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.

Conservation tillage is widely promoted because it has been demonstrated to help reduce erosion. But soil conservation concerns must be balanced against the possibility that such tillage may allow greater chemical leaching (removal of fertilizers and pesticides from the root zone of the soil by downward-percolating water), thus degrading water quality.

Terracing is a soil conservation practice that has been promoted throughout the Midwest since the days of the Dust Bowl era. The benefits for controlling soil erosion are well-documented, but the values to wildlife are much less clear. This study documented the numbers and species of birds and small mammals as well as the number of small mammal dens in southwest Iowa terraces.

The late-spring soil test for nitrate has been identified as a promising tool for improving nitrogen (N) management in Iowa. The test works by measuring the amount of nitrate iiv the top one-foot layer of soil when corn plants are 6 to 12 inches tall. Sampling is done as late as possible in the spring, but still early enough to allow sidedress applications of more fertilizer N if needed.

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.

The European corn borer is one of the most damaging insects in Iowa cornfields, causing more than $100 million in crop losses each year. In this project, the sex attractant pheromone of the European corn borer was used to obstruct the ability of the adult male moths to locate females for mating. In the first year, efforts focused on mating disruption in a small area, while in the second year dispensers were deployed on a larger scale and evaluated for efficacy.

The tall-grass prairie ecosystem once domi­ nated much of the Midwest; Iowa was in the center of this immense grassland. A diverse birdlife used the abundant prairie pothole wet­ lands and upland tall-grass cover. Although early agriculture produced a landscape that briefly increased wildlife diversity, the steady shift toward larger farms has resulted in re­ duced wildlife habitat.

Media reports of atrazine in rainwater and surface and groundwater resources have prompted a concerned public, which includes farmers, to find more efficient, environmentally sound ways to apply pesticides and fertilizer.

While there is a great deal of information available on pasture management and utilization, there is no one existing publication that could serve as a comprehensive source of advice on the subject for Iowa farmers. Using feedback from a focus group, a handbook to aid Iowa farmers in pasture management has been prepared.

Before agriculture dominated the Midwest plains, prairie grasses and other plants dominated the Iowa landscape. Today, however, most of this land is devoted to rowcrop farming. While the original prairie and early, small farms provided habitat for numerous bird species, this habitat has been lost as pastures and hay and oats fields have been eliminated. Now, fencerows, grassed waterways, railroad rights-of-way, and roadsides represent potential refuge for bird species that do not need large areas to thrive.