RegenPGC releases latest research updates

Is it progress if it is not recorded? Our latest quarterly report skips right over that philosophical question. Find out what our researchers were up to between February 1 and April 30, 2024, as we pursue our long-term goal of developing and increasing the reliability of PGC systems. We have many accomplishments, but not everything we do is SCIENCE. We like to share what we learn in ways the interested public can follow. For example, here is an outreach accomplishment from this past quarter, among many other things highlighted in our report. Stay tuned to our blog and our social media account on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/regenpgc) for our latest news.

Iowa Learning Farms On-Line Virtual Field Day – A New Direction in Cover Crops: Developing Perennial Ground Cover for Corn Systems in the Midwest – March 21, 2024
The virtual field day had 171 participants. The program—delivered by Dan Andersen and Raj Raman—covered an overview of the proposed PGC system, management options and perspectives, and the potential benefits it can bring to a farming operation.

RegenPGC Yr 3 Q3 Quarterly Update: https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-02-RegenPGC-Quarterly-Report-YR-3-Q3.pdf

Time for…Field Days

Our project is about two things: 1) Our long-term goal is to develop and increase the reliability of PGC systems through research and to share what we know with all interested parties. That’s why Field Days are so important to us as a multidisciplinary research team.

We just finished our first 2024 Field Day sponsored by the Black Hawk (Iowa) Soil and Water Conservation District. On June 13th, we shared our PGC vision with 24 producers. By all accounts, the event was a success.

We are hosting three more Iowa Field Days this summer and in Nebraska. Don’t miss your chance to learn about Perennial Groundcover and what this new approach to cover crops can bring to the land. Stay tuned for complete registration information, and until then … start making plans!

  • Corning, IA – July 24 ( * Registration Deadline 7/19/24)
  • Nashua, IA – Aug. 7 ( * Registration Deadline – 8/2/24)
  • Ames/Boone IA Aug. 14 (* Registration Deadline 8/9/24)
  • Nebraska – TBD

RegenPGC and Iowa Learning Farms release new webinar

Working with Iowa Learning Farms, RegenPGC alum Gabrielle (Gabby) Myers will help you learn from our latest findings in “Assessing the Impact of Perennial Groundcover and Interseeded Annual Cover Crops on Corn Yield and Drainage Water Quality.” 

The webinar is, as the title suggests, about how perennial groundcover and annual cover crops impact maize yield and water quality, two topics that could not be hotter in modern agriculture. Take some time and learn how producers can address what too often seem like competing issues.

Schools almost out… kids bored yet?

What parent has heard that annoying refrain, “There’s nothing to do!” Or maybe you can’t get the kid to look up from a device. We just might have a little reprieve for you from our two upcoming summer day camps. Sign up the kids for day camps on June 11 and June 20. ISU Extension will be hosting two “Water Connects Us All” Day Camps. RegenPGC personnel will be on hand to educate the kids (Grades 3-6) about our project.

The camps will feature hands-on activities and experiments to learn about perennial ground cover and other conservation practices that protect soil and water. Activities include rain simulators, soil microbes, cover crops, bioreactors, and more.

Sign-up information is available here:

June 11 – Contact Shelby County Extension and Outreach for more information and to register (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/shelby/)

June 20 -Contact Union County Extension and Outreach for more information and to register (https://www.extension.iastate.edu/union/)

RegenPGC team wins Iowa State University Award

We are pleased to announce that the 11 RegenPGC Co-Project Directors currently employed at Iowa State University have been awarded the 2024 ISU Interdisciplinary Team Research Award. This award is given in recognition of a research team’s commitment to the University’s land grant university mission, professional reputation, and esteem among peers.

While the award is specific to Iowa State University, we know it was received with the efforts of all RegenPGC team members, including graduate students and our Stakeholder Advisory Board.

The recognized team members are:

  • Raj Raman
  • Kenneth Moore
  • Daniel Andersen
  • Cynthia Bartel
  • Shui-zhang Fei
  • Susana Goggi
  • Amy Kaleita
  • Anne Kinzel
  • Thomas Lübbersted
  • Marshall McDaniel

RegenPGC grad student receives outstanding student award

RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Hallie Sandeen has been named the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment “Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences Outstanding New MS Student, 2023-2024.” The best honor is being recognized by your colleagues and peers.

We also want to acknowledge RegenPGC CoPd Erin Haramoto for her role as a mentor to Hallie. Learn more about Hallie’s graduate school work in her video “Perennial Cover Crops: Evaluating Poaceae Species’ Establishment and Weed Suppression Potential.”

You can learn more about our Graduate Education Community at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education/.

RegenPGC & Iowa Learning Farms collaborate on producer focused video

In our newest video, “A New Direction in Cover Crops Developing Perennial Ground Cover for Corn Systems in the Midwest,” Professor and Research and Extension specialist Dan Andersen (Iowa State University) provides producers with information from the RegenPGC project on perennial ground cover in row crop cropping systems. Dan addresses the vital question, “Can we come up with a cover crop that we only have to plant once and then manage instead of reestablishing it every year to help with environmental services while we are producing our row crops?

The video focuses on:
– Corn selection
– Types of groundcover
– System management (including groundcover establishment and suppression)
– Ecosystem services (potential to reduce spring herbicide applications & to reduce insect presence).

This video is part of a collaboration between the RegenPGC project and Iowa Learning Farms – https://www.iowalearningfarms.org/.

RegenGC grad student pursues creative interests

Graduate education can be a slog. All those hours in the lab move students toward their careers, but in the short run, they can be incredibly long and dry. RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Prathyusha Cheguri has not let herself be bogged down; instead, she has pursued expanding her creative side by creating original artwork and participating in the arts at Iowa State University.

Here is what Prathyusha recently posted on LinkedIn:

“Hello All!
I am excited to share that I had the honor of presenting my research poster (Cheguri, Prathyusha & Shui-zhang Fei. 2024. Photothermal Effects on Inflorescence Development in Poa Bulbosa) at the 2nd annual Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences Symposium – ‘From Code to Cure Bridging the Gap in Biological Sciences’. It was an incredible opportunity to showcase my work and engage with fellow scientists, researchers, and enthusiasts.

Additionally, I have proudly served as the Chair of the Creative Arts Submission Committee. But that’s not all! As a passionate artist, I also contributed some of my artwork to the Creative Arts Submissions🎨. The fusion of science and art is truly magical, and I’m grateful for the chance to express my creativity.”

RegenPGC featured in No-Till Farmer Magazine

Check out the no-till farming community’s view of our perennial ground cover project in the latest edition of No-Till Farmer magazine.

Producer Charles Martin’s article, “Productivity Meets Conservation with Perennial Groundcovers & Strip-Till,” explains our perennial ground cover project from the perspective of the working no-till farmer. The article is available online (free, registration required).