AMES, IA -- Researchers and educators are addressing
Iowa agricultural and environmental problems through a
grants program administered by the Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, Ames.
The Center recently awarded $518,689 in its eighth
annual round of competitive grants for research,
education, and demonstration projects beginning July 1,
1995.
The 32 projects cover a wide range of topics, from weed
and pest management to education on more profitable
methods for raising livestock. They enable Iowa
agronomists, environmental engineers, educators and
others to apply technology in new ways and to develop
partnerships for a sound agriculture.
CITY AND RURAL DWELLERS BENEFIT
In several cases, the benefits of the projects go beyond
the farm gate to rural and urban Iowa areas. In
Clarion, a project is enlisting the cooperation of the
city with area livestock farmers to utilize manure as
the "fuel" for composting community yard wastes.
Without a nitrogen source such as manure, the yard
wastes, now banned from Iowa landfills, don't decompose
well and can pose a disposal problem for cities.
According to Randy Killorn, Iowa State University
agronomist, "We're most interested in getting crop and
livestock producers and the community and involved in a
cooperative project." Initially, the resulting compost
will be available at no charge to the residents of
Clarion. Eventually project organizers hope to use
their site as a demonstration for other municipalities
that face similar lawn and yard waste disposal
challenges.
SEED MONEY FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
As new areas of agricultural science emerge, Leopold
Center funding helps lay the groundwork for future
study. An example is weed science, which USDA/ARS
National Soil Tilth Lab scientist Doug Buhler says is
only about 40 years old. He says there is a growing
interest in expanding the limited options now available
for weed control. "Whether you think herbicides are
good or bad, problems of weed herbicide resistance, the
desire to do less tillage, and environmental concerns
are causing producers to look for more options."
Through this three-year project, Buhler will investigate
spring seeding "smother plants" as a way to control weed
growth. He says until weed scientists have more data on
potential smother species and successful planting
methods, it's very difficult to attract other support
for the project. "We felt this project was a natural
match for the Leopold Center," Buhler comments.
SYNERGY IN PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships among diverse organizations have also
sprung out of Center-funded projects, creating a
powerful synergy. Previous work by the Iowa Department
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) found that
"in-field management of ag chemicals may not always
economically achieve the improvements needed in the
quality of water discharged to aquifers," according to
project coordinator Dean Lemke. In other studies, ISU
ecologist William Crumpton found that wetlands can be
effective in removing contaminants, especially nitrate,
from cropland drainage.
Knowledge gained from the IDALS and ISU research has now
been combined in a collaborative study on reducing ag
chemical transport to water resources by using
constructed wetlands. Joint funding from IDALS' Iowa ag
drainage well project and the Leopold Center support the
project. IDALS is working closely with Crumpton and ISU
ag and biosystems engineers James Baker and Stewart
Melvin.
"This concept holds much promise as a potential
practice," says Lemke of the study, which is
specifically targeted at removing nitrate from cropland
drainage. He says that constructed wetlands are widely
used for cleansing water from home and industrial
sources, but this approach has not been used to address
agricultural nonpoint source pollution. "On this count,
Iowa is in the lead to develop this technology," Lemke
adds. In the future, researchers hope to expand this
project to evaluate use of constructed wetlands to
remove pesticides from cropland drainage.
In its first eight years, the Leopold Center has awarded
almost $5.9 million in 130 competitive grants throughout
the state. The Leopold Center promotes profitable
farming systems that conserve natural resources through
research, education, and information programs. Funding
for the Center comes from state appropriations and from
fees on nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides, as
established by the 1987 Groundwater Protection Act.
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A full listing of projects funded follows, including
project topic, title, grant amount, grant number,
principal investigator and department. The phone number
of the principal investigator is also included should
you wish further information.
Leopold Center For Sustainable Agriculture
1995 Competitive Grants
New projects
EDUCATION
Agriculture and Science Teaching Link, $18,000 (96-23)
Eldon Weber, Iowa State University Department of
Agricultural Education and Studies-515-294-0893
Everything You Need to Know About Wildlife and
Fisheries: A Field Day for Agriculturalists, $3,670
(96-20)
James Pease, Iowa State University Department of Animal
Ecology-515-294-7429
Planning for a Sustainable Agriculture Education Program
at the Iowa 4-H Education and Natural Resources Center,
$4,000 (96-30)
Joe Kurth, Iowa State University Extension Youth and 4-
H-515-294-1018
LIVESTOCK
Intensive Rotational Grazing Management
Education/Demonstration for Northeast Iowa Dairy and
Beef Producers, $10,000 (96-38)
Tony Harvey, Iowa State University Extension-Dubuque
County office-319-583-6496
Education-Demonstration for Intensive Grazing and Forage
Management on Highly Erodible Land, $11,000 (96-41)
Norvell Houck, Southern Iowa Forage and Livestock
Association, Corning-515-322-3101
Iowa Pasture Management Guide, $8,000 (96-72)
Kenneth Moore, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-5482
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Integrated Pest Management for Wireworms, $24,100 (96-
02)
Larry Pedigo, Iowa State University Department of
Entomology-515-294-8694
Biocontrol of Sclerotinia Stem Rot in Soybeans with S.
