Iowa Learning Farms: Cultivating a Culture of Conservation

Iowa Learning Farms (ILF), established in 2004 as part of Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, is a nationally recognized conservation outreach program dedicated to fostering a "Culture of Conservation" across Iowa and beyond. By engaging farmers, landowners, researchers, and other stakeholders, ILF strives to promote the adoption of agricultural practices that enhance water quality, improve soil health and productivity, and ensure the long-term sustainability of Iowa's agricultural landscape.

A Multifaceted Approach to Conservation Education

ILF employs a diverse range of programs and initiatives to reach a wide audience, including traditional row crop farmers, new and next-generation farmers, female farmers, non-traditional crop farmers, livestock farmers, tenants, landowners, conservation professionals, students, educators, conservation professionals, farmers, and landowners. These programs are designed to be accessible, informative, and tailored to the specific needs and interests of different demographic groups.

ILF's core programs include:

Field Days: Localized opportunities for education, networking, and idea-sharing among neighbors.
Webinars: Weekly webinars providing access to current conservation, water quality, and soil health information.
Conservation Station Trailers: Mobile learning centers that educate audiences of all ages on different conservation aspects.
Rapid Needs Assessment and Response Workshops: Workshops designed to quickly identify and address emerging conservation challenges.
Leadership Circle Listening Sessions: Biennial events where farmer partners gather to discuss conservation actions, learn about new research, and provide input on future outreach efforts.
Youth Education Program: Educational programs designed to engage and inspire the next generation of conservation stewards.
Infographic-Style Fact Sheets: Visually appealing and informative fact sheets that highlight key conservation concepts and practices.
Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual: A comprehensive guide to conservation practices, designed to assist farmers in making informed decisions about land management.
Newsletter, Blog, and Social Media Presence: Platforms for sharing timely information, resources, and updates on ILF activities.

The Conservation Station: Bringing Conservation to the Community

Iowa Learning Farms partners with Water Rocks! to bring audiences the Conservation Station-a fleet of mobile learning centers that educate audiences of all ages on different conservation aspects. Each trailer houses a unique combination of highly visual and interactive Iowa-centric demonstrations that delve into the impacts of land management choices, both urban and agricultural, on water quality and the connections between our state’s water, soil, and wildlife. The Conservation Station trailer outreach events are available free of charge. Many thanks to our partners for making this possible!

The Conservation Station fleet’s 2025 schedule is full. Interested in requesting the Conservation Station for 2026? Requests will be accepted starting in March 2026.

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To request the Conservation Station, a flat open space of at least 35’ x 60’, and a clear driving path in and out is needed.

Protecting Pollinators: A Vital Conservation Goal

Iowa Learning Farms has published the Protecting our Pollinators infographic series. Designed to facilitate learning and discussion about pollinators, the infographics provide facts about Iowa pollinators and their importance. Additionally, the series addresses the causes for the dramatic decline in populations of bees and others animals that are crucial to maintaining healthy and life-sustaining ecosystems. The infographics in the series are focused on supporting pollinators in backyards and gardens, in communities and on farmland and public lands such as roadside areas and community green spaces.

The Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual: A Practical Guide

The Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual has been expanded to make it available free-of-charge for download or in hard copy. Designed primarily for farmers just starting out through three years of adopting conservation practices, the manual provides a broad range of information that could be beneficial to any farm producer. The manual is available for free download or in hard copy from the Iowa State University Extension Store.

The manual includes detailed information about each conservation practice and includes step-by-step decision worksheets to aid in determining the best practice(s) to meet the goals of the farmer or landowner. Additional conservation practices in the new release include:

Multipurpose oxbows.
Windbreaks.
Riparian forest buffers.
Bottomland timber establishment.

Sections covering practices such as cover crops, no-till, terraces, ponds, water and sediment control basins and grassed waterways also include expanded, detailed information. In addition, each conservation practice profiled in the manual is covered in detail regarding fit for land type, conservation goals such as reduction in nitrogen-N or phosphorus-P, soil health and wildlife habitat.

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Farmer Focus: The Key to Success

Committed to farmer focus in its activities, ILF places a high priority on regular and impactful engagement with farmers and landowners. Understanding that not all farmers own their land, and that many landowners may be absent and often removed from everyday decision‐making regarding farm management practices, ILF crafts messages, materials, and outreach programs to address the full gamut of participants in the farming enterprise. Bidirectional engagement and conversations are at the foundation of successfully influencing the adoption of conservation practices. Contributing hand in hand to the effectiveness and reach of these conversations is the influence of personal networking by constituents. Farmers participating in ILF programs are encouraged to share what they have learned with peers and family members, and networking exerts a strong influence on participation in activities such as field days. Word‐of‐mouth is the most effective promotion channel.

