Projects

2025

Optimizing Planting Methods for Cover Crops Before Corn: Comparison of Precision Planting and Strip Tillage to Achieve Nutrient Loss Reduction and Maintain Yield

Investigators: Alison Robertson, Rashelle Matthiesen, Peter O'Brien

Accelerating Farmer Adoption of Edge-of-Field Conservation Practices on Leakiest Fields: Economic Experiment Evidence that Reduces Hypothetical Bias

Investigators: Jacqueline Comito, Wendong Zhang, Cathy Kling

Building Resources for Integrated Decision-making for aGricultural Engagement (BRIDGE)

Investigators: Linda Shenk, Rick Cruse, Sara McMillan, Ethan Thies

Effect of Winter Cereal Rye Cultivar Selection and Herbicide Choice on Seedling Disease, Pathogen Populations, Nitrogen Dynamics and Growth and Yield of Corn - Year 3

Investigators: Alison Robertson, Marshall McDaniel, Silvina Arias, Meaghan Anderson

Enhancing In-Season Nitrogen Management in Corn Using UAS-based Remote Sensing and Soil Data Integration

Investigators: Richard Roth, Beth Reynolds, David Bruene, Logan Wallace

Evaluating Phosphorus Retention in Saturated Riparian Buffers

Investigators: Wenjuan Huang, Tom Isenhart, Gabriel Johnson, Bill Crumpton

Evaluating Poultry Manure Application Timing and Cover Crops to Maximize Water Quality Benefits in Corn and Soy while Minimizing Cover Crop Yield Drag

Investigators: Dan Andersen, Michelle Soupir, Sara McMillan

Legacy Phosphorus Storage and Remobilization in a Dynamic Floodplain

Investigators: Peter L. Moore, Sara W. McMillan, Thomas Isenhart

Making Prairie Practical: Expanding Flexibility in Planting Methods for Retired Marginal Lands and Edge-of-field Nutrient Reduction Practices

Investigators: Laura Jackson, Justin Meissen

Making Woodchip Bioreactors More Accessible by Expanding Woodchip Source Materials and Increasing Supply Chain Capacity

Investigators: Jacqueline Comito, Billy Beck, Michelle Soupir

Quantifying Organic Nitrogen and Other Suspended Solids at High Resolutions to Investigate Nutrient Transport Patterns in Iowa Rivers

Investigators: Elliot Anderson, Keith Schilling, Martin St. Clair

Uncovering Soil and Sediment Properties to Inform Saturated Buffer Design

Investigators: Tom Isenhart, Keith Schilling, Gabriel Johnson, Matthew Streeter, Jennifer Merryman

2024

Evaluating Manure Application and Cover Crop Planting Timing to Maximize Water Quality Benefits in Corn

Investigators: Daniel Andersen, Iowa State University

How Long Will Corncobs Improve Nitrogen Removal in Bioreactors?

Investigators: Michelle Soupir, Iowa State University

Incentivizing Conservation: Understanding Opportunities and Barriers That Influence Iowa Farmers’ Decisions to Adopt Nutrient Management Conservation Practices Over Time

Investigators: Chris Morris, Iowa State University, J. Arbuckle, Iowa State University

Investigating Long-term Nutrient Trends and Short-term Orthophosphate Dynamics in a HUC12 Basin with Extensive Land Use Change

Investigators: Elliot Anderson, Iowa Geological Survey, Keith Schilling, Iowa Geological Survey , Ken Wacha, United States Department of Agriculture

Investigating the Fate of Nitrogen Fertilizer in Perennial Groundcover Corn Cropping Systems Using 15N Stable Isotope Labeling

Investigators: Richard Roth, Iowa State University, Raj Raman, Iowa State University, Ken Moore, Iowa State University

Quantifying Nutrient Load Reduction Practices at Multiple Field Sites

Investigators: Keith Schilling, Iowa Geological Survey

Rural Iowa Communities' Water Quality Awareness, Engagement and Policy Preferences

Investigators: Katherine Dentzman, Iowa State University , J. Arbuckle, Iowa State University

Two-stage Agricultural Channels in Iowa's Drained Landsape to Improve Water Quality and Long-term Resilience

Investigators: Sara Winnike McMillan, Iowa State University, Antonio Arenas, Iowa State University, Peter Moore, Iowa State University , Keith Schilling, Iowa Geological Survey, Johnathon Swanson, Polk County Conservation , Amanda Brown, Polk County Conservation

Watershed Scaling Effects Measured Via Nested High Frequency Sensors

Investigators: Marty St. Clair, University of Iowa

2023

An integrated assessment framework to evaluate conservation practices and environmental and economic benefits: A case for central Iowa

