Over three years, small willow cuttings ("posts") cut from local sites were planted into the stream bank on six sites along the Middle Raccoon River. These posts stabilize the bank, reducing erosion and protecting water quality. In addition, unlike most riparian buffer planting techniques, they do not take land out of agricultural row-crop production. They also provide shading and enhance wildlife habitat. Plantings are most successful if cut while dormant, planted on rivers or streams that have less than 50,000 acres drainage, and inspected regularly for insect and beaver damage (so that preventive measures may be taken where indicated). This technique was demonstrated to the public via field days and media coverage, and results of a survey assessing attitudes about adoption of the technique are being analyzed.

A tree shelterbeit comprised of four rows of hybrid poplars was established near Ogden, Iowa in 1992 to evaluate shelterbeit characteristics and impacts on soil water content and crop growth andyieid. Major emphasis was on testing crops of corn and soybeans. The first three years saw little effects from the shelterbeit, and data from these years will be used to develop a baseline for future measurements. In the fourth and fifth years, corn yield patterns suggested that the shelterbeit increases yields in the zone leeward from the shelterbeit. Soybeans have not shown a response to the presence of the shelterbeit.

Throughout the Cornbelt eco-region, nitratenitrogen (NO3-N) is the most frequent pollutant exceeding the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's maximum contaminant limits for municipal drinking water supplies. Agricultural fertilizers that leach or run off from row-cropped fields are the principal source of NO3-N. This potential contamination poses a health concern that is attracting increasing attention among the urban and rural populace alike.

Yield data for corn (eight years) and soybeans (six years) were collected and analyzed to determine the impacts of a hybrid poplar shelterbelt on crop production on a central Iowa farm.

Shelterbelts have the potential to influence growth and yield from various cropping systems. On-farm tests were conducted to determine how shelterbelts interacted with corn, corn/soybean, and strip intercropping.

The midwestern landscape, which formerly consisted of prairies, wetlands, and forests, is now primarily devoted to agricultural purposes. Unfortunately, the resulting large-scale agricultural production has also produced nonpoint source (NPS) pollution of water, alteration of waterways, and disruption of wildlife habitat. NPS pollution, whether by sediment, fertilizers, or pesticides, is a problem nationwide. The agricultural community has addressed this problem by increasing soil conservation efforts and improving chemical application practices. One Best Management Practice (BMP) is the use of riparian (streamside) vegetative filter strips on watersheds prone to such pollution. Most such filter strips to date consist primarily of cool-season grasses.