Continuous Improvement Through Evaluation and Feedback

ILF places a high priority on gathering feedback from staff and participants for all outreach activities. Some evaluations are formal and include multiple stages, while others are conducted on an ad hoc basis. The ILF evaluation process for formal outreach events grows from a standardized five‐stage approach. This baseline approach is used for most in‐person farmer outreach programs, such as field days, but is adjusted in timing, format, and content to specifically suit other outreach events, such as virtual field days and webinars. For community engagements at fairs and other less formal events, attending staff discuss and provide feedback to gauge visit impact and engagement, noting what went well, what could be improved, and questions asked during the event.

The Leadership Circle: A Forum for Farmer Input

Established in 2016, the ILF Leadership Circle is a biennial event at which 20-25 farmer partners gather on the ISU campus to discuss conservation actions on their farms, learn about new research, and provide input on where to place emphases in future outreach activities and efforts. It also serves as a forum to raise and discuss crucial topics such as impediments to conservation adoption by peers and concerns with various agency programs. An important aspect of these sessions is the inclusion of representatives from major agriculture and conservation agencies in the meeting as listeners, not presenters.

The RNR Technique: Gathering Farmer Perspectives

The RNR technique is a useful tool for extension professionals seeking to improve workshop structure and obtain immediate feedback. Facilitators using the RNR technique organize workshop participants into small groups, then rotate the groups through a series of stations where participants discuss questions central to the workshop topic. The technique helps adult learners actively engage with one another, improving their ability to absorb the subject matter.

Demographic Snapshots: Understanding the Audience

These cards are distributed to all participants at each in‐person event. All attendees are asked to complete these cards to provide ILF with a demographic snapshot of the group-ages, genders, roles in agriculture, and information about their farming operations. The survey covers a broad range of topics regarding practice implementation and other data points used by ILF to evaluate impacts and enhance programming.

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Leveraging Research and Partnerships

Through its relationship with ISU, ILF not only has access to ongoing research efforts by faculty and students of the university, but also often participates in and facilitates research with farmer partners who have committed to helping the organization pursue its mission. This close‐knit relationship is further strengthened by the crossover of extension and teaching faculty who also participate in ILF outreach.

Field Days: A Cornerstone of Conservation Education

ILF's in‐person field days are 2‐h events including a meal and a diversity of speakers, integrating local farmers who are using the featured conservation practices. These in‐person field days provide localized opportunities for education, networking, and idea‐sharing among neighbors. Since its inception, ILF has produced 368 field days, drawing 16,910 participants. These events have been highly rated for quality of presentation and content, with 95% of attendees rating the field days as excellent or good. The ILF Conservation Station trailers are an important support tool for field days. All ILF field days also include a meal before or after the formal program.

The Field Day Success Loop: Maximizing Impact

ILF has formulated a successful method for conducting field days that has led to a set of progressive impacts we refer to as the “field day success loop.” By drawing on the multifaceted approach to evaluation that contributes to the success loop, extension professionals can strengthen their own field days and track the long‐term impact of farmers' influence on their peers regarding implementing conservation practices. The 2023 Field Day Success Loop shows that the number of field days attended affects the likelihood to plant cover crops, as well as to network and influence other farmers.

The Field Day Toolkit: A Guide to Effective Events

To facilitate the consistent design, promotion, execution, and evaluation of highly effective field days with limited stress and reinvention, ILF has developed the Field Day Toolkit, which provides detailed, step‐by-step guidance and a complete set of sample materials. Extension practitioners can freely adapt the toolkit materials and methods for local relevance based on their experiences. The Field Day Toolkit is a product of ILF's many years of planning and hosting field day events. While ILF uses many different outreach approaches, the importance of farmer‐to‐farmer interactions cannot be overstated. Field days do matter. Field days and workshops need to be well planned and executed to be successful. One key to success is keeping each field day focused on no more than two conservation practices. A particular strength of ILF is responding to feedback from event participants and staff and then making changes to improve future program delivery. Every best practice recommendation included in the Field Day Toolkit has been refined over years of listening to farmers and other attendees.

Adapting to Change: Virtual Field Days

In 2020, ILF launched its Virtual Field Day program in response to restrictions on travel and in‐person gatherings during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The demand for and frequency of virtual field days have declined over time as in‐person events have ramped back up.

Forever Green Initiative

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place Nov. 15 at noon CST will feature Matt Leavitt, perennial grains and winter annuals agronomy specialist, University of Minnesota. Leavitt provides agronomic assistance to growers in Minnesota, supporting the incorporation of winter annual grains and oilseed crops on their farms. In the webinar, “Perennial and Winter Annual Crops for Economic and Environmental Benefit,” Leavitt will showcase the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota and offer insights into this unique breeding and commercialization platform that develops continuous living cover crops. “Winter annual grains and oilseeds offer farmers and landowners a tangible way to diversify their income stream,” said Leavitt. Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters.

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