New research informs how corn and perennial groundcover can coexist

Amina Moro in the lab

Today, we honor RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Amina Moro and her work on corn’s “Shade Avoidance Response.” Iowa State University – College of Agriculture and Life Sciences recognized Amina’s work by featuring her in the article, “New research shows finding the ‘sweet spot’ is key to successful groundcover systems.” See: https://www.cals.iastate.edu/news/2026/new-research-shows-finding-sweet-spot-key-successful-groundcover-systems

Amina’s work informs how corn behaves when perennial groundcover is located in proximity to it. As the article specifies, “The practical applications of this research are clear. By maintaining a small buffer zone – around 25 centimeters – farmers can prevent early stress signals in corn while still benefiting from soil protection.”

According to Amina, “Farmers do not have to choose between improving soil health and maintaining yield,” Moro said. “With the right combination of spacing, hybrid selection, and management practices, it is possible to design systems where corn grows efficiently while the soil remains protected.”

Learn more about the science behind Amina’s work in her recently published paper in the Journal of Agronomy, “Spatial Proximity to Perennial Groundcover Triggers Shade Avoidance Responses in Corn” (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/16/7/729).

Meet new grad student Zoe Gray

Zoe Gray headshot

Meet RegenPGC’s newest graduate stuent Zoe Gray. Zoe is a master’s student in soil science at the University of Missouri, where RegenPGC CoPd Morgan Davis serves as her advisor. Zoe previously obtained her bachelor’s in environmental science from the University of Missouri.

As an undergrad, Zoe joined the soil judging team, where I competed in numerous competitions that focused on soil chemistry, biology, morphology, physics, and genesis. During her time with the team, Zoe found a desire to learn more about soils and decided to pursue her master’s degree.

As a new member of the RegenPGC team (April 2026), Zoe’s research will focus on the hydraulic conductivity of soils within a perennial groundcover system compared to a system with no ground cover. She will be focusing on hydraulic conductivity as well as water retention curves.

Career Aspirations
After completing her Master’s, Zoe hopes to stay within the research realm and continue working in a lab space that strives to enhance agricultural methods with the integrity of the soil in mind.

Graduate Advisor
Dr. Morgan Davis (RegenPGC CoPd)

RegenPGC research team releases latest progress report

Great news! Our RegenPGC research team has just shared our latest progress report. This report, which highlights our research, education, and extension efforts from August to October 2025, is designed to be easy to follow.

This report keeps our agency funder, USDA-NIFA, in the loop, and it’s also a way for the public, who supports our work, to stay informed.

You can find the report on our website at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-01-30-RegenPGC-YR-5-Q1-FINAL.pdf

Contact: Dr. Raj Raman, Iowa State University Dept. of Agriculture & BioSystems Engineering rajraman@iastate.edu

Hallie Sandeen graduates from the University of KY

Hallie Sandeen graduation photo standing in corn

This holiday season, we celebrate the graduation of another member of our Graduate Education Community, Hallie Sandeen. Hallie has earned her Master’s degree from the University of Kentucky, where she was mentored by Dr. Erin Haramoto, Co-Project Director of RegenPGC. Hallie’s thesis, “Evaluation of Poaceae Species and Suppression Application Methods for Perennial Groundcover in Corn,” will contribute to the perennial ground cover research portfolio that our project is developing.

Hallie is the fifth graduate student to complete their degree with support from RegenPGC.

Hallie Sandeen, December 2025, Crop Ecology & Management (Master’s, University of Kentucky) – Dr. Erin Haramoto

Jack Moran, June 2025, Crop Ecology & Management (Master’s, Iowa State University) –  Drs. Susana Goggi & Ken Moore

Oluwatuyi (“Tuyi”) Olowoyeye, June 2025, Ecosystem Services and Modeling (Ph.D, Iowa State University) – Dr. Amy Kaleita

Max Eness, May 2025, Soil Health & Nutrient Management (Master’s, Iowa State University) – Dr. Marshall McDaniel

Kaila Topping, 2023 May, Ecosystem Services & Modelling (Master’s, University of Wisconsin, Madison) – Dr. Rob Anex

RegenPGC Team releases Year 4 Q 4 progress report

RegenPGC Yr 4 Q 4 Progress Report Cover

If it’s not documented … is it really complete? Who knows. However, here is our RegenPGC Year 4 Q4 Progress Report, and there is no doubt that we are learning more every day about perennial cover crops. You can access the report at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/RegenPGC-Yr-4-Q4-Progress-Report.pdf.

The report is written in a bulleted, friendly format and divided by topics so you can find your perennial cover crop passion right away! Check out our Research Objectives and Themes:

Objectives: Obj. 1. Crop Ecology & Management, Obj. 2. Plant Breeding & Genetics, Obj. 3. Soil Health & Nutrient Management, Obj. 4. Ecosystem Services, Modeling, Obj. 5. Socioeconomic Impacts & Policy and Project Evaluation

Themes:  Research and Development, Extension, Education, and Commercialization

Dr. Cyndi Bartel featured in farm podcast

SARE podcast Flyer

RegenPGC CoPD Dr. Cynthia Bartel got the chance to explain the RegenPGC perennial ground cover vision in the Midwest Farm Report – Madison podcast.

