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Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual - Addendum: Decision Tools for Conservation Professionals
Iowa’s conservation efforts are focused on improving water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat while remaining productive and profitable. This publication is designed for conservation professionals to help guide their clients in assessing, selecting and incorporating edge-of-field conservation practices most appropriate to their land and goals, and is a companion publication to the Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual (CLG 105).
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Whole Farm Conservation Best Practices Manual
Improving water quality, soil health, and wildlife habitat while remaining productive and profitable is the focus of many conservation efforts in Iowa. Confidence in practice selection and management is essential for implementing conservation practices. This publication provides best management recommendations for farmers and landowners getting started with conservation and water quality practices by helping select and incorporate in-field and edge-of-field conservation practices most appropriate to the decision maker's land and preferences.
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Beekeeping - Enterprise Budget Series
The United States is a net importer of honey, and opportunities exist to add beekeeping to a small farm, acreage or urban ag setting. Honey, beeswax, pollen, queen rearing, package bees and pollination services all provide opportunities for revenue. Many beekeepers start out small, with two to four colonies, and grow their operation after some experience managing hives.

Available in both English and Spanish.

Previously known as BFC 17.
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PDF - Spanish
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Evaluating Organic Transitions at the Field Level
This publication provides information on making plans to transition to organic crop production. It helps outline the need for a transition crop plan, the importance of individual crop budgets, and evaluating results.
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Making the Transition from Conventional to Organic
Farming organically allows producers to incur many economic and social advantages compared to farming conventionally. Understanding and planning the economic returns of the transition process can aid the producer in planning and in becoming organically certified.
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Adapting Enterprise Budgets for Organic Crops
Deciding what organic products to grow and how to price them is difficult, particularly when markets often are not well established. This publication discusses how to adapt enterprise budgets to organic crops in order to better ensure a producer earns a profit from their crop.
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Iowa Poultry Slaughter, Processing, and Sales Guidelines for Small-Scale Producers
This publication is designed to help small-scale poultry producers in Iowa figure out poultry slaughter and processing regulations and their associated marketing limitations. Contact information is included of processing facilities that can handle small batches.

Previously known as PM 2068.
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An Overview of Aquaponic Systems: Hydroponic Components
Aquaponics is the union of hydroponics and aquaculture for a fast, efficient method of producing both plant and fish crops. This publication discusses how an aquaponics system works, showcasing the model used at Iowa State University. It provides information on construction and design, with photos used to clearly illustrate how the system works.
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Conservation Techniques for Vegetable Production: Combining Strip-Tillage and Cover Crops
Strip-tillage is when a crop is planted into narrow, tilled strips and the non-tilled area between the strips might contain residue from the previous season's main crop or a living or dead cover crop.

Combining strip-tillage and cover crops offers various benefits including minimal soil erosion, maintains soil moisture and weed suppression. This publication provides basic information on using a strip-tillage system with rolled cover crops as a conservation best management practice in vegetable production systems such broccoli, peppers, pumpkins, squash and tomatoes.
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Adapting Crop Share Agreements for Sustainable and Organic Agriculture
Questions to consider in finding the best crop share lease to provide equitable returns for the landowner and tenant when the farming system deviates from a conventional corn-soybean rotation.
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Quality Management for Seed Enterprises in Developing Countries
This 154-page reference manual was designed to aid seed entrepreneurs from developing countries obtain the skills necessary to develop a strong seed industry based on high-quality varieties. The manual introduces process management concepts in a comprehensive step-by-step format that is easy to follow and implement.
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Enterprise Budget: Popcorn
Find facts about growing, harvesting, and marketing popcorn to help you decide whether or not this crop will fit your enterprise budget. Includes an enterprise assessment showing capital needed for startup, labor input, years to break even, return on investment, and more.
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Enterprise Budget: Sheep
Find facts about raising and marketing sheep to help you decide whether or not this industry will fit your enterprise budget. Includes an assessment showing capital needed for startup, labor input, years to break even, return on investment, and more
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Enterprise Budget: Sorghum
Find facts about growing, harvesting, and marketing sorghum to help you decide whether or not this crop will fit your enterprise budget. Includes an enterprise assessment showing capital needed for startup, labor input, years to break even, return on investment, and more.
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Enterprise Budget: Sweet Corn
Find facts about growing, harvesting, and marketing sweet corn to help you decide whether or not this crop will fit your enterprise budget. Includes an enterprise assessment showing capital needed for startup, labor input, years to break even, return on investment, and more.
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Maximizing Profitability on Highly Erodible Land in Iowa | Conservation Reserve Program: Issues and Options
Options in grass may be the most profitable for CRP land when the long term cost of erosion is considered. Get the details on six income options: CRP, two rotational grazing options, two crop options (rotational corn/soybean), and alfalfa/orchard grass hay.
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Organic Apple Production in Iowa
New and experienced organic apple growers will find recommendations in this guide for managing insect pests, diseases, and weeds.

Tips about marketing opportunities also are included.
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Giant Miscanthus for Biomass Production
Miscanthus has received widespread attention as a biomass crop in Europe where it is used primarily for combustion in power plants. In the U.S., Miscanthus is being investigated as a biomass crop for bioenergy and biofuel. Find out about its lifecycle and growth habit, soil and site adaptation, establishment, and more.
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Rented Land in Iowa: Social and Environmental Dimensions
More than half of Iowa farmland is rented.

Decisions regarding who has access to that land and how it is farmed can influence the social and environmental outcomes of family farming.

See what the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll discovered about rented land in Iowa. Recommendations are suggested to ensure that non-operator landownership is either neutral or beneficial to farm operators, farmland owners, rural communities, and the land itself.
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2009 Summary Report - Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll
Highlights from the 2009 farm and rural life poll include: the next generation of farmers, farm policy and commodity production, mixed livestock and grain farming, farming and food systems in rural communities, value-added agriculture, targeted conservation, nutrient removal wetlands, and personal and financial well-being.
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Composting Swine Mortalities in Iowa
Swine producers have found that composting is a flexible and reasonably priced disposal method that can be used year round. Find out about facilities and equipment, procedures, and regulations.
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Relative Emergence Sequence for Weeds of Corn and Soybeans -- Sustainable Agriculture
Provides information on weed development that can help growers determine the optimum time for tillage and crop planting to reduce weed populations.
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Switchgrass
Provides a brief overview of switchgrass including definition, soil and site adaptation, establishment, fertility needs, yield, harvest considerations, pest management, and disease management.
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Using Organic Agriculture and Sustainable Crops and Livestock in the Local Food System
The local food system is one of the fastest-growing markets in agriculture. Learn more about using organic agriculture and sustainable crops and livestock in local food systems.
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Considering Sustainable Agriculture on Your Rented Land
Several Iowa examples are given of different business arrangements for rented land, using sustainable practices. Communication between owner and tenant is one key.
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Composting Dead Livestock: A New Solution for an Old Problem - Sustainable Agriculture
Learn how on-farm composting of dead livestock can save producers money and help protect the environment.
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