Webinar Series Unlocks Potential of Perennial Groundcovers in Corn and Corn/Soybean Production Systems

A five-week lunch-and-learn webinar series starting in January 2025 will explore the innovative use of perennial groundcovers in corn and corn/soybean production systems as a cover crop. This series, sponsored by Iowa State University and RegenPCG, will be held on consecutive Tuesdays (Jan. 14, 21, 28 and Feb. 4 and 11, 2025) from 12-1 p.m. CST.

Register for the webinar series and stay tuned for the video series release.

This webinar series will focus on providing information on what perennial groundcover agriculture is, the potential benefits it offers, insight into how to effectively manage these systems, and work that is being undertaken to make them more robust for widespread adoption and implementation. The presentations are tailored for farmers, crop advisors, technical service providers, government agencies (NRCS/DNR) and other agricultural scientists eager to understand the possibilities and challenges of integrating perennial groundcovers into their row crop agriculture.

Jan. 14, 2025 – Perennial Ground Cover Integration into Corn and Soybean Production: System Basics and Potential Benefits; all speakers are from Iowa State University.
• Raj Raman – A visionary overview of the potential and scalability of perennial groundcovers in corn and soybean production systems
• Ken Moore and Roger Hintz – An operational guide to implementing a perennial groundcover in corn and soybean production systems
• Philip Rockson – A comparative analysis of time and labor demands across conventional, cereal rye and perennial ground cover in corn and soybean production systems
• Cyndi Bartel – Comparisons of costs for conventional, cover cropping and perennial groundcover in corn and soybean production systems
Jan. 21, 2025 – Perennial Ground Cover Suppression and Weed Management within Corn and Soybean Production Systems
• Amina Moro, Iowa State University – Crop Zone Requirements
• Sara Lira and Brent Wilson, Corteva Agriscience – Techniques for maintaining a crop growth zone in corn and soybean production systems
• Erin Haramoto, University of Kentucky – Chemical weed control options for perennial groundcover systems. Experiences and options
 Jan. 28, 2025 – Selecting Perennial Groundcovers for Corn and Soybean Production Systems and Their Ideal Characteristics
• Shuizhang Fei, Iowa State University – Choices for perennial groundcover in corn and soybean production systems
• Patrick Galland, Iowa State University – Research of unsuppressed production systems with perennial ground cover in corn production
• Brandon Schlautman, The Land Institute, and Philip Rockson, Iowa State University – Experiences from partnering farms using perennial ground cover in corn and soy production systems

Feb. 4, 2025 – Corn Hybrid Performance within Perennial Groundcover Systems
• Raj Raman, Iowa State University – Types of perennial groundcover production systems and how this influences brittleness
• Thomas Lubberstedt and Memis Bilgici, Iowa State University – Should we breed corn for use in perennial groundcover production systems?
• Sara Lira, Corteva Agriscience – Evaluating hybrid performance in well suppressed perennial groundcover systems

Feb. 11, 2025 – Quantifying and Valorizing Ecosystem Service Benefits for Perennial Groundcover in Corn and Soybean Production; all speakers are from Iowa State University
• Marshall McDaniel– Soil moisture results and water competition for nitrogen in perennial groundcover systems
• Oluwatuyi Olowoyeye – Research on grass cover and erosion control
• Philip Rockson – Findings on nitrogen leaching reduction
• Cyndi Bartel – Federal farm bill programs and valorizing ecosystem services
For more information about the series, please contact Daniel Andersen at dsa@iastate.edu or 515-294-4210. For registration inquiries, please contact Melissa McEnany at mmcenany@iastate.edu or 515-294-9075.

Research? Just never stop learning.

“Withut deviation progress is not possible.” This is probably the first time a USDA-NIFA report has inspiration in a quote attributed to Frank Zappa!

The quote is interesting, but we don’t totally agree with it in the context of our latest quarterly report (May 1 – July 31, 2024). We have never stopped learning about perennial groundcover since we started this project in 2021. Each research result teaches us something new, and we reassess what we previously believed in light of new information. At the same time, we never deviate from our goal of developing and increasing the reliability of perennial ground cover systems.

We measure our progress on our ability to make continuous course corrections. With that mindset, we think we are well on our way to demonstrating that perennial groundcover can be a useful approach to providing a range of farm operations with cover crops that require low labor inputs, provide significant ecosystem benefits, increase row crop resiliency, and have similar economic profiles as conventional row crop practices.

