Almost exactly two years ago, on February 16, 2022, I wrote a blog post (What “Type” of Cover Crop Farmer are you?) about how to talk about cover crops based on the personality of the farmer you’re speaking to. The idea, based on a study led by Dr. Suraj Upadhaya, is grounded in the concept that people make decisions based on many complex motivators such as their values, identity, and perceived barriers. In other words, not everyone is the same and we, as conservationists, need to adapt what and how we talk about conservation based on the audience we’re speaking to.
This approach – curating education based on your audience – has become a reality as Iowa State University Extension and Outreach launches a new program in 2024 focused on landowners. Why landowners?
In Iowa, 58% of farmland is leased. Landowners play a key role, whether positive or negative, on the decision to use conservation practices. One expression of this point is the 2018 finding in the Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll that 42% of respondents agree or strongly agree that “I am less likely to use cover crops on rented land.” Tenants may have interest in cover crops, but they need support from their landowner to change their management practices.
Additionally, landowners have varying levels of engagement with their lands’ natural resources, multifaceted motivations for owning the land, and increasingly complex ownership and decision-making structures. In that sense, landowners in Iowa are actually quite diverse, yet we often speak to them as if they share the same set of knowledge, values and challenges.
Our program will distribute landowners into learning groups based on their awareness, needs, and perceived motivations and barriers to conservation practice adoption. Each group will attend six in-person educational events between June and August 2024 focused on conservation practices, leasing and taxation implications, as well as communication strategies for the key influencers in their life (family members, tenants, bankers, etc.).
This approach also takes into account that there are many steps in between interest and conservation practice implementation. This can include discussing with family members or other land beneficiaries, speaking with a lawyer to adapt or create a written lease, discussing practices with a tenant including cost-share of any expenses, equipment needs, etc. Many landowners care about their land and value stewardship, but they need help navigating the financial, legal, and relational aspects of transitioning to conservation land management.
In the first year of the program we will be targeting landowners whose land is primarily in row crops in central and north-central Iowa. All knowledge levels are welcome. Space is limited so please apply before April 19, 2024. More information can be found on our Natural Resource Stewardship website including a short assessment to see if the program is a good fit for you.
It’s been exciting to take this idea from the pages of a Conservation Learning Group blog to reality! And also to carry out one of my core responsibilities as an Extension professional and share research insights for the betterment of all Iowans.
Iowa Learning Farms 