Resources

Overview of the various nutrient mitigation practices promoted by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy: Nutrient management, Land use change, Edge-of-field practices are described and effectiveness measures are provided.

Clean Water Iowa has developed effective nutrient reduction practices through nitrogen & phosphorus management, land use, and edge-of-field/erosion control.

USDA NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (605) for denitrifying biorector.

NRCS diagram that qualifies various ecosystem effects and management outcomes associated with restored or constructed wetlands.

PhD Dissertation: Design and performance of denitrification bioreactors for agricultural drainage. Dr. Laura Christianson. Now at the University of Illinois (http://cropsci.illinois.edu/directory/lechris)

Riparian buffer planning, design, and management guide from the Iowa State University Riparian Buffer team.

An introduction to wetland ecology, implementation, management and government cost share programs from the Iowa Learning Farm.

Iowa State University Extension overview of woodchip bioreactors for nitrate treatment.

Website of the Iowa State University Riparian Buffer Research Group. Topics covered: Buffer design, management, and research findings.

Farmers are stewards of the land, and in Iowa's Boone River watershed, they're working with The Nature Conservancy to improve water quality and wildlife habi...

Calculator developed at Purdue University to estimate the size and cost of a woodchip bioreactor.

NRCS diagram that qualifies various ecosystem effects and management outcomes associated with contour prairie buffers (or strips).

Iowa State University Extension Note - Estimated Costs for Production, Storage and Transportation of Switchgrass

This decision tool allows the user to economically compare how well switchgrass will perform compared to current crop production systems.

Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips

The decision tool, Economics of Cover Crops, provides worksheets to analyze three different cover crop scenarios:

- Projected economic costs and benefits of crop crops without grazing or harvesting
- Projected economic costs and benefits of crop crops with grazing or harvesting
- Actual economic costs and benefits resulting from cover crops, including grazing or harvesting.

Iowa State University Extension's Ag Decision Maker provides content to help producers better understand the costs of agricultural decisions.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program

NRCS diagram that qualifies various ecosystem effects and management outcomes associated with cover crops.

This web site provides a process to calculate economic return to N application with different nitrogen and corn prices and to find profitable N rates directly from recent N rate research data. The method used follows a regional approach for determining corn N rate guidelines that is implemented in several Corn Belt states.

Iowa State University archive of cover crop related research and management outreach.

Overview of various economic benefits associated with the use of cover crops. 

The Midwest Cover Crops Council site provides information currently available on the use of cover crops in the Midwestern United States. The Council's goal is to expand upon the available information by working together as a regional collective of researchers, educators, farmers, and agribusinesses, ultimately leading to an increase in the use of cover crops on agricultural lands.