Inspiring a Math Teacher

Amy Jurasek is a math teacher at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, who participated in our 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program.

As a teacher, Amy is inspired to develop lessons integrating environmental themes into mathematical problem-solving activities. She wants her students to understand the relevance of algebra and geometry to solving real-world problems.

Here is what she had to say at the end of the summer: “As teachers, we are used to being well prepared before class starts. In the field, it is impossible to have an exact plan as the weather changes, research is modified, and people are not always predictable. Our leader was phenomenal in keeping the projects going, touching base with people multiple times throughout the day, and adapting on the fly to the various situations that arose.

There are times in the classroom when I need to better adapt to what is going on with students and realize the importance of small pick-me-ups when engagement is waning. In the field, being given a doable task quickly put me at ease. These are all things that I already know would provide a better classroom environment, but the work in the field really reinforced the concepts.”

You can learn more about Amy’s project at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amy-Jurasek-poster-2024.pdf.

Flip the Script – When the Teacher Went to School

Meggan Lint is a teacher who spent much of her summer in our Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program. Meggan has a goal of continuous learning so she can “embolden my students to achieve their goals outside of the classroom.”

We like to believe that being immersed in her project, “Comparative Analysis of Growth and Development in Maize under Shade (Low Red Far Red Ratio) Light and White Light Conditions Under Perennial Ground Cover Crop (PGC),” did just that with the help of her mentors and RET advisors Thomas Lübberstedt, Leticia Prada De Miranda, Diego Caixeta, and Memis Bilgici.

Here is what Meggan had to say at the end of the summer: “This experience is unlike any other experience I’ve ever been a part of, and it was amazing!! If you had told me, in the beginning, that this summer would feel more like summer camp when I was eight years old, I wouldn’t have believed you. I felt the same feelings—anxiety, excitement, and not knowing if I would fit in—about this summer course as I had when I first went to a week of sleepaway camp. And much like being at sleepaway camp, we learned from each other, played, and explored.”

You can learn more about Meggan and her RET colleagues at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education/.

Graduate students are our Research Project’s Superpower

Marvel and D.C. Comics have a lot of superpower characters; we have our Graduate Education Community! Granted, our 19 grad students don’t wear flashy tights, but they represent the future of ag sciences, and we think they have some serious superpowers driving our perennial groundcover research forward at a fast clip.

Meet Sagar Dahal, the newest member of our Graduate Education Community. Sagar is a PhD student in Agricultural Economics with academic interests in price analysis, futures and options, risk management, and commodity markets. Sagar will be working with RegenPGC CoProject Director Dr. Amani Elobeid.

Sagar holds a bachelor’s degree in agriculture from the Agriculture and Forestry University, Nepal, and an MS in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His master’s thesis, “Exploring the Presence of Nonlinear Deterministic Dynamics in Commodity Prices,” reflects his deep interest in understanding complex market behaviors.

During his Masters’ studies, Sagar worked as a Graduate Research Assistant, where he gained experience in academic writing, data management, and analysis. He also gained teaching experience as a Teaching Assistant for Applied Econometrics and Introduction to Microeconomics.

Sagar enjoys listening to music, watching movies, hiking, and camping in his free time. Learn more about Sagar and his colleagues at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education/.

Philip Rockson is the latest RegenPGC student to earn a Master’s degree

Please join us in congratulating RegenPGC graduate student Philip E. Rockson (Rockson) on the acceptance of his Master’s thesis at Iowa State University, “Visualization of agricultural field operations,” available at https://lnkd.in/g-w-tkAd.

Rockson was mentored throughout by RegenPGC Project Director Dr. Dave Raj Raman and was also assisted by RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Daniel Andersen. Rockson is now working on adding a Ph.D. to his list of accomplishments. We are pleased that he has chosen Iowa State University for his Ph.D. studies. You can learn more about Rockson and his RegenPGC Graduate Education Community colleagues at https://lnkd.in/gMHFKXMk.

Before joining the Iowa State University graduate student community, Rockson earned a degree in Agricultural Engineering in Ghana. Afterward, he gained his first experience working with national farms. As he pursued his interests in technology, Rockson had the opportunity to work with startups, gaining valuable experience in industry. Eventually, he joined the technology division of a bank with a presence across Africa, where he worked on developing services and applications. Seeking to delve further into agriculture, engineering, and technology, Rockson returned to school to explore research opportunities in regenerative and precision agriculture. We are so pleased that he found a home with the RegenPGC research team!

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/)