28Feb/24
Native woodland in Iowa

Iowa State Program Helps Urban and Suburban Homeowners Practice Conservation In their Own Backyard

As Iowa becomes a more urbanized state, conservation is needed in the cities and towns just as much as the agriculture fields! Folks at Iowa State University are working hard to expand the resources available for those that want to practice conservation in their own backyards. Backyard conservation practices can make a big difference for wildlife diversity in the cities, help stabilize soil, and help improve water quality in urban areas.

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30Jan/24
People standing under a tent in a farm field

Soil Health Nexus Team looks to expand economic and livestock integration resources for ag professionals

We are excited to announce that the Network’s soil health team, the Soil Health Nexus, has recently received a North Central Region SARE Professional Development Grant to expand their outreach and education efforts. The grant, which started this month, will allow the team to enhance its Soil Health Toolbox, a resource hub for research-based soil health resources throughout the North Central Region, and create two new resources for ag professionals.

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26Jan/24
Diverse Corn Belt Group Picture

Diverse Corn Belt Project Maps a Road to a More Prosperous Future

Few people would accuse Dr. Linda Stalker Prokopy of Purdue University of thinking small. As project director of the Diverse Corn Belt (DCB) project, the professor of natural resources social sciences is combining her lab’s research on motivation and persuasion with the work of more than 30 other investigators who bring their expertise in agronomy, entomology, soil science, economics, computer modeling, marketing, Extension, education and policy. Their goal for the five-year, USDA NIFA-funded project: nothing less than creating concrete, viable, evidence-based frameworks that can guide America’s Corn Belt toward a more diverse, resilient, prosperous future.

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22Dec/23
Water worker in East Palestine

Ohio Water Resources Center works with collaborators to help provide resources and eliminate misinformation in the face of East Palestine train derailment

The Ohio Water Resources Center is the federally authorized Water Resources Research Institute for Ohio. Components of our mission are (1) to enable and conduct state-relevant water-related research, (2) foster collaboration among academic investigators, governmental bodies, and water professionals, (3) train the next generation of water scientists, and (4) to educate the public on water resources.

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27Oct/23
Workshop activity

Climate, Water, Equity, and Opportunity Workshop Recap

The North Central Region Water Network, The First American Land-Grant Consortium (FALCON), and partners across the North Central Region hosted The Climate, Water, Equity, and Opportunity Workshop in October 2023 in Denver, Colorado. This event brought out nearly 70 professionals from land-grant institutions committed to integration, inclusion, and interconnection to explore strategy-based solutions to address climate-related vulnerabilities and inequities in marginalized communities.

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