New Wetland to Improve Water Quality in West Lake

A newly created private wetland in Clarke County north of West Lake is now protecting this public drinking water source for the city of Osceola and other county residents.

Landowner John Aschenbrenner utilized a conservation practice called Wetland Creation to dam a 23-acre pool area on bottom ground along South Squaw Creek. The wetland collects water from 3,820 acres above it – nearly 60 percent of West Lake’s 6,400-acre drainage area. The wetland will act like a water purification plant helping to remove chemicals and filter out sediment.

Aschenbrenner (PDF, 1 MB) | (html)

From Concrete to CSP for Conservation Stewardship

When Brent and Teresa Voss moved to rural Dexter in 1994 they viewed it as more of a place to settle their concrete/foundation business than to develop a large farming operation. But that soon changed. Just a week after purchasing their home property, they bought a nearby 80 acres of farmland.

Nearly two decades later the couple still has their booming concrete business – Voss Concrete, Inc. – but they also have a booming farming operation with 2,000 acres of crop, hay and pastureland, as well as 300 cows and between 500-1,000 feeder cattle.

Voss (PDF, 1 MB) | (html)

Cover Crop Club Learning to Manage Practice Together

Trying something new and innovative is always easier when you can learn from someone else’s experience. For a small group of innovative Pottawattamie County farmers experimenting with cover crops, that someone else is Pete Hobson.

Cover Crop Club (PDF, 1.5 MB) | (html)

Convenience Just One Benefit of Feedlot Consolidation Project

Luther and Quentin Schutte have more time on their hands now for family, friends and fun. The father-son duo – in the business of fattening up beef cattle and Holstein steers – recently consolidated four open feedlots into one large steel-roofed total containment barn, saving them a few hours a day in commuting and work time.

Schutte (PDF, 749 KB) | (html)

No-till, Cover Crop Conservation Combo

Controlling soil erosion is one of the big reasons farmers have switched to no-till. But that's not why conservation-minded Arliss and Todd Nielsen made the switch six years ago on the 1200 acres of corn and soybeans they own and rent in Wright County.

Nielsen (PDF, 3.3 MB) | (html)

Ides Transition Open Feedlot to Hoop Buildings

When Chad Ide added dairy cows to diversify his family’s feeder cattle business, it set off a chain of events that led to the construction of two new 12,600 square foot hoop buildings on their Union County farm. The initial cost of installing the buildings is already being offset by healthier livestock, better manure utilization and the elimination of manure runoff.

Ide (PDF, 1.5 MB) | (html)

Sidedressing Dry Urea Works for Dubuque County Corn Grower

Sidedressing corn is a practice which has come full circle for Dubuque County farmer Tim Daly. After sidedressing for many years he stopped applying the practice due to a lack of time, but after a wet spring four years ago he gave it another try and now Daly is making sidedressing a part of his regular nutrient management plan.

Daly (PDF, 2.5 MB) | (html)

USDA Video News Release Featuring Tim Daly (YouTube)

Retired Conservationist's Career Continues On His Own Farm

Raised a conservationist, Bob Torgerson, 77, of Humboldt, was destined to be a good steward of his own farm. But a twist of fate, when Torgerson was just a teenager, allowed his conservation ethic to impact many more farms than just his own.

Torgerson (PDF, 1.8 MB) | (html)

At 70, Van Diest Keeps Himself and Cropland In-Shape

Running a 20 kilometer (12.4 mile) road race at the age of 70 is quite an achievement, but for corn and soybean farmer Arlo Van Diest of Hamilton County his accomplishments protecting cropland soils from wind and water erosion are equally impressive.

Van Diest (PDF, 1.8 MB) | (html)

Monoslope Building Eliminates Manure Runoff for Sonderman

Replacing an open feedlot with a more environmentally-friendly, deep-bedded total containment building is paying dividends for Shelby County cattleman Clint Sonderman. His new 20,000 square foot facility totally eliminates manure runoff, allows for better manure utilization, and is resulting in healthier, more productive cattle.

Sonderman (PDF, 1.2 MB) | (html)

Downtown Cedar Rapids' First Green Roof

WaterTower Place – Cedar Rapids’ first warehouse converted to condominiums – is now home to the downtown district’s first vegetated green roof, designed to mitigate storm water runoff. The green roof was complete in September 2010 and includes about 7,400 square feet of low-growing, low-maintenance sedum and native Iowa plants.

WaterTower Place (PDF, 1.3 MB) | (html)

Bensinks' Stewardship Pays Off

More than four decades of conserving soil and attracting wildlife is paying off for the Bensink Family of rural Pleasantville. The Bensinks signed a five-year contract in 2010 to receive payments through the USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to further enhance their environmentally-friendly 468-acre farm.

Bensink (PDF, 1.4 MB) | (html)