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PFI Animated Video: Green Manure Crops and Nitrogen

Green manure crops – like clover and other legumes – add nitrogen to the soil, allowing farmers to save on fertilizer costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this animated video, learn how green manure crops add nitrogen to the...

With Corn Belt inching north, farm diversification gains momentum

Climate change is redrawing the agricultural map of the United States. As corn becomes less economically viable with changing Midwestern weather patterns, farmers look to a more diverse future....

Watch PFI’s new animated video: Nitrate and Water Quality

How does nitrate get into our water? How can we keep it in our farm fields where it can do the most good? Learn more in this animated video explaining how nitrate affects water quality and how farming practices can help....

Using far less chemical fertilizer still produces high crop yields, study finds

Climate-friendly practices can increase yields while improving ecosystem of farms, scientists say....

Scary headlines about food shortages are misleading. Here’s why

There are real concerns a combination of climate change, conflict, and post-COVID-19 supply chain problems could lead to an availability issue in the coming years–but we're not there yet....

‘Towns just turned to dust’: how factory hog farms help hollow out rural communities

Almost a third of hogs in the US are now raised in Iowa but a new report questions whether that’s good for residents or local economies....

Cover crops more effective than insecticides for managing pests, study suggests

Promoting early season plant cover, primarily through the use of cover crops, can be more effective at reducing pest density and crop damage than insecticide applications, according to a Penn State-led team of researchers....

Can Nature Reclaim Iowa?

Farmers, conservationists, and researchers are working on ‘rewilding’ one of the most ecologically scarred landscapes in the country....

‘Soil is our livelihood and we better protect it, or we’re screwed.’

Common Ground, Part I: How organic and regenerative agriculture are revitalizing rural Montana economies....

Are Neonic + Fungicide Soybean Seed Treatments Justified?

"In both experiments, untreated soybean seed was more profitable than neonicotinoid + fungicide treated seed."...

Investigating Ways to Maximize Cover Crop Benefits in Corn

Iowa Farmer Leads Class-Action Lawsuit Against Herbicide Manufacturers

An Iowa farmer is leading a nationwide class-action lawsuit against the creators of a commonly used herbicide linked to Parkinson’s disease....

Benefits of Wheat in Corn-Soybean Crop Rotations

The United States grows a lot of corn and soybeans. Some researchers think it’s a good idea to add wheat into that mix. A new study shows including winter wheat once every 4 years in rotations with corn and soybean can have many benefits....

Study: Pesticides and Soil Invertebrates: A Hazard Assessment

"Our review indicates that pesticides of all types pose a clear hazard to soil invertebrates. Negative effects are evident in both lab and field studies, across all studied pesticide classes, and in a wide variety of soil organisms and...

Heartland Radio: Episode 26 – Audrey Tran Lam

Housed at the University of Northern Iowa's CEEE, Audrey discussions her work in Environmental Health, how food and farming relate to public health, and several statewide initiatives that aim to reduce pesticide application in the state....

Diversifying Crops Benefits

A new study from an international team of researchers found that diversifying crops, “enhances biodiversity, pollination, pest control, nutrient cycling, soil fertility, and water regulation without compromising crop yields.”...

Farmers are facing a phosphorus crisis. The solution starts with soil.

Overuse of fertilizer has led to phosphorus shortages and water pollution. But farms might not need so much to grow healthy crops....

Using Cereal Rye Cover Crop and Narrow-Row Soybean to Manage Herbicide-Resistant Waterhemp

A field study was conducted (2019-2020) at the ISU Research and Demonstration Farm near Ames, IA to quantify the impact of cereal rye cover crop and soybean row spacing (15 inch vs. 30 inch) on the glyphosate-resistant waterhemp seed bank....

Earth’s Rapidly Degrading Soil Is Bad News For Human Health

“If mama ain’t happy, nobody’s happy,” says soil advocate, Holly Arbuckle... “In order to have nutrient dense food, [and healthy people] we need healthy soil.”...

Agroforestry is ‘win win’ for bees and crops, study shows

Planting woody plant species alongside crops could double the number of insect pollinators helping farmers produce food, new research has demonstrated for the first time....

Organic No-Till Soybeans Competitive, Says Penn State Study

A new study by Penn State researchers showed that using no-till and reduced-tillage production methods on soybeans can achieve yields similar to tillage-based production at competitive costs....

Cover Crops Boost Soil Microbial Abundance, Says Study

A new global analysis from the University of Illinois shows that planting cover crops after row-crop harvest can significantly boost soil microbial abundance, activity, and diversity...

NPR Spotlight: On-Farm Diversity

Diversifying Crops Is Good For The Planet. But Can It Be Good For Farmers' Wallets? [Yes!]...

Study: Biodiversity Improves Crop Production

Ecosystem services are improved (including natural pest management!) when biodiversity is prioritized on the farm....

Uncovering how microbes in the soil influence our health and our food

Tillage made the biggest difference [to soil health],” ...For centuries, farmers have tilled to eliminate weeds, bury the remnants of old crops and prepare the ground for planting — but newer research suggests that disturbing the top...

North American Wild Bird Population Drops by 29%

Nearly 30% of birds in U.S., Canada have vanished since 1970. Research published Sept. 19 online by the journal Science shows a massive loss of nearly 3 billion birds in the continental breeding adult bird population for the United...

How Big Agriculture Is Preventing Farmers From Combating the Climate Crisis

For years, the government has subsidized industrial monoculture rather than sustainability. Smarter policies could help save small farms — and the planet....

Column: Celebrate innovation by farmers

Farming for Public Health program coordinator, Audrey Tran Lam, describes the important role farmers play in protecting Iowa's public health....

Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health Project: Pesticide Drift in the Midwest

The data is presented using a story map, which helps to organize the setting and issues in an educational way. We hope that these story maps will be used to provide more education, training, and increase community awareness so that in...

Huge decline in songbirds linked to common insecticide

Neonics—pesticides introduced to plants at the seed stage—act like an appetite suppressant for birds, making them lose weight within hours....

Opinion | Why Talk of Regenerative Agriculture Should Include Pesticide Reduction

Regenerative Agriculture is gaining interest and momentum! But these practices will only go so far toward building a sustainable food system if we don’t include pesticide reduction as a fundamental goal....

Opinion: Farmers do care about clean water

Iowa farmer, Seth Watkins, weighs in....

Farming Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis

Could changing our land use and agricultural practices make a dent in addressing climate change? Yes, says Project Drawdown and a new report from the IPCC....

NRCS case studies show soil health practices increase farm profitability

Increasingly, we understand that better soil health – and specific practices aimed at building soil organic matter, fostering microbial life in the soil, reducing nutrient loss, and protecting soil from erosion – lead to higher net...

Opinion: ‘Our Small Towns Are Toppling Like Dominoes’: Why We Should Cut Some Farmers a Check

For pennies a meal, the federal government can incentivize better environmental services....

A middle path to sustainable farming

Agricultural economists are homing in on hybrid, low-input methods that will both safeguard the environment and feed the future billions...

Podcast: Pesticides and Birth Defects—What You Should Know

Neonatologist, Dr. Paul Winchester talks about how his background in farming informs his work today and shares a number of sobering findings from research in his field....

3 Big Myths about Modern Agriculture

Myths get in the way of our ability to restore degraded soils that can feed the world using fewer chemicals....