Profiling Iowa's Conservation Successes in 2006 & Before
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Sioux
County Feedlot Owner 'Pumping It Up'
Instead of tearing out pens and downsizing his 4,500-head cattle operation
to make room for a new waste storage lagoon, Kevin Van Wyhe installed a pump
system to move water from two sediment basins to a large lagoon at the top
of the hill above the feedlot.
PDF,
190 KB | Web Version |
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DeGroot
Adds Settling Area to Keep Sand Out of Lagoon
Sand mixing into his waste storage lagoon prompted Sioux County dairy farmer
Daryl DeGroot to look for a way to settle out the sand, which comes from
bedding he uses for his dairy cows.
PDF,
302 KB | Web Version |
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High
Priority Letter Spurs Changes in Feedlot
After receiving a letter from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
in 2001 indicating his 4,500-head open cattle feedlot was a high
environmental priority, Plymouth County farmer Rick Hansen knew he needed to
make changes to his feedlot.
PDF,
390 KB | Web Version |
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Hinton Hog Farmer Adds Circular Manure
Storage
Manure spilling onto cropland, years of dealing with messy liquid manure and
striving to be a good neighbor prompted Hinton, Iowa, farmer Allen
Binneboese to find a better way to store manure for his 360-head hog
finishing operation.
PDF,
229 KB | Web Version |
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Warm Water Stream Gets Cold Water Stream
Treatment
Randy Fiddelke of Manchester, Iowa utilized the USDA's Wildlife Habitat
Incentives Program (WHIP) to stop erosion and re-stabilize streambanks along
Coffins Creek. He also got help from the Iowa Department of Natural
Resources. The DNR placed fish hides along his warm water stream to attract
smallmouth bass and other fish species.
PDF,
220 KB | Web Version |
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Kirkman Farmer Relocates Feedlot to
Prevent Runoff
Perpetual runoff problems from Brandt Ferry’s 150-head cattle feedlot left
him with two choices: permanently fix runoff issues or move the feedlot to a
different location. After careful consideration, he decided the best way to
manage his operation was to move the feedlot from one section of his farm to
another.
PDF, 163 KB |
Web Version |
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Moreau, Beardsley Restore 112 Acres in
Dickinson County
After a realtor’s tip, two outdoor-minded friends purchased Dickinson County
farmland with the intent of bringing most of it back to wetlands.
PDF,
182 KB | Web Version |
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Professor Preserves Trout Stream
In 2002 Michael Osterholm purchased 98 acres of cropland in scenic Allamakee
County. Land that was once tall grass prairie and meandering coldwater trout
streams was converted to cropland in the 1950s. But the Waukon native’s
passion for coldwater trout streams and tall grass prairie coupled with
assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) led
to Osterholm restoring the cropland to its pre-settlement condition.
PDF, 232
KB | Web Version |
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No-Till Helps Andrew Score Big in 2005
CSP
Jim Andrew began no-till farming 100 percent of his land in 1993. His
decision to go complete no-till is paying off. Andrew’s 1,300-acre farm of
corn and soybeans ranks as a Tier III Category A, the highest possible Tier
and Category for the 2005 Conservation Security Program.
PDF, 132 KB |
Web Version |
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Caviness Succeeds with No-Till
Randy Caviness of Greenfield, Iowa tried no-till farming after the 1985 Farm
Bill. Shortly after, he saw the benefits. Today, Caviness runs both an
economically successful and environmentally friendly operation.
PDF, 244 KB |
Web Version |
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Des Moines' Greenwood Elementary
Installs Rain Garden
For years, storm water runoff from Des Moines’ Greenwood Elementary parking
lot washed away students’ playtime fun. Neighbor and avid gardener Jan Berg
Kruse felt something finally must be done.
PDF,
369 KB | Web Version |
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Snow Catch Area to Help Iowa Farmers and
Motorists
Iowa Motorists could see better winter driving conditions in the future
thanks to a new conservation component of the continuous Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP).
PDF,
226 KB | Web Version |
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SW Iowa Farmer Turns Mud Hole Into Oasis
After years of frustration, Dirk Dunn and his father, Bill, install a
wetland through the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the first CP-23
Wetland Restoration project in Montgomery County.
PDF, 193 KB |
Web Version |