Research Projects - Multi-Objective

2025

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

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

2024

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

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

Investigators:

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

Watershed Scaling Effects Measured Via Nested High Frequency Sensors

Investigators:

Marty St. Clair, University of Iowa

2023

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

Investigators:

Jacqueline Comito, Wendong Zhang

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

2022

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

Investigators:

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

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

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

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

The effectiveness of carbon credit programs at reducing nutrient losses: An assessment of public and private conservation programs and their interactions.

Investigators:

Hongli Feng, Sarah Carlson, Susan Hickey, Elizabeth Reaves, Lisa Schulte Moore, Wendong Zhang

2020

Advanced Modeling of Soil Erosion, Sediment Delivery and Nutrient Export from Iowa Watersheds

Investigators:

Matthew Streeter, Rick Cruse, Brian Gelder, Chunmei Wang, Kevin Cole

Applying a New ACPF-compatible Tool and Social Science to Explore the Role of Policy in Conservation Implementation in Iowa

Investigators:

Emily Zimmerman , John Tyndall, Emma Bravard

Bringing the Human into Precision Agriculture: What Farmers Need from Decision Support Systems to Meet Economic and Water Quality Goals

Investigators:

Andy VanLoocke, Michael Dorneich, Emily Heaton

Evaluating the Relation of Total Phosphorus to Turbidity During High Flow Events to Improve Quantification of Phosphorus Export from Iowa Rivers

Investigators:

Keith Schilling, Chris Jones

IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Work plan (2020-2021)

Investigators:

Chris Jones

Modeling the Impacts of Historical Weather and Management on Nitrogen Loss

Investigators:

Sotirios Archontoulis

2019

Evaluating Rotations of Cover Crops and Summer Annual Forages for Yield, Nutritional Value, Effect on Soil Nutrient Profile, and Economic Sustainability as Forage for Beef Cattle

Investigators:

Chris Clark, Erika Lundy, Patrick Wall, Aaron Saeugling

IIHR Hydroscience and Engineering Work plan (2019-2020) Work Plan for the Iowa Nutrient Research Center

Investigators:

Chris Jones

Increasing Farmer Engagement with Conservation Practices Through More Effective Communication Strategies

Investigators:

Laura Witzling, Dara Wald

Integrating Social and Biophysical Indicators of Nutrient Reduction Progress in Iowa Watershed Projects

Investigators:

Laurie Nowatzke, Lori Abendroth, J. Arbuckle, Jamie Benning, Zhengyuan Zhu

Linking Agricultural Practices to Water Quality Improvement: The Importance of Scale in Accurately Characterizing Nonpoint Source Nutrient Loads in Iowa Streams

Investigators:

William Crumpton

2018

Correlation of a Soil Health Assessment Tool and Phosphorus Loss with Surface Runoff in Agricultural Fields

Investigators:

Antonio Mallarino

IIHR-Hydroscience & Engineering Work Plan for the Iowa Nutrient Research Center (2018-2019)

Investigators:

Christopher Jones

Monetizing Soil Health: An Innovative Strategy to Drive Greater Adoption of Cover Crops and No-Till

Investigators:

Alejandro Plastina, Marshall McDaniel, Wendong Zhang

Quantifying the Effects of BMPs on Sediment and Phosphorus Delivery to a Range of Eastern Iowa Rivers

Investigators:

Keith Schiling, Matthew Streeter, Calvin Wolter

Understanding Farmer and Landowner Decision-Making and Message Preference Concerning Conservation Practice Adoption in the Clear Creek Watershed

Investigators:

Mary Losch, Andrew Stephenson

Using the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework (ACPF) to Optimize the Allocation of Scarce Conservation Funding

Investigators:

John Tyndall , Adriana Valcu-Lisman , Yongjie Ji , Emily Zimmerman

2017

Delivery-Scale Evaluation and Modeling of Nutrient Reduction Practices

Investigators:

Chaoqun Lu, William Crumpton, Matt Helmers

Does Quantity and Quality of Tile Drainage Water Impact In-stream Eutrophication Potential? Evidence from a Long-term Biofuel Cropping Systems Experiment

Investigators:

Marshall McDaniel, Mriganka De, Michael Thompson, Matt Liebman, Matthew Helmers

Successful Voluntary Watershed Improvement Projects: Do Short-Term Adoption and Outreach Lead to Attitude Changes and Long-Term Sustainable Practice Adoption?

Investigators:

Jacqueline Comito, Jamie Benning

2016

Improving the Capacity to Detect Load Reductions

Investigators:

Michael Castellano, Sotirios Archontoulis, Bill Crumpton, Matthew Helmers, Chris Jones, Fernando Miguez, Keith Schilling

Land Tenure and Nutrient Management Practices: Identifying Economic Barriers and Incentives for Landowners and Tenants to Meet Growing Soil and Water Conservation Needs

Investigators:

Wendong Zhang, Alejandro Plastina

2015

Quantification of Nutrient Reduction Practices Benefits from the Hillslope to the Watershed Scale

Investigators:

Antonio Arenas, Keith Schilling, Larry Weber

2014

Measuring the Effectiveness of Stacked Nutrient Reduction Practices

Investigators:

Keith Schilling, Wren Almitra, Doug Schnoebelen

Modeling of Nitrate Loads and Concentrations in the Raccoon River

Investigators:

Gabriele Villarini, Christopher Anderson, Christopher Jones, Keith Schilling

Nutrient Trading in Iowa: A Pilot Study in the Catfish Creek Watershed

Investigators:

Larry Weber, Chad Drake

2013

Distribution, Transport, and Biogeochemical Transformations of Agriculturally Derived Nitrogen and Phosphorus in Cedar River Watershed

Investigators:

Mohammad Iqbal

Establishing Pragmatically Dynamic Program for Extending Water Quality BMP Financial Information: Farmer Tools for Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy

Investigators:

John Tyndall

Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research (IIHR) ‐ Hydroscience and Engineering Work Plan

Investigators:

Doug Schnoebelen, Larry Weber, Adam Ward

Social-Economic Research Work Plan

Investigators:

Cathy Kling, Lois Wright Morton, J. Gordon Arbuckle, Chad Ingels