Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Dec. 3, featuring Michael Otten, PE, water resources engineer, Shive-Hattery, Inc. Otten is a member of the Water and Environment Market team at Shive-Hattery, providing services that range from urban stormwater management to rural watershed management. His work primarily focuses on design activities involving private ponds, lake restorations, wetlands, sediment basins, mine reclamations, and other projects in rural watersheds.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Dec. 3, featuring Michael Otten, PE, water resources engineer, Shive-Hattery, Inc. Otten is a member of the Water and Environment Market team at Shive-Hattery, providing services that range from urban stormwater management to rural watershed management. His work primarily focuses on design activities involving private ponds, lake restorations, wetlands, sediment basins, mine reclamations, and other projects in rural watersheds.

Paul Johnson, a farmer, representative, NRCS Chief, and an Iowan, devoted his life to conservation, specifically conservation on private lands. In our most recent webinar, “We Can Do Better”: Paul Johnson’s Legacy for Agriculture, Conservation, and Land Stewardship, Curt Meine discussed Paul Johnson’s life and his work.   If you work in agriculture, you might have already read some of Paul Johnson’s writings.

Paul Johnson, a farmer, representative, NRCS Chief, and an Iowan, devoted his life to conservation, specifically conservation on private lands. In our most recent webinar, “We Can Do Better”: Paul Johnson’s Legacy for Agriculture, Conservation, and Land Stewardship, Curt Meine discussed Paul Johnson’s life and his work.   If you work in agriculture, you might have already read some of Paul Johnson’s writings.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 26, featuring Curt Meine, senior fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation & Center for Humans and Nature. Meine is a conservation biologist, environmental historian, and writer based in Sauk County, Wisconsin. He has published several books, including the award-winning biography, “Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work and The Driftless Reader.”

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 26, featuring Curt Meine, senior fellow, Aldo Leopold Foundation & Center for Humans and Nature. Meine is a conservation biologist, environmental historian, and writer based in Sauk County, Wisconsin. He has published several books, including the award-winning biography, “Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work and The Driftless Reader.”

Although irrigation isn't commonly implemented in Iowa corn and soybean production, research is showing the benefits it may have on not only yield, but water quality. Through drainage water recycling (DWR), farmers can store and use tile drainage water that is often carrying nitrogen, which would otherwise be sent downstream. In last week's webinar, Chris Hay, Hay Water Solutions and Spencer Pech, ISG share…

"If you don't like the weather, wait a few minutes.” A quote often attributed to Mark Twain from the late 1800’s, but in many cases still holds true today. For our relay intercropping project looking to develop best management practices and exploring the impacts on soil health and water quality, the weather has been a formidable factor in the success of the system here in Iowa.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 19, featuring Spencer Pech, civil engineer, ISG, and Chris Hay, owner and principal, Hay Water Solutions. Pech provides data-driven solutions for clients throughout the Midwest. His focus on agricultural water management is driven by a passion for providing win-win solutions to address agricultural and environmental resource concerns.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 19, featuring Spencer Pech, civil engineer, ISG, and Chris Hay, owner and principal, Hay Water Solutions. Pech provides data-driven solutions for clients throughout the Midwest. His focus on agricultural water management is driven by a passion for providing win-win solutions to address agricultural and environmental resource concerns.

Bored with cover crops? You are not alone. The Iowa Learning Farms team has been hearing snippets of this sentiment from farmers statewide over the past few years. At the same time, data from across Iowa and the Midwest indicate that cover crop adoption is slowing down AND disadoption is pervasive. The Iowa Learning Farms team sought to better understand farmers’ and landowners’ current attitudes and perceptions towards cover crops through a statewide evaluation, distributed in January 2025.

Iowa Learning Farms farmer partner Alec Amundson never thought farming would be his career, but when his in-laws offered him and his wife, Rachel, the opportunity in 2016, they took it. Alongside Rachel’s brother, Adam, the couple is part of Green Country Farms in rural Mitchell County. In addition to the normal corn and soybean crops seen across Iowa, they grow rye and oats, as well as a diverse cover crop mix used for custom grazing.

