By Willy Klein

Soil, water, crops. They go together like Iowa State University, farmers and agriculture. They all come together at the ISU exhibit on the corner of Central Avenue and Seventh Street during the 2018 Farm Progress Show.

Soil, water and crops along with land, weeds, monarch butterflies and soybean stressor detecting technology are topics of conversation with ISU and Extension and Outreach faculty and specialists.

When you come to the show, discover the various ways ISU research, education and outreach extends across the landscape through innovation, technology and sound management practices to support agricultural sustainability.

Demos in and around exhibit hall
Watch as a robot, UAV and phone app with the technical capabilities to identify soybean stressors are at work.

These tools help demonstrate the innovativeness of Iowa State University agronomists and engineers who are improving crop scouting efficiencies by making scouting less labor and time consuming, while producing more standardized results.

Soil scientists lead demonstrations looking at the chemical, biological and physical properties of soil. Soil health is about maintaining a suitable habitat for the myriad of creatures that comprise the soil food web. Learn how to assess soil health.

Clean water is important to everyone, and there are many ways farmers and landowners can modify farm practices to reduce the amount of nutrients leaving fields and entering waterways.

Learn about low-risk, efficient infield practices and explore the saturated buffer and bioreactor models that demonstrate the workings of these practices, and then check the digital map to find Iowa waterways most suited for the buffers.

Dan Andersen, an ISU Extension ag engineer who’s also known as Dr. Manure, will demonstrate results of his manure manifold calibration research measuring uniformity of outlet discharge. Two models will be on display and running.

Join in the conversations
There is plenty to be said and heard, whether the conversation is weather with ag meteorologist Elwynn Taylor; weeds with agronomist Bob Hartzler; soybean rust with plant pathologist Daren Mueller; ag economics with Wendong Zhang and Chad Hart; or a catch-up conversation with the local ISU Extension field agronomist and farm management specialist. Check the Ask an Expert schedule and plan to stop by.

Under the umbrella of a larger-than-life monarch butterfly, ISU researchers leading Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium projects will answer questions, offer the monarch seed mix list and share a butterfly’s perspective.

ISU is a land grant university; join the land grant legacy conversation to learn what this means to Iowa, agricultural education and those involved in agriculture. Owners of land in northwest Iowa may discover they own a piece of land-grant history, others may learn an interesting fact they had forgotten or never knew.

Share your experiences
The close connection ISU has to the land, in its history and fulfillment of its mission, is an integral part of the land-grant legacy project. Gathering stories of land use and development of families with ties to ISU are components of the project.

Pairs of weed seedlings and mature plants in planters north of the ISU building set the stage for a weed identification challenge. Identify the 12-14 weeds, then move inside to determine what management practices to employ for weed reduction.

Be inspired by student innovations
ISU student innovations displayed on the lawn south of the ISU exhibit building will include team PrISUm’s latest solar car, Penumbra, and the Cyclone Power Pullers’ latest quarter-scale tractor, CY-ger.

Team PrISUm touts their car as the world’s first solar utility vehicle, capable of hauling four people and groceries — complete with an entertainment screen. Penumbra arrives at FPS after completing the 2018 American Solar Challenge and Formula Sun Grand Prix competitions, a two-week journey from Hastings, Neb., to Bend, Ore.

CY-ger and the Cyclone Power Pullers returned from national competition in June with top honors for the tractor’s appearance, maneuverability and innovation. Many of the CY-ger tractor’s strengths are in its articulated, four-wheel-drive design. 

Check out these vehicles when visiting the ISU Tent at FPS at Boone.

Taking home some cardinal and gold
Don’t leave empty handed. Whether it’s a selfie with CY-ger or a list of monarch butterfly habitats stored on a phone, carry a piece of ISU with you when you leave.

Inform the ISU specialists of issues farmers face and you can learn about ISU research addressing those issues. Walk away knowing who to contact for funding information for a saturated buffer, steps to improving soil health, or with the pride of owning a land-grant parcel.

If it’s cardinal and gold that make the visit complete, the mobile unit of the ISU bookstore is parked on the south lawn with merchandise Cyclone fans enjoy.

Representatives from ISU’s College of Ag & Life Sciences, department of agronomy, and ISU Extension are on hand to welcome all visitors. CY is attending the show, check online for more information.

Klein is a communications specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach.