Articles

Feeding the soil through composting so it can feed food sources is the focus of the Virtual Eco Family Conference, “Compost 101: Food for the Food,” on June 7. The virtual workshop concentrates on composting basics for indoors and outdoors.

Farmers and crop scouts can identify and keep track of soybean and corn field problems throughout the season by using a new series of  field crop scouting cards. The cards were produced by the Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management program with support from the Iowa Soybean Association.

The signs of stress in a flooded forest can take days, months and even years to become evident, depending on the tree species. Iowa State University Forestry Extension and the Iowa DNR will host a forestry field day on May 31 for landowners that had timber flooded by the Missouri River in 2011.

Horticulture specialists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach answer lilac questions that will bring more spring blooms to home gardens.

Preserve the Taste of Summer (PTTS) was launched last July as a pilot program to help adults learn how to safely preserve foods. This year, the basic structure of the program will remain the same, but some new elements are being added as a result of public demand.

One in eight Iowa State University students don't realize they owe student loans, while two in five don't realize how much they owe. Professor and ISU Extension and Outreach Specialist Cynthia Needles Fletcher was one of the researchers who conducted the study, which represents the latest effort to address ISU student debt and financial literacy.

Each summer, campers from all over the state visit the Iowa 4-H Center for a week of camp fun. This year, youth enrolled in two camps, Everything Camp and Counselors in Training Camp, will have the opportunity to participate in a research study conducted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach targeted toward lowering childhood obesity in the state.

The 2012 Midwest Composting School will be held July 24-26 at the Iowa State Dairy Farm and Iowa State University Composting Facility.

The 2012 Excellence in Innovation Award was presented to Hagie Manufacturing of Clarion, Iowa, by the National Institute of Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership on May 8, in Orlando, Fla. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Center for Industrial Research and Service nominated the company for the award.