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All Resources Conservation Cover Crops Edge of Field Relay Intercropping
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 115
  • Webinars 75
  • Water Conservation 65
  • Soil Conservation 40
  • Cover Crops 36
  • Conservation Crops 35
  • Edge of Field 28
  • Field Day Archive 15
  • Livestock 11
  • Conservation Chat 3
Cover Crop Impacts on Crop Yield and Water Quality: Comparing Single Species to Mixtures
Cover Crop Impacts on Crop Yield and Water Quality: Comparing Single Species to Mixtures

This study was conducted at six ISU research farms and the project compared three treatments: single species, mixture, and no cover crop.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022research
Evaluating Cover Crop Seeding Techniques
Evaluating Cover Crop Seeding Techniques

The project compared three different seeding techniques: above and below crop canopy using a high clearance interseeder and drilling after harvest.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022research
Research: On-Farm Demonstration of Cover Crops
Research: On-Farm Demonstration of Cover Crops

The study includes Iowa farmer partners using winter rye on a portion of their fields for five years. Findings from the farmer partners have been summarized into documents available for download:

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022research
Cover Crop Seeding Rate Calculator
Cover Crop Seeding Rate Calculator

This tool can be used similarly as the Cost Calculator to find out seeding rates for several varieties of single species cover crops and for mixes too.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Cover Crop Cost Calculator
Cover Crop Cost Calculator

The downloadable Excel file calculates the total cost of using the cover crop including seed, application, and chemical termination.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Cover Crop Champions List
Cover Crop Champions List

These Iowa farmers have graciously offered to assist new cover crop users by offering information or answer any questions on the use and management of cover crops.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Small Grain Cover Crops for Corn and Soybean (PDF)
Small Grain Cover Crops for Corn and Soybean (PDF)

Iowa State University Extension publication.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Cover Crops in Iowa: A Glossary
Cover Crops in Iowa: A Glossary

A quick-read of cover crop terms and their meanings.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Cover Crops in Iowa Quick Guide
Cover Crops in Iowa Quick Guide

An "infographic" for a quick overview of cover crops in Iowa.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022
Herbicide and Cover Crops Extension Publication
Herbicide and Cover Crops Extension Publication

In addition to conservation purposes, cover crops can provide forage for livestock producers. It is important for livestock producers to consider restrictions on labels of herbicides used earlier in the growing season if they intend to use the cover crop as a forage source.

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Cover Crops, LivestockLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022herbicide, livestock
Spring Grazing Cover Crops and Avoiding Soil Compaction
Spring Grazing Cover Crops and Avoiding Soil Compaction

For many livestock producers, cover crops and winter grazing go hand-in-hand; however, perhaps the most valuable time for grazing cover crops is in the spring.

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Cover Crops, LivestockLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022livestock, spring cover crops
Best Management Practices for Fall Grazing Cover Crops
Best Management Practices for Fall Grazing Cover Crops

Eighteen producers who have fall grazed cover crops for two or more years were interviewed about their experiences. Their responses are summarized in this publication.

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Cover CropsLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022livestock, grazing, fall cover crops
The Economic Value of Cover Crops
The Economic Value of Cover Crops

A study estimating the value of retained nutrients and land value from the use of cover crops.

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Cover Crops, Soil Conservation, ConservationLiz RipleyJune 30, 2022economics, soil conservation
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.

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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
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