The Iowa Learning Farms conservation webinar taking place August 30th at noon CDT will feature Claire Phillips, research soil scientist, Peter O’Brien, research agronomist, and Rob Malone, research agricultural engineer, from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS). This team of experts co-published a study on “Thirteen-year stover harvest and tillage effects on soil compaction in Iowa”. Malone also led a study of corn stover harvest nitrogen (N) content and energy budgets in central Iowa. O’Brien has also published research on soil CO2 flux reductions and carbon (C) losses related to corn stover harvests.

In the webinar, “Corn Stover Harvest Impacts in Central Iowa,” Phillips, O’Brien, and Malone will provide an overview of corn stover practices and current outcomes in bioenergy production that utilize stover. In addition, they will discuss soil impacts and concerns surrounding stover harvest such as soil compaction, soil carbon and CO2 flux, N loss in drainage water. The session will also address the impact of stover harvest on subsequent crop yields and farm-gate net energy.

“While cellulosic bioenergy production consistently falls well below US goals, renewable natural gas produced through anaerobic digestion of agricultural residues such as corn stover is recently gaining momentum and shows promise,” said Phillips. “Our research strongly suggests that stover harvest can be effectively employed without detrimental effects on crop, soil, and water quality while providing opportunity to increase cellulosic bioenergy production, and we encourage farmers and landowners to explore the opportunities surrounding this practice.”

Shortly before noon CDT, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/364284172