Speaking at the field day is Matt Helmers, professor and extension specialist in ag and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University. He will highlight practices and ongoing research efforts to meet the goals of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Mark Hanna, extension agricultural engineer, will share tips on adjusting planter settings for strip-till and no-till …Continue reading “Strip-tillage and cover Crop field day planned for July 28 in Webster County”
Cover crops, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program wetlands, saturated buffers and bioreactors all successfully reduce nitrates, said Matt Helmers, Iowa State Extension ag engineer. The Nashua research farm has replicated subsurface drainage plots to evaluate the performance of various in-field management practices. It also has one of the first bioreactors built in Iowa. “It’s possible to meet our …Continue reading “Helmers: Soil erosion can wash out profits”
In the Retaking the Field report, Iowa State researchers Lisa Schulte Moore and Matthew Helmers outline efforts to protect soil and water by interspersing strips of native prairie in corn and soybean crops. The practice of STRIPS — Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips — helps to improve water quality by reducing sediment, …Continue reading “Iowa State University joins 12 public and private universities calling for increased federal investment in agricultural research in response to modern challenges”
The Fertilizer Institute’s annual 4R Summit kicks off at 8:00 a.m., Wednesday, June 15th at the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel and Suites, 120 West Market Street, in Indianapolis, Ind. It is open to farmers, agribusiness professionals and other stakeholders nationwide. Meeting registration and hotel reservations are available at the 4R website, nutrientstewardship.org, or by calling 800-315-1906. …Continue reading “Helmers to present at Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Summit”
Iowa State University has done several studies on this in southern and central Iowa, and data collected shows the Edge of Field practice works very well. “Dr. Matt Helmers, who heads this study, is encouraged by what he has seen,” he said. “The practice protects the tile intakes and helping to meet water quality goals, while …Continue reading “Helmers: Looking at responsible land management”
Helmers: Iowa has the methods to do it; but it will take public funds Dr. Matt Helmers, an Iowa State University agriculture and biosystems engineering professor, spoke with members of the ag committee of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance Feb. 4, outlining the challenges of farming’s impact of grain farming on water quality and …Continue reading “Helmers: Keeping nitrates on the farm”
Sub-surface drainage is an important part of agriculture in Iowa and a day-long workshop on March 11 will focus on topics of interest that have emerged around farmland drainage. The Farmland Drainage Workshop will be held from 8:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. at the V.F.W. Post in Osage, Iowa. The morning session will focus on …Continue reading “Workshop to address the strengths and constraints of farmland drainage”
Scientists often take many roads that lead to progress. For Iowa State University’s water quality research, an important path has gone through Gilmore City, Iowa. A farm just outside the north-central Iowa town is home to Iowa State University’s Agriculture Drainage Research and Demonstration Site, a facility that has been working to further Iowa State …Continue reading “Nation’s premier site for water quality science drives progress”
Carl Pederson, an agricultural specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach who has conducted research at the site, says long-term research sites reduce farmer risks associated with experimenting with new practices and products.
Over time, there have been about 50 faculty members, scientists, post-docs and graduate students involved in the project. Schulte Moore shares STRIPS leadership with Matt Helmers, in the agricultural and biosystems engineering department, and works with the team to promote the concept through demonstrations and meetings for farmers.
The Soil Health Partnership, along with the Iowa Learning Farms and Bremer County farmer partner Mark Mueller, will host a cover crop and soil health field day on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. at the Borlaug Learning Center at the Iowa State University Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm, near Nashua. The event is …Continue reading “Soil health and cover crop field day promotes agricultural evolution on Nov. 19”
The rainy spring resulted in financial challenges this year for many farmers whose crops were damaged or not planted, and it may have residual effects next year. “This year was financially bad. Next year, managerially it will be challenging,” said Ray Massey, Missouri State University professor of agricultural economics. The wet weather in 2015 may …Continue reading “Region feels lingering effects of wet weather”
Matt Helmers, an Iowa State University biological system engineer, said studies show crops in a corn-soybean rotation grown without applied nitrogen fertilizer also lose nitrates, although it’s about 40 to 50 percent less than when fertilizer is applied. Iowa loses nitrates — naturally found in the state’s rich organic soil — to its waterways with …Continue reading “Helmers: How do we fix Iowa’s nitrate problem?”
Instructors were from three states. Arora was joined by Greg Brenneman, a fellow ISU Extension field agricultural engineer, and Matt Helmers, an ISU professor and Extension agricultural engineer, in organizing and teaching at the school. Other instructors were Brent Johnson, of Labre Consulting; Roger and Brady Kolbet, of Midtech Services; Kelly Nelson, a research agronomist …Continue reading “School offers hands-on environment for learning how to’s of farmland drainage”
A team of extension specialists from several universities in the Upper Midwest are developing a series of webinars on agricultural drainage water management and drainage water quality. Each of the webinars—to be presented monthly from July through December—will provide best management practices for improving drainage water quality and information from multiple states across the Midwest. The …Continue reading “Webinar series on ag drainage water management announced”
