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Resources All Resources Conservation Cover Crops Edge of Field Relay Intercropping EventsAboutPartnersReportsProjectsBlogPodcast
Iowa Learning Farms


Resources

All of our resources are available from this page. You can also visit the specific pages for individual topics to get focused information on those areas.

Conservation

Conservation encompasses many areas - soil, water, and crop considerations all play a part. We offer a variety of practical resources to help you find the answers to your questions.

"How resilient are our lands here in the Midwest? What is our ability to retain productivity if we have another long drought or continual flooding? Will people still be farming in Iowa 1,500 years from now? Or even 200 years from now? The decisions we make today about our natural resources will affect agricultural production 50 years from now."

--from the video "The Work of Our Hands"

Conservation Resources

Cover Crops

Cover crops are a great way to improve soil health. Many Iowa farmers are adding cover crops to their crop rotations so soil stays covered when the fields are not growing other crops. Cover crops also improve soil organic matter and slow water runoff.

Farmers have many questions about incorporating cover crops. Most asked questions include: what kinds of plants can be used, when and how to seed and when and how to terminate. With field days and workshops, Iowa Learning Farms strives to help farmers, and other interested people, find the answers to these questions and more. 

Cover Crop Resources
 

Edge of Field

Edge-of-field practices play a crucial role in meeting the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals of improving water quality through reducing nitrogen and phosphorus in Iowa's water bodies. Edge-of-field practices involve drainage water management, bioreactors, buffers, saturated buffers, denitrifying wetlands, terraces and sediment control.

Edge of Field Resources

Relay Intercropping

Relay intercropping is a multi-year, multi-species cropping system that allows for 3 harvestable crops (small grain, soybean, corn) in 2 years.

View recent webinars, blogs and publications from ongoing research farm and on-farm demonstrations.

Relay Intercropping
 

Field Day Toolkit

This Field Day Toolkit is the product of Iowa Learning Farms’ many years of planning and hosting field day events across the state of Iowa. While ILF utilizes many different outreach approaches, the importance of farmer-to-farmer interactions cannot be overstated. Field days do matter!

 
Field Day Toolkit
 
 

Recent Resources

View by Category
  • Conservation 54
  • Water Conservation 32
  • Cover Crops 26
  • Edge of Field 23
  • Soil Conservation 22
  • Field Day Archive 16
  • Webinars 13
  • Conservation Crops 11
  • Livestock 5
  • Conservation Chat 3
Reducing Soil Erosion with Rye Cover Crops
Reducing Soil Erosion with Rye Cover Crops

A case study using rainfall simulation to estimate soil erosion and water infiltration rates in a corn silage/soybean rotation when a cereal rye cover crop is added compared to no cover crop.

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Cover Crops, Soil ConservationLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022soil erosion, soil conservation, rye
Adding a Cover Crop to a Corn-Soybean System
Adding a Cover Crop to a Corn-Soybean System

The ILF produced video features Sarah Carlson, Midwest Cover Crop Research Coordinator with Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Read More
Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 29, 2022
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Grazing Cover Crops
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Grazing Cover Crops

Find out from Iowa farmers how cover crops can benefit your livestock operation.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 29, 2022
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Growing Cover Crop Seed
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Growing Cover Crop Seed

Interested in growing your own seed? Two Iowa farmers discuss the benefits of growing their own winter rye seed.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 29, 2022
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Getting Started
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Getting Started

Iowa farmers using cover crops offer advice on getting started, along with seeding methods and general cover crop management tips.

Read More
Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 29, 2022
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Why grow cover crops?
Cover Crops: Farmer Perspectives - Why grow cover crops?

Discover ways Iowa farmers are using cover crops to reduce erosion, manage nutrients, and improve soil health.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 29, 2022
Cover Crop Recipes: Post Corn, Going to Soybeans and Post Soybeans, Going to Corn
Cover Crop Recipes: Post Corn, Going to Soybeans and Post Soybeans, Going to Corn

Downloadable recipes for going from soybeans to corn, and from corn to soybeans using cover crops.

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Soil Conservation, Water Conservation, Cover CropsLiz RipleyApril 1, 2022corn, soybeans, oats
Field Day Archive: Creating Peace of Mind with Flood Mitigation in the Bee Branch Watershed
Field Day Archive: Creating Peace of Mind with Flood Mitigation in the Bee Branch Watershed
Field Day Archive, Conservation, Water Conservation, Soil ConservationLiz RipleyMarch 20, 2022flood mitigation
Field Day Archive: A Vision For Change: Farmer's Perspectives on Diversifying Iowa's Landscape
Field Day Archive: A Vision For Change: Farmer's Perspectives on Diversifying Iowa's Landscape
Field Day Archive, ConservationLiz RipleyFebruary 24, 2022land stewardship
Field Day Archive: Redefining the Field Edge to Improve Profitability, Wildlife Habitat and Water Quality
Field Day Archive: Redefining the Field Edge to Improve Profitability, Wildlife Habitat and Water Quality
Edge of Field, Conservation, Field Day Archive, Water ConservationLiz RipleyFebruary 3, 2022field edge, water quality
Virtual Field Day Archive: Upper Iowa Watershed Virtual Field Day
Virtual Field Day Archive: Upper Iowa Watershed Virtual Field Day
Field Day Archive, Conservation, Water ConservationLiz RipleyJanuary 13, 2022
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Iowa Learning Farms
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​Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
Phone: (515) 294-5429

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