Conservation Security Program Workshops Scheduled in Middle Iowa Watershed
To help potential Conservation Security Program (CSP) participants in the Middle Iowa watershed learn more about the program and the application process, local NRCS offices are holding a series of CSP workshops beginning April 14 in Tama. Signup for the 2008 CSP begins April18 and runs until May 16. All applicants must complete a Self Assessment Workbook as well as several other application tools. This workshop will discuss the program, benefits and application process. Read the full story

Operation Strip-till gets rolling
A couple of north central Iowa men put their heads together and created an opportunity for farmers interested in trying strip-tillage on their farms. Iowa Learning Farm cooperator Dave Nelson, owner of Brokaw Supply Company, and Doug Seltz, a Webster County Soil and Water District commissioner, conceived a way for area producers to get their toes wet in the strip-tilling world without taking the full plunge. They're calling it "Operation Strip Till."   read the full story

Information from NRCS
Click on the links below to learn more:
Fight the Urge to Fall Till!
Consider Planting Cover Crops This Fall

Biomass harvest and transportation
By Mark Hanna, Extension Agricultural Engineer; and Stuart Birrell, Associate Professor, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University

Increased worldwide demand for fuel and other petroleum-based products have renewed interest in using agricultural bioproducts, non-grain biomass as well as grain, as feedstocks in place of foreign oil. Full story

Conservation investments make a difference in water quality
How have existing on-farm conservation efforts affected Iowa's water quality and what value do they have?
Seven major conservation practices used on Iowa farms are estimated to remove 11 to 38 percent of the total nitrogen, 6 to 28 percent of the nitrate and 23-58 percent of the phosphorus that otherwise would be present in 13 large-scale watersheds that cover most of the state. Those are the findings from a new report prepared by researchers at Iowa State University's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). Read the full story on the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture's web site:http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/newsreleases/2007/conservation_110907.htm

 

Iowa Learning Farm Newsletters
To recieve the ILF quarterly newsletter, please email us at: ilf@iastate.edu. Please indicate if you would prefer to receive the newsletter electronically or include a USPS mailable address.

The Winter 2008 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Introducing ILF Conservationists
• Moving to Conservation Tillage
• ILF cooperators honored at CDI
• Randy Caviness– Producer Profile
• ILF Winter activities

The Fall 2007 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• One Busy Summer
• Biomass Harvest and Transportation
• Building a Culture of Conservation
• Mike Deahr – Producer Profile
• Cover crop resources

The Spring 2007 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• See the Power of Rain
• Iowa Learning Farm New Staff
• Economics Update
• Bruce Manthe – Producer Profile

The Winter 2007 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Iowa Learning Farm Moves to the Leopold Center
• Conservation Systems: Challenges and Benefits
• Soil Loss Levels of 'T' Versus Soil Quality
• Barbara Johnson – Producer Profile

The Fall 2006 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Land Use Changes for Improved Water Quality
• Energy Savings with the Use of Conservation Systems
• Can My Equipment Handle No-tillage
• Robert Pridie – Producer Profile

The Spring 2006 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Conservation Influence on Soil Quality
• A Look at Tillage Practices in Iowa: What's in a Label
• Iowa's Water Resources
• John and Ron Kielkopf – Producer Profile

The Winter 2006 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Cover Crop Selection and Management for Midwest Farming Systems
• Buffers and Grassed Waterways
• How is the Iowa Learning Farm Different
• Jerry Crew – Producer Profile

The Fall 2005 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Long-term Vision of the Iowa Learning Farm
• Tillage Could Jeopardize Chances with CSP
• Soil Conditioning Index
• What Lies Ahead for CRP?
• Lynn Gronborg – Producer Profile

The Spring 2005 issue (.pdf) includes the following articles:
• Iowa Learning Farm – A New Model for Conservation Systems
• On-Farm Demonstration and Soil Quality Validation
• Economic Assessment
• Evaluation of Conservation Systems
• Extension Education to Promote Conservation Management
• Rick Juchems – Producer Profile