Blog
Twenty-four natural resource professionals from across Iowa were part of the Land Stewardship Leadership Academy graduation ceremony held May 22 at the Iowa State University Alumni
The Swampbuster provision has been in the news recently, so I thought it would be a good time to provide a refresher on what the provision is, how it came about, and why we care about wetlands in the agricultural landscape...
Iowans sell between 20 and 35 million dollars of standing timber from their woodlands each year.
There are four main types of nuts that are sometimes grown in Iowa. These would be the walnuts (Juglans sp.), hickories (Carya sp.), hazelnuts (Corylus sp.), and chestnuts (Castanea sp.). Generally, the po
Spring in Iowa is a great time to watch the Redbud Trees bloom, listen to the hypnotic sound of frogs – and if you’re a private well owner – test your drinking water quality...
The Tama County Turtles took first place in the State Wildlife Habitat Education Program senior team division. Team members are Josey Wacha, Levi Murty, Rachael Murty and Wyatt Silhanek.
Key points
- Conditions are expected to lean warm and wet through the rest of April.
- Growing degree days are accumulating ahead of schedule.
- Active weather is expected in the next 7 days.
Past weather
The Midwest Cover Crops Council’s cover crop decision tool was recently updated for Iowa!
Key points:
- There was much less snow in Iowa this winter compared to normal.
- Temperatures are expected to be below normal for the first part of April.
- Be prepared for severe weather during spring in Iowa.
Past weather
Madelynn Wuestenberg began her role with Iowa State University in January 2024, where she serves as an Agricultural Climatologist, specializing in environmental interactions and feedbacks with the atmosphere.
Iowa landowners may apply to participate in the 2025 Landowner Education Program offered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The application window is open until April 4.
Since 2015, the Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium (IMCC) has been working to increase monarch butterfly conservation efforts across Iowa.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach’s Wild-harvested Mushroom Certification Class will return this spring, offering mushroom hunters a valuable opportunity to hone their identification skills, learn more about their favorite mushrooms and connect with fellow mushroom hunters.
After helping to deliver Master Conservationist and other programming for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Polk County in her previous role as natural resources programming coordinator, Gina Buelow is eager to implement these programs statewide in her new role as natural resources fie
As I drive across the Iowa countryside in late fall, I see massive piles of corn waiting to be moved or sold. It has been a bumper year for corn and soybean production in our state.
Over the past few years, Iowa has consistently invested in monarch butterfly conservation by adding new areas of monarch habitat throughout the state.
Starting a new job is always hard, but starting a new job as a conservation professional can feel extra tough.
While most of Iowa received much needed rain in the past two weeks, parts of northern Iowa saw their first snowfall of the 2024-25 winter season. A northwest Iowa CO-OP observer reported 1.7” of snow in Sibley. Just to the south, a CO-OP observer reported only 0.1”.
Every decision we make on land we own or have influence over impacts the wildlife we share our world with. As a wildlife biologist, it’s my job to broker in the good and the bad of those outcomes. Sometimes, it’s too many deer or too persistent a digging mammal.
Key Points
- Widespread chances for freeze across the Midwest on Monday night
- Dryness is expected to continue, and drought expansion is likely
Key Points
- Hurricane Helene expected to make landfall Thursday evening
- Above average temperatures expected for the next few weeks
- Crop condition is mostly good to excellent across the state
Forestry has been a passion for Emma Kerns for about as long as she can remember. She grew up on her family’s crop and cattle farm in Delaware County, helping with farm chores and helping take care of the family forest. For the past two years, she was manager of the Stephens State Fores
I’ve recently started saying that conservation is a contact sport. We need friends and neighbors talking to friends and neighbors about the ways in which they’re helping water and wildlife and why it matters to them.
Twenty-five Iowans recently graduated from the inaugural Landowner Education Program. The graduation ceremony was held Aug.