A Culture of Conservation: Recapping 2025 The 2025 Iowa Learning Farms Evaluation Report is published, detailing the impact on conservation practice adoption and continued efforts to provide science- and research-based information and recommendations to farmers and landowners. The 2025 season…

Monarchs Are Arriving! The Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium has received reports from multiple people that they have spotted their first monarch of the year here in Iowa. They have even received a picture of a monarch egg they discovered on one of their milkweed plants! While the milkweed…

Perennial Small Grains and Water Quality: A Winning Combination Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 29, featuring Jessica Gutknecht, associate professor, University of Minnesota. Gutknecht’s research primarily focuses on assessing soil health and other…

Perennial Small Grains and Water Quality: A Winning Combination Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 29, featuring Jessica Gutknecht, associate professor, University of Minnesota. Gutknecht’s research primarily focuses on assessing soil health and other…

Decades of Data on Water Quality from Prairie Reconstruction In the 90s, the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge was established, and now there are over 4,000 acres of reconstructed tallgrass prairie. In 1995, data collection started in the Walnut Creek Watershed to compare upstream and downstream water…

Decades of Data on Water Quality from Prairie Reconstruction In the 90s, the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge was established, and now there are over 4,000 acres of reconstructed tallgrass prairie. In 1995, data collection started in the Walnut Creek Watershed to compare upstream and downstream water…

IAWA Launches Conservation Compass Earlier this month, the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance announced the release of Conservation Compass – a suite of tools and education to help farmers find, compare, and get signed up for conservation cost share and other incentives.   It can be found…

Thirty Years of Prairie Reconstruction Benefits Water Quality Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 22, featuring Elliot Anderson, assistant research scientist, Iowa Geological Survey, University of Iowa. Anderson’s work with the Iowa Geological Survey…

Thirty Years of Prairie Reconstruction Benefits Water Quality Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 22, featuring Elliot Anderson, assistant research scientist, Iowa Geological Survey, University of Iowa. Anderson’s work with the Iowa Geological Survey…

Cover Crops and Weed Control: Beyond the Basics Herbicide-resistant weeds like waterhemp continue to challenge Iowa farmers, putting pressure on weed management programs and increasing costs. During our recent Iowa Learning Farms Conservation Webinar, Iowa State University Extension weed scientist…

What’s That Noise? Frogs of Iowa  Ribbit, ribbit – Spring is here! Frogs all over Iowa are making their presence known once again. Did you know that Iowa has over 16 frog and toad species? Here is a brief overview of some of Iowa’s frogs. Gray Treefrog There are two species that are found here in…

What’s That Noise? Frogs of Iowa  Ribbit, ribbit – Spring is here! Frogs all over Iowa are making their presence known once again. Did you know that Iowa has over 16 frog and toad species? Here is a brief overview of some of Iowa’s frogs. Gray Treefrog There are two species that are found here in…

More than a Pile of Woodchips: The Forest Stewardship-Bioreactor Connection The Forest-to-Farm effort If you’re a regular reader of the ILF Blog, you’ve most likely heard of the Forest-to-Farm effort, an interdisciplinary research-extension effort aimed at increased denitrifying woodchip…

Cover Crops Live – Beneficial Weed Management Approaches Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 15, featuring Iowa State University’s (ISU) Wesley Everman, assistant professor and extension weed specialist, in a live studio interview hosted by ISU…

Cover Crops Live – Beneficial Weed Management Approaches Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 15, featuring Iowa State University’s (ISU) Wesley Everman, assistant professor and extension weed specialist, in a live studio interview hosted by ISU…

Comparing the Treatment of Manure and Human Wastewater Manure in Iowa is both a by-product of livestock production, and a valuable nutrient resource to boost the state's crop production. With the large amounts of manure produced in Iowa, questions arise to how that manure is handled to ensure a…

Check out our recent article in the Journal of Soil and Water Conservation highlighting Conservation On Tap! As part of the open-access article, we worked to develop a Conservation On Tap Toolkit that walks through planning, promotion, hosting, and evaluation.

Livestock Manure and Human Wastewater Treatment: Same or Different? Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 8, featuring Daniel Andersen, associate professor, Iowa State University. Andersen spends an unusual amount of time thinking, talking and teaching…

Livestock Manure and Human Wastewater Treatment: Same or Different? Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 8, featuring Daniel Andersen, associate professor, Iowa State University. Andersen spends an unusual amount of time thinking, talking and teaching…

All About Bees If you have any interest in Iowa bees, this is the webinar to watch! In the webinar, Dr. Amy Toth addresses three main questions. Do honey bees spread diseases to native bees? What is the potential for competition for the same forage plants? Do honey bees affect native bee…

All About Bees If you have any interest in Iowa bees, this is the webinar to watch! In the webinar, Dr. Amy Toth addresses three main questions. Do honey bees spread diseases to native bees? What is the potential for competition for the same forage plants? Do honey bees affect native bee…

We are proud to highlight that our very own Mitch Harting is a recipient of the 2025 Individual CYtation Award—an honor that highlights his exceptional dedication, leadership, and statewide impact.