Dr. Bartel tells it like it is when she says, “What we really want to achieve is land use sufficiency off the land, and doing that profitably. We want continuous living cover with year-round roots in a way that makes sense for farms.”

Check out the full story in this six-minute podcast, SARE Grants Turn Ideas Into Action At Hurtgenlea Holsteins” at https://omny.fm/shows/mid-west-farm-report-madison/sare-grants-turn-ideas-into-action-at-hurtgenlea-holsteins.

Learn more about Dr. Cynthia Bartel, RegenPGC policy specialist and dairy farmer

RegenPGC's Dr. Cyndi bartel on the farm

Cynthia Bartel is the ag policy specialist on our project, and yes, she knows policy, but that’s not all she knows about.

Hint… It’s also about the cows and a lot more. Dr. Bartel qualifies as an all-around Ag-Renaissance woman.  Learn more about Dr. Bartel in Wisconsin dairy farm embraces robots, health monitoring and intercropping (https://www.farmprogress.com/dairy-cattle/wisconsin-dairy-farm-embraces-robots-health-monitoring-boluses-and-intercropping)

Reflections on a summer well spent

Philip working with a student

At RegenPGC, we are building the future of perennial grasses and the teaching profession by introducing existing and prospective science/stem educators to our research portfolio. Every summer, we participate in two crucial Iowa State University initiatives, the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) and Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) programs.

The RegenPGC RET program allows middle and high school teachers to gain research experiences and form ongoing relationships with PGC scientists and graduate students. Our goal is for our RET participants to share their RegenPGC experiences with their students upon their return to the classroom and inspire young persons to learn more about STEM subjects.

The RegenPGC REU program provides opportunities to undergraduate students interested in future careers as STEM teachers to engage in a hands-on research project with a RegenPGC mentor and research team.

Both projects take place during the summer months, and RegenPGC collaborator Maureen Griffin and her team at the Iowa State University Office of Biotechnology lead the project.

Learn more about the essential truths and inspirations that our REU and RET participants were exposed to in 2025 in this overview piece.

Meet Audrey Tucker, Undergrad researcher and trombonist

Audrey Tucker Headshot

Meet Audrey Tucker who come to RegenPGC via Wartburg College. Audrey brings something truly unique to the project… she is a trombone player.

My name is Audrey Tucker. I am 19 years old from Mount Vernon, Iowa. I am currently a first-year student at Wartburg College (Waverly, Iowa). I am studying biology and education and plan to have an endorsement in All-Science. I enjoy running, wrestling, reading, and hiking. Something unexpected is that I play the trombone at Wartburg.

I applied to the REU program because… it will be a good experience, and an amazing way to spend my summer. Participating in this program will help me use new tools to become a better teacher in the future. It could help me understand concepts, so I’m able to help teach students in the future and help others my age as well.

My expectations from the REU program are… for everyone to put in an equal amount of work, and questions, and not be afraid to make mistakes.

Why do you want to become a teacher? I was always frustrated in school because I never understood science. In my sophomore year of high school, my teacher helped me understand the content by drawing diagrams for me. Two years later, I had her as a teacher again. The first thing that she said to me that year was “I remember you learned by diagrams and drawings.” At that point, I realized that I wanted to be able to help students understand science just like my teacher. She made me enjoy science again. I want to be able to do that for others.

Meet teacher Elisa “Ellie” Soosloff

Ellie Soosloff 2025 RET

Meet high school math teacher Elisa “Ellie” Soosloff, a professional educator who loves a full workload!

Elisa “Ellie” Soosloff, Creston High School, Creston, Iowa

I am a high school math teacher in Creston, Iowa, entering my 5th year of teaching. I grew up in Elgin, Illinois, and moved to Iowa for college, where I attended Drake University, completing a BA in Mathematics and a Spanish Minor alongside my BSE in Secondary Education. This past summer, I also finished my MA in Mathematics through Texas A&M to begin offering Calc 1, College Algebra, and Statistics for community college credit at Creston High School. I also teach Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calc, and Probability & Statistics. It’s a full load, but I love it!

I applied to the RET program because… I have a passion for continuing my learning and being able to show my students not only why the math works how it does, but how it can be applied. I always love telling my students about how math and STEM are constantly growing and changing, and what better way to do that than to go help grow and develop research myself.

My expectations of the RET program are… to develop my knowledge about how research is done this summer. I’m excited to gain experience and make connections with other teachers and researchers to learn everything that I can. I’m especially looking forward to potentially developing something I could take back to my own classroom.

How do you see this experience impacting your classroom? I would love to incorporate more cross-curricular and project-based learning into my classroom and begin to introduce the students to areas of STEM that they don’t get to explore as commonly at the high school level. I believe this experience will be a great way to collaborate with other STEM areas and begin developing those kinds of materials based on the research descriptions involving creating and implementing classroom activities.