Math class? RegenPGC trained teacher Amy Jurasek promises fun

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.

As part of Amy’s experience in the 2024 Research Experience for Teachers program*, we asked Amy to produce a reflective video describing her experience as a teacher intern. We think that you will agree that what she has produced is utterly charming. Any adolescent would have a fantastic experience in Amy’s classroom!

You can learn more about Amy’s research project “Perennial Groundcover for Corn Systems – Is There an Ideal Distance?” at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amy-Jurasek-poster-2024.pdf.

*Apply now to be a RegenPGC Research Experience Teacher!  We are starting to recruit for our Summer 2025 Research Experience for Teachers program. Check out the program at https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/RET-Recruitment-Card.pdf.

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.

Introducing youth to perennial groundcover

Research through the eyes of children can’t help but be inspirational. That’s a key takeaway from the latest video featuring our RegenPGC perennial groundcover project.

Maya Hayslett, Iowa State University Extension Crop Sciences Youth Education Specialist, and RegenPGC collaborator produced this video, “Youth Explore Innovative Ag Practices with Iowa 4-H and RegenPGC.” You might ask yourself why a research team is making a youth-focused video. As Maya notes, “Youth are the future workforce and decision-makers, and we know that 4H youth have a history of early adoption of agricultural technology”.

Maya and her team did a fantastic job showing how youth in grades 4-12 can benefit from exposure to science and research through age-appropriate, hands-on activities. Pairing experienced youth educators like Maya with teachers and children demonstrates how children and adolescents’ natural curiosity sparks learning.

Undergrad Research Experiences, Influencing Two Generations

RegenPGC

Education is a large part of our RegenPGC project. With our summer Research Experience for Undergraduates program, we get to influence two generations of learners! Mikayla Sampson-Pagan (University of South Florida) is looking forward to a career as an elementary school education teacher. Thanks to the guidance of her summer mentors and teachers (RegenPGC Team Members Shuizhang Fei, Rickiel R. Franklin da Silva, Patrick Galland, Maureen Griffin, Kenneth J.Moore, and Susana Goggi), Mikayla’s summer adventure will shape her teaching philosophies for years to come.

What was the biggest takeaway from your research experience with RegenPGC?
“Always remember to promote belonging. This includes remembering that it is okay to make mistakes. This program has taught me the scientific side of research. Research is constantly changing day to day. There are errors, repeating activities, and constant learning.”

Learn more about Mikayla’s  research at https://lnkd.in/gnXd4xK3

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/.

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).

Dr. Cynthia Bartel and her writing team honored by Agronomy Journal

Congratulations to RegenPGC’s Dr. Cynthia Bartel and her co-authors (Kenneth J. Moore, Shui-Zhang Fei, Andrew Lenssen, Roger L. Hintz & Samantha M. Kling) on having their paper “Evaluating Chemical Suppression Treatments to Alter the Red: Far-Red Ratio in Perennial Groundcovers for Maize Production” selected as an Agronomy Journal “Editor’s Choice Article” for the year 2022.

The article is available as an Open-Access publication at http://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/12/8/1854.

“Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.”

RegenPGC releases latest progress report

The RegenPGC research team has a new progress report. This report is the latest on our research enterprise focused on perennial cover crops and can be found here. Each of our Themes and Objectives provides updates on their research and outreach activities from Aug. 1, 2023, to Oct. 31, 2023.

Our goal is to be concise and share our work in ways that help bring stakeholders interested in perennial cover crops to an understanding of what we are doing to get closer to our vision of “well-adapted perennial ground cover  systems for a range of farm operations that require low labor inputs, provide significant ecosystem benefits, increase row crop resiliency, and have similar economic profiles as conventional row crop practices.” Check out our report and see how close we are to our goals.

RegenPGC drops two new progress reports

It’s fall, leaves are dropping, and so are reports. Our team just finished two reports which are now available on our website. We require each of our Themes and Objectives to provide project updates four times a year. These reports let us know what we have accomplished and what is yet to be done as we move forward on our Perennial Ground Cover Vision. Our team, including 21 graduate students, has done an a fantastic job of moving our research agenda ahead over two short years. Check out our progress:

Listen to the data, and learn!

screen shot Regenpgc.org website
New, and improved RegenPGC tagline and “Goals and Vision” statement

Good research is all about paying attention to pertinent data. By listening to the savvy producers in our FLAG* group, we decided to change our RegenPGC tagline and our Goals and Vision Statement.

We know too many of you have been subject to those mind-numbing meetings where you must develop the perfect mission statement. Lucky for us, we didn’t have to do that. We had been thinking about and applying for funding for our Perennial Groundcover vision long before we were fortunate to be funded by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture. So, when we put our website together, we were sure that we had distilled the language to express just what we needed to say.

We were close, but we did not nail it. When we met with the FLAG group yesterday, the participants pointed out that farmers are more interested in “reliability” in their cropping systems than worrying about the finer points of risk. Sure, risk is part of the everyday life of those making their living on farm ground. But we were told that risk is something to manage and that what farmers need before adopting new strategies and techniques, like adopting a perennial ground cover approach, is an assurance of reliability.

It was an “ah ha” moment for our team members, and before sunset, we changed our language and remembered that good data is everywhere. You just have to look and listen.
*Farmer and Landowner Advisory Group