March 2026 Webinar Rewind No jokes or tricks here today, just some awesome webinars to catch up on from last month! Assessing Sediment Sources, Nutrient Storage, and Long-term Sustainability of Farm Ponds in Southern Iowa: How quickly is your farm pond filling up with sediment? Is it faster than…

March 2026 Webinar Rewind No jokes or tricks here today, just some awesome webinars to catch up on from last month! Assessing Sediment Sources, Nutrient Storage, and Long-term Sustainability of Farm Ponds in Southern Iowa: How quickly is your farm pond filling up with sediment? Is it faster than…

Connecting the Dots between Honey Bees, Agriculture and Pollinator Conservation Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 1, featuring Amy Toth, professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University. Toth’s research focuses on the…

Connecting the Dots between Honey Bees, Agriculture and Pollinator Conservation Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, April 1, featuring Amy Toth, professor, Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University. Toth’s research focuses on the…

A Discussion on Disease and Cover Crops Corn and cover crops, specifically cereal rye, don’t always get along. As stated by Alison Robertson, professor and field crops extension pathologist for Iowa State University, “corn is a princess”. As a host for pathogens like pythium, cereal rye can bridge…

Farming For the Future of Iowa’s Great Lakes Iowa’s land and water resources go hand in hand, especially on the Boettcher Family Farm in rural Dickinson County. Situated among the Iowa Great Lakes, John and Emily Boettcher grow corn, soybeans, and alfalfa on roughly 650 acres, alongside their herd…

Good News From Monarch Overwintering Site

Cover Crops Unscripted – Reaping Benefits while Managing Yield Effects Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 25, featuring Iowa State University’s (ISU) Alison Robertson, professor and field crops extension pathologist in a live studio interview hosted by…

Cover Crops Unscripted – Reaping Benefits while Managing Yield Effects Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 25, featuring Iowa State University’s (ISU) Alison Robertson, professor and field crops extension pathologist in a live studio interview hosted by…

Cover Crops as Another Tool to Combat Weeds In a time of increasing herbicide-resistant weeds, what can be done? Try cover crops! Dr. Debalin Sarangi talked adding cover crops, the benefits as well as what to look out for in our most recent webinar, Cereal Rye Cover Crops for Weed Control: The…

Cover Crops as Another Tool to Combat Weeds In a time of increasing herbicide-resistant weeds, what can be done? Try cover crops! Dr. Debalin Sarangi talked adding cover crops, the benefits as well as what to look out for in our most recent webinar, Cereal Rye Cover Crops for Weed Control: The…

Corncobs to the Rescue: Scaling Up Bioreactors for Iowa’s Water Quality Goals

Plant with a Plan This Spring As spring approaches, anticipation grows for planting season 2026. With each warm spell comes hope of an early opportunity to get the crop in the ground. While it may seem like all we need is warm weather and good field conditions, there are many considerations that…

Cover Crop Contributions to Weed Management Strategies Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 18, featuring Debalin Sarangi, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension weed scientist, University of Minnesota. Sarangi’s research and extension program are…

Cover Crop Contributions to Weed Management Strategies Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 18, featuring Debalin Sarangi, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension weed scientist, University of Minnesota. Sarangi’s research and extension program are…

Till Less, Gain More Do we really have to disturb soils? That’s the question Dr. Humberto Blanco posed during our webinar last week while discussing the impact of no-till on soil health and carbon in the Midwest. As Dr. Blanco explains, no-till is a foundational practice for additional…

Virtual Field Day: Impacts of Restoring Wetlands for Nutrient Reduction Iowa Learning Farms (ILF), in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, will host a virtual field day on Thursday, March 26, at 1 p.m. CT. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live discussion with…

Soil Health and Carbon Effects of Conservation Tillage Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 11, featuring Humberto Blanco, professor of soil management and applied soil physics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Blanco’s work focuses on soil physical…

Soil Health and Carbon Effects of Conservation Tillage Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CDT, Wednesday, March 11, featuring Humberto Blanco, professor of soil management and applied soil physics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Blanco’s work focuses on soil physical…

Farm Pond Findings: Sediment, Nutrients, and Lifespans In many areas, farm ponds play a critical role in protecting water quality. These structures slow water as it moves across the land and collect eroded soil. Understanding factors like sediment sources and nutrient storage are crucial to better…

Request System Open for 2026 Conservation Station Trailer Season Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach programs Water Rocks! and Iowa Learning Farms announced that the system to request an appearance of its award-winning Conservation Station educational trailers during 2026 is now…

RSVP for an ILF Event Near You! We hope you can join us at one of our upcoming events! Please RSVP to [email protected] or call 515-294-5429.

February 2026 Webinar Rewind February was a whirlwind of webinars! Soil, cover crops, water quality, and plant disease were the main themes of the month. If you missed any of our webinars, go ahead and watch them now. Circular Bioeconomy Strategies for Enhancing Soybean Plant Health: Biochar and…

February 2026 Webinar Rewind February was a whirlwind of webinars! Soil, cover crops, water quality, and plant disease were the main themes of the month. If you missed any of our webinars, go ahead and watch them now. Circular Bioeconomy Strategies for Enhancing Soybean Plant Health: Biochar and…

Sediment Effects on Farm Pond Sustainability Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, March 4, featuring Matthew T. Streeter, assistant research scientist and Calvin Wolter, GIS analyst, with the Iowa Geological Survey, University of Iowa. Streeter's research…

Sediment Effects on Farm Pond Sustainability Please join us for the Iowa Learning Farms webinar at noon CST, Wednesday, March 4, featuring Matthew T. Streeter, assistant research scientist and Calvin Wolter, GIS analyst, with the Iowa Geological Survey, University of Iowa. Streeter's research…

The Soil Beneath Our Feet Is Disappearing Faster Than We Think With 95% of food produced worldwide grown in soil, healthy soil is essential to our daily lives. Yet across the Midwest, especially here in Iowa, soil is disappearing at a rate that should concern all of us. In our recent webinar, Iowa…

Virtual Field Day: Cover Crop and Manure Timing to Maximize Water Quality and Corn Yield Iowa Learning Farms (ILF), in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, will host a virtual field day on Thursday, Mar. 12, at 1 p.m. CT. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live…