For more than two decades, the Iowa LICA Conservation and Demonstration Farm has provided a place where visitors can see conservation work in action.
Located near Melbourne, Iowa—approximately 15 miles from Marshalltown and 60 miles from Des Moines—the 80-acre property was purchased in 2000. Since then, Iowa LICA has developed the farm into a working educational site where contractors, agencies, students and members of the public can learn how conservation systems are constructed and how they perform over time.
The property receives water from a surrounding watershed of more than 1,000 acres. Iowa LICA reports that the practices installed at the farm remove more than 50 percent of the phosphates and nearly all of the nitrates before the water leaves the property. The results offer a clear example of how the work completed by LICA contractors can help limit nutrient loss and protect soil and water resources.
Many of the farm’s installations were completed during Iowa LICA Field Days. Those projects have allowed members and visitors to follow the work from installation through long-term operation, providing a practical look at both construction methods and conservation results.
The farm’s educational capabilities have now taken another major step forward with the opening of a new Farm Classroom.
The completed building gives Iowa LICA an indoor, weather-protected location where programs can be held in every season. It can accommodate meetings, workshops, contractor instruction, safety education and other events connected to conservation and the land improvement industry.
The classroom also creates new possibilities for organizations that would like to hold educational programs at the farm. Conservation agencies, agricultural groups, schools, landowners and industry partners can meet inside before visiting the installations located throughout the property.
That combination is one of the classroom’s greatest strengths. Participants can first discuss the design, construction or purpose of a conservation practice and then step outside to view an example operating under actual field conditions.
Iowa LICA celebrated the classroom’s completion with a grand opening and open house. Guests spent time visiting with Iowa LICA members and industry representatives before gathering for remarks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Guided tours then gave attendees a closer look at conservation projects installed during previous Field Days.
The celebration brought together Iowa LICA contractor and associate members, representatives from USDA, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, state officials, members of the media and community guests.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig praised the new Farm Classroom, calling it a “crown jewel” for Iowa LICA. He also emphasized the important role contractors play in carrying conservation efforts from the planning stage to the field.
“People can talk about conservation, make plans and designs, but somebody has to get it on the ground,” Naig said. “LICA is the critical link in that equation.”
Iowa Senator Kara Warme focused on the responsibility of protecting natural resources for those who will follow. She noted that the farm gives conservation professionals a place to try different approaches, observe the results and pass what they learn on to others.
Iowa LICA President Scott Bohle reflected on what the new classroom will make possible for the association and the people it serves.
“We are not only opening the doors to this facility, but to new opportunities—opportunities to educate the next generation, strengthen our membership, promote conservation, and continue serving Iowa with excellence,” Bohle said.
He also explained that Iowa LICA wanted a permanent setting where education, leadership, innovation and fellowship could continue well into the future.
The classroom will give members a place to build their knowledge and strengthen professional relationships. It can also introduce students to careers in excavation, drainage, conservation construction and other areas of the land improvement industry.
For landowners, agencies and conservation groups, the facility offers a setting where experiences and ideas can be exchanged while remaining closely connected to the work taking place on the farm.
The project came together through financial contributions from Iowa LICA contractor and associate members, along with members who donated labor, machinery, professional knowledge and other resources. A building committee developed the initial plans, and Iowa LICA’s Board of Directors worked with Executive Director Kelby Kiefer and the project team to address decisions as construction progressed.
Their combined efforts created more than a new building. They gave Iowa LICA a permanent base from which to broaden the farm’s educational reach.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who played a part in making this vision a reality,” Kiefer said. “Today, we celebrate a beautiful new facility. Tomorrow, we begin the work of filling it with purpose.”
With the Farm Classroom now open, Iowa LICA can welcome more people to the property, offer programming in every season and continue connecting conservation knowledge with the contractors who put that knowledge to work.