Blog
It might be confusing to some how someone who studied soil science could end up being focused on water quality, but for Iowans it’s likely that the connection is more straightforward.
Trees hold an incredible power, that being their ability to fix carbon from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and use it to produce a tangible product – wood.
Iowa is a major producer of grain, meat, dairy, eggs, and other major agricultural commodities.
Woodland owners and those with an interest in forestry can network and improve their knowledge during several field days planned this fall across the state.
Among the hundreds of wildlife species found in Iowa, few are so common that we can assert with relative confidence that each night, every person in Iowa would find themselves only a mile or two away from one. Perhaps deer rise to this level of ubiquity. Perhaps pigeons or mourning doves too.
Due to recent high temperatures and dry conditions, stocking farm ponds can be difficult to do this time of the year. However, several measures can be taken to increase your success...
A new trailer named “Marsh Madness” combines sight, sound, and science to engage Iowa audiences about the values of the state’s wetland ecosystems.
A new study indicates that insects like honey bees in many cases can do a better job of pollinating soybeans than the plants can do on their own.
When youth have the opportunity to learn something new in Iowa 4-H, sometimes it’s hard to predict where the opportunity will take them.
New research on monarchs by Iowa State University scientists offers important insights to those trying to boost populations by planting habitat close to corn and soybean fields.
The derecho that swept across Iowa and the Midwest in August of 2020 caused extensive damage to forests and woodlots – but not all of it was negative.
The diversity and breadth of Iowa’s natural environment is captured in a new series of publications by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the Iowa Association of Naturalists.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a demonstration is worth a million words at least! I am reminded of this as we are brushing off the winter dirt from the Conservation Station Fleet and beginning to plan for summer 2021 outreach.
The World Wildlife Fund, Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas and the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve released its 2020-2021 overwintering monarch population report on February 25, 2021.
In January 1921 George Washington Carver traveled from Tuskegee, Alabama, across the Jim Crow south and into the segregated nation’s capital. He was there to extol the value of southern farmers’ peanuts as the House Ways and Means Committee considered tariffs on imports.
Farmers and landowners across the state work regularly with their local Natural Resource Conservation Service and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) professionals to plan and construct conservation practices or discuss cost-share options to try new management practices.
A recently-funded study is kicking into high gear this spring, intent on investigating the water quality and quantity impacts of certain woody structures that are all-too-familiar to Iowa landowners—beaver dams.
On December 15th, 2020 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that the monarch butterfly is warranted for listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, because of on-going work with higher-priority species, the Service precluded issuing an immediate proposed listing rule.
Adam Janke, assistant professor in natural resources ecology and management and extension wildlife specialist at Iowa State University, offers these special tips for getting rid of your live Christmas tree after the holiday season...
New Research Identifies Four Farmer Types with Differing Perspectives on Soil and Water Conservation
Soil and water conservation is critical to the long-term sustainability of Iowa agriculture. Farmers can use a range of soil and water conservation practices to maintain agricultural productivity while minimizing impacts on water and wildlife.
Temperature has a direct effect on fish metabolism, feeding, and survival. No other physical factors affects the development and growth of fish as much as water temperature. Metabolic rates of fish increase rapidly as the temperature rises.
Everyone has learned a lot about the spread and control of infectious diseases in 2020. Although the important task at hand is to apply that knowledge in helping our neighbors and family avoid a Covid-19 infection, we would be wise to apply many of these lessons to help white-tailed deer fight a disease of their own.
Chronic Wasting Disease, or CWD, is a neurological disease affecting members of the deer family. The prion-based CWD that infects the central nervous system is a different type of disease from the virulent respiratory one we have become familiar with in 2020. But CWD and Covid-19 share many characteristics, including how they can be spread asymptomatically and the potential for high infection rates in the absence of intervention.
Iowans will have three in-person and online opportunities to learn about edge-of-field nutrient management practices in early December, with a special focus on projects being done within the South Skunk River Watershed in central Iowa.
Iowans can expect next year to be bright and colorful – at least according to the images found within the 2021 Garden Calendar produced by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
AMES, Iowa -- Iowa 4-H is partnering with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Agriculture and Natural Resources to bring a new youth program to the state.