• Date: July 30, 2025
  Time: 12:00pm
  Location: Zoom
  

Iowa Learning Farms Webinar: Prairie Strips Deliver Intrinsic Value Beyond Land Stewardship

July 30 presentation by Iowa State University’s Derek Franklin will highlight trends in emotional connections affecting the motivation to implement and maintain prairie strips over time

The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place July 30, at noon CDT will feature Derek Franklin, Ph.D., postdoctoral research associate, Iowa State University. As a social scientist, Franklin talks with farmers to better understand their real-world perspectives and incorporates what he learns into research and policy conversations, making sure proposed changes reflect the needs and realities of the people on the ground. He was born and raised on a small cow/calf farm in Southeast Missouri and has been around agriculture his entire life.

In the webinar, “More Than a Practice: Sense of Place and Stewardship Among Prairie Strip Adopters,” Franklin will share the outcomes and conclusions drawn from interviews conducted with farmers and landowners who have maintained prairie strips on their farms for at least three years. He will discuss motivations cited for initially adopting as well as maintaining the practice. Franklin will also provide insights into the continuum of motivation and connection with the land as benefits beyond the initial conservation benefits are manifested in the perceptions and lives of these farmers and landowners.

“While strong land stewardship values often initially motivated prairie strip adoption, participants’ experiences maintaining the strips and their encounters with the beauty, wildlife, and community enthusiasm surrounding them appeared to deepen their stewardship identity and reinforce emotional and moral connections to the land,” said Franklin. “The findings from the study suggest that prairie strips not only support ecological and conservation goals but also cultivate multidimensional, reciprocal relationships between landowners and their landscapes. Conservation practices that cultivate a deeper sense of place such prairie strips may support long-term maintenance and reduce disadoption risk.”

Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.

Don't miss this webinar!

DATE: Wednesday, July 30, 2025
TIME: 12:00 p.m. CDT
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 
Shortly before 12:00 pm CDT, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/join 

Or, join via phone:
    Dial:  646-876-9923
    Webinar ID: 999 3709 5398

The webinar will also be recorded and archived. All archived webinars are available on the ILF website, so that they can be watched at any time.

ILF has applied for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.

About Iowa Learning Farms:
Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, EPA Section 319 Grant Program and GROWMARK, Inc.