Northwest Iowa — As we know, a large number of wind turbines dot the countryside here in northwest Iowa. The impact of the turbines on the state’s energy production is well documented, and now an Iowa State University study is trying to determine the impact they may have on Iowa’s crops.
I-S-U Distinguished Professor of agronomy, Gene Takle set out to find out if the relatively new giant rotating blades made an impact on a variety of conditions in nearby farm fields.
While the early research shows some changes, Takle says it’s only a small part of the research right now.
He says they set up a tower to measure the changes in the air over the fields.
One result of the changes could be less dew forming on the plants.
He says they found the turbines slowed the wind over the fields.
The research was done behind a couple of rows of turbines.
He says it’s going to be much harder to find those answers because of all the other factors at play in a field — such as variations in soil quality or precipitation. It was announced earlier this year that from July of 2015 to July of 2016 35-point-eight percent of Iowa’s electricity was generated by wind.
