Iowa State University has a presence at the 2012 Farm Progress Show for one reason – to deliver on the land-grant mission of serving and educating the citizens of Iowa. By generating, sharing, and applying knowledge, ISU makes the world of agriculture a better place.
ISU educates nearly 30,000 students every year, from all 50 states and 106 countries – and more Iowans than any other university in the state. Undergraduate enrollment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is expected to break the all-time enrollment record of 3,623 this fall. As enrollment increases, CALS also continues to have a steady graduate placement rate of around 98%.
COVER CROP: Barry Kusel uses no-till on all his farmland and has added winter rye to further protect his highly erodible loess soils. (Iowa Learning Farms photo.)
Students aren't the only ones benefiting from ISU. All Iowans have continuing access to education through ISU Extension and Outreach. In 2011, about 1.8 million people benefited from ISU Extension and Outreach educational programs; nearly 17,000 volunteers worked with them.
ISU takes a look at the ways soil, water, plants and people influence the landscape – specifically the interactions between soil and water during the 2012 Farm Progress Show.
COURSE OF STUDY: Nate Looker, Sagar Chawla and Sam Bird are part of the first graduating class of Global Resource Systems, a major first offered in the fall of 2009. The major attracts students interested in addressing global issues in both developing and developed nations.
UNDERSTANDING SOIL AND WATER
Prairie derived soils perfect for corn: Iowa got lucky – when it comes to growing corn. Prairie derived soils and enough rainfall for a deciduous forest make Iowa perfect for growing corn, says Lee Burras, an ISU soils researcher and agronomy professor. His research and understanding of Iowa's many soils go into making the Iowa Soil Association map. The map is used to figure Iowa's corn suitability rating – determinations used across the agriculture industry and by government agencies, and recognized as one of most sophisticated and complete rating systems in the nation.