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Pasture Restoration and Monarch Habitat Field Day

Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - 10:30am to 12:30pm

AMES, Iowa — Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, will host a pasture restoration and monarch habitat field day Sept. 10 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Nathan Anderson’s farm near Cherokee. The event is free, open to the whole family and includes a complimentary meal. Read more about Pasture Restoration and Monarch Habitat Field Day

An Ode to the Dickcissel: Rural Iowa's Most Unremarkable Remarkable Bird

July 19, 2019 12:00 AM

Wild turkey. Ring-necked pheasant. Trumpeter swan. Turkey vulture. Northern bobwhite. These are the remarkable birds of Iowa’s rural landscapes. They’re large, conspicuous, and broadly recognized. These species, and a few more, are those most associated with rural life and synonymous with our experience on the farm. However, I submit that to the trained eye, and ear, the bird that most symbolizes Iowa’s countryside is not these charismatic familiar species, but rather, the unremarkable yet fascinatingly remarkable Dickcissel.....

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The Deep Wounds of Forest Invasive Species

November 15, 2017 12:00 AM

One my favorite quotes from Iowa native and conservation icon Aldo Leopold goes like this: “One of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.” I think about that quote often this time of year because every fall, after the grand finale of summer recedes to the grays and browns of our dormant winter landscapes, those of us with an ecological education are stuck with a constant reminder of one of our deepest wounds...

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Yes, Roadsides and all the Other Wildflowers Matter!

August 10, 2017 12:00 AM

The title to this article is the answer to a question I get often. I suspect the curiosity is spawned from a combination of state law, which mandates roadsides be spared the mower until at least July 15th, and our deeply-rooted Midwestern sense of obligation to keep “a clean farm.” However, the simple argument that “a clean farm” is a closely manicured one, from the barn yard to the ditches, arguably falls short. Stands of wildflowers and grasses in roadsides, idle areas, and barn lots provide aesthetic beauty, habitat for everything from butterflies to deer, and play an important role in keeping our air and water clean. Roadsides – and all the other wildflowers – matter!...

To continue reading this article in the Field and Feedlot newsletter, click here.

What Story is your Land Telling?

May 4, 2017 2:40 PM

We can learn about our land in a variety of ways. Local history books report on the native cultures that hunted, gathered, farmed and traded there. General Land Office surveys from the 19th century record the locations of natural features and early settlements. Historical aerial photographs provide high-resolution snapshots through time dating back to the Hoover Administration. Stories of past hunts and or family memories in old fields and forests are passed down through generations. All reflecting a transfer of information through shared stories or archival records....

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USDA announces CRP changes to help improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and land transfers to beginning farmers

March 8, 2017 12:00 AM

As USDA’s flagship voluntary conservation program, the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides incentives to producers who utilize conservation practices on environmentally- sensitive lands. For example, farmers are monetarily compensated for establishing long-term perennial cover, such as grasses and wildflowers or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat....

To continue reading this article on the Ag Decision Maker Newsletter, click here.

Setting the Table for Iowa's Favorite Farmland Birds: Bobwhite Quail and Ring-necked Pheasants

July 17, 2016 2:29 PM

Perhaps no wild birds captivate the imagination of rural Midwesterners as much as the bobwhite quail and ring-necked pheasant. Both species wield an iconic call – the “bob-WHITE” whistle of male bobwhites and the conspicuous crowing of the rooster pheasant. Both species are often visible on a country drive thanks to their affinity for feeding and dusting on crop-field and roadside edges. Both species flock during winter and offer beautiful reprieves from otherwise life-less winter landscapes. Unfortunately though, both species share one more commonality – there are fewer of them in Iowa today than there was throughout most of the 20th century....

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Let the Snow be Your Learning Canvas This Winter

January 5, 2017 12:00 AM

We had just turned the corner around a nice oak woodlot outside my hometown in northern Indiana, home on a visit for Christmas, when I saw a familiar sight; the prints of a covey of northern bobwhites in the snow. My heart nearly skipped a beat when, as soon as we stopped to investigate the prints, the covey which had temporarily retreated to some nearby shrubby cover, suddenly flushed. Our presence had finally become too much for the birds to bear in their shrubby refuge...

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Land Use Mismatches

August 16, 2017 12:00 AM

Conservation is ensuring the greatest good for the greatest number of people. This idea is credited to American forester Gifford Pinchot, but many have arrived at the same conclusion. Conservation is thus, a resource allocation challenge and among our many resources, land is the most finite....

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