Sclerotivorum, $19,190 (96-31)
Charles Martinson, Iowa State University Department of
Plant Pathology-515-294-1062
Transferring Biological Control Technology to Iowa
Strawberry Growers, $15,000 (96-77)
Donald Lewis, Iowa State University Department of
Entomology-515-294-1101
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Animal Manure/Municipal Yard Waste Composting Project in
Wright County, $15,000 (96-06)
Randy Killorn, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-1923
Development of Guidelines for Swine Manure Application
in Corn for N Management, $25,000 (96-10)
Alfred Blackmer, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-7284
Development of a Nutrient Balance for Iowa for
Evaluating and Targeting Sustainable Agriculture and
Nonpoint Source Control Programs, $13,900 (96-63)
George Hallberg, University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory-
319-335-4500
WEEDS
Spring-seeded Smother Plants for Weed Control in Corn
and Soybean, $31,000 (96-03)
Douglas Buhler, National Soil Tilth Laboratory, USDA-
ARS-MWA-515-294-5502
Evaluation of the Impact of Tillage/Cropping on Soil
Microflora and Weed Seedbank Predation, $20,000 (96-34)
Micheal Owen, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-1923
Enhancement of Agricultural Weed Control by Manipulation
of the Light Environment, $20,000 (96-80)
Thomas Jurik, Iowa State University Department of
Botany-515-294-5617
OTHER PROJECTS
Incorporating Native Plant Communities on Farms for
Forage and Wildlife, $16,343 (96-74)
Laura Jackson, University of Northern Iowa Department of
Biology-319-273-6245
Renewed projects
AGROFORESTRY
Evaluation of Interactions within a Shelterbelt
Agroecosystem, $15,400 (93-04)
Carl Mize, Iowa State University Department of Forestry-
515-294-1456
Demonstration of an Agroforestry System to Minimize
Pollution Hazards from Land Application of Treated
Municipal Sludge, $20,000 (95-47)
Richard Schultz, Iowa State University Department of
Forestry-515-294-7602
CROPS
Effect of Tillage, Crop Rotation and Innovative Nitrogen
and Pesticide Management Practices on Productivity,
Sustainability and Water Quality, $29,460 (93-14)
Ramesh Kanwar, Iowa State University Department of
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering-515-294-4913
INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT
Introduction of a Larval Parasitoid in Iowa for
Biological Control of the Tarnished Plant Bug, $1,000
(93-15)
John Obrycki, Iowa State University Department of
Entomology-515-294-8622
The Cereal Leaf Beetle in Iowa Oats: Research and
Education Program for Biological Control and Sustainable
Management Practices, $8,000 (93-16)
John Obrycki, Iowa State University Department of
Entomology-515-294-8622
Effects of Transgenic Bacillus Thuringiensis Corn on
European Corn Borer Natural Enemies and Non-target
Lepidopteran Pests, $12,600 (95-14)
Marlin Rice, Iowa State University Department of
Entomology-515-294-1101
Supporting Leopold Center IPM Research Through On-farm
Trials and Demonstrations, $7,731 (95-39)
Richard Thompson, Practical Farmers of Iowa-515-432-1560
LIVESTOCK
Animal and Plant Responses for Steers Grazing
Switchgrass and Big Bluestem Pastures $25,094 (93-06)
Ronald George, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-2143
Demonstration of a Swedish Sustainable Swine Production
System in Iowa, $12,000 (95-72)
Mark Honeyman, Iowa State University Outlying Research
Center-515-294-4621
Evaluation of Diatomaceous Earth as an Adjunct to Sheep
Parasite Control in Organic Farming, $12,031 (95-34)
Gary Osweiler, Iowa State University College of
Veterinary Medicine-515-294-1950
Iowa Lakes Controlled Grazing Project, $11,520 (95-13)
Mark Guge, Iowa Lakes Controlled Grazing Project,
Estherville-712-858-4506
Management and Utilization of Berseem Clover in
Crop/Livestock Production Enterprises, $30,000 (95-49)
Mark Honeyman, Iowa State University Outlying Research
Center-515-294-4621
NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT
Mahaska County Livestock Manure/Crop Nutrient Management
Demonstration Project, $15,000 (95-05)
Joseph Sellers, Lucas County Extension office-515-774-
2016
Fertilizer Placement for Ridge-Till and No-till Systems,
$18,000 (95-55)
Antonio Mallarino, Iowa State University Department of
Agronomy-515-294-6200
WATER QUALITY
Constructed Wetlands to Reduce Agricultural Chemical
Transport to Water Resources, $18,600 (95-48)
Dean Lemke, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship, Division of Soil Conservation-515-281-3963
WEED MANAGEMENT
Effective High Speed, High Residue Row Crop Cultivation,
$28,050 (93-01)
Mark Hanna, Iowa State University Department of
Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering-515-294-0468
5/17/95
Anne Larson, Comm. Specialist
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
ealarson@iastate.edu
(515) 294-0626