Building a Culture of Conservation

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place May 25 at noon CDT will feature Iowa State University environmental research scientists Dr. Chumki Banik and Dr. Santanu Bakshi. Banik and Bakshi collaborate on research regarding the management and utilization of manure as organic fertilizer in ways that can improve soil health while limiting nutrient loss to waterways. Their work includes assessment of the impacts of biochar-manure mixtures on the physical and chemical structure of agricultural soils. In addition, their current research focuses on the use of zeolite, a highly absorbent mineral, and biochar in concentrating and recovering nutrients from swine manure for efficient recycling to cropland while reducing nutrient leakage and improving air quality within the swine production system.

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place May 18 at noon CDT will feature Emily Zimmerman, assistant professor, department of natural resource ecology and management & global resource systems, department of horticulture, Iowa State University. Zimmerman’s research focuses on the innovative application of geospatial data and tools to identify opportunities to improve agricultural conservation practice outcomes to enhance environmental benefits as well as estimating related economic outcomes. Through her work with models such as the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF), a non-prescriptive analysis and planning tool in use throughout the U.S. Corn Belt, she enables stakeholders to assess practice implications in their decision-making processes.