The spring 2025 Iowa Nutrient Research Center seminar series will showcase “Insights from Next Gen Water Researchers” with presentations by current and recent Iowa State University graduate students, discussing studies they are or have been involved in and how water quality research is helping inform their careers.

Strategic Integration of Miscanthus Under Future Climate Conditions   
Kelsie Ferin, Research scientist, UW-Madison, Department of Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences

The goal of this study was to evaluate water quality changes under future climate conditions and assess the potential of miscanthus, a bioenergy perennial grass, to reduce nitrogen loss across the landscape. The research identified areas for miscanthus integration based on field-scale profitability and nitrogen leaching thresholds. Agroecosystem and hydrologic routing models were used to simulate this land use change to assess the impact of miscanthus integration on water quality at the Raccoon River Basin outlet. 

Beyond Initial Adoption: Understanding the Dynamics of Conservation Practice Continuity in Iowa Agriculture 
Zhushan Du, PhD student, Economics

Using three waves of Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll data, combining machine learning and traditional econometrics, we discovered significant magnitudes of conservation practice disadoption among Iowa farmers. The results provide novel insights into the adoption patterns and drivers behind farmers’ decisions to continue or discontinue conservation practices, which is informative for policy making.

Recordings from water quality research seminars and other INRC videos are available at the INRC website under Resources and Publications.