In one teaspoon of healthy Iowa topsoil there are more organisms than people on the earth. Farmers’ and ranchers’ goal is to manage the soil to promote crop health and hold that soil in place to make sure each teaspoon of soil and the organisms in it count towards the bottom line. more

High school seniors intending to pursue programs of study in any field of agriculture, environmental science, or natural resources, have until Feb. 16, 2018 to participate in the 2018 Conservation District of Iowa (CDI) Auxiliary scholarship program. more

Mike Paustian crouches to point out a slim rye leaf fluttering in a warm January wind through a tangle of corn stubble. If Iowa’s new water quality law succeeds, he expects Iowans will be seeing a lot more green cereal rye covering brown fields between cash crops. more

iHeartMedia-Des Moines, Newsradio 1040 WHO (WHO-AM), and WHO Radio’s The Big Show, have announced that the Quad Cities is the location for the 22nd Annual WHO Radio Tractor Ride. more

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach specialists will travel to the Rhythm City Casino and Resort in Davenport on Jan. 26 for the 2018 Crop Advantage Series. more

Iowa farmers received $46.4 million in USDA assistance to implement conservation practices on their land in the past year through Farm Bill programs administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. This is a 20-percent, or $10 million, increase from the previous year. more

After having fallen in each of the three previous years, the average value of an acre of farmland in Iowa saw an increase in 2017. The average statewide value of an acre of farmland is now estimated to be $7,326. This represents an increase of 2.0 percent, or $143 per acre, from the 2016 estimate. more

2017 has been a challenging year for farmers and 2018 may be similar. Crop profit margins are tight once again, as more farms face cash flow and working capital constraints. more

About 4,500 acres of Scott County farmland have been ruled ineligible for family farm property tax credits after a more thorough review undertaken this year by the Scott County assessor found the property had been rented out and was no longer eligible for the credit intended for family-farmed property. more

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has released two new, easy-to-use tools for Iowa landowners interested in exploring methods for permanently protecting their land. more