Investigators: Phillip Gassman, Tássia Mattos Brighenti , Yongjie Ji

Can adjustments to nitrogen rates reduce corn yield drag and disease implications following a cereal rye cover crop? July 2023

Investigators: Mark Licht, Marshall McDaniel, Alison Robertson, Fernando Marcos, Rashelle Matthiesen, Peter O’Brien

Co-benefits and possible unintended consequences of restoring wetlands for nutrient reduction

Investigators: Charlie Loewen

Decoding and leveraging the farmer messenger effect to accelerate the adoption of critical edge-of-field conservation practices

Investigators: Jacqueline Comito, Wendong Zhang

Effect of winter cereal rye cultivar selection and herbicide choice on seedling disease, pathogen populations, nitrogen dynamics and growth and yield of corn

Investigators: Alison Robertson

Equipping conservation practitioners with quantitative estimations of sediment and P reduction from BMPs

Investigators: Eduardo Luquin, Emily Zimmerman, Brian Gelder, Daryl Herzmann, Richard Cruse

IIHR water quality research plan

Investigators: Marty St. Clair

Linking agricultural practices to water quality improvement: The importance of spatial scale in accurately characterizing nonpoint source nutrient loads in Iowa stream systems

Investigators: David Green, William Crumpton, Sara McMillan, Tom Isenhart, Peter Moore

Quantifying nutrient load reduction practices and export at field and landscape scales

Investigators: Keith Schilling, Matthew Streeter, Elliot Anderson, Joe Honings

2022

Assessing the effectiveness of spatial and temporal separation of a cereal rye cover crop from corn on nutrient reduction and corn yield.

Investigators: Alison Robertson , Rashelle Matthiesen, Peter L. O’Brien

Benefits of winter cereal rye cultivar selection in mitigating corn yield drag

Investigators: Alison Robertson , Jyotsna Acharya

Evaluating the effectiveness of stacked practices: Utilizing modified blind inlets at terrace sites for N and P load reductions

Investigators: Matthew Streeter , Keith Schilling

Evaluating the relation of phosphorus to turbidity during high flow events in western Iowa rivers to improve phosphorus load estimates

Investigators: Keith Schilling

Extending saturated buffers to additional landscape positions

Investigators: Tom Isenhart , Keith Schilling

IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Work plan (2022-2023)

Investigators: Chris Jones

Landowners matter too: Accelerating adoption of in-field and edge-of-field nutrient reduction practices through better-engaged landowners

Investigators: Chad Hart , Wendong Zhang

Quantifying co-benefits of water quality conservation practices for wildlife of greatest conservation need in Iowa

Investigators: Adam Janke, Emily Zimmerman, Karen Kinkead, Tyler Harms

Sociological water quality research: quantifying factors at multiple scales that influence farmers to shift from being potential to actual adopters of conservation practices

Investigators: Suraj Upadhaya , J. Arbuckle, Lisa Schulte Moore

Spatial models for scaling optimal nutrient management research from plot to field and watershed scales

Investigators: Bradley Miller, Mark Licht, Marshall McDaniel

Spatially delineated carbon credit potential and implied nutrient reduction co-benefit: An assessment with integrated ecological and economic modeling framework

Investigators: Hongli Feng, Crystal Lu, Paige Frautschy, Wendong Zhang, Zhushan Du

Unlocking the bioreactor microbiome for nutrient management and water quality

Investigators: Adina Howe, Steven Hall, Michelle Soupir, Jaejin Lee, Lindsey Hartfiel

2021

Building cross-scale predictability of land-to-aquatic nitrogen loads in agriculture-dominated watersheds

Investigators: Chaoqun Lu, William G. Crumpton, Thomas M. Isenhart, David Green

Can adjustments to nitrogen rates reduce corn yield drag and disease implications following a cereal rye cover crop? Aug 2021

Investigators: Mark Licht, Marshall McDaniel, Alison Robertson, Fernando Marco , Jyotsna Acharya

Continued assessment of corncobs as an alternative carbon source to enhance bioreactor performance for improved water quality

Investigators: Michelle Soupir, Tom Isenhart, Ji Yeow Law, Natasha Hoover

Developing design criteria to test a new saturated waterway conservation practice

Investigators: Keith Schilling, Antonio Arenas-Amado

Furthering our understanding of the interaction of cereal rye allelochemicals with Pythium species and their impact on corn in the cereal rye-corn production system

Investigators: Alison Robertson , Jyotsna Acharya

Identifying the barriers and strategies to accelerate adoption of critical edge-of-field conservation practices: A farmer-centric integrated research & extension approach

Investigators: Jacqueline Comito , Wendong Zhang

IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Work plan (2021-2022)

Investigators: Chris Jones

Influence of bank stabilization on floodplain sediment and phosphorus storage

Investigators: Peter L. Moore , Thomas Isenhart

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