Researchers at Iowa State University, in coordination with the Farm Services Agency, are looking to understand how cattle grazing may impact environmental outcomes on land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program. The study started in 2024 and will continue until 2028.
The goal of the study is to understand how cattle grazing in CRP fields may impact environmental outcomes from those fields and how we may be able to find mutually-beneficial practices for agriculture and the environment.
The study will examine four key outcomes:
- Grassland bird nesting
- Plant diversity
- Soil health, green house gasses, and water quality
- Livestock production
To do this, we'll be monitoring CRP fields across the state that are exposed to a range of grazing treatments applied by private cattle producers.
Project team
The study is led by a collaborative team of researchers at Iowa State University along with graduate and undergraduate students. The faculty leads on the project are:
- Dr. Adam Janke - project lead, wildlife and plant assessments
- Dr. Randie Culbertson - cattle assessment
- Dr. Marshall McDaniel - soil assessments
- Dr. Shelby Gruss - forage assessments
- Dr. Sara McMillan - bundled ecosystem goods and services assessments
Get involved!
We're currently recruiting participating landowners to help with this CRP and grazing study. If you are interested in participating as a cattle grazer or a CRP landowner, please fill out this information form or contact one of the project leads listed above.