Impacts for Iowans

Helping rural Iowans prosper

Iowans expect a good return on their investment in Iowa State University programs.

Here are examples of how efforts of the College of Agriculture and ISU Extension help improve lives.

Bioeconomy initiative off and running

The university-wide BioEconomy Initiative seeks to develop technologies for converting crops and plant materials into chemicals, fuels, fibers and energy. Several College of Agriculture faculty members are affiliated with the initiative. Steven Fales, former agronomy department chair, serves full-time as the College's Bioeconomy Initiative Coordinator. Faculty experts from Iowa's public universities in January presented a seminar on renewable fuels to the Iowa General Assembly. Lawmakers requested science-based information on ethanol, biodiesel and other bio-based alternative fuels. Last year Iowa State hosted the Biobased Industry Outlook Conference to provide information for those interested in business opportunities in the areas of renewable energy and biobased products.

Study analyzes factors behind county growth

Rural amenities, state and local tax burdens, population, amount of primary agriculture activity and demographics have the largest impact on county economic growth, according to new research from the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. The study found that counties with a heavy agricultural presence have not fared as well as less agriculturally dependent counties, although counties that increased their value-added agriculture (measured as growth in livestock sales receipts) enjoyed additional economic growth. Also, increased livestock production must be weighed against availability of recreational amenities, which are a significant growth factor and may become even more important as the demand for outdoor recreation increases with growing incomes, leisure time and population.

Farm cooperative aids soy adhesives development

Iowa State researchers and West Central Cooperative in Ralston seek to establish an infrastructure to provide modified soy proteins for industrial use. The project focuses on using a new technology developed at Iowa State producing environmentally friendly soy protein-based adhesives. However, commercialization of the technology and adoption by adhesive and wood-product manufacturers has been slow. This prompted ISU researchers to extend their technology-transfer efforts to smaller protein suppliers with proven track records for developing value-added products for markets of less interest to larger suppliers. This led them to West Central Cooperative, which makes bio-products (bio-diesel, lubricants, paint removers) from soybean oil, and has a strong interest in value-added technologies and biobased products from renewable resources.