IARN – We’re proud of our ability to produce corn and soybeans at a high level in the state of Iowa, but one of the unintended consequences of growing those dominant row crops is the effect they have on the soil. Erosion, fertilizer runoff, and greenhouse gas emissions are all things that farmers are constantly trying to counteract. One solution is to strategically plant perennial grass throughout corn and soybean fields. Lisa Schulte Moore, a professor at Iowa State University, led a research team to study how they can make the conversion of portions of farmland back to prairie make financial sense for farmers.
(Story and image courtesy Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.)
