;void('');)
Conservation efforts on the farm are nothing new, but in the ever-expanding landscape of agriculture, which combines traditional practices with emerging new practices built on a foundation of science and ongoing research, it’s understandable that farmers might be overwhelmed with their options.
Yet, in 20 years of working side-by-side with farmers and landowners, the Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) team at Iowa State University has learned a lot about how important conservation is to farmers. Our collaborative approach to outreach places tremendous value on what we hear from farmers: their concerns about water quality, soil health, and simply the business of farming, as well as their hopes and dreams for the farmland legacy they will leave behind.
Not an ivory tower
Here at ILF, we expect and welcome healthy skepticism and criticism when interacting with farmers. We know that this is their business and livelihood, and we understand that each individual has their own needs, challenges, and goals for their operation. To that end, we focus much of our effort on listening to what they have to say and incorporating the feedback into our materials and messages. This two-way street between farmers and researchers has facilitated practical outcomes and helped to hone best practices through collaboration both on and off the farm.
Choices abound
Today’s conservation landscape is rich with choices — so rich that ILF created the Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual (free download or print edition) to provide step-by-step practical guidance to farmers. Covering some 15 conservation practice categories, the manual provides detailed implementation information and comprehensive decision guides that will help agriculture professionals, farmers, and landowners determine which practices can have the most positive outcomes while supporting production goals on their land.
Sharing and listening
Through field days, farmer workshops, interviews, surveys, and simply talking to people at fairs and festivals, we know there can be resistance to breaking away from what might be decades of farming practices to take a chance on something new. In a recent survey of farmers, we documented that lack of information and knowledge about edge-of-field practices was the largest factor holding farmers back.
Overcoming such knowledge gaps is at the very core of ILF’s mission. It’s what drives us to produce free weekly webinars, conduct dozens of field days each year, and participate in community outreach events ranging from farmers markets to the Iowa State Fair — all in an effort to listen to people, answer questions, and deliver science — and research-based information to those who can use it.
Delivering value
Whether already committed to conservation or browsing for starter information on what might work, farmers can turn to ILF for the tools, reference guides, resources, and advisers to start the conversation on topics ranging from drainage to cover crops, nutrient management to edge-of-field practices, prairie strips, and woodland management.
Conservation works for everyone, and it is heartening to see farmers embracing new ways to get the job done.
