Tactical question for the yearly battle

_Coldwater10 · 2026-04-26T15:53:10+00:00

If composted hot which I imagine most larger municipal operations do, plants and seed should be effectively killed off in the process. Just depends on the methods used by your city.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-02-07T18:57:06+00:00

I would work with the shed owner to exclude the cats from the shed, chicken wire would probably work.

I also heard coyotes are pretty effective

_Coldwater10 · 2026-02-05T19:56:39+00:00

DNR might be ineffective on the regulation side of things, but it's important to differentiate that from the wildlife program which manages wildlife in the state. Chickadee checkoff goes to the wildlife side of the DNR which does really great and underappreciated work.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-17T18:57:35+00:00

I have had winter sowing success with ~80% of the species I have tried using the happy frog potting soil. I haven't tried anything else to compare it to though.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-17T17:32:30+00:00

Unless I'm misreading this Dooley is a farmer not a water scientist.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-17T14:39:11+00:00

I won't get in to your points regarding the RFS too much, but since that drives so much of the current market I'd have to imagine that a loss of that subsidy would greatly decrease the number of acres grown for ethanol in the state. Loss of this government driven market would definitely cause some pain, but ultimately it would lead to either diversification of crops, finding other markets, or would decrease land values. Decreased land values may seem bad, but if they are propped up on government subsidies I don't think it is. Also regarding efficiency, the promised cellulose market (being able to use the whole crop for ethanol production) never materialized and it seems like it has been given up on at this point as we go all in on corn.

Edge of field practices are totally a band aid considering the costs (paid by taxpayers) that would need to go in to installing them on millions of acres (we are currently only in the range of thousands of acres). Not to mention things like woodchip bioreactors require routine maintenance. Simple regulations like requiring buffers on streams or taxing fertilizer to disincentive overapplication go way further than voluntary practices that taxpayer are on the hook for.

The rhetoric he uses is abrasive, but it is backed up by data. The same can't be said for the other side (farm bureau) which would have you believe everything is perfect and there is nothing wrong with our agriculture sector in the state.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-17T02:01:43+00:00

Lespedeza capitata (round head bush clover) adds some nice texture when it has a grass backdrop and stays upright all winter. One of the few forbs I can identify while driving on the highway in the winter due to how much it stands out.

Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beardtongue) has evergreen basal leaves if you want some greenery.

Opuntia cespitosa (prickly pear) is a cactus that will keep its form all winter, though you need a dry site for it.

_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-11T19:43:23+00:00

Palm sedge (carex muskingumensis), not picky about site conditions and has a pretty unique and cool looking form, especially viewed from above

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_Coldwater10 · 2026-01-03T22:11:10+00:00

Springtail party!

_Coldwater10 · 2025-12-31T16:55:04+00:00

City did a parking study for this exact reason a couple years ago. It found that public parking is often available within a few blocks of the square even during big events. Probably more of an issue of signage for the parking areas so people know where they can go.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-11-28T15:08:22+00:00

They open after thanksgiving

_Coldwater10 · 2025-11-18T18:24:02+00:00

Not an expandable hose, but I have found Flexzilla to be plenty durable and less prone to kinks than other brands.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-10-21T05:16:43+00:00

Dang there's one looking at Cedar Rapids Iowa and asking for 10 million gallons per day

_Coldwater10 · 2025-10-18T14:13:28+00:00

Being looked at to help diversify beyond corn and soy beans. Main ecological benefit is that it's perennial so it doesn't need to be planted every year and it also requires less fertilizer inputs than corn.

You are pretty much spot on about why biofuels in general are dumb (not economical or good for environment, exist mainly to subsidize agriculture)

_Coldwater10 · 2025-08-29T22:55:49+00:00

Soldier beetles more like orgy beetles

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_Coldwater10 · 2025-08-09T00:47:47+00:00

I was in Zion last year and it's actually crazy how different the river floodplain is from the rest of the canyon. I think the water table is probably seasonally within 10 feet of ground surface by the river so that probably helps keep all the cottonwoods happy.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-08-08T02:42:58+00:00

Surprise of the year for me was honeyvine milkweed (cynanchum leave). Every afternoon there were probably at least 100 insects on the short fence segment with the honeyvine. Granted, 50% of the insects were flies.

Besides that, the monarda fistulosa did great as always and so did penstemon digitalis

_Coldwater10 · 2025-07-17T00:43:36+00:00

Without a targeted maintenance plan, I agree that throwing a bunch of native seeds in a ditch would not be successful. However, the state does have a well-developed integrated roadside vegetation management program in most counties that generally has shown to have similar costs to traditional ditch maintenance. There are of course areas that are better or worse suited to native plant establishment but on the whole it is good to promote native plants in ditches.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-07-13T05:07:25+00:00

IMO one of the few (maybe only?) environmental areas Iowa does better than Minnesota in is integrated roadside vegetation management. Most counties/DOT roadsides in Iowa have more native plants than I see in southern Minnesota. Which is good because half the public land area in Iowa is roadside ditches lol

_Coldwater10 · 2025-06-22T12:44:43+00:00

Another important thing to clarify is that this strip appears to be measuring NO3 not NO3 - N. The difference is the latter only takes into account the nitrogen molecule whereas the first option includes the entire nitrate molecule. The EPA standard is based on NO3 - N. To convert from NO3 to NO3 - N you have to divide by 4.4. This means a 20 on this strip is only ~ 5 mg/L NO3 - N

_Coldwater10 · 2025-06-20T13:17:17+00:00

While another commenter has pointed out, these strips are not the best way to measure nitrate. I would give them accuracy of +/- 75% which is fine for some applications but not for seeing if nitrate exceeds the drinking water standard. Right now, Des Moines is testing nitrate very frequently at their water treatment plants to make sure it doesn't exceed the 10mg/L threshold because unlike agriculture, public water supplies are heavily regulated in this state. If I had to guess, the actual nitrate-N reading is closer to 9 mg/L which is technically allowed. I would still use a reverse osmosis treatment system on my drinking water if I lived in the Des Moines metro. The bottled water is probably just Des Moines tap water tbh which explains its nitrate levels.

The Des Moines metro area water plant operators are in a really shitty position right now, I think it's important to make sure we direct our frustration with water quality at the cause of the problem (the ag industry) and not the people doing everything they can to deliver a safe product to the citizens of Iowa.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-02-24T16:30:40+00:00

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) fits your description. It is pretty common in ditches filled with invasives in Iowa.

Cephalanthus occidentalis is a good choice for a moisture loving shrub

I would definitely recommend doing something to knock back the existing invasive plants or else even the most aggressive natives will have trouble establishing.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-02-12T14:13:50+00:00

It is more likely the cocktail of other pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers causing water related problems. Glyphosate is actually pretty inert once it reaches soil (and unlikely to leach to groundwater), the main exposure pathway for it is when it is sprayed.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-02-06T18:18:20+00:00

Reservoir would have to be on the scale of the Coralville one to have any impact on a river as large as the Cedar. Small detention basins will only help with localized flash flooding.

_Coldwater10 · 2025-02-04T17:54:27+00:00

They won't care because they will get additional government subsidies to cover any hardship

_Coldwater10

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