Rachel Cramer
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Iowa Public Radio
This year’s recipient of the $500,000 award is Dutch scientist and humanitarian Huub Lelieveld. The World Food Prize Foundation's three-day event in Des Moines has drawn in scientists, philanthropists, farmers, heads of state and Hollywood actors – including one who played the ukulele.
Gavin McGough
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Iowa Public Radio
Ann Hammond
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Courtesy of Monarch Research
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On this episode, we meet the Lobe Rangers, three Iowa farmers from who are frustrated with how few of their fellow farmers have implemented conservation practices. We learn about their vision for a more sustainable future for Iowa. Then, 'Talk of Iowa' Summer School continues with agriculture teacher Anna Brooks. She makes the farm to table process a focus of her classes. -
A group of farmers say voluntary approaches to conservation are not delivering the scale of change needed to meet the state’s nutrient reduction goals. They’re calling for a new system of incentives and disincentives. -
Construction is underway on a new Innovation and Discovery Lab at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory that will expand hands-on learning for students of all ages. The new space will also support research to better understand and protect the water quality of the Iowa Great Lakes.
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The Iowa Water and Land Legacy (IWiLL) Constitutional Amendment passed in 2010 with 63% of the vote. It was designed to fund a Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation trust fund, but 16 years later, the trust has never been funded. A new effort to fund the trust is underway. On this episode, we hear from Adam Shirley, CEO of Iowa’s County Conservation System, Anna Gray of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, and Lindsay Brice of Audubon Upper Mississippi River. We talk about the strain of stagnant or dwindling funding on county conservation boards and what IWiLL could mean for those programs. Then, we listen back to a conversation about some of the oldest book clubs in Iowa from their members. (Part of this show was originally produced March 31, 2026.)
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The Iowa DNR will move forward with demolishing an education center at Springbrook State Park after approval from the Natural Resource Commission. The center in Guthrie County made a big impact on thousands of students, educators and conservationists. -
The Iowa chapter of the Land Improvement Contractors of America says the space will make it easier to educate the next generation of professional contractors, along with government employees, lawmakers and students, to help conserve soil and water in the state through edge-of-field practices. They're a key part of Iowa's strategy to reduce nutrient pollution.
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Over the last 20 years, a conservationist in LeClaire has been trying to raise awareness about pesticide damage to his oak trees. He points to herbicide drift from nearby agriculture fields as the source of the problem. -
The Iowa Wildlife Federation promotes the national program, which helps people certify their yards and other outdoor spaces as healthy habitats for local wildlife. -
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the state’s first so-called Iowa Farm Act, along with the appropriations bill for agriculture and natural resources. The legislation provides more funding for local food and water treatment plants.
