued with additional funds.
This group is comprised of geographically-based practitioners and community leaders with a goal to increase the investment in and support for local and regional food businesses in Iowa. There are 16 local groups that participate and jointly manage this group. The group was convened in 2003 by the Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative.
The Pork Niche Market Working Group works to foster the success of highly differentiated pork value chains that are profitable to all participants, that incorporate farmer ownership and control, and that contribute to environmental stewardship and rural vitality. Formed in 2002 as part of the Value Chain Partnerships project, the group is transitioning to independent leadership.
This group, initiated in 2010 as part of a Leopold Center competitive grant, is a statewide network of food and nutrition assistance program providers and health professionals focused on advancing regionally–based food systems that ameliorates hunger and improves the health of Iowans by increasing access to fresh and nutritious food. It now serves as a subunit within the Iowa Food Systems Council.
This group supports research, education and implementation of a variety of energy conservation, efficiency and renewable energy practices from on-farm resources to meet the needs of Iowa’s small and mid-sized farms. It began in 2009 as part of a competitive Leopold Center grant to the Center for Energy & Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa, which coordinates the group's activities.
The Grass-Based Livestock Working Group seeks to boost viability of the grass-based livestock industry in Iowa by supporting diverse groups of passionate practitioners and outreach professionals who are willing to share knowledge and work toward sustainability. It began in 2008 as part of Value Chain Partnerships and a competitive grant from the Leopold Center.
This team of researchers, educators and extension specialists are conducting STRIPs, Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairies. They are conducting much of their work at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge on plots set up in 2008 as part of a Leopold Center competitive grant.
The Iowa Cover Crops Working Group is part of the Midwest Cover Crops Council, which is affiliated with the Green Lands, Blue Waters consortium. The mission of the MCCC is to significantly increase the amount of continuous living cover on the Upper Midwestern agricultural landscape.
The purpose of this group is to provide an organization for advancing the science, practice and adoption of agroforestry by landowners and natural resource managers in the Midwest region of the U.S. The Leopold Center is among the founding partners of this group.
Green Lands, Blue Waters is a long-term comprehensive effort whose mission is to support development of, and transition to, a new generation of agricultural systems in the Mississippi River Basin that integrate more perennial plants and other continuous living cover into the agricultural landscape.
This team seeks to develop, refine and implement a portfolio of sustainable bioenergy feedstock production systems that can reduce dependence on foreign oil, have net positive social, environmental and rural economic impacts, and are compatible with existing agricultural systems in Iowa.
This research team explores approaches to the restoration of native grasslands and associated biodiversity within a working landscape. The target is a system based on grazing and recreational land use that is both ecologically and economically viable, as well as socially acceptable.
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