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, is hosting a free virtual field day on Thursday, December 4 at 1 p.m. CT. Join us for a live discussion with Dr. Mike Castellano, William T. Frankenberger Professor of Soil Science at Iowa State University. There is growing evidence that the amount of both corn and soybean residue affect the optimum nitrogen fertilizer rate to the following corn crop.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 12, featuring Liz Ripley, conservation and cover crop outreach specialist, Iowa Learning Farms, Iowa State University. Ripley coordinates and facilitates many of the outreach activities for ILF, as well as managing various cover crop research projects. Additionally, Ripley provides conservation outreach and education to farmers, landowners, youth and young at heart at field days, community events, county fairs and school visits.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 12, featuring Liz Ripley, conservation and cover crop outreach specialist, Iowa Learning Farms, Iowa State University. Ripley coordinates and facilitates many of the outreach activities for ILF, as well as managing various cover crop research projects. Additionally, Ripley provides conservation outreach and education to farmers, landowners, youth and young at heart at field days, community events, county fairs and school visits.

If you think butterflies are just nice to look at, think again! A recent webinar with Katherine Kral-O’Brien, assistant professor, Iowa State University dove into the surprising ways these fluttery pollinators help keep our ecosystems healthy—and it’s definitely worth a watch. Turns out, butterflies are great at telling us what’s going on in the environment. They can signal changes in plant communities, pollution levels, and even drought conditions.

Join us for the 36th Integrated Crop Management Conference to learn more about our relay intercropping demonstration project as well as a range of additional topics related to crop production, crop protection, nutrient management, and soil and water management. The event features experts sharing research updates and practical recommendations. Don’t miss this key opportunity for networking and education! When: December 10 and 11, 2025…

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 5, featuring Katherine Kral-O’Brien, assistant professor, Iowa State University. Kral-O’Brien is an applied ecologist that focuses on how management actions in agroecosystems impact pollinators and their conservation. In the webinar, “Butterflies at Work,” Kral-O’Brien will discuss the many common—and maybe not so common—reasons that butterfly conservation efforts are important to Iowa.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, Nov. 5, featuring Katherine Kral-O’Brien, assistant professor, Iowa State University. Kral-O’Brien is an applied ecologist that focuses on how management actions in agroecosystems impact pollinators and their conservation. In the webinar, “Butterflies at Work,” Kral-O’Brien will discuss the many common—and maybe not so common—reasons that butterfly conservation efforts are important to Iowa.

November is nearly here, and with it come the signs of post-harvest—including manure application and the emergence of cover crops. Although they may seem unrelated, cover crops and manure have a great effect not only on each other, but also the availability and movement of nutrients in the soil. In last week’s webinar, “Roots, Residue, and Returns: How Manure and Cover Crops Work Together,”

What if you could make your farm more profitable and more environmentally friendly—without planting every inch of it? That’s the question tackled by researchers in a recent study published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Agricultural Economics and highlighted in an August ILF Webinar, and the answer is surprisingly optimistic. Using data from an on-farm precision experiment (OFPE) in Illinois, the team explored how precision agriculture—think GPS-guided tractors and yield monitors—can help farmers decide where to plant crops and where to retire land for conservation.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, Oct. 29, featuring Daniel Andersen, associate professor and extension specialist and Philip Rockson, graduate research assistant, Iowa State University. Andersen, known as “Dr. Manure”, is an expert in manure management and livestock systems, working to develop sustainable practices that balance nutrient use efficiency, crop productivity and water quality protection.

Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, Oct. 29, featuring Daniel Andersen, associate professor and extension specialist and Philip Rockson, graduate research assistant, Iowa State University. Andersen, known as “Dr. Manure”, is an expert in manure management and livestock systems, working to develop sustainable practices that balance nutrient use efficiency, crop productivity and water quality protection.