At Iowa State University, Agriculture Experiment Station (AES) research and ISU Extension and Outreach programs support Iowa’s leadership in food production and agricultural business, enhance quality of life and solve critical issues for agriculture and communities. These efforts leverage crucial federal support necessary to rebuild U.S. preeminence across public university research and the Cooperative Extension System to reinforce domestic preparedness against pests and diseases and ensure U.S. leadership in global food security and technology.
Innovating for Impact Today
Farms could profit from grass-powered energy production
Strategically planting perennial grass throughout corn and soybean fields improves environmental sustainability but must make financial sense for farmers. The Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE) has been studying how to turn harvested prairie grass and winter crops into renewable natural gas, including by use of on-farm anaerobic digesters that combine biomass and manure. This could create new markets for producers worth millions. Another project led by Department of Agronomy researchers shows that advanced planting techniques can triple biomass levels produced by the perennial, bioenergy crop Miscanthus in its establishment year, improving economic returns and increasing the crop’s potential to store carbon.
Building trust in pork production
Iowa State is leading the Real Pork Trust Consortium, a partnership with the National Pork Board and scientists from multiple universities striving to listen to and answer consumer questions about pork and pork production. The team is using communications science and pork supply chain research to understand and address trust barriers and is training a future workforce, ensuring a sustainable future for the U.S. pork supply.
Improving markets for Midwest, regional wine production
Changing growing seasons and increasing environmental threats are affecting the ability of various wine-producing regions to maintain high production levels. The Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition is leading efforts to identify challenges and opportunities in the wine industry and improve future markets for wine from the Midwest and other regions.
Extension helps small food businesses scale up
More than 100 farms and food businesses looking to scale up have benefitted from extension’s Farm, Food, and Enterprise Development program. The program has worked with rural grocery stores, meat lockers and processors, online retailers, hotels and restaurants. For example, Countryside Freeze Dried grew their candy business from an in-home operation to a state-of-the-art food production facility and now markets its products through Hy-Vee and Fareway. FFED guidance helps small food businesses grow at their own pace, as they invest in infrastructure, provide employment and improve profitability.
Helping Iowa cope with disasters
Weather-related disasters cost Iowa more than $3 billion annually. ISU Extension and Outreach collaborates with local officials and organizations to meet immediate needs and delivers education for disaster recovery, including financial consultations and training in Mental Health First Aid, suicide prevention and self-care to help Iowans respond effectively in times of crisis. Extension’s Iowa Concern hotline answers calls 24/7, providing support and access to critical resources.
Planter U success inspires Combine U
In the past three years, extension and its partners have helped more than 600 farmers and ag industry professionals learn how to improve planter efficiency and increase profits. The estimated economic impact of Planter University tops $2.6 million. Funding from the Skilled Worker Job Creation Fund has enabled the program to expand: Combine University will launch in 2025, and pilot programs with drones and other spray technology are underway.
Innovative Research for Tomorrow
Fighting deadly health threats from antimicrobial resistance
Researchers in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition have found that zinc supplements may be an inexpensive, effective antidote to the growing health threat of antimicrobial resistance, potentially extending the effectiveness of today’s antibiotic arsenal against disease.
Iowa State leads project to catalog livestock DNA outside genes
A new USDA-supported project led by researchers in the Department of Animal Science is creating a systematic catalog of the DNA netherworld scientists call “genetic regulatory regions” for livestock species, setting the stage for important discoveries that could be useful in breeding for improved animal efficiency and health.
Innovative Teaching and Training Inspire Next Gen ‘Do-ers’
Exploring innovations, sustainability in food and agriculture
Innovation and entrepreneurship is a driving force for education of Iowa State students. One example in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences is the Next Gen Innovation Impact Study internship, in partnership with America's Cultivation Corridor, which allowed eight students to conduct research to uncover potential sustainability practices for dairy, bioprocessing and other agricultural sectors during the fall 2024 semester.
4-H engages youth in STEM for career advantage
Iowa 4-H, working with NASA Iowa Space Grant Consortium and other STEM programming, equips youth with the critical thinking, problem-solving and innovation skills they will need for future careers. Throughout 2023-2024, Iowa 4-H engaged youth in more than 20,000 individual STEM hands-on learning experiences.
More About CALS
Ag Research Advances Iowa
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station -- the research division of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences – helps Iowa remain a world leader in food production and addresses societal issues linked to agriculture, economic development, life sciences, the environment, families and communities.
The college is one of eight at Iowa State University, which is one of the most influential land grant universities in the nation. Iowa State ranks among the best in the world for agricultural programs.
- The college ranked in the top 2% worldwide among 456 institutions in 2024 and has ranked in the top 10 list five of the past 15 years. (QS World University Rankings, agricultural and forestry programs).
- The Experiment Station has attracted approximately $61 million in external funding in each of the last five years.
- The college has 288 tenure/tenure eligible faculty, 101 term faculty, 338 professional and scientific staff and 25 merit staff in 14 departments. Eight departments are co-administered by another college.
Extension’s 99-County Campus
With a presence in each of Iowa’s 99 counties, Iowa State University Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) serves Iowans daily, delivering science-based information and education vital to farmers, businesses, communities and consumers. ANR also listens to understand needs, emerging issues and help plan for the future. ANR is the largest unit in ISU Extension and Outreach, involving 92 faculty and staff in seven departments and 41 field specialists across Iowa.
The CALS Advantage for Students
CALS offers students opportunities to learn their disciplines and gain leadership skills in fields such as communications, innovation and entrepreneurship. Extensive study-away offerings also expand horizons to apply knowledge and gain cultural competency. Public/private investments support state-of-the-art laboratories, classrooms and student learning spaces, including the Student Innovation Center, the Stanley L. Balloun Turkey Teaching and Research Facility, the BioCentury Research Farm and the new Kent Corporation Feed Mill and Grain Science Complex.
- CALS offers 27 undergraduate majors and 35 graduate programs.
- Total enrollment in Fall 2024 was 25,628 undergraduate students and 4,800 graduate students. More than 3,600 students completed online courses during the 2023-24 academic year.
- CALS leads the campus in four-year retention rates and has the highest four-year graduation rate.
- CALS hosts the nation’s largest career fair. Placement has been 97% or higher for 25 consecutive years.
- CALS provides approximately $4 million in scholarships annually.
- Around 100 students take the Start Something College of Agriculture and Life Sciences capstone course each year. At the end of the semester, the students present business plans to investors and entrepreneurs.