Conservation Chat

Dr. Tom Isenhart, Iowa State University professor, chats water ecology and practices that can be implemented to improve stream health and water quality.

A conservation advocate, Rick Juchems farms in northeast Iowa and has implemented numerous conservation practices including cover crops. His daughter Liz is following in his footsteps -- not in farming, but in conservation education and outreach.

Seth Watkins farms his family heritage farm in southwest Iowa. He has a 600-head cow-calf enterprise and a whole farm approach to conservation: rotational grazing, wetlands, late season calving, and row crops integrated with prairie strips and cover crops.

Dr. Matt Helmers is a professor in the Agricultural and

Laura Krouse operates Abbe Hills Farm, a 72 acre farming operation near Mt. Vernon, Iowa, where she raises a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, alfalfa, oats, and other small grains. Join host Jacqueline Comito as she chats with Laura about 1 New Thing for Water campaign, thoughts on motivating others to do their part as we collectively strive towards cleaner water and the reduced soil + nutrient export, the ever-growing need to work with women landowners on conservation issues.

Paul and Nancy Ackley have been farming together for 40 years and are adopting multiple conservation practices and restoring the health of their farm. I caught up with Paul and Nancy at the Practical Farmers of Iowa’s annual conference in January 2016. There is a little bit of background noise to the recording.

In this latest episode of the Conservation Chat, Jacqueline Comito visits with Dr. John Lawrence, Associate Dean of Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Director for Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension. Lawrence discusses his upbringing on a farm in southwest Iowa, his journey to working in Extension, and the role Iowa State University Extension and Outreach plays in developing and implementing the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy.

Sally Hollis of Lanehaven Farms is passionate about helping their eastern Iowa farm improve and grow. Join us as we chat about cover crops, conservation, stewardship and coopertition in their farming operation that includes corn, soybean, seed corn, cover crop, and hogs.

This episode features a chat with Dr. Angie Carter, sociology fellow at Augustana College, on her research with women farm landowners in Iowa.

I Chat with Dr. Rick Cruse, Professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University and Director of the Iowa Water Center, on his work to more accurately estimate soil erosion in Iowa. According to Dr. Cruse, our present methods of estimating soil erosion are badly flawed and may be missing between 20-90% of the erosion in the state.