Study explores long-term crop, soil and water influences to help farmers adapt Corn Belt cropping systems

“Everything starts with an idea,” according to Sotirios Archontoulis, professor of agronomy at Iowa State University, who will co-lead a five-year, $16 million project to explore some big, interconnected questions impacting agriculture in the Corn Belt and Great Plains.

Corn cobs can improve performance, reduce costs of water quality bioreactors -- if supply is available | Iowa Nutrient Research Center

Iowa State University team helps roll out national soil carbon program for working lands

An Iowa State University-led group will lead training for a process to measure and monitor soil carbon stocks as part of a new national program meant to provide a basis for financial assistance to farmers and landowners who adopt climate-smart conservation practices. The “Know Your Carbon Landscape” project will also gather data to support carbon-related research and education at demonstration sites in the Midwest that are part of a Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network coordinated by USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.

Iowa State University Scientists Advance Plant Breeding for Organic Industry

A new federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) will support Iowa State scientists and collaborators as they develop improved seed corn tailored to the needs of the rapidly growing organic industry.