We report, therefore we exist…

We believe in the adage that unless work is memorialized, it doesn’t really exist (except in the dark recesses of someone’s mind). This is why you can follow the investment made by our funder, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, in our perennial groundcover research right here in our latest quarterly report, which you can find here.
Check it out. Visit our website. Send us questions to https://www.regenpgc.org/contact/. That way, we won’t think our work shot out into an unfathomable void!

Poa secunda, a Promising Perennial Groundcover?

RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Vipul Kumar has been showing his poster, “Vernalization response and freezing tolerance of Poa secunda, a promising perennial groundcover” far and wide, from Texas to Wisconsin. You can check his poster out right here! https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Kumar_Vipul_Poster_FINAL-2.pdf.

Working with RegenPGC Co-Project Director Dr. Shui-zhang Fei, Vipul is investigating the feasibility of using Poa secunda as a perennial groundcover. With support from RegenPGC and USDA NIFA, Vipul has presented his work at numerous professional gatherings, where he has received feedback on his research and presentation skills. Learn more about the RegenPGC Graduate Education Community at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education-copy/.

Mapping priority areas for runoff and erosion control in Iowa corn landscapes

Floyd River Watershed

Ralph Danquah-Acquah, a member of our RegenPGC Graduate Education Community, shares his research in this guest post, which previously appeared on LinkedIn (July 2026).

I completed my CRP 5510 GIS final project at Iowa State University, where I developed a GIS-based workflow to map runoff and erosion risk in corn landscapes in Floyd County, Iowa.

The motivation for this project came directly from my ongoing work with the RegenPGC project. My ALMANAC simulation work is connected to the Iowa State University Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm, and since that research location is in Floyd County, I chose Floyd County as the study area for this GIS project.

RegenPGC is exploring how perennial groundcover systems can help make corn production more resilient by reducing runoff, erosion, and other environmental losses. That made me think beyond the field scale and ask a broader spatial question:

If runoff and erosion are major concerns in corn systems, which places should be targeted first?

That question shaped the direction of my project. Instead of only looking at whether a conservation practice can reduce runoff and erosion, I wanted to explore where conservation practices may be most needed across the surrounding agricultural landscape.

The project focused on three main questions:

  • Where is runoff risk highest in corn areas?
  • Where is erosion risk highest in corn areas?
  • Which HUC12 subwatersheds contain the largest risk and high-risk corn land?

Using ArcGIS Pro, I worked with open geospatial datasets including USGS 3DEP DEM, USDA SSURGO soils, USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer, USGS NHD flowlines, and WBD HUC12 boundaries. I created runoff and erosion risk indices, mapped erosion hotspots, and summarized high-risk corn areas by HUC12 to develop a combined priority score.

One key finding was that runoff risk was more widespread than erosion risk across corn areas, while erosion risk appeared in more focused patches and hotspot clusters. The final HUC12 priority map helped identify subwatersheds where field verification and conservation planning could begin first.

See the visual in these six poster images:

Ralph Danquah-Acquah gets a presentation opportunity

Ralph and his poster

Great to see this opportunity for RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Ralph Danquah-Acquah to present his poster, Green between the rows: modeling Corn-RhB perennial ground cover systems,” at th at the 2026 Iowa Water Environment Association Annual Conference in Des Moines.* Click here Ralph’s poster.

Ralph’s poster presentation shared his graduate research where, working with his advisor, RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Amy Kaleita, he uses the ALMANAC Simulation Model to evaluate corn-RHb perennial groundcover systems as part of the RegenPGC project. According to Ralph, “Perennial groundcover systems offer a promising way to reduce runoff and soil erosion while maintaining corn production. My work uses the ALMANAC model to compare PGC with conventional and strip tillage systems, with a focus on soil water dynamics, surface runoff, soil erosion, and corn yield performance under different rainfall conditions.”

Overall, Ralph’s work focuses on soil water dynamics, surface runoff, soil erosion, and corn yield performance under perennial groundcover systems.

*Danquah-Acquah, Ralph, & Kaleita, Amy. (2026, June 17). Green Between the Rows: Modeling Corn-RHb Perennial Groundcover Systems [Poster presentation]. 2026 Iowa Water Environment Association Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA, United States. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IAWEA_Poster_Ralph.pdf.

Alex Haus

From Wartburg to Iowa State. Not a long journey if you know what a Wartburg is! Alex Haus, the third member of our 2026 REU class, is a student at Wartburg.

For you non-Iowans, Wartburg is a small liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa (Learn more about Wartburg). We are so pleased to note that Alex is a returning Research Undergraduate Intern. His experience last year proved so valuable that he is now back to gain even more knowledge from his RegenPGC mentor team. (Learn more about Alex’s 2025 summer)

ALEX HAUS – WARTBURG COLLEGE

Brief Bio. I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree.

