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 Iowa Learning Farms, a conservation education and outreach program from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, has published the Protecting our Pollinators infographic series. Each document in the series provides accessible and fact-based information about pollinators as well as tangible actions that Iowans can take to support these important contributors to the local and global food web...

Continue reading this article on ISU Extension and Outreach News

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has published its “4 Things for Wildlife” series, offering readers practical ideas for supporting wildlife through land management actions.

Adam Janke, publication author and natural resource ecology and management wildlife extension specialist, shared the importance of helping Iowans adopt wildlife-friendly practices.

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Conservationist Program will host its third annual statewide meet-up for program graduates on Friday, Sept. 5, and Saturday, Sept. 6, near Indianola.

All past and recent graduates of the Master Conservationist Program in Iowa are invited and welcome to attend, and registration is now available.

Pastures in Iowa are quite common, but how often do we hear about silvopasture? When you envision a pasture, how many trees are in it? Typically, trees in a pasture are not intentionally planted and considered an equally important commodity as the livestock and forage. The idea of trees in a pasture being treated as a crop is a novel concept for many. However, silvopasture is a farming method that integrates the growth of trees, forage, and raising animals in a harmonious system.

Seventeen Iowans graduated from the second cohort of the Landowner Education Program in July. Organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, the program features five in-person and two virtual educational events to help landowners improve the environmental and economic resiliency of their land through soil health practices...

Continue reading this article on ISUEO News.

One evening last April, 24 participants in the Land Stewardship Leadership Academy (LSLA) faced a massive tractor and sprayer, admiring its complexity. On their feet all day, they still eagerly leaned in to watch as a farm manager described the equipment's latest precision features. This was their last stop as they toured Iowa State University teaching farms around Ames where the cohort was continuing a weeks-long look under the hood of Iowa agriculture...

The Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council launched this five-part video series highlighting Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy—where it started, how it’s measured and advanced, and where we’re headed next...

Continue reading this blog post on the Iowa Learning Farms website.

When people think of monarch butterflies, they often think of milkweed. And rightly so. Monarch caterpillars feed exclusively on milkweed and cannot survive without it. But the monarch-milkweed connection only covers half of the story; the caterpillar stage. Adult monarchs have their own requirements, their own resource needs that conservation efforts must also address...

Continue reading this article on the Iowa Learning Farms 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 Center...

Continue reading this article on the ISUEO News website.

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...

Continue reading this article on the Iowa Learning Farms website.

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 pollen of these trees is airborne and it takes at least two genetically different trees of each species to produce nuts.  There are separate male and female flowers on each tree, but usually t

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...

Continue reading this article on the Iowa Cancer Consortium website.

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. The Clay County Trailblazers team won second place with members Abigail Roush, David Roush and Hannah Roush....

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Since March 1, temperatures across the state have been around 2-6 degrees warmer than normal. In the past two weeks, temperatures have stayed closer to normal, reaching 0-3 degrees below normal in some areas. Since April 1, the entire state has received below-normal precipitation.

The Midwest Cover Crops Council’s cover crop decision tool was recently updated for Iowa! This winter, a group of Iowan researchers, agency staff, seed dealers, and farmers came together to provide input to the Midwest Cover Crops Council to update Iowa’s data in the cover crop selector tool...

Continue reading this article on the Integrated Crop Management website 

This winter, northwest Iowa experienced its third driest winter (December-February) on record. Snowfall totals were below normal for the entire state, with the greatest departures at 26 inches of snow below normal.