Iowa Learning Farms, housed at Iowa State University, celebrates 15 years of service in 2019. Established in 2004, ILF is building a “culture of conservation” by encouraging adoption of conservation practices.

Farmers, researchers and ILF team members work together to identify and implement best management practices to improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable.

Throughout 2019, ILF will be sharing stories about the contributors, history and successes of ILF and its partner program Water Rocks!

Marty Adkins

Marty Adkins, assistant state conservationist for partnerships at USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, was a part of the conversation when the concept for Iowa Learning Farms was in formation. As the organization took shape, he witnessed its growth and contributions to conservation and agriculture, and provided input along the way. He continues to be involved with the programs today.

What has been your role with Iowa Learning Farms? My involvement with ILF has evolved over time but can be broken down into three main categories. I’ve provided guidance and advice from my own background in conservation as a member of the ILF steering committee. I have also served as a NRCS liaison on ILF projects to which NRCS contributed funding. I’ve also enjoyed a couple of opportunities to contribute musically to the Water Rocks program.

What was the purpose of ILF during your involvement? I think the whole idea of building a culture of conservation speaks to the mission of ILF. With this fundamental platform, ILF has provided important outreach and education from its base at ISU. Through active partnerships with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and NRCS, the program has made an impact on the statewide conservation landscape.

The outreach through field days webinars and workshops extends the value of research and technical development at ISU, taking the information and practices to the stakeholders who can use them most. As priorities and responsibilities for organizations such as NRCS have changed over time, programs like ILF have really been an important part of building momentum in education and continuing to push for more sustainable agriculture and improvements in Iowa’s ecosystems.

How did you change the program, and how did it change you? It was great to help conceptualize and implement the Conservation Learning Labs and its watershed-scale analysis of nutrient reduction practices. I’ve also provided input on statewide needs in terms of practices that improve soil health, and practices that will help move toward achievement of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy goals. I also represent the needs of NRCS to provide input on programming to meet statewide goals for water quality and soil health.

I think the biggest impact ILF has had on me is providing me the opportunity to work with so many great minds and leaders, to learn from them, and to collaborate on important solutions. In other words, when you hang out with people that know more than you do, you can learn a lot from them. The last 15 years have been an amazing time of change and learning in agriculture. I’m excited about the growing number of people and organizations in all sectors that recognize their responsibility to protect soil, water and other natural resources.

What are your fondest memories of working with ILF? One event that stands out was a landowner meeting for the Conservation Learning Labs project that Bill Northey (Iowa secretary of agriculture at the time) joined. His presence not only signaled the state’s commitment to water quality improvement, but also gave the landowners a chance to share their concerns and thoughts at the highest level.

Attending a workshop with new farmers last summer was also a great experience. Seeing the energy and enthusiasm combined with thirst for information on sustainable practices was fantastic.

The other really fun part of working with ILF was having the opportunity to write and record a couple of songs with the Water Rocks team.

Why is water quality and conservation outreach important to you and to Iowa? What makes Iowa special on the planet is the quality of our agricultural soil and landscape. It’s imperative to the future of our state and our larger place in the world for Iowa to be doing a great job in building and conserving our agricultural soils and landscapes. Waterbodies are a reflection of the landscape, and if we are not doing a good job taking care of the soil and land, the waterbodies are going to reflect that failure.

I am passionate about my family, faith, and the sustainable management of soil, water and other natural resources. Being able to make a difference in Iowa has given personal meaning to my career. This is wonderful work that we get to do, and I am delighted to be in a position to help work for the present and future quality of the environment, our state, our economy and our communities. Not everybody gets a chance to do this.

If you could look 15 years into the future, what one thing would you like to see as a result of ILF activities? I would like to see a green landscape nine months of the year. Green being the dominant color of the landscape when there isn’t snow on the ground. My hope for Iowa is that it will be a green place, not a brown place.

Is there anything else people should know about Iowa Learning Farms? Everyone should recognize what a great resource ILF is for the people of Iowa. Any citizen, whether farmer, nonfarmer, city or rural dweller who cares about what kind of world they live in, what kind of landscape we share and what kind of water flows through it, can benefit from the myriad groups, including ILF, which help to build sustainability for Iowa.

Source: ILF, which is responsible for the information provided and is wholly owned by the source. Informa Business Media and its subsidiaries aren’t responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.