Information was gathered by a conservation group to aid the Southern Iowa Development and Conservation Authority in creative planning for future land management.

Education on financial management techniques, individual assistance, and valuable information was provided to several of Iowa's small meat processing firms.

Salmonella are commensal bacteria frequently present in the intestinal tracts of commercial poultry. Unfortunately, these microbes will contaminate the flesh of the bird during slaughter, thus creating one of the most important food safety hazards. It is clear that commercial broilers are susceptible to intestinal colonization by Salmonella, but it is unclear if this susceptibility is related to selective breeding for rapid growth and increased feed efficiency. Since non-commercial heritage breeds have genetic profiles diverging from the commercial broiler, we hypothesized that some heritage breeds may exhibit diminished susceptibility to Salmonella colonization of the intestine. To test this hypothesis we experimentally infected 38 heritage breeds and one commercial breed (Cobb 500) with Salmonella enterica and monitored the Salmonella present in each breed.

Presentation to the Iowa Land Tenure Policy Working Group about critical issues in land ownership. Results of a recent landowner survey in two Iowa watersheds also are presented.

Rural residents share their opinions about current farm policy and prospects for the next federal Farm Bill.

Potential feedstocks from crop-based energy production systems range from starchy and sugary tuberous crops to woody, oilseed, or herbaceous crops (including corn, sweet and grain sorghums, and several grasses). An important characteristic of biomass crops is that the ratio of energy of the biomass product be large compared to the energy used to pro­ duce the crop. Because one of the most costly inputs in the latter component is nitrogen (N) fertilizer, any evaluation of potential energy crops must emphasize N inputs. Given its high N requirement, corn is not likely to meet all future ethanol demands. Corn also is limited by the inefficient conversion of starch to etha­ nol and by environmental and conservation considerations such as suitable land use.

Community agriculture and food systems offers many inviting opportunities for communities of varying sizes. This project engaged in efforts to increase and enhance local food options in three Iowa communities.

This project provides a model for formation of a consortium of organizations to encourage and oversee the development of a local food system based upon sustainable farming practices.

Double cropping, a system in which more than one crop is produced per year in a land area, helps to increase food and feed production in the United States. But the impact of double cropping on production of biomass (crops grown to be converted to fuel) has not been evaluated. Such cropping systems have been successful in the eastern and southern United States. If they can be adapted to the relatively short growing season of the extremely large and agriculturally productive north-central region of the United States, biomass production potential can be greatly increased.

A spreadsheet was created to provide producers, distributors, and marketers with more information about county-level supplies of local food products.