College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Henry A. Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture

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The Wallace Chair for Sustainable Agriculture

Dr. Matt Liebman, Iowa State University agronomy professor, became the new Henry A. Wallace Endowed Chair for Sustainable Agriculture on July 1, 2007. He succeeded Dr. Lorna Michael Butler who served as Chair from 2000 to 2007. Dr. Liebman will serve as Chair for a five-year term, which can be renewed for up to three additional years. Dr. Liebman is a graduate of Harvard University and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. In 2009, he was selected as an American Society of Agronomy Fellow. His scientific research focuses on cropping system diversification, conservation systems, and weed ecology and management.

		Matt Liebman with image of Henry A. Wallace Photo courtesy of Rod Swoboda

STRIPS Project at Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge

An interdisciplinary team of scientists is evaluating the benefits of incorporating small strips of perennial plantings within or near conventional row-cropping systems. The team believes that integrating these strips in row-cropped watersheds will improve water, nutrient, and carbon cycling and dramatically increase the richness and diversity of plants and animals within the landscape. The project is being conducted at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, a conservation and education center located in central Iowa. Included in the team of researchers is Matt Liebman and his graduate student, Sarah Hirsh. A link to information on STRIPS (Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairies) can be found here.

An article in the November 2011 edition of the Ohio Farmer highlights some of the benefits of planting prairie grass strips within cropping systems. Some members of the STRIPS Project were interviewed for the article. A PDF of the story can be found here.

A podcast, produced by Brian Devore from the Land Stewardship Project in Minnesota, features a discussion of the STRIPS Project with Matt Liebman and Matt Helmers. To listen to the podcast, find the episode titled "Ear to the Ground 103" here.

Longer Rotations Could Provide Key to Fighting SDS in Soybean

Iowa State agronomist Matt Liebman has been studying various aspects of extending the conventional corn-soybean rotation with small grains and forages for eight seasons. He has documented many benefits, including the need for fewer purchased inputs made from fossil fuels while maintaining high levels of production. Another benefit of longer rotations has surfaced, puzzling him and other researchers at Iowa State. Soybean in three-year rotations with corn, oat and red clover, and in four-year rotations with corn, oat and alfalfa, seemed to escape the worst effects of Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS). The rotation effects were observed in research that Liebman set up eight years ago with a grant from the Leopold Center. See full story here. A grant recently awarded by the Iowa Soybean Association will help support further research into these effects. Leonor Leandro, Assistant Professor in Plant Pathology, will lead a team in studying how production practices may impact the development and severity of SDS.

News & Events

Extension Publication

Meghann Jarchow, a Ph.D. student in Sustainable Agriculture and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Matt Liebman have co-authored an extension publication titled “Incorporating Prairies into Multifunctional Landscapes.” A PDF of the publication can be viewed here. Hard copies of the publication are available at the ISU Extension Online Store

Henry A. Wallace