Homegrown Lifestyle is for people living on a large lot or a small acreage with visions of producing food for their own use and practicing land stewardship, but aren't sure how or where to start.
The network of computers that make up the Iowa Environmental Mesonet gathers, collects, disseminates and archives weather observation data under the management of Daryl Herzmann. Thousands of people and computers access the information each day — including the National Weather Service.
The new online computer game “Rock Your Watershed!” is fun for all ages. It entertains while teaching players about productivity and environmental impacts, based on land management choices on 10 parcels of land within a watershed.
Having 2 percent of the total pond surface open throughout the winter will help pond owners avoid fish kills, according to ISU Extension and Outreach fisheries and aquaculture specialist Allen Pattillo.
Iowa’s native snakes play important roles in the state’s ecosystem, often doing more good than harm for a homeowner through their appetite for more problematic rodents and insects. A few simple steps will keep snakes in nature instead of venturing into and around houses.
Forgoing mowing in spring and delaying summer mowing allows sufficient time for Iowa’s breeding pheasants, quail, meadowlarks and 16 other common species of grassland-nesting birds to raise their young in nests they build during this time of the year.
The manual, field guide and assessment card were developed as sources of information for farmers, agronomists and other agriculture professionals managing soils and to provide documentation of how different management practices affect soil.
The more prominent use of cover crops and frequently asked producer questions prompted a group of Iowa State researchers to create a publication with answers.
Iowa Learning Farms, in cooperation with farmer partner Tim Smith and the Soil Health Partnership, will host a cover crop field day Thursday, Aug. 25, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
Palmer amaranth is an invasive weed that is native to the southwestern United States. Over the last three years, however, the weed has made its way into Iowa and has been identified in at least nine counties, most recently in Madison, Clayton, Washington and Crawford counties.