I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied again to meet new people and build meaningful connections, because last year I met some amazing individuals and had a truly positive experience. Last time, the program provided me with valuable knowledge, new perspectives, and strong relationships, and I am hoping to continue building on that experience. I want to keep growing by learning from others, challenging myself in a new environment, and gaining skills that will support me throughout my college experience and future career.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations for the summer RET/REU program include gaining hands-on research experience, building meaningful connections, and finding opportunities to thrive in a new and challenging environment. I want to push myself to grow both personally and academically while learning from others and developing skills that will support me in my future career in education.

Malcolm Yusuf St Cyr completes his Master’s degree

Malcolm Yusef St Cyr Headshot

Today, we congratulate RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Malcolm Yusuf St Cyr for his successful thesis defense and completion of his Master’s studies at Iowa State University under the mentorship of RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Marshall McDaniel. Learn more about Malcolm’s thesis, Perennial ground covers: A mitigation strategy to nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions for maize cropping systems, at www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-19-StCyr-OFFICIAL-THESIS.pdf

ABSTRACT
Agricultural intensification in the U.S. Midwest has led to widespread of nitrogen (N) losses through nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, two processes that threaten water and atmospheric quality. Traditional winter cover crops (WCCs) have proven to be effective in reducing NO₃⁻ leaching but remain limited in adoption due to economic and management challenges. Perennial ground cover (PGC) systems integrate non-leguminous perennial grasses in between annual row crops offering a potentially optimized alternative that maintains continuous soil cover without requiring annual replanting. However, their influence on soil nitrous oxide emissions and soil nitrogen and carbon pools remain poorly explored. In this study we used three PGC treatments: 1) Zea mays L. without PGC (Maize Control), 2) maize with Poa bulbosa, a summer-dormant grass commonly called bulbous bluegrass (Maize+BBG), and 3) maize with Poa pratensis, or Kentucky bluegrass (Maize+KBG) to analyze the impact of PGC on N₂O emissions and soil N and C pools. Both PGC treatments reduced interrow cumulative N₂O emissions by 38–81% relative to the control in both years (p < 0.01), although row-position emissions were more variable and influenced by fertilizer placement. Despite these consistent interrow reductions, field-level cumulative N₂O emissions were not significantly different among treatments in either year. Overall, our results indicate that PGC does not affect field-level soil N₂O emissions, while maintaining similar levels of plant-available N, and had no effect on maize yield.

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).

It’s raining awards!

Memis Bilgici Award

They keep coming! Here is another award for a member of our RegenPGC Graduate Education Community. This time, it’s Memiş Bilgici who received an Iowa State University Research Excellence Award (REX).

Per the University, the award’s purpose is to “[…] recognize outstanding research accomplishments as documented in their dissertations. These students are also expected to be academically superior and able not only to do research but also to develop a well-written product. The intent of REX program is to recognize “the best of the best” graduating students who have submitted theses and dissertations.”

Congratulations to Memiş and his supervisor, Prof. Thomas Lübberstedt this significant achievement and recognition.

From Memiş: “I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Prof Thomas LübbLübberstedtd to the RegenPGC community, with whom I have had the privilege to collaborate. I am proud of what we have accomplished together and excited to continue learning, building, and contributing to sustainable maize breeding, perennial ground cover systems, and controlled environment phenotyping.”

Summer research experience leads to growth

2025 REU Kylie Buchholz presents her research

One of our success stories at RegenPGC is our participation in Iowa State University‘s summer Research Experience for Undergraduates / Research Experience for Teachers programs. Each spring, Wartburg College hosts RICE Day, where students share research, internships, and creative endeavors they have completed. This past summer, I participated in the REU program and had the opportunity to work on Cameron Krumm’s research in Dr. Shuizhang Fei’s lab. Here is an update from Kylie Buchholz, a Wartburg student and a summer 2025 REU participant.

“After completing the REU, I presented this research at RICE Day this spring. This was a valuable opportunity for me that allowed me to share my experience with a wide range of faculty, students, and community members.

This engaged audience was deeply interested in my experience in the program. They were specifically interested in learning how this research connected to my future career in education. I was able to share multiple different lessons that I learned from my experience, many of which relate to the type of culture I want to create in my classroom.

By participating in this REU, I learned that having a positive attitude and cultivating a supportive community is essential for quality work to be produced. Additionally, this experience reinforced the importance of collecting many different data points before drawing a conclusion. These same things that I learned by participating in the REU are things that I will need to remember when I am shaping what I want my classroom to look like. Presenting the research I worked on this past summer at RICE Day was a great experience for me because it pushed me out of my comfort zone, helped me to reflect on what I want my classroom to be like, and allowed me to share this incredible research with those around me.”

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)