The Drake University Agricultural Law Center is the recipient of one of 17 Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture grants. Drake is planning to host four regional workshops and a two-day conference on conservation policy in Iowa.
The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture has awarded grants to those who demonstrate innovative research and demonstration projects that promise to move agricultural production toward greater sustainability while improving Iowa’s soil and water resources.
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“We are very pleased to continue our work with the Leopold Center on agricultural land stewardship and there is no more timely issue for our state than examining how well Iowa’s policies are working to promote soil conservation and water equality protection,” said Professor Neil Hamilton, director of the Agricultural Law Center.
The 17 new grants, totaling $1,031,853, fall under all four of the Leopold Center’s research initiatives – Ecology, Marketing and Food Systems, Policy and Cross-Cutting.
The research will provide new knowledge on soil health, specifically how phosphorus moves under different cropping systems and how certain changes deep below the surface (given the prevalence of minimum-tillage systems) could make soils more resilient during drought or after heavy rainfall. Other projects explore alternative systems for biomass production, growing fruits and vegetables, or providing habitat for native pollinators.
For additional details, visit www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/current.