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The Johnson Center for Land Stewardship Policy's first annual Forum on Saturday, 22 Oct 2022, starts at 1 pm., hosted by the Tom and Ruth Harkin Institute at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. The Forum will be hybrid—both in-person and streamed online. There is no charge for participation, but registration is required at REGISTER. 

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will be the keynote speaker. Other presenters include Senator Tom Harkin, host; and expert panelists Margaret Krome, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute; Keefe Keeley, Savannah Institute; and Ricardo Salvador, Union of Concerned Scientists. 

Co-sponsors for this event include the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. 

This year's Fobes Ronald Lecture will be “Cities and Storms: Challenges and Solutions,” presented by Dr. Jennifer Cherrier on Thursday, Nov 3^rd at 7 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room at Iowa State University.

As a renowned scientist on water resource sustainability and integrated water management, Cherrier will share her perspectives on challenges and solutions for urban stormwater resiliency. 

Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Conservation Learning Group, will hold a virtual field day focused on drainage water recycling, Thursday, Dec. 8, at 1:00 p.m. CDT,. The event will feature Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center director and agricultural engineering specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach; Chris Hay, Iowa Soybean Association senior research scientist; Shane Wulf, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship senior environmental specialist; and Mark Schleisman, Calhoun County farmer and landowner.. Get more details at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/node/3736/)

Research on establishing saturated riparian forest buffers will be the topic of a virtual field day Dec. 15, at 1 p.m., with Iowa State University presenters Billy Beck, associate professor, natural resource ecology and management, and extension forestry specialist; Troy Heeren, agricultural specialist; Gabe Johnson, graduate student, sustainable agriculture and agriculture and biosystems engineering; and Jonathan Notch, undergraduate student, forestry. The event is hosted by the Iowa Learning Farms, Iowa Nutrient Research Center and Conservation Learning Group. Find more details or register to participate.

A free virtual field day on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 1:00 p.m. (central time) will feature research on blind inlets. The event is sponsored in part by Iowa Learning Farms in conjunction with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center and the Conservation Learning Group. Participants will have the opportunity for a discussion with the farmers and researchers involved. 

Currently, blind inlets are listed in the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy as an erosion control practice that reduces phosphorus (P) loss. Blind inlets have been shown to reduce sediment and phosphorus losses by 80- 98%. However, gravel filter blind inlets are not effective for trapping dissolved nutrients like nitrate. This project, funded by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, builds on a pilot project completed for the Iowa NRCS that looked at the effectiveness of incorporating a woodchip bioreactor into a traditional in-field blind inlet placed behind contour terraces and WASCOBs to reduce nitrate loss as well.

Get more details or the link to participate at: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/can-modified-blind-inlets-terrace-sites-reduce-n-and-p-loads.