Spotlight Stories

Tracy Peterson, City of Ames Municipal Engineer, was honored with the Public Sector Impact Award by the Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance (IAWA) during the fifth annual Iowa Watershed Awards program. Peterson oversees a five-year, $6.3 million flood mitigation program that focuses on a section of the South Skunk River that used to flood frequently. That’s…

By Dan Looker, IAWA contributor Tanner Puls has been the state’s new edge-of-field coordinator only since April 1.  Every day is different as he works to meet the goals of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Based at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS,) he works mainly with watershed coordinators around the state. He…

AMES, Iowa (ISU Agronomy) – Iowa State University (Iowa State), has partnered with agricultural service providers, Iowa farmers and their advisers to launch the Iowa Nitrogen Initiative – a first-of-its-kind public-private partnership that will leverage on-farm data to generate continuous improvements in resource use efficiency. The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative is currently recruiting Iowa farmers to…

DES MOINES, Iowa (NRCS) — Iowa farmers and private landowners interested in treating resource concerns on their lands have until Oct. 7 to be considered for priority funding for conservation programs administered through USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Four of the most popular USDA conservation programs are included in this signup period: Agricultural Conservation…

By Jenna Middaugh  Corn and soybeans cover much of Iowa’s rolling acres, but some farmers are starting to change the state’s landscape with small grains – crops that are also improving water quality.   These Iowa grown small grains are going into the first beer in a brand new Exile Brewing Company series called “Born Here,…

AMES, Iowa (Iowa State Extension) – The results of a new drinking water survey reveal a stark risk of exposure to potentially unhealthy drinking water. Risk profiles were compiled based on recent testing, use of reverse osmosis filters, and use of supplemental water sources. The Iowa Drinking Water Survey was conducted by the Conser vation…

By Kaitlin Little It may almost be the end of summer, but the IAWA team isn’t ready to close the books on fun in the sun just yet. There’s still time for picnics and weekend adventures. If you need some inspiration, we have you covered! The Iowa Pork Producer Association’s Tenderloin Trail is a handy…

By Rebekah Jones  Cedar Rapids, IA (IAWA) – Evan Brehm describes his new job as Conservation Agronomist for Linn Co-Op and the Iowa Soybean Association as his dream job. It’s a brand-new position that the Cedar Rapids area hasn’t had before.  The role of a conservation agronomist is to provide agronomic advice and support to…

The route for RAGBRAI 2022 weaved through many different geographies of Iowa, each featuring different challenges for farmers and conservation planners. See this article about the history of the land along the route! From the extremely erosive Loess hills in Western Iowa, to the 3,000 foot climb in Northwest Iowa, cyclist and IAWA writer, Dan…