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”
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 first year that prairie strips were strategically planted in corn and soybean fields near the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, they worked to reduce loss of nutrients that can impair water quality, says Matt Helmers, an agricultural and biosystems engineer at Iowa State University. “Things like plant diversity — the diversity of the prairie …Continue reading “Helmers: Prairie strips can reduce nutrient loss”
It’s hard to imagine maintaining the current food system without Iowa. Yet that state — symbolic of both the unparalleled richness of our continent’s agricultural potential and the mess we’ve made of it — has undergone a transformation almost as profound as the land on which cities have been built. A state that was once …Continue reading “STRIPS: A Sustainable Solution for the Corn Belt”
