Virtual Field Day Access Instructions:
To participate in the live virtual field day at 1:00 pm CT on February 26, click this URL: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/91411984892.
Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) wwill host a virtual field day on Thursday, Feb. 26, at 1 p.m. CT. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live discussion with Billy Beck, associate professor and extension forestry specialist at Iowa State University; Michelle Soupir, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at ISU; and Clarisse Siababa, Fulbright Scholar and agricultural and biosystems engineering graduate research assistant at ISU.
The virtual field day aims to highlight how woodland management and woodchip bioreactors can work together to reduce nitrate and improve water quality.
“If you came to Iowa 200 years ago, you would have seen a prairie, woodland and wetland system. But today, you'll see a highly agricultural production system. The difference is that tile drainage has been installed to manage the moisture content in the soil to allow crop production,” said Soupir. “While tile very important, it has also created a situation where water is able to move through the system, collect nitrate and move offsite rather quickly.”
Through an innovative research and demonstration project support by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the team is exploring how traditionally low-value timber species perform in woodchip bioreactors to meet both landowner woodland management and statewide water quality goals.
“We have nearly three million acres of woodlands in the state, and of those, 85% are privately owned and passively managed,” commented Beck. “We need more of our acres to be actively managed to be resilient and for these woodlands to provide all their ecosystem goods and services.”
Any person interested in woodland management or water quality is welcome to attend the virtual field day. Participants are also encouraged to bring any questions they would like to ask.
To participate in the live virtual field day, visit Iowa Learning Farms Field Days - Forestry On Tap: Microbiome, Local Wood Resources and Bioreactors, or join from a dial-in phone line (Dial: 646-876-9923 or 646-931-3860, Meeting ID: 914 1198 4892). The field day will be recorded and archived on the ILF Virtual Field Day Archive for future viewing.
Participants may be eligible for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit. Information about how to apply for and receive the CEU will be provided at the end of the event.
This event is supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through grant award 2024-